New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 23
1
"How terrible it will be for the shepherds who lead my people down the wrong path!" announces the Lord. "They are destroying and scattering the sheep that belong to my flock."
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 9:36
Jeremiah 22:22
Jeremiah 12:10
Jeremiah 50:6
John 10:12
John 10:10
References Lord
Jeremiah 10:21
Ezekiel 13:3
Jeremiah 2:8
Jeremiah 23:2
2
So the Lord, the God of Israel, speaks to the shepherds who take care of my people. He tells them, "You have scattered my sheep. You have driven them away. You have not taken good care of them. So I will punish you for the evil things you have done," announces the Lord.
Reference
3
"I myself will gather together those who are left alive in my flock. I will gather them out of all of the countries where I have driven them. And I will bring them back to their own land. There my sheep will have many lambs. Their numbers will increase.
Reference
4
"I will place shepherds over them who will take good care of them. My sheep will not be afraid or terrified anymore. And none of them will be missing," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Peter 1:5
5
"A new day is coming," announces the Lord. "At that time I will raise up from David's royal line a true and rightful Branch. He will be a King who will rule wisely. He will do what is fair and right in the land.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 30:9
Parallel theme
Isaiah 52:13
Zechariah 3:8
Isaiah 53:2
References Lord
Isaiah 4:2
Jeremiah 30:3
Righteousness
Isaiah 9:7
Zechariah 9:9
Revelation 19:11
Jeremiah 23:6
6
In his days Judah will be saved. Israel will live in safety. And the Branch will be called The Lord Who Makes Us Right With Himself.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 9:6
Jeremiah 32:37
References Lord
Isaiah 7:14
Righteousness
1 Corinthians 1:30
Philippians 3:9
Romans 3:22
2 Corinthians 5:21
Daniel 9:24
Salvation
Jeremiah 33:16
Jeremiah 30:10
7
"Other days are also coming," announces the Lord. "At that time people will no longer say, 'The Lord brought the people of Israel up out of Egypt. And that's just as sure as he is alive.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 23:3
8
"Instead, they will say, 'The Lord brought the people of Israel up out of the land of the north. He gathered them out of all of the countries where he had forced them to go. And that's just as sure as he is alive.' Then they will live in their own land."
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 23:3
Ezekiel 36:24
Ezekiel 37:25
References Israel
Ezekiel 34:13
References Lord
Isaiah 14:1
Ezekiel 39:28
Zephaniah 3:20
9
Here is my message about the prophets. My heart is broken inside me. All of my bones tremble with fear. I am like a man who is drunk. I am like someone who has had too much wine. That's what the Lord's holy words have done to me.
Reference
10
The land is full of people who aren't faithful to the Lord. Now the land is under his curse. And that's why it is thirsty for water. That's why the grasslands in the desert are dry. The prophets are leading sinful lives. They don't use their power in the right way.
Reference
11
"Prophets and priests alike are ungodly," announces the Lord. "Even in my temple I find them sinning.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 11:15
Jeremiah 7:30
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 32:34
Ezekiel 23:39
Prophecy
Jeremiah 6:13
Zephaniah 3:4
Jeremiah 8:10
References Lord
Ezekiel 8:16
2 Chronicles 36:14
12
So their path will become slippery. They will be thrown out into darkness. There they will fall. I will bring trouble on them when the time to punish them comes," announces the Lord.
Reference
Darkness
Jeremiah 13:16
Psalm 35:6
Proverbs 4:19
Isaiah 8:22
John 12:35
Evil
Jeremiah 11:23
Parallel theme
Psalm 73:18
Exodus 32:34
13
"Among the prophets of Samaria I saw something I can't stand. They were prophesying in the name of Baal. They were leading my people Israel down the wrong path.
Reference
14
I have also seen something horrible among Jerusalem's prophets. They are not faithful to me. They are not living by the truth. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil. So the people do not turn from their sinful ways. All of them are like the people of Sodom to me. They are just like the people of Gomorrah."
Reference
Evil
Genesis 13:13
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 29:23
Genesis 18:20
Deuteronomy 32:32
Jeremiah 20:16
Matthew 11:24
Prophecy
Ezekiel 22:25
Jeremiah 23:32
Jeremiah 14:14
Micah 3:11
15
So the Lord who rules over all speaks about the prophets. He says, "I will make them eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water. The prophets of Jerusalem have spread their ungodly ways all through the land."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 69:21
Lamentations 3:15
Lamentations 3:5
References Lord
Jeremiah 8:14
Jeremiah 9:15
16
The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Judah, "Do not listen to what the prophets are saying to you. They fill you with false hopes. They talk about visions that come from their own minds. What they say does not come from my mouth.
