Jeremiah 23 - International Children’s Bible (ICB)

The Evil Leaders

23 “How terrible it will be for the leaders of Judah. They are destroying my people. They are making them run in all directions,” says the Lord.

2 They are responsible for the people. And the Lord, the God of Israel, says to them: “You have made my people run away in all directions. You have forced them away. And you have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done,” says the Lord. 3 “I sent my people to other countries. But I will gather my people who are left alive. And I will bring them back to their own country. When they are back in their own land, they will have many children. And they will grow in number. 4 I will place new leaders over my people. They will take care of my people. And my people will not be afraid or terrified. None of them will be lost,” says the Lord.

The Good Descendant

5 “The days are coming,” says the Lord,
“when I will raise up a good descendant in David’s family.
This descendant will be a king who will rule in a wise way.
And he will do what is fair and right in the land.
6 In his time Judah will be saved.
Israel will live in safety.
This will be his name:
The Lord Does What Is Right.

7 “So the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when people will not say: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel out of Egypt . . .’ 8 But people will say something new: ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where he had sent them away . . .’ Then the people of Israel will live in their own land.”

False Prophets

9 A message to the prophets:

My heart is broken.
All my bones shake.
I’m like a man who is drunk.
I’m like a man who has been overcome with wine.
This is because of the Lord
and his holy words.
10 The land of Judah is full of people who are guilty of adultery.
Because of this, the Lord cursed the land.
And it has become very dry.
The pastures have dried up.
The people are evil.
They use their power in the wrong way.

11 “Both the prophets and the priests are evil.
I have seen them doing evil things even in my own Temple,” says the Lord.
12 “So they will be in danger.
They will be forced into darkness.
There they will be defeated.
I will bring disaster on them.
At that time I will punish those prophets and priests,” says the Lord.

13 “I saw the prophets of Samaria
do something wrong.
I saw those prophets prophesy by the false god Baal.
And they led my people, the Israelites, away.
14 And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem
do some terrible things.
These prophets are guilty of adultery
and live by lies.
They encourage evil people to keep on doing evil.
So the people don’t stop sinning.
All of those people are like the city of Sodom.
The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me!”

15 So this is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says about the prophets:

“I will make those prophets eat bitter food.
I will make them drink poisoned water.
This is because the prophets of Jerusalem spread wickedness
through the whole country.”

16 This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says:

“Don’t pay attention to the things those prophets are saying to you.
They are trying to fool you.
Those prophets talk of visions from their own minds.
But they did not get their visions from me.
17 They say to those who hate me:
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’
They say to those who are stubborn and do as they please:
‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
18 But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels.
None of them has seen or heard the message of the Lord.
None of them has paid close attention to the Lord’s message.
19 Look, the punishment from the Lord
will come like a storm.
His anger will be like a hurricane.
It will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people.
20 The Lord’s anger will not stop
until he finishes what he plans to do.
When that day is over,
you will understand this clearly.
21 I did not send those prophets.
But they ran to tell their message.
I did not speak to them.
But they prophesied anyway.
22 But if they had stood in the meeting of angels,
they would have told my message to my people.
They would have turned the people from their evil ways.
They would have turned them from doing evil.

23 “I am a God who is near,” says the Lord.
“I am also a God who is far away.”
24 “No one can hide
where I cannot see him,” says the Lord.
“I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord.

25 “I have heard the prophets who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the minds of these lying prophets? They prophesy from their own wishful thinking. 27 They are trying to make the people of Judah forget me. They are doing this by telling each other these dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me in the same way that their ancestors forgot me. Their ancestors forgot me and worshiped Baal. 28 Straw is not the same thing as wheat!” says the Lord. “If a prophet wants to tell about his dreams, let him! But let the person who hears my message speak it truthfully! 29 My message is like a fire,” says the Lord. “It is like a hammer that smashes a rock!

