Jeremiah

Warnings about Jerusalem's destruction due to unfaithfulness, with promises of a new covenant.

Chapter 23

1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.

*Oh no for the leaders who harm and scatter my sheep! says God.

2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

*So, the Lord God of Israel speaks to the shepherds who lead his people. He says they have scattered and pushed away his flock while neglecting them. Therefore, he will punish these shepherds for their wrong actions, as promised by the Lord.

3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

*I will collect the remaining sheep from all places I sent them, and return them to their homes. They will multiply and thrive.

4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.

*I will put leaders in charge who will take care of them. They won't be afraid anymore or feel worried. They will have enough, says the Lord.

5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

*Look, the time will come when God says He will raise up a righteous leader for David, and a king will rule and thrive, doing what is right and fair on Earth.

6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

*In his time, Judah will be saved and Israel will live without fear. This is the name that will be used to call him: THE LORD OUR JUSTICE.

7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;

*So, the time will come when people won't say, "The Lord is alive, the one who saved the Israelites from Egypt," says the Lord.

8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

*But truly, God is alive - the one who rescued the descendants of Israel's family from the northern lands and all other places I forced them into. They will live in their own land again.

9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

*My heart is very sad due to the prophets; my whole body trembles; I feel like someone who has had too much alcohol, and like someone taken over by wine's power, all because of the LORD and His holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.

*The land is filled with people who cheat. Because of promises, the land is sad. Nice parts of the desert have no water, and the way they act is wrong; their strength is not fair.

11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

*Both the prophet and priest have become unholy. In my house, I have discovered their wrongdoing, says the Lord.

12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

*Because their path will be like slippery steps in the dark, causing them to slide and fall. I will bring harm to them when their punishment arrives, says the Lord.

13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.

*I saw foolishness in the prophets from Samaria. They predicted things for Baal and led my people, Israel, astray.

14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

*I saw a terrible thing in Jerusalem's prophets: they commit adultery and lie, helping bad people. No one leaves their wrongdoing. They are all like Sodom to me, and the people living there like Gomorrah.

15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.

*So, God says this about the prophets: I will give them bitter plants to eat and make them drink poisonous water. This is because the false prophets from Jerusalem have spread wickedness throughout the whole land.

16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

*So says the God of armies, Do not listen to the messages of the prophets speaking to you; they mislead you and make you proud. They share their own thoughts, not words from God directly.

17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

*They keep telling those who disrespect me, "The LORD says you'll have peace." And they tell everyone following their own desires, "No harm will come to you."

18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?

*Who has been with the LORD in advice, understood and heard His message? Who has noticed His message and listened?

19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

*Look, the LORD's powerful storm has come with anger, a very destructive storm. It will heavily hurt the bad people.

20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

*God's anger will not last forever. He will do what he plans and you will understand it clearly in the future days.

21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

*I didn't send these prophets, but they rushed around. I didn't talk to them, but they still spoke messages.

22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.

*But if they followed my advice and made my people listen to my words, they could have stopped them from doing wrong and bad things.

23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?

*Am I a nearby God or a distant one, asks the Lord? I am not far away.

24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

*Can anyone hide in secret places that I won't find them? asks the Lord. Don't I fill both heaven and earth? asks the Lord.

25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

*I heard what the prophets said, they lied using my name, claiming they had a dream, they had a dream.

26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

*For how long will false messages remain in the hearts of those who claim to be prophets? Indeed, they are prophets of their own dishonest desires.

27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

*Which believe that their dreams will make my people forget my name, telling them to each neighbor like how their ancestors forgot me for Baal.

28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

*The person who has a dream should share it, and the one with my message should speak it truthfully. What is the worthless straw compared to the valuable grain asks the Lord.

29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?

*Isn't my word like fire, says the Lord? And like a hammer that breaks rocks apart?

30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.

*So, the Lord says He is against the false prophets who take His messages from others.

31 Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.

*Look, I am against the prophets who misuse their words and claim, "He says this," says the Lord.

32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.

*Look, God is against those who share fake dreams, saying it's from Him. They mislead His people with their lies and carelessness. God didn't send them or tell them to do this, so they won't help His people at all, says the Lord.

33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

*If someone asks you about God's message, tell them that God says he will abandon them.

34 And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house.

*And regarding the prophet, priest, and people who say "God's message," I will punish that person and their family.

35 Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

*So, everyone should tell their neighbor and their brother, what did the Lord answer, and what did the Lord speak?

36 And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.

*Stop talking about God's burden; each person's words will be their own responsibility. You've twisted the living God's words, from the LORD of all armies, our God.

37 Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?

*So you should ask the prophet, "What has God told you?" and, "What has God said?"

38 But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;

*But because you say it's the Lord's message, this is what the Lord says: Since you use the phrase "the Lord's burden," I have told you not to say that.

39 Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:

*So, understand that I, myself, will completely forget about you. I will leave you and the city I gave to you and your ancestors. I will banish you far away from me.

40 And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.

*I will cause you eternal disgrace and constant shame that people won't forget.

read summary

Back to Chapters

Back to Books

* work in progress, there will be mistakes