Jeremías 23

1 ¡Ay de los pastores que desperdician y derraman las ovejas de mi majada! dijo Jehová.

Yahweh declares, “Terrible things will happen to [the leaders] [MET] [of my people—those who are like] shepherds of [the people who are like] my sheep—because they have scattered my people and sent them away, and have not taken care of them.

2 Por tanto, así dijo Jehová Dios de Israel a los pastores que apacientan mi pueblo: Vosotros derramasteis mis ovejas, y las amontasteis, y no las visitasteis: he aquí que yo visito sobre vosotros la maldad de vuestras obras, dijo Jehová.

So, this is what [I, ] Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say to those leaders: ‘Instead of taking care of my people and [leading them to places where they are safe, like a shepherd does for] his sheep, you have scattered them. So I will punish you for the evil things that you have done.

3 Y yo recogeré el resto de mis ovejas de todas las tierras donde las eché, y hacerlas he volver a sus moradas; y crecerán, y multiplicarse han.

But later I will gather those who are still alive, from the countries where I have forced them to go. I will bring them back to their own country, where they will have many children, and their number/population will increase.

4 Y pondré sobre ellas pastores que las apacienten; y no temerán más, ni tendrán miedo, ni serán menoscabadas, dijo Jehová.

[Then] I will appoint [other] leaders for my people, leaders who will take care of them. And my people will never be afraid [DOU] of anything again, and none of them will be [like a] lost [sheep].’”

5 He aquí que vienen días, dijo Jehová, y despertaré a David renuevo justo, y reinará rey, el cual será dichoso, y hará juicio y justicia en la tierra.

Yahweh [also] says, “Some day I will appoint for you a righteous man who will be a descendant of King David. He will be a king who rules wisely. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

6 En sus días será salvo Judá, e Israel habitará confiado; y este será su nombre que le llamarán, Jehová justicia nuestra.

At that time, all the Israeli people [DOU] will be saved [from their enemies], and they will be safe. And his name will be ‘Yahweh, the one who vindicates/defends us.’”

7 Por tanto, he aquí que vienen días, dijo Jehová, y no dirán más: Vive Jehová que hizo subir los hijos de Israel de la tierra de Egipto:

Yahweh [also] says that at that time, people [who are solemnly promising to do something] will no longer say, “[I will do it as surely] as Yahweh lives, who rescued the Israeli people from Egypt.”

8 Mas: Vive Jehová que hizo subir, y trajo la simiente de la casa de Israel de tierra del aquilón, y de todas las tierras a donde los eché; y habitarán en su tierra.

Instead, they will say, “[I will do it] as surely as Yahweh lives, who brought [us] Israeli people back to our own land, from the land to the northeast and from all the [other] countries to which he had exiled us.” And they will live in their own land [again].

9 A causa de los profetas mi corazón es quebrantado en medio de mí, todos mis huesos tiemblan: estuve como hombre borracho, y como hombre a quien enseñoreó el vino, delante de Jehová, y delante de las palabras de su santidad.

I am very shocked because of the sacred message that Yahweh has spoken about [what will happen to] the [false] prophets; [it is as though] all my bones shake. I stagger like a man who is drunk after drinking a lot of wine.

10 Porque la tierra es llena de adúlteros, porque a causa del juramento la tierra es desierta: las cabañas del desierto se secaron; y la carrera de ellos fue mala, su fortaleza no derecha.

The land is full of [people who commit] adultery; and [Yahweh] has cursed the land. Even the pastures in the desert are all dried up, because the people do what is evil, and [the false prophets] use their power to do things that are not just/fair.

11 Porque así el profeta como el sacerdote son fingidos: aun en mi casa hallé su maldad, dijo Jehová.

Yahweh says, “[Yes, even] the priests and the prophets are ungodly; they do wicked things even in my temple.

12 Por tanto su camino les será como resbaladeros en oscuridad: serán rempujados, y caerán en él; porque yo traeré sobre ellos mal, año de su visitación, dice Jehová.

Therefore, [it will be as though] the paths that they walk on are slippery. [It will be as though] they are being chased in the darkness, and there they will fall down, because I will cause them to experience disasters at the time that I will punish them. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”

13 Y en los profetas de Samaria ví bobería: profetizaban en Baal, e hicieron errar a mi pueblo Israel.

[Previously] I saw that the prophets in Samaria were doing something that was wrong; they were prophesying, saying that Baal [gave them the messages that they were proclaiming], and they were deceiving my people.

