The Righteous Branch
1“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2Therefore 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 care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord. 3“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will raise up for David23:5 Or up from David’s line a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
6In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
7“So then, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”
Lying Prophets
9Concerning the prophets:
My heart is broken within me;
all my bones tremble.
I am like a drunken man,
like a strong man overcome by wine,
because of the Lord
and his holy words.
10The land is full of adulterers;
because of the curse23:10 Or because of these things the land lies parched
and the pastures in the wilderness are withered.
The prophets follow an evil course
and use their power unjustly.
11“Both prophet and priest are godless;
even in my temple I find their wickedness,”
declares the Lord.
12“Therefore their path will become slippery;
they will be banished to darkness
and there they will fall.
I will bring disaster on them
in the year they are punished,”
declares the Lord.
13“Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw this repulsive thing:
They prophesied by Baal
and led my people Israel astray.
14And among the prophets of Jerusalem
I have seen something horrible:
They commit adultery and live a lie.
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,
so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.
They are all like Sodom to me;
the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
15Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:
“I will make them eat bitter food
and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
ungodliness has spread throughout the land.”
16This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.
17They keep saying to those who despise me,
‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’
18But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see or to hear his word?
Who has listened and heard his word?
19See, the storm of the Lord
will burst out in wrath,
a whirlwind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
20The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand it clearly.
21I did not send these prophets,
yet they have run with their message;
I did not speak to them,
yet they have prophesied.
22But if they had stood in my council,
they would have proclaimed my words to my people
and would have turned them from their evil ways
and from their evil deeds.
23“Am I only a God nearby,”
declares the Lord,
“and not a God far away?
24Who can hide in secret places
so that I cannot see them?”
declares the Lord.
“Do not I fill heaven and earth?”
declares the Lord.
25“I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? 27They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. 28Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
30“Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 31Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ 32Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.
False Prophecy
33“When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.’ 34If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ I will punish them and their household. 35This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God. 37This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 38Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ 39Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. 40I will bring on you everlasting disgrace—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”
将来的盼望
1耶和华说：“牧养我子民的首领有祸了！因为他们残害、驱散我草场上的羊群。” 2以色列的上帝耶和华这样斥责那些牧养祂子民的首领：“你们驱散我的羊群，没有照顾他们。看啊，我必因你们的恶行而惩罚你们。这是耶和华说的。 3我要把我幸存的子民从我流放他们去的各地召集起来，领他们回到故土，使他们生养众多，人丁兴旺。 4我要设立首领照顾他们，使他们不再担惊受怕，也不再迷失。这是耶和华说的。”
5耶和华说：“看啊，时候将到，我要为大卫兴起一个公义的苗裔，使他执掌王权。他必秉公行义，治国有方。 6在他掌权的日子，犹大必得拯救，以色列必安享太平并被称为‘耶和华是我们的公义’。”
7耶和华说：“看啊，时候将到，那时人不再凭把以色列人带出埃及的耶和华起誓， 8而是凭把他们从北方之地和流放的列国领回来的永活耶和华起誓。他们必在自己的国土上安居乐业。”
9谈及那些先知，
我的心都碎了，
我的骨头都颤抖。
因为耶和华和祂圣言的缘故，
我好像不胜酒力的醉汉。
10这里到处是不忠贞的人，
他们行为邪恶，滥用权力。
大地因受咒诅而悲哀，
旷野的草场都枯干了。
11耶和华说：“先知和祭司都不敬虔，
我甚至看见他们在我的圣殿里行恶。
12因此，他们必被赶到黑暗中，
在湿滑的路上跌倒，
因为我必在他们受罚的日子降灾祸给他们。
这是耶和华说的。
13我看见撒玛利亚的先知行可憎之事，
他们靠巴力说预言，
引诱我的子民以色列走入歧途。
14我也看见耶路撒冷的先知行为可恶，
他们通奸，谎话连篇，
怂恿恶人，
以致无人悔过自新。
在我眼中，他们就像所多玛人，耶路撒冷人像蛾摩拉人一样败坏。
15因此，关于这些先知，万军之耶和华说，
‘看啊，我要使他们吃苦艾，
喝毒水，因为亵渎之风从耶路撒冷的先知那里蔓延，
遍及全境。’”
16万军之耶和华对耶路撒冷人说：“你们不要听信这些先知的预言，他们使你们充满虚假的盼望，他们的预言是自己的想象，不是耶和华说的。 17他们不断对藐视我的人说，‘耶和华说你们必安享太平。’他们对那些执迷不悟的人说，‘灾祸不会降到你们身上。’
18“然而，他们谁曾站在耶和华面前看见并听见祂说话呢？
他们谁曾留心听祂的话呢？
19看啊，耶和华的烈怒像暴风一样袭来，
像旋风一样吹到恶人头上。
20耶和华不完成祂心中的计划决不息怒。
将来你们会清楚地明白这一切。
21“我没有差遣这些先知，
他们却妄自行动；
我没有对他们说话，
他们却乱发预言。
22他们若曾站在我面前听我说话，
早就向我的子民宣告我的话，
使他们改邪归正了。”
23耶和华说：“我难道不是远近无处不在的上帝？” 24耶和华说：“难道人藏在隐秘处我就看不见了吗？我岂不是充满天地吗？这是耶和华说的。 25我已听见这些先知奉我的名所说的假预言，他们说，‘我做了个梦！我做了个梦！’ 26这些先知谎话连篇，凭空预言要到何时呢？ 27他们彼此传讲所做的梦，想借此使我的子民忘记我的名，正如他们的祖先因祭拜巴力而忘记了我的名。 28让做梦的先知尽管宣扬他们的梦吧，但得到我话语的先知要忠心地传达我的话。糠秕怎能与麦子相比呢！这是耶和华说的。” 29耶和华说：“难道我的话不像火吗？不像击碎岩石的铁锤吗？” 30耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们盗用彼此的话，却妄称是我的话。” 31耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们妄自说预言，却谎称是耶和华的话。” 32耶和华说：“看啊，我要对付那些假先知，他们凭虚谎之梦说预言，并四处传扬，用弥天大谎把我的子民引入歧途。其实我并没有差遣他们，也没有委派他们，他们对我的子民毫无益处。这是耶和华说的。”
33耶和华说：“耶利米啊，如果有百姓、先知或祭司问你，‘耶和华有什么启示？’你要对他们说，‘你们就是耶和华的重担23:33 “重担”希伯来文也有“启示”的意思。，耶和华说要丢弃你们。’ 34如果有先知、祭司或百姓宣称有耶和华的启示，我必惩罚他和他全家。 35你们各人要问自己的亲友，‘耶和华有什么答复？’或‘耶和华说了什么？’ 36你们不可再说有耶和华的启示，因为你们把自己的话当成祂的启示，曲解我们永活的上帝——万军之耶和华的话。 37耶利米啊，你要这样问先知，‘耶和华有什么答复？耶和华说了什么？’ 38如果他们说，‘这是耶和华的启示。’你就说，‘耶和华说，我警告你们不可宣称有耶和华的启示，你们却偏偏宣称有我的启示， 39我必彻底忘记你们，把你们和我赐给你们及你们祖先的城邑抛弃。 40我要使你们永远蒙羞受辱，难以忘怀。’”