Reference
Prophecy
Jeremiah 14:14
Matthew 7:15
Ezekiel 13:3
1 John 4:1
Jeremiah 23:21
Jeremiah 23:26
Micah 2:11
References Lord
2 Kings 17:15
Word
Ezekiel 13:6
Proverbs 19:27
17
They keep speaking to those who hate me. They say, 'The Lord says you will have peace.' They speak to all those who do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They tell them, 'No harm will come to you.'
Reference
Evil
Micah 3:11
Jeremiah 13:10
Amos 9:10
Jeremiah 5:12
Jeremiah 3:17
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 9:14
Jeremiah 18:18
Peace
Jeremiah 8:11
Deuteronomy 29:19
Micah 3:5
18
But which of them has ever stood in my courts? Have they been there to see a vision or hear my message? Who has listened and heard my message there?
Reference
References Lord
1 Corinthians 2:16
Psalm 25:14
John 15:15
Amos 3:7
1 Kings 22:24
2 Chronicles 18:23
Word
Jeremiah 23:22
19
A storm will burst out because of my burning anger. A windstorm will sweep down on the heads of sinful people.
Reference
20
My anger will not turn back. I will accomplish everything I plan to do. In days to come you will understand it clearly.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 55:11
Genesis 49:1
References Lord
Jeremiah 30:24
Isaiah 14:24
Proverbs 21:30
Zechariah 1:6
21
I did not send those prophets. But they have run to tell you their message anyway. I did not speak to them. But they have still prophesied.
Reference
22
Suppose they had stood in my courts. Then they would have announced my message to my people. They would have turned my people from their evil ways. They would have turned them away from their sins.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 25:5
Zechariah 1:4
Jeremiah 35:15
Ezekiel 13:22
Parallel theme
Acts 20:27
Word
Jeremiah 23:18
23
"Am I only a God who is nearby?" announces the Lord. "Am I not a God who is also far away?
24
Can anyone hide in secret places so that I can't see him?" announces the Lord. "Don't I fill heaven and earth?" announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 139:7
Psalm 90:8
1 Kings 8:27
Isaiah 57:15
Psalm 10:11
2 Chronicles 6:18
Ephesians 1:23
References Lord
Proverbs 15:3
Isaiah 29:15
Isaiah 66:1
25
"I have heard what the prophets are saying. They prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! The Lord has given me a dream!'
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 8:6
1 Corinthians 4:5
Prophecy
Jeremiah 23:32
Jeremiah 23:28
Jeremiah 29:8
Joel 2:28
Numbers 12:6
26
How long will that continue in the hearts of those prophets who tell lies? They try to get others to believe their own mistaken ideas.
Reference
Prophecy
Jeremiah 14:14
27
They tell one another their dreams. They think that will make my people forget my name. In the same way, their people of long ago forgot my name when they worshiped Baal.
Reference
28
"Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream. But let the one who has my message speak it faithfully. Your prophets have given you straw to eat instead of grain," announces the Lord.
Reference
29
"My message is like fire," announces the Lord. "It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.
Reference
Parallel theme
Revelation 11:5
Acts 2:3
Acts 2:37
2 Corinthians 2:16
Word
Hebrews 4:12
Jeremiah 5:14
Luke 24:32
Jeremiah 20:9
John 6:63
30
"So I am against those prophets," announces the Lord. "I am against those who steal messages from one another. They claim that the messages come from me.
Reference
31
"Yes," announces the Lord. "I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues but still say, 'Here is what the Lord says.'
Reference
32
I am against prophets who talk about dreams that did not come from me," announces the Lord. "They tell foolish lies. Their lies lead my people down the wrong path. "But I did not send those prophets. I did not appoint them. They do not help my people in the least," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 7:8
Isaiah 3:12
Matthew 15:14
Prophecy
Lamentations 2:14
Zephaniah 3:4
Revelation 19:20
Jeremiah 23:16
Jeremiah 23:25
Deuteronomy 18:20
References Lord
Jeremiah 29:31
33
"Jeremiah, those people might ask you a question. Or a prophet or priest might do it. They might ask, 'What message have you received from the Lord?' "Then tell them, 'You ask, "What message?" Here it is. "I will desert you," announces the Lord.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 13:1
Jeremiah 12:7
Nahum 1:1
Hosea 9:12
Prophecy
Habakkuk 1:1
References Lord
Malachi 1:1
34
"A prophet or priest might make a claim. Or someone else might do it. He might claim, 'I have received a message from the Lord.' Then I will punish him and his family.
Reference
Prophecy
Zechariah 13:3
35
"Here is what each of you people keeps on saying to your friend or relative. You ask, 'What is the Lord's answer?' Or you ask, 'What has the Lord spoken?'
36
But you must not talk about 'a message from the Lord' again. That is because your message becomes your own message. And so you twist my words. I am the living God. I am the Lord who rules over all. And I am your God.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 64:8
Psalm 120:3
References God
Jeremiah 10:10
References Lord
Isaiah 3:8
Word
2 Peter 3:16
2 Kings 19:4
37
"Here is what you keep saying to a prophet. You ask, 'What is the Lord's answer to you?' Or you ask, 'What has the Lord spoken?'
