Jeremiah 23:9-40 (New American Standard)

False Prophets Denounced

9 As for the prophets : My ¹heart is broken within me, All my bones tremble ; I have become like a drunken man, Even like a man overcome with wine, Because of the LORD And because of His holy words. 10 For the land is full of ²adulterers ; For the land ³mourns because of the curse. The ⁴pastures of the wilderness have dried up. Their course also is evil And their might is not right. 11 "For ⁵both prophet and priest are polluted ; Even in My house I have found their wickedness," declares the LORD. 12 "Therefore their way will be like ⁶slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the ⁷gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring ⁸calamity upon them, The year of their punishment," declares the LORD. 13 "Moreover, among the prophets of Samaria I saw an ⁹offensive thing : They ¹⁰prophesied by Baal and ¹¹led My people Israel astray. 14 "Also among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a ¹²horrible thing : The committing of ¹³adultery and walking in falsehood ; And they strengthen the hands of ¹⁴evildoers, So that no one has turned back from his wickedness. All of them have become to Me like ¹⁵Sodom, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah. 15 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to ¹⁶feed 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, "¹⁷Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are ¹⁸leading you into futility ; They speak a ¹⁹vision of their own ^aimagination, Not ²⁰from the mouth of the LORD. 17 "They keep saying to those who ²¹despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "²²You will have peace "'; And as for everyone who walks in the ²³stubbornness of his own heart, They say, '²⁴Calamity will not come upon you.' 18 "But ²⁵who has stood in the council of the LORD, That he should see and hear His word ? Who has given ²⁶heed to ^bHis word and listened ? 19 "Behold, the ²⁷storm of the LORD has gone forth in wrath, Even a whirling tempest ; It will swirl down on the head of the wicked. 20 "The ²⁸anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has ²⁹performed and carried out the purposes of His heart ; ³⁰In the last days you will clearly understand it. 21 "³¹I did not send these prophets, But they ran. I did not speak to them, But they prophesied. 22 "But if they had ³²stood in My council, Then they would have ³³announced 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 ³⁴near," declares the LORD, "And not a God far off ? 24 "Can a man ³⁵hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "³⁶Do I not fill the heavens and the earth ?" declares the LORD. 25 "I have ³⁷heard what the prophets have said who ³⁸prophesy falsely in My name, saying, 'I had a ³⁹dream, I had a dream !' 26 "How long ? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the ⁴⁰deception of their own heart, 27 who intend to ⁴¹make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers ⁴²forgot My name because of Baal ? 28 "The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has ⁴³My word speak My word in truth. ⁴⁴What does straw have in common with grain ?" declares the LORD. 29 "Is not My word like ⁴⁵fire ?" declares the LORD, "and like a ⁴⁶hammer which shatters a rock ? 30 "Therefore behold, ⁴⁷I 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 ⁴⁸false dreams," declares the LORD, "and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and ⁴⁹reckless boasting ; yet ⁵⁰I did not send them or command them, nor do they ⁵¹furnish 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 ^c52oracle of the LORD ?' then you shall say to them, 'What ^doracle ?' The LORD declares, 'I will ⁵³abandon you.' 34 "Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, 'The ⁵⁴oracle 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, '⁵⁵What 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 ⁵⁶perverted the words of the ⁵⁷living 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, ⁵⁸I 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 ⁵⁹reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten."