Jeremiah 23:1-40 Those Who Have Scattered the Lord's Flock

Those Who Have Scattered the Lord's Flock

Jeremiah 23:1-40                               The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

The Lord [says,] Woe to the pastors, [a.k.a. shepherds, who] destroy, & scatter the sheep of My pasture! Therefore, the Lord God of Israel [says this] against the pastors, [who] feed My people. You have scattered My flock, & driven them away, & haven't visited them.

[Watch,] I will visit, [a.k.a. punish,] the evil of your [actions,] upon you, [says] the Lord. And I will gather [those remaining] of My flock out of all [the] countries, [where] I have driven them, & will bring them [back] again to their [sheep pens,] & they shall be fruitful, & increase.

And I will set up shepherds over them, [who] shall feed them. And they shall no [longer] fear, nor [shall they] be [discouraged.] Neither shall they [lack] [what's needed,] [says] the Lord. [Jeremiah 3:15 I will give you pastors according to [My] heart, [who] shall feed you with knowledge, & understanding.]

*[Watch,] the days come, [says] the Lord, that I will raise to David a Righteous Branch. And a King shall [rule,] & prosper, & shall [carry out] Judgment, Justice [on] the earth. [Revelation 22:16-17 I, Jesus, have sent [My] Angel to testify these things to you in the churches. I Am the Root, & the offspring, [a.k.a. from the lineage,] of David, & the Bright & Morning Star. And the [Holy] Spirit, & the bride say, Come. And let him, [who hears] say, Come. And let him, [who] is [thirsty,] come. And [whoever] [is] [willing,] let him freely take the Water of Life.]

*[During] His days, Judah shall be saved, & Israel shall dwell safely. And this is His Name [by which] He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. [Isaiah 11:1-4 *And a Rod shall come forth there, out of the stem of Jesse, & a Branch shall grow out of his roots, [a.k.a. lineage.] *And the [Holy] Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of: wisdom, & understanding; the spirit of: counsel, & [strength;] the spirit of: knowledge, & the fear, [a.k.a. respect,] of the Lord, & shall make Him of [immediate] understanding in the fear, [a.k.a. respect,] of the Lord.

And He shall not judge, [according] [to what] His eyes [see,] & neither [chastise according] [to what] His ears [hear.] But He shall judge the poor with Righteousness, & will [repay] the meek, [a.k.a. humble,] of the earth with equity. And He shall [strike] the earth with the rod of His mouth, & He shall slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.]

The Lord [says,] Therefore, [watch,] the days [come,] that they shall no [longer] say, The Lord [Lives, Who] brought up the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord [Lives, Who] brought up, & [Who] led the seed, [a.k.a. descendants from] the house of Israel, out of the North country, & from all [the] countries [where] I had driven them; & they shall dwell in their own land.

[My] heart is broken within me, because of the prophets. All my bones shake like I am a [drunk] man, & like a man [who has] [been] overcome [by] wine, because of the Lord, & because of the Words of His Holiness. [Jeremiah 1:16 And I will [express] My judgments against them, [about] all their wickedness, who have [abandoned] Me, & have burned incense to other gods, & worshiped the works [made] [from] their own hands.]

For the land is full of adulterers. [Ezekiel 23:37-39 They have committed adultery, & [bloodshed] is [on] their hands, & they have committed adultery with their idols, & also have [made] their sons, whom they [bore] to Me, to pass through the fire, to devour them for [their idols.] [Additionally,] they have done this to Me. They  defiled My sanctuary [on] the same day, & have profaned My Sabbaths. For when they had [sacrificed] their children to their idols, then they came the same day, into My sanctuary to [desecrate] it. And [look] they have done [this] in the midst of [My] house.]

The land [mourns,] because of [the] swearing. And the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, & their [path] is evil, & their [forcefulness] isn't right. For both [prophets, & priests] are profane. [Yes,] I have found their wickedness in My house, [says] the Lord.

[Jeremiah 7:30-31 For the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Judah have done [what is:] evil in My sight, [says] the Lord. They have [put] their abominations in the house, [that] is called by My Name, to [defile] it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, [that] is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their: sons & daughters in the fire, [that] I [didn't command] them, & neither [did] it [come] into My heart.]

[For this reason,] their [road] shall be [like] slippery [roads] to them in the darkness. They shall be driven on, & fall [on them.] For I will bring [calamity] upon them, even the year of their visitation, [a.k.a. punishment, says] the Lord. [Isaiah 51:22-23 The Lord, your: Lord, & God [Who pleads] the [case] of His people, [says this, Look,] I have [removed from] your hand, the cup of trembling, even the dregs, [a.k.a. what's remaining, from] the cup of My fury, & you [shall] no [longer] drink it again. But I will put it into the hand of [those who] afflict you: [who] have said to your soul, [Bend] down [flat,] [so] that we may go over [you,] & you [have] laid your body [down] [like] the ground, & [like] the street, to [those who] went over [you.]

