1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!”, says the LORD. 2Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Israel says to the shepherds who tend My people: “Because you have scattered My flock, and driven them away, and have not cared for them; I will inflict punishment upon you for your evil doings. 3And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries to which I have driven them, and will bring them back to their folds (pasture); where they shall be fruitful and increase in number. 4And I will appoint responsible shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall never know fear or neglect; not one of them shall be lost or missing”, says the LORD.

5“The days are coming”, says the LORD, “That I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch, and a King Who shall reign and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the earth. 6In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is His name by which He shall be called: ‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’.

7“Therefore, the days are coming”, says the LORD, “That they shall no more say, ‘The LORD lives, Who brought the children of Israel up out of the land of Egypt’, 8But, ‘The LORD lives, Who brought the descendants of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries to which I had driven them’; and they shall dwell in their own land.”

9My (Jeremiah’s) heart within me is broken because of the false prophets; all my bones tremble; I am like a drunken man, overcome with wine, because of the LORD, and His holy words. 10Because the land is full of adulterers, it mourns under a curse; the pleasant places of the wilderness are parched, and those in power follow an evil course, and abuse that power. 11“Both prophet and priest are godless; yea, I have found their wickedness in My house”, says the LORD. 12“Therefore, their paths shall become dark and slippery, and they shall fall; for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their judgment. 13I have seen evil among the prophets of Samaria: they prophesied by Baal, and led My people, Israel to sin. 14I have also seen a horrible thing among the prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery, embrace lies, and encourage the evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness; all of them are to Me like the inhabitants of Sodom, and Gomorrah.” 15Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts regarding the prophets, “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets that wickedness has filled this land.” 16Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you. They fill you with vain hopes; they proclaim visions of their own making, and not from the mouth of the LORD. 17They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD has said you shall have peace’; and they say to everyone that stubbornly follows their own agenda, ‘No evil shall come upon you’. 18But who among them has stood in the presence of the LORD, and has really heard His word? Who has paid attention to His word? 19Behold, a whirlwind from the LORD has gone forth in fury, even a devastating whirlwind; it shall fall violently upon the head of the wicked. 20The anger of the LORD shall not turn back until He has fully accomplished His purpose, and till He has performed the intents of His heart; later you shall consider and understand it perfectly. 21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran with their own message; I have not spoken to them, and yet they prophesied. 22But if they had stood in My counsel, and had proclaimed My words to My people, then they should have turned from their evil way and deeds. 23Am I a God only at hand (nearby),” says the LORD, “And not a God when afar off? 24Who can hide where I cannot see him?” says the LORD. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD. 25“I have heard what the prophets said, who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed’. 26How long shall this continue in the hearts of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yes, they are prophets of the delusions from their own heart; 27Who think that by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbor they will cause My people to forget My name, as their fathers have forgotten My name, by worshipping Baal. 28Let the prophet that has a dream tell a dream; and he that has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is chaff to wheat?” says the LORD. 29“Is My word not like a fire?”, says the LORD; “And like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces? 30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,” says the LORD, “That steal words from one another, pretending they are My words. 31Yes, I am against these prophets”, says the LORD, “That wag their tongues, and say, ‘He says’. 32Indeed, I am against any of them who prophesy false dreams,” says the LORD, “That they tell, and cause My people to err by their reckless lies; yet I never sent them, nor appointed them; therefore, they shall not benefit this people at all,” says the LORD. 33“And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you (Jeremiah), ‘What is the burden of the LORD?’ You shall then reply to them, ‘What burden?’ (or “You are the burden!”). The LORD says ‘I will cast you off as a ‘burden.’” 34And if any prophet, or priest, or anyone says, ‘The burden of the LORD’, I will surely punish that man and his house. 35This should everyone say to his neighbor, and every one to his brother, ‘What has the LORD answered?’ or, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ 36But you shall no more mention ‘The burden from the LORD’; for every man's word shall become his own burden (in the other sense of the word “burden”, if they continue to use that much misused phrase); for you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God. 37This is what you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the LORD answered you?’ and, ‘What has the LORD spoken?’ 38But since you say, ‘The burden of the LORD’; therefore thus says the LORD; ‘Because you continue to say this word, “The burden of the LORD”, and I have sent and told you saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the LORD’; 39Therefore, I, even I, will utterly forget and forsake you, as well as the city that I gave to you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence: 40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”’”