JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.

Jeremiah 23

The Righteous Descendant

1“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.

2Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds: “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction. Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them. 3But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them. I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord, have spoken!

5“For the time is coming,”

says the Lord,

“when I will raise up a righteous descendant*

from King David’s line.

He will be a King who rules with wisdom.

He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

6And this will be his name:

‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’*

In that day Judah will be saved,

and Israel will live in safety.

7“In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 8Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

Judgment on False Prophets

9My heart is broken because of the false prophets,

and my bones tremble.

I stagger like a drunkard,

like someone overcome by wine,

because of the holy words

the Lord has spoken against them.

10For the land is full of adultery,

and it lies under a curse.

The land itself is in mourning—

its wilderness pastures are dried up.

For they all do evil

and abuse what power they have.

11“Even the priests and prophets

are ungodly, wicked men.

I have seen their despicable acts

right here in my own Temple,”

says the Lord.

12“Therefore, the paths they take

will become slippery.

They will be chased through the dark,

and there they will fall.

For I will bring disaster upon them

at the time fixed for their punishment.

I, the Lord, have spoken!

13“I saw that the prophets of Samaria were terribly evil,

for they prophesied in the name of Baal

and led my people of Israel into sin.

14But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse!

They commit adultery and love dishonesty.

They encourage those who are doing evil

so that no one turns away from their sins.

These prophets are as wicked

as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”

15Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says concerning the prophets:

“I will feed them with bitterness

and give them poison to drink.

For it is because of Jerusalem’s prophets

that wickedness has filled this land.”

16This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to his people:

“Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you,

filling you with futile hopes.

They are making up everything they say.

They do not speak for the Lord!

17They keep saying to those who despise my word,

‘Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’

And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires,

they say, ‘No harm will come your way!’

18“Have any of these prophets been in the Lord’s presence

to hear what he is really saying?

Has even one of them cared enough to listen?

19Look! The Lord’s anger bursts out like a storm,

a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked.

20The anger of the Lord will not diminish

until it has finished all he has planned.

In the days to come

you will understand all this very clearly.