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Thereforethussays the LORDGod of Israelconcerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD.
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"Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countrieswhere* I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply.
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"I will also raise up shepherdsover them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraidanylonger, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD
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"Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteousBranch; And He will reign as king and actwisely And dojustice and righteousness in the land.
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"Thereforebehold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when they will nolongersay, 'As the LORDlives, whobrought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,'
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but, 'As the LORDlives, whobrought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the northland and from all the countrieswhere* I had driven them.' Then they will live on their own soil."
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As for the prophets: My heart is brokenwithin me, All my bonestremble; I have become like a drunkenman, Even like a manovercome with wine, Because* of the LORD And because* of His holywords.
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For the land is full of adulterers; For the landmournsbecause* of the curse. The pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil And their might is not right.
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"Therefore their way will be like slipperypaths to them, They will be drivenaway into the gloom and falldown in it; For I will bringcalamity upon them, The year of their punishment," declares the LORD.
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"Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horriblething: The committing of adultery and walking in falsehood; And they strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that noone has turnedback from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah
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"Thereforethussays the LORD of hostsconcerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drinkpoisonouswater, For from the prophets of JerusalemPollution has goneforth into all the land.' "
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Thussays the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.
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"They keep saying to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You will havepeace "'; And as for everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, They say, 'Calamity will not come upon you.'
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"The anger of the LORD will not turnbackUntil He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the lastdays you will clearlyunderstand it.
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"But if they had stood in My council, Then they would have announced My words to My people, And would have turned them back from their evilway And from the evil of their deeds.
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"The prophetwhohas a dream may relate his dream, but let him whohas My wordspeak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?" declares the LORD.
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"Behold, I am against those who have prophesiedfalsedreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My peopleastray by their falsehoods and recklessboasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnishthispeople the slightestbenefit," declares the LORD.
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"Now whenthispeopleor the prophetor a priestasks you saying, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' then you shall say to them, 'Whatoracle?' The LORDdeclares, 'I will abandon you.'
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"For you will nolongerremember the oracle of the LORD, becauseeveryman's own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the livingGod, the LORD of hosts, our God
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"For if you say, 'The oracle of the LORD!' surelythussays the LORD, 'Because you saidthisword, "The oracle of the LORD!" I have also sent to you, saying, "You shall not say, 'The oracle of the LORD!' "