Jeremiah 23

Great^{(i) 1} Wo be vnto the shepherdes, that destroye, and scatre my flocke, sayeth the Lorde. ² Wherfore this is the commaundement of the Lorde God of Israel, vnto the shepeherdes that fede my people: Ye scatre & thrust out my flocke, & loke not vpon them. Therfore now wyll I vyset the wickednes of youre ymagynacions, sayeth the Lorde. ³ And wyll gather together the remnaunt of my flocke, from all landes that I had dryuen them vnto, and will brynge them agayne to their pastures, that they maye growe and increase. ⁴ I wyll set shepherdes also ouer them, which shall fede them. They shall nomore feare and drede, for there shall none of them be lost, saieth the Lorde. ⁵ Beholde, the tyme commeth, sayeth the Lorde, that I wyll rayse vp the ryghteous braunche of Dauid, which kynge shall beare rule, and he shall prosper with wysedome, & shall set vp equite & righteousnes agayne in the erth. ⁶ In this tyme shall Iuda be saued, and Israell shall dwell without feare. And this is the name that they shal call him: euen the Lorde oure ryghteousnesse. ⁷ And therfore beholde, the tyme commeth, sayeth the Lorde that it shall nomore be sayde: the Lorde lyueth, which brought the chyldren of Israell out of the lande of Egypte: ⁸ But the Lorde lyueth, which brought forth, and led the sede of the house of Israel, out of the North lande, and from all countrees where I had scatred them, and they shall dwell in their awne lande agayne. ⁹ My herte breaketh in my body because of the false prophetes, al my bones shake: I am become lyke a droncken man (that by the reason of wyne can take no rest) for verye feare of the Lorde, and of his holy wordes: ¹⁰ Because the lande is full of aduouterers & thorowe swering it mourneth & the pleasaunt pastures of the deserte are dryed vp. Yee, the waye that men take, is wicked, and theyr gouernaunce is nothinge lyke the holy worde of the Lorde. ¹¹ For prophetes and the prestes them selues are polluted ypocrites, and theyr wyckednes haue I founde in my house, saieth the Lorde. ¹² Wherfore, their way shall be slyppery in the darcknesse, where in they maye stacker & fall. For I wyll bryng a plage vpon them, euen the yeare of theyr visitacion saieth the Lorde. ¹³ I haue sene foly amonge the Prophetes of Samaria, that they preached for Baall, and disceaued my people of Israell. ¹⁴ I haue sene also amonge the Prophetes of Ierusalem foule aduoutry, and presumpteous lyes. They take the most shamefull men by the hande, flattringe them, so that they cannot returne from theyr wyckednes. All these wt their cytesyns are vnto me, as Sodome, and as the inhabitours of Gomorre. ¹⁵ Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde of Hostes concernynge the prophetes: Beholde, I will fede them with wormwod, and make them drincke the water of gall. For from the prophetes of Ierusalem is ypocrisye come into all the lande. ¹⁶ And therfore the Lorde of Hostes geueth you this warninge. Heare not the wordes of the prophetes, that preach vnto you, and disceaue you: surely they teache you vanyte for they speake the meanynge of their awne herte, & not out of the mouth of the Lorde. ¹⁷ They saye vnto them that despyse me: The Lorde hath spoken it: Tush: ye shal prospere ryght well. And vnto all them, that walcke after the lust of theyr awne hert, they saye: Tush, there shall no misfortune happen you. ¹⁸ For who hath sytten in the councell of the Lorde, that he hath herde & vnderstande, what he is aboute to do: Who hath marcked hys deuyce, and herde it? ¹⁹ Beholde, the stormy wether of the Lorde (that is, his indignacion) shall go forth, and a vyolent whirlwynde shall fal downe vpon the heade of the vngodly. ²⁰ And the wrath of the Lorde shall not turne agayne, vntyll he perfourme and fulfyl the thought of hys herte. And in the latter dayes ye shall knowe his meanynge. ²¹ I haue not sent these prophetes (saieth the Lorde) & yet they ranne. I haue not spoken to them, and yet they preached. ²² But yf they had continued in my councell they had opened to my people my wordes & they had turned my people from their euell wayes & wycked ymagynacions. ²³ Am I then God that seyth but the thinge, whiche is nye at hande, and not that is farre of? sayeth the Lorde. ²⁴ Maye eny man hyde hym self so, that I shall not se hym? sayeth the Lorde. Do not I fulfyll heauen and earth? sayeth the Lorde. ²⁵ I haue herde well ynough, what the prophetes saye that preache lyes in my name, sayeng: I haue dreamed, I haue dreamed. ²⁶ How longe wyll this continue in the prophetes hert to tell lyes, and to preache the crafty sotylte of their awne hert? ²⁷ Whose purpose is (with the dreames that euery one tell) to make my people forget my name, as theyr forefathers dyd, when Baall came vp. ²⁸ The prophet that hath a dreame let hym tell it and he that vnderstandeth my worde, let hym shewe it faythfully. For what hath chaffe and wheate to do together? sayeth the Lorde. ²⁹ Is not my worde lyke a fyre, sayeth the Lorde, and Lyke an hammer, that breaketh the harde stone. ³⁰ Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde: beholde, I wyll vpon the prophetes, that steale my worde priuely from euery man: ³¹ Beholde, here am I (sayeth the Lorde) agaynst the prophetes, that make tunges tender to speake, & saye: The Lorde hath sayde it. ³² Beholde, here am I (sayeth the Lorde) agaynst those prophetes, that darre prophecy lyenge dreames, and disceaue my people with their vanyties, and myracles, whom I neuer sent, ner commaunded them. They shall do this people greate harme, sayeth the Lorde. ³³ Yf this people, ether eny prophet or preste aske the and saye: what is the burthen of the Lorde? Thou shalt saye vnto them: what burthen? Therfore wyll I cast you fro me, (sayeth the Lorde) because ye your selues a ³⁴ And the prophet, preste or people that vseth this terme (the burthen of the Lorde) hym wyll I viset, and his house also. ³⁵ But thus shall ye saye, euery one to another, & euery man to his brother. What answere hath the Lord geuen? or what is the Lordes commaundement? ³⁶ And as for the burthen of the Lorde, ye shal speake nomore of it: for euery mans awne worde is his burthen because ye haue altered the wordes of the lyuynge God the Lorde of Hostes our God. ³⁷ Thus shall euery man saye to the Prophetes: what answere hath the Lorde geuen the? Or, what sayth the Lorde? ³⁸ And not once to name the burthen of the Lorde. Therfore thus saieth the Lorde. For so moche as ye haue vsed thys terme (the burthen of the Lorde) where as I notwithstandynge sent vnto you, and forbade you to speake of the Lordes burthen. ³⁹ Beholde therfore, I wyll repute you as a burthen, and will cast you out of my presence: yee, and the citie also, that I gaue you and your fathers: ⁴⁰ and will bryng you to an euerlastinge confusion, and into soch a shame, as shall neuer be forgotten.