And I have seen folly, [a.k.a. a lack of good judgment,] in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied [about] Baal, & caused My people, Israel, to [go astray.] [Jeremiah 2:8 The priest's [didn't say,] Where is the Lord? And [those who] handle [the matters of] the Law, [didn't know] Me. The pastors also [sinned] against Me, & the prophets prophesied by Baal, & walked, [a.k.a. followed,] after things that [aren't beneficial.]

I have also seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery, & walk, [a.k.a. follow,] in [what are:] lies. They also strengthen the hands of [those who] [do evil, so] that none [returns] from his wickedness. They are all of them to Me [like] Sodom, & [Jerusalem's] inhabitants [are] [like] Gomorrah. [Jeremiah 14:15 Therefore, the Lord [says this, about] the prophets, [who] prophesy in My Name, & I [didn't send] them. [Still,] they say, Sword, & famine shall not be in this land. Those prophets shall be consumed by [the] sword, & famine.]

Therefore, the Lord of Hosts [says this about] the prophets: [Look,] I will feed them with wormwood, & make them drink the [bitter] water of gall. For profaneness from the prophets of Jerusalem, [has] gone [out] into all the land. [Deuteronomy 29:17-18 And you have seen their abominations, & their idols, [made of:] wood, stone, silver, & gold, [that] were among them. Lest there should be [a:] man, woman, family, or tribe, among you whose heart [turns] away, [a.k.a. goes astray,] this day, from the Lord our God, to go, & serve the gods of these nations. Lest there should be a root that [bears, a.k.a. produces,] gall, & wormwood among you.]

The Lord of Hosts [says this, Don't pay attention] to the words of the prophets, [who] prophesy to you. They make you vain, & they speak a vision [from] their own heart, & not out of the mouth of the Lord.

They still say to [those who] despise Me, The Lord [has] said, You shall have peace; & they say to everyone [follows] after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall [happen] to you. [Jeremiah 5:11-14 For the house of Israel, & the house of Judah have [behaved] very treacherously against Me, [says] the Lord. They have [given a false impression,] [against] the Lord, & said, Isn't it He, [but the Lord God did not say:] neither shall [disaster] come upon us. Neither shall we see [swords,] nor famine. And the [Lord's] Word isn't in them, & [this] shall be done to them, & the [false] prophets shall become [like:] wind [that disappears.] For this reason, the Lord God of Hosts, [says this,] Because you [say] this word, [watch,] I will make My words fire in your mouth, & this people: wood. And it shall devour them.]

For who [has] stood in the counsel of the Lord, & [has] heard, & [understood] His Word? Who [has written] His Word, & heard it? [Look,] a whirlwind [from] the Lord [has] gone [out] in [a] fury, even a grievous whirlwind. It shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.

[Jeremiah 27:8-11 And it shall [happen] that nation, & kingdom [that won't] serve Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king, I will punish that nation with the: sword, famine, & pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand, [says] the Lord. Therefore, [don't pay attention] to your: prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, & sorcerers, [who] speak to you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon. For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, [so] that I [would] drive you out, & you should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of [Babylon's] king, & serve him, I will still let those remain in their own land, & they shall till it, & [live] in it, [says] the Lord.]

The anger of the Lord shall not return, until: He [has carried out,] & He [has accomplished] the thoughts of His heart. In the [later] days, you shall consider it [flawlessly.]

[Jeremiah 7:17-18 [Don't] you [see] what they do in the cities of Judah, & in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, & the fathers [start] the fire, & the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, & to pour out drink offerings to other gods, [so] that they may provoke Me to anger.]

I haven't sent these prophets, & [still,] they ran [to you as if I had.] I haven't spoken to them, & [still,] they prophesied. [Jeremiah 14:14 Then, the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in My Name, & I [didn't send] them, & neither have I commanded them. Neither [have I] [spoken] to them. They prophesy a false vision to you, & divination, & a [useless] thing, & the deceit of their heart.]

But if they stood in My counsel, & had caused My people to hear My Words, then they [would] have [returned] them from their evil [ways, & evil actions.] [Luke 15:6-7 And when he [comes] home, he [calls] together his friends & [neighbors,] saying to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep, which was lost. I say to you, that [similar] joy shall be in heaven over one sinner, [who repents,] more than over 99 just [people, who] need no repentance.]

The Lord [says,] Am I a God [close] at hand, & not a God [far away?] The Lord [says,] Can any hide himself in secret [places] that I shall not see him? The Lord [says,] Don't I fill heaven & earth? [Isaiah 55:6-7 You seek the Lord while He may be found, & you, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked [abandon] his [ways,] & the unrighteous man [abandon] his thoughts. And let him return to the Lord, & He will have mercy upon him, & [return] to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.]

