Jeremiah 23:33-40

Expanded Bible

The Sad Message from the Lord

³³ “Suppose this people [^Cof Judah], a prophet, or a priest asks you [^CJeremiah]: ‘What is the ·message [oracle; burden] from the Lord?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy ·load [burden] to the Lord, and I will throw you down, says the Lord.’ ³⁴ A prophet or a priest or one of the people might say, ‘This is a ·message [oracle; burden] from the Lord.’ I will punish him [^Cfor lying that he has a message from God] and his whole family. ³⁵ This is what you will say to each other: ‘What did the Lord answer?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ ³⁶ But you will never again ·say [mention; remember], ‘The ·message [oracle; burden] of the Lord,’ because the only ·message [oracle; burden] you speak is your own words. You have ·changed [overturned; perverted] the words of our God, the living God, the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts]. ³⁷ This is how you should speak to the prophets: ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’ ³⁸ But don’t say, ‘The ·message [oracle; burden] from the Lord.’ If you use these words, this is what the Lord says: Because you called it a ‘·message [oracle; burden] from the Lord,’ though I told you not to use those words, ³⁹ I will pick you up and ·throw [cast] you away from me, along with the city [^CJerusalem], which I gave to your ·ancestors [fathers] and to you. ⁴⁰ And I will ·make a disgrace of [give shame to] you forever; your shame will never be forgotten.”