Jeremiah 29:8 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.

◄ Jeremiah 29:8 ►

New International Version
Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.

New Living Translation
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,

English Standard Version
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.

King James Bible
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

New King James Version
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst or your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to their interpretations of your dreams which you dream.

NASB 1995
“For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.

NASB 1977
“For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams which you dream.

Amplified Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your [false] prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you; pay no attention and attach no significance to the dreams which they dream or to yours,

Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you, and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them,

American Standard Version
For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

English Revised Version
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that be in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you, neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Don't let the prophets or the mediums who are among you trick you. Don't even listen to your own dreams.

Good News Translation
I, the LORD, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their dreams.

International Standard Version
For this is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Don't let the prophets and diviners who are among you deceive you, and don't listen to them when they tell you their dreams.

Majority Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ?Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them.

NET Bible
"For the LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, 'Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream.

New Heart English Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Do not let your prophets who are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that are in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

World English Bible
For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
For thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who [are] in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor listen to their dreams, that you are causing [them] to dream;

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Let not your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor hearken ye unto their dreams, that ye are causing them to dream;

Smith's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, Your prophets in the midst of you shall not deceive to you, and your diviners and you shall not hear to your dreams which ye dream.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus saith the Lord of hoses the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners deceive you: and give no heed to your dreams which you dream:

Catholic Public Domain Version
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not allow your prophets and your diviners, who are in your midst, to seduce you. And you should pay no attention to your dreams, which you are dreaming.

New American Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners who are among you; do not listen to those among you who dream dreams,

New Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, neither listen to your dreams which you dream.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For thus says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts, God of Israel: “The Prophets who are among you and Soothsayers shall not deceive you, and you shall not pay attention to your dreams that you dream

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, beguile you, neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thus saith the Lord; Let not the false prophets that are among you persuade you, and let not your diviners persuade you, and hearken not to your dreams which ye dream.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles
…7Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Do not be deceived by the prophets and diviners among you, and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them. 9For they are falsely prophesying to you in My name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Deuteronomy 13:1-3
If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, / and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” / you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Ezekiel 13:6-9
They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message. / Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken? / Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. ...

2 Peter 2:1-3
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. / Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. / In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

1 Kings 22:22-23
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ / So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, / and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. / For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, ...

Isaiah 8:19-20
When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? / To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.

1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

Micah 3:5-7
This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: / Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Zechariah 10:2
For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

Acts 20:29-30
I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. / Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.

Lamentations 2:14
The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading.

Colossians 2:8
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

Treasury of Scripture

For thus said the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the middle of you, deceive you, neither listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

Let.

Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 23:21
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.

Jeremiah 27:14,15
Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you…

your dreams.

Jeremiah 5:31
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Micah 2:11
If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

Luke 6:26
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

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Jeremiah 29

1. Jeremiah sends a letter to the captives in Babylon to be quiet there,
8. and not to believe the dreams of their prophets;
10. and that they shall return with grace after seventy years.
15. He foretells the destruction of the rest for their disobedience.
20. He shows the fearful end of Ahab and Zedekiah, two false prophets.
24. Shemaiah writes a letter against Jeremiah.
30. Jeremiah foretells his doom.

Berean Study Bible

For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says
This phrase establishes the authority and divine origin of the message. The title "LORD of Hosts" (Yahweh Sabaoth) emphasizes God's supreme command over the heavenly armies, underscoring His power and sovereignty. "The God of Israel" reaffirms His covenant relationship with His chosen people, Israel. This introduction serves as a reminder that the message is not from a mere human but from the Almighty, who is both powerful and intimately involved with His people.

Do not let your prophets who are among you
The term "prophets" here refers to those who claim to speak on behalf of God. In the historical context of Jeremiah, many false prophets were misleading the people with messages of peace and prosperity, contrary to God's true warnings of impending judgment. The phrase "who are among you" suggests that these false prophets were part of the community, making their deception more insidious. It serves as a caution to discern the true voice of God amidst a multitude of voices.

and your diviners deceive you
"Diviners" were individuals who practiced divination, attempting to predict the future or gain insight through supernatural means, often contrary to God's commands (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). The Hebrew root for "deceive" (nasha) implies leading astray or causing to err. This warning highlights the danger of relying on human or demonic sources for guidance instead of trusting in God's revealed word. It underscores the importance of spiritual discernment and fidelity to God's truth.

and do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them
The phrase "do not listen" is a direct command, urging the people to reject the false assurances and misleading dreams propagated by these false prophets and diviners. The word "elicit" suggests that the people were actively seeking out these deceptive messages, perhaps because they were more palatable than the hard truths delivered by Jeremiah. This serves as a reminder of the human tendency to seek comfort over truth and the necessity of aligning one's heart and mind with God's will, even when it is challenging.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(8) Let not your prophets and your diviners . . .--The words are significant as showing that the same agencies which were counteracting the prophet's teaching in Jerusalem were at work also in Babylon. There, too, "prophets and diviners," whom the Lord had not sent, were prophesying of a speedy deliverance, and it was necessary to reiterate for those who would listen to the prophet's warnings, that the exile would run its appointed course of seventy years, as Jeremiah had announced to the people of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 27:22. The "dreams which ye cause to be dreamed" (an altogether exceptional phrase) indicates that the supply was created by a demand for visions of this nature.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 8. - Let not your prophets and your diviners, etc. It seems as if the Babylonian "Jewry" were a copy of that at home. It had not only its "princes" and its "elders," but its "prophets" and its "diviners," who encouraged the same false hopes as those in Judah (comp. Jeremiah 27:9; Jeremiah 28:2). Your dreams which ye caused to be dreamed; or, which ye cause yourselves to dream (comp. Jeremiah 27:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

For
כִּי֩ (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this is what
כֹ֨ה (ḵōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֤ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts,
צְבָאוֹת֙ (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

the God
אֱלֹהֵ֣י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

says:
אָמַ֜ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

be deceived
יַשִּׁ֧יאוּ (yaš·šî·’ū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5377: To lead astray, to delude, to seduce

by the prophets
נְבִֽיאֵיכֶ֥ם (nə·ḇî·’ê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

and diviners
וְקֹֽסְמֵיכֶ֑ם (wə·qō·sə·mê·ḵem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7080: To distribute, determine by lot, magical scroll, to divine

among you,
בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֖ם (bə·qir·bə·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

and do not
וְאַֽל־ (wə·’al-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

listen
תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ (tiš·mə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the dreams
חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם (ḥă·lō·mō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2472: A dream

you elicit from them.
אַתֶּ֖ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 29:8 For thus says Yahweh of Armies (Jer.)