I have heard what the prophets said, [who] prophesy lies in My Name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets, [who] prophesy lies? [Yes,] they are prophets [with] the deceit of their own [hearts.] [Who] think to cause My people to forget My Name, [through] their dreams, [that] every man [tells] to his [neighbor.]

[Like] their [forefathers] have forgotten My Name, [instead] for Baal. [Judges 3:5-7 And the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel [lived] among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, & Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, & gave their daughters to their sons, & served their gods. And the [people] of Israel did [what is:] evil in the sight of the Lord, & [forgot] the Lord their God, & served Baalim, & the groves.]

The prophet [who has] a dream, let him tell [the] dream. And he, [who has] My Word, let him speak My Word faithfully. The Lord [says,] What is the [hull covering of the] chaff, to the wheat? The Lord [says,] Isn't My Word [like] a fire? And like a hammer that [breaks] the rock in pieces?

[John 15:5-6 I Am the Vine, & you are the branches. He, [who abides, a.k.a. remains,] in Me, & I in him, the same [produces] much fruit. For you can do nothing without Me. If a man [doesn't remain] in Me, he is cast [out, like] a branch, & is withered. And men gather them, & cast them into the fire, & they are burned.]

Therefore, [look,] I Am against the prophets, & everyone [who steals] My Words from his neighbor, [says] the Lord. [Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet, [who] shall presume to speak a word in My Name, [that] I haven't commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.]

The Lord [says, Look,] I am against the prophets, [who] use their tongues, [a.k.a. mouths,] & say, [God says] [this.] The Lord [says, Look,] I'm against [those who] prophesy false dreams, & [tells] them, & [causes] My people to err, [a.k.a. go astray,] by their lies, & by their [indifference.] [Still,] I [didn't send] them, nor commanded them.

[Jeremiah 28:8-9 The prophets of old, [who] have been [prior to:] me, & you,  prophesied both against many: countries, & great kingdoms, [to warn them] [about:] war, evil, [a.k.a. calamity,] & pestilence. When the word of the prophet, [who] prophesied [about] peace shall [happen,] then [it] shall be known, that the Lord [has] truly sent him the prophet.]

Therefore, they shall not [benefit] this people at all, [says] the Lord.                    [2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful works, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, [a.k.a. no wonder,] for Satan, himself, is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it's no great thing, if [Satan's] ministers also [are] transformed [like] the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works, [a.k.a. deeds.]

And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden, [a.k.a. vision] of the Lord? Then, you [shall] say to them, What [vision?] I will even [abandon] you, [says] the Lord. And as for the prophet, the priest, & the people, [who] shall say, The [vision] of the Lord [is this,] I will even punish that man, & his house.

[isaiah 30:8-10 Now, go, & write it [in front of] them in a [tablet,] & note it in a book, [so] that it may be for the time to come, forever, & ever: That this is a rebellious people, lying children, & children, [who] won't hear the [Lord's] Law. [Who] say to the seer, [Don't] see, & to the prophets, [Don't] prophesy [correct] things to us. Speak [pleasant] things to us, & prophesy [what is:] [deceitful.]

Everyone [of] you shall say [this:] to his [neighbor,] & his brother, What [has] the Lord answered? And, What [has] the Lord spoken? You shall no [longer] mention the [vision] of the Lord, for every man's word, shall be his [vision.] For you have [twisted] the Words of the Living God, of the Lord of Hosts our God. [Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, [who] come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly, they are [ravenous] wolves.]

You [shall] say [this] to the prophet, What [has] the Lord answered you? And, What [has] the Lord spoken? But since you say, The [vision] of the Lord, Therefore, the Lord [says []this;] Because you say this word, The [vision] of the Lord, & I have sent to you, saying, You shall not say, The [vision] of the Lord.

Therefore, [look,] I, even I, will [totally] forget you, & I will [abandon] you, & the city that I gave you, & your [forefathers,] & cast you out of My presence. And I will bring [eternal disgrace.] & [continual] shame, upon you, [that] shall not be forgotten.

[Micah 3:5-7 The Lord [says this about:] the prophets [who] make My people err, [a.k.a. go astray, & who] bite with their teeth, & cry [out,] Peace, & [God hasn't] put that into their mouths. They even prepare war against Him.  Therefore, unto you, [at] night, you shall not have a vision, & it shall be dark to you, [so] that, you shall not: divine; & the sun shall go down over the prophets, & over them, the day shall be dark. Then, the seers shall be ashamed, & the diviners, [shall be:] confused. [Yes,] they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer [from] God.]