30 “So I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “These prophets keep stealing words from each other. They say these words are from me. 31 I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “They use their own words and pretend it is a message from me. 32 I am against the prophets who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord. “They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings! I did not send those prophets to teach the people. I never commanded them to do anything for me. They can’t help the people of Judah at all,” says the Lord.

The Sad Message from the Lord

33 “The people of Judah, a prophet or a priest may ask you: ‘Jeremiah, what is the message from the Lord?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load to the Lord. And I will throw down this heavy load, says the Lord!’ 34 A prophet or a priest or one of the people might say, ‘This is a message from the Lord!’ That person has lied. So I will punish him and his whole family. 35 This is what you will say to each other: ‘What did the Lord answer?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ 36 But you will never again say, ‘The message of the Lord.’ This is because the only message you speak is your own words. You used to change the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord of heaven’s armies. 37 This is how you speak to the prophets: ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ 38 But don’t say, ‘What was the message from the Lord?’ If you use these words, the Lord will say this to you: You should not have called it a message from the Lord. I told you not to use those words. 39 I will pick you up like a heavy load. And I’ll throw you away from me. I gave the city of Jerusalem to your ancestors and to you. But I will throw you and that city away from me. 40 And I will make a disgrace of you forever. You will never forget your shame.”

You Might Also Like:

Jeremiah 23 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

23 Wo to shepherds destroying, And scattering the flock of My pasture, An affirmation of Jehovah. 2 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Against the shepherds who feed My people, Ye have scattered My flock, and drive them away, And have not inspected them, Lo, I am charging on you the evil o...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

23 Woe to the shepherds, that scatter and draw the flock of my pasture, saith the Lord. (Woe to the shepherds of the people, who scatter and draw away the flock of my pasture, saith the Lord.) 2 Therefore the Lord God of Israel saith these things to the shepherds that feed my people, Ye have scatter...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - World English Bible (WEB)

23 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says Yahweh. 2 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says against the shepherds who feed my people: “You have scattered my flock, driven them away, and have not visited them. Behold, I will visit on you the evil of your doing...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - The Voice (VOICE)

23 Eternal One: Woe to the shepherds who slaughter and scatter the sheep of My pasture! 2 This is what I, the Eternal God of Israel, have to say about the shepherds tending My people:You have scattered My flock, driven them far away, and failed miserably at being their caregivers. So look! I will p...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Gathering His Flock23 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” It is a declaration of Adonai. 2 Therefore thus says Adonai, the God of Israel, about the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and have not taken care of t...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Restoration after Exile23 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to ...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Restoration after Exile23 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to ...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Restoration after Exile23 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. 2 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not atte...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Restoration after Exile23 Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.(A)2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not atten...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Righteous Descendant23 “What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord. 2 Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New Life Version (NLV)

The Right and Good Branch23 “It is bad for the shepherds who are destroying and dividing the sheep of My field!” says the Lord. 2 The Lord God of Israel says this about the shepherds who are caring for My people, “You have made My flock go everywhere and have driven them away, and have not cared fo...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Branch of Righteousness23 “Woe (A)to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. (B)Behold, I will ...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The righteous branch23 ‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: ‘Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New International Version (NIV)

The Righteous Branch23 “Woe to the shepherds(A) who are destroying and scattering(B) the sheep of my pasture!”(C) declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds(D) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock(E) and driven them away and hav...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

The Godly Branch23 “How terrible it will be for the shepherds who lead my people astray!” announces the Lord. “They are destroying and scattering the sheep that belong to my flock.” 2 So the Lord, the God of Israel, speaks to the shepherds who take care of my people. He tells them, “You have scatte...
Read More

Jeremiah 23 - New Century Version (NCV)

The Evil Leaders of Judah23 “How terrible it will be for the leaders of Judah, who are scattering and destroying my people,” says the Lord. 2 They are responsible for the people, so the Lord, the God of Israel, says to them: “You have scattered my people and forced them away and not taken care of th...
Read More