Jeremiah 23:13-40 (New American Standard)

13 "Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an ¹offensive thing : They ²prophesied by Baal and ³led My people Israel astray. 14 "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a ⁴horrible thing : The committing of ⁵adultery and walking in falsehood ; And they strengthen the hands of ⁶evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like ⁷Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to ⁸feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.' " 16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, "⁹Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are ¹⁰leading you into futility ; They speak a ¹¹vision of their own ^aimagination, Not ¹²from the mouth of the LORD. 17 "They keep saying to those who ¹³despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "¹⁴You will have peace "'; And as for everyone who walks in the ¹⁵stubbornness of his own heart, They say, '¹⁶Calamity will not come upon you.' 18 "But ¹⁷who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word ? Who has given ¹⁸heed to ^bHis word and listened ? 19 "Behold, the ¹⁹storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest ; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. 20 "The ²⁰anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has ²¹performed and carried out the purposes of His heart ; ²²In the last days you will clearly understand it. 21 "²³I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22 "But if they had ²⁴stood in My council, Then they would have ²⁵announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evil way And from the evil of their deeds. 23 "Am I a God who is ²⁶near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off ? 24 "Can a man ²⁷hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "²⁸Do I not fill the heavens and the earth ?" declares the LORD. 25 "I have ²⁹heard what the prophets have said who ³⁰prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a ³¹dream, I had a dream !' 26 "How long ? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the ³²deception of their own heart, 27 who intend to ³³make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers ³⁴forgot My name because of Baal ? 28 "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has ³⁵My word speak My word in truth. ³⁶What does straw have in common with grain ?" declares the LORD. 29 "Is not My word like ³⁷fire ?" declares the LORD, "and like a ³⁸hammer which shatters a rock ? 30 "Therefore behold, ³⁹I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who steal My words from each other. 31 "Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the LORD, "who use their tongues and declare, 'The Lord declares.' 32 "Behold, I am against those who have prophesied ⁴⁰false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and ⁴¹reckless boasting ; yet ⁴²I did not send them or command them, nor do they ⁴³furnish this people the slightest benefit," declares the LORD. 33 "Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, 'What is the ^c44oracle of the LORD ?' then you shall say to them, 'What ^doracle ?' The LORD declares, 'I will ⁴⁵abandon you.' 34 "Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, 'The ⁴⁶oracle of the LORD,' I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. 35 "Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, '⁴⁷What has the LORD answered ?' or, 'What has the LORD spoken ?' 36 "For you will no longer remember the oracle of the LORD, because every man's own word will become the oracle, and you have ⁴⁸perverted the words of the ⁴⁹living God, the LORD of hosts, our God. 37 "Thus you will say to that prophet, 'What has the LORD answered you?' and, 'What has the LORD spoken ?' 38 "For if you say, 'The oracle of the LORD !' surely thus says the LORD, 'Because you said this word, "The oracle of the LORD !" I have also sent to you, saying, "You shall not say, 'The oracle of the LORD !' "' 39 "Therefore behold, ⁵⁰I will surely forget you and cast you away from My presence, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers. 40 "I will put an everlasting ⁵¹reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten."