1Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. 2Therefore 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. 3And 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. 4And 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.
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. 6In 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.23.6 THE LORD…: Heb. Jehovah-tsidkenu 7Therefore, 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; 8But, 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.
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. 10For 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.23.10 swearing: or, cursing23.10 course: or, violence 11For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. 12Wherefore 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. 13And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.23.13 folly: or, an absurd thing: Heb. unsavoury 14I 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.23.14 an…: or, filthiness 15Therefore 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.23.15 profaneness: or, hypocrisy 16Thus 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. 17They 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.23.17 imagination: or, stubbornness 18For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?23.18 counsel: or, secret 19Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. 20The 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. 21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. 22But 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. 23Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? 24Can 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. 25I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. 26How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; 27Which 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. 28The 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.23.28 that hath a dream: Heb. with whom is, etc 29Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.23.31 that…: or, that smooth their tongues 32Behold, 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.
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. 34And 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.23.34 punish: Heb. visit upon 35Thus 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? 36And 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. 37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? 38But 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; 39Therefore, 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: 40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
將來的盼望
1耶和華說：「那些本應像牧人照顧羊群一樣統治我子民的人有禍了！因為他們殘害、驅散我的子民。」 2以色列的上帝耶和華這樣斥責那些統治祂子民的首領：「你們驅散我的子民，沒有照顧他們。看啊，我必因你們的惡行而懲罰你們。這是耶和華說的。 3我要把我倖存的子民從我流放他們去的各地召集起來，領他們回到故土，使他們子孫興旺。 4我要派首領照顧他們，使他們不再擔驚受怕，也不再有一人迷失。這是耶和華說的。」
5耶和華說：「看啊，時候將到，我要為大衛選立一個公義的苗裔，使他執掌王權。他必秉公行義，治國有方。 6在他掌權的日子，猶大必得拯救，以色列必國泰民安。他將被稱為『耶和華是我們的公義』。」
7耶和華說：「看啊，時候將到，那時人不再憑把以色列人帶出埃及的耶和華起誓， 8而是憑把他們從流放之地——北方和列國領回來的永活耶和華起誓。他們必在自己的國土上安居樂業。」
9論到那些先知，
我的心都碎了，
我的骨頭都顫抖。
因為耶和華和祂聖言的緣故，
我好像不勝酒力的醉漢。
10這裡到處是拜偶像的人，
他們行為邪惡，濫用權力。
大地因受咒詛而悲哀，
曠野的草場都枯乾了。
11耶和華說：「先知和祭司都不敬虔，
我甚至看見他們在我的聖殿裡行惡。
12因此，他們必被趕到黑暗中，
在濕滑的路上跌倒，
因為我必在報應的日子降災禍給他們。
這是耶和華說的。
13我看見撒瑪利亞的先知行為可憎，
他們靠巴力說預言，
引誘我的子民走入歧途。
14我也看見耶路撒冷的先知行為可惡，
他們通姦，謊話連篇，
慫恿惡人，
以致無人悔過自新。
在我眼中，耶路撒冷人就像 所多瑪人和蛾摩拉人一樣敗壞。
15因此，論到這些先知，
萬軍之耶和華說，
『看啊，我要使他們吃苦艾，
喝毒藥，因為褻瀆之風從耶路撒冷的先知那裡蔓延，
遍及全境。』」
16萬軍之耶和華對祂的子民說：「你們不要聽信這些先知的預言，他們使你們充滿虛假的盼望，他們的預言是自己編的，不是耶和華說的。 17他們不斷對藐視我的人說，『耶和華說你們必安享太平。』他們對那些執迷不悟的人說，『災禍不會降到你們身上。』
18「然而，他們誰曾站在耶和華面前看見並聽見祂說話呢？
他們誰曾留心聽祂的話呢？
19看啊，耶和華的怒氣像暴風一樣襲來，
像旋風一樣吹到惡人頭上。
20耶和華不完成祂心中的計劃決不息怒。
將來你們會清楚地明白這一切。
21「我沒有差遣這些先知，
他們卻妄自行動；
我沒有對他們說話，
他們卻亂發預言。
22他們若曾站在我面前聽我說話，
早就向我的子民宣告我的話，
使他們改邪歸正了。」
23耶和華說：「我是無處不在的上帝。」 24耶和華說：「難道人藏起來我就看不見了嗎？我豈不是充滿天地之間嗎？這是耶和華說的。 25我聽見假先知奉我的名說，『上帝託夢給我了！上帝託夢給我了！』 26這些先知謊話連篇，憑空預言要到何時呢？ 27他們彼此傳講所做的夢，想藉此使我的子民忘記我，正如他們的祖先因祭拜巴力而忘記了我。 28讓做夢的先知儘管宣揚他們的夢吧，但得到我話語的先知要忠心地傳達我的話。糠秕怎能與麥子相比呢！這是耶和華說的。」 29耶和華說：「難道我的話不像火嗎？不像擊碎岩石的鐵錘嗎？」 30耶和華說：「看啊，我要對付那些假先知，他們盜用同夥的話，卻妄稱是我的話。」 31耶和華說：「看啊，我要對付那些假先知，他們妄自說預言，卻謊稱是耶和華的話。」 32耶和華說：「看啊，我要對付那些假先知，他們謊稱我託夢給他們，四處宣揚，用彌天大謊把我的子民引入歧途。其實我並沒有差遣他們，也沒有委派他們，他們對我的子民毫無益處。這是耶和華說的。」
33耶和華說：「耶利米啊，如果有百姓、先知或祭司問你，『耶和華有什麼啟示？』你要對他們說，『你們就是耶和華的重擔23·33 「重擔」希伯來文也有「啟示」的意思。，耶和華說要丟棄你們。』 34如果有先知、祭司或百姓宣稱有耶和華的啟示，我必懲罰他和他全家。 35你們各人要問自己的親友，『耶和華有什麼答覆？』或『耶和華說了什麼？』 36你們不可再說有耶和華的啟示，因為你們把自己的話當成祂的啟示，曲解你們永活的上帝——萬軍之耶和華的話。 37耶利米啊，你要這樣問先知，『耶和華有什麼答覆？耶和華說了什麼？』 38如果他們說，『這是耶和華的啟示。』你就說，『耶和華說，你們無視我的警告，宣稱有我的啟示， 39我必徹底忘記你們，把你們和我賜給你們及你們祖先的城邑拋棄。 40我要使你們永遠蒙羞受辱、遺臭萬年。』」