38
You claim, 'I have received a message from the Lord.' But I really say, 'You used the words, "I have received a message from the Lord." But I told you that you must not claim, "I have received a message from the Lord." '
39
"So you can be sure I will forget you. I will throw you out of my sight. I will also destroy the city I gave you and your people.
Reference
Summary of Jeremiah 23
Jeremiah 23 begins with a powerful condemnation of Judah's failed shepherds, meaning the kings and leaders who were supposed to protect God's people but instead scattered, exploited, and neglected them, after which God promises that He Himself will gather the scattered people and eventually provide righteous leadership through a future descendant of David who will govern with wisdom, justice, and righteousness.
The chapter then turns its attention to the prophets and priests, whose corruption is presented as especially dangerous because they possess religious authority while encouraging people to continue in sin, and Jeremiah makes a sharp distinction between genuine prophetic ministry that confronts evil and calls people back to God and false prophecy that simply tells rebellious people what they want to hear.
The false prophets repeatedly announce peace and security even though judgment is approaching, but God explains that He never sent them and that their messages come from their own imagination rather than from His counsel, demonstrating that religious confidence, impressive language, dreams, popularity, or claims of divine authority do not prove that a message actually comes from God.
One of the chapter's strongest images compares God's true word with grain, fire, and a hammer, presenting it as something nourishing that produces genuine life, something powerful enough to burn away falsehood, and something strong enough to break through hardened resistance, while the invented messages of false prophets are compared to worthless straw that may look substantial but provides no real nourishment.
Jeremiah also emphasizes that God cannot be treated as a distant deity who sees only what happens in public, because He fills heaven and earth and knows what people say and do in secret, meaning that false prophets cannot hide the fact that they have attached God's name to messages that actually came from themselves.
The chapter therefore presents a serious warning about misusing spiritual authority, because claiming that personal opinions, dreams, political hopes, or imagined revelations are God's words can mislead entire communities and prevent people from recognizing the need for repentance.
At the same time, the chapter contains an important message of hope, because God's judgment against the failed shepherds does not mean that His people will remain permanently scattered; instead, He promises to gather them, restore them, and ultimately provide righteous leadership under the promised Davidic ruler.
The central message is that God holds spiritual and political leaders responsible when they use their authority to mislead, exploit, or reassure people who should instead be confronted with the truth, because genuine servants of God must faithfully communicate His word even when that message is difficult or unpopular, while false prophets manufacture comforting messages from their own imagination and attach God's name to them, yet God's true word remains powerful enough to expose deception, confront hardened hearts, and ultimately accomplish His purpose, bringing judgment upon corrupt leadership while preserving the hope that God will gather His scattered people and establish righteous leadership over them.
The chapter then turns its attention to the prophets and priests, whose corruption is presented as especially dangerous because they possess religious authority while encouraging people to continue in sin, and Jeremiah makes a sharp distinction between genuine prophetic ministry that confronts evil and calls people back to God and false prophecy that simply tells rebellious people what they want to hear.
The false prophets repeatedly announce peace and security even though judgment is approaching, but God explains that He never sent them and that their messages come from their own imagination rather than from His counsel, demonstrating that religious confidence, impressive language, dreams, popularity, or claims of divine authority do not prove that a message actually comes from God.
One of the chapter's strongest images compares God's true word with grain, fire, and a hammer, presenting it as something nourishing that produces genuine life, something powerful enough to burn away falsehood, and something strong enough to break through hardened resistance, while the invented messages of false prophets are compared to worthless straw that may look substantial but provides no real nourishment.
Jeremiah also emphasizes that God cannot be treated as a distant deity who sees only what happens in public, because He fills heaven and earth and knows what people say and do in secret, meaning that false prophets cannot hide the fact that they have attached God's name to messages that actually came from themselves.
The chapter therefore presents a serious warning about misusing spiritual authority, because claiming that personal opinions, dreams, political hopes, or imagined revelations are God's words can mislead entire communities and prevent people from recognizing the need for repentance.
At the same time, the chapter contains an important message of hope, because God's judgment against the failed shepherds does not mean that His people will remain permanently scattered; instead, He promises to gather them, restore them, and ultimately provide righteous leadership under the promised Davidic ruler.
The central message is that God holds spiritual and political leaders responsible when they use their authority to mislead, exploit, or reassure people who should instead be confronted with the truth, because genuine servants of God must faithfully communicate His word even when that message is difficult or unpopular, while false prophets manufacture comforting messages from their own imagination and attach God's name to them, yet God's true word remains powerful enough to expose deception, confront hardened hearts, and ultimately accomplish His purpose, bringing judgment upon corrupt leadership while preserving the hope that God will gather His scattered people and establish righteous leadership over them.