14 Y en los profetas de Jerusalem ví torpezas: cometían adulterios, y caminaban por mentira, y esforzaban las manos de los malos, porque ninguno se convertiese de su malicia: tornáronseme todos ellos como los moradores de Sodoma, y sus moradores como Gomorra.

And [now] I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem doing terrible things. They commit adultery and habitually tell lies. They encourage evil people to continue to do evil things, with the result that the people do not stop sinning. Those prophets are as wicked as the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were.

15 Por tanto así dijo Jehová de los ejércitos contra aquellos profetas: He aquí que yo les hago comer ajenjo, y les haré beber aguas de hiel; porque de los profetas de Jerusalem salió la hipocresía sobre toda la tierra.

So, this is what the Commander of the armies of angels says about those [false] prophets: “I will give those prophets bitter things to eat and poison to drink, because it is because of them that this land is filled with [people who do] wicked things.”

16 Así dijo Jehová de los ejércitos: No escuchéis las palabras de los profetas que os profetizan: os hacen desvanecer, hablan visión de su corazón, no de la boca de Jehová.

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Do not pay any attention to what those [false] prophets say to you, because they are just deceiving you. They tell you about visions that they have thought/created [only] in their own minds, not about visions that I have given them.

17 Dicen atrevidamente a los que me airán: Jehová dijo: Paz tendréis. Y a cualquiera que camina tras la imaginación de su corazón, dijeron: No vendrá mal sobre vosotros.

They habitually say to those who hate me, ‘[Yahweh says that] you will have peace.’ And they say to those who stubbornly do what they want to do, ‘Nothing bad will happen to you [because of your doing those things].’

18 Porque ¿quién estuvo en el secreto de Jehová, y vio, y oyó su palabra? ¿quién estuvo atento a su palabra, y oyó?

But none of them has ever been in a council [meeting] in heaven in order to listen to a message from me. None of them has paid attention to anything that [I], Yahweh, have said.

19 He aquí que la tempestad de Jehová saldrá con furor; y la tempestad que está aparejada, sobre la cabeza de los malos caerá.

So, listen to this: I will punish them; it will be [like] a great storm; it will come down [like] a whirlwind, swirling around the heads of those wicked people.

20 No se apartará el furor de Jehová, hasta tanto que haya hecho, y hasta tanto que haya confirmado los pensamientos de su corazón: en lo postrero de los días la entenderéis con entendimiento.

I will not stop being angry until I completely accomplish all that I have planned. In the future, you will understand [all of] this clearly.”

21 No envié yo aquellos profetas, y ellos corrían: yo no les hablé, y ellos profetizaban.

[Yahweh also says, ] “I have not appointed those prophets, but they run [around telling people their messages]. I did not speak to them, but they [continue to] prophesy.

22 Y si ellos hubieran estado en mi secreto, también hubieran hecho oír mis palabras a mi pueblo, y los hubieran hecho volver de su mal camino, y de la maldad de sus obras.

If they had been in my council [meetings], they would have been able to speak messages from me, and they would have caused people to turn away from committing evil things.”

23 ¿Soy yo Dios de cerca, dijo Jehová, y no Dios de lejos?

Yahweh [also] says, “Am I a God who is only nearby? No, I am a God who is far away, also.

24 ¿Esconderse ha alguno en escondederos que yo no le vea, dijo Jehová? ¿no hincho yo el cielo y la tierra, dijo Jehová?

So, no one can hide in some secret place with the result that I cannot see him. I am everywhere, in heaven and on the earth! [That is what I], Yahweh, say!

25 Yo oí lo que aquellos profetas dijeron profetizando mentira en mi nombre, diciendo: Soñé, soñé.

I have heard those prophets prophesy lies, saying that they are telling people messages from me. They say, ‘[Listen to me tell you] the dream that God gave me last night! I [really] had this dream!’

26 ¿Hasta cuándo será esto en el corazón de los profetas que profetizan mentira, y que profetizan el engaño de su corazón?

How long will they continue to do this? How long will those lying prophets continue to prophesy things that come only from their own minds?

27 No piensan como hacen olvidar mi pueblo de mi nombre con sus sueños que cada uno cuenta a su compañero, como sus padres se olvidaron de mi nombre por Baal.

They think that because of the dreams that they tell to each other, people will forget me, like their ancestors forgot about me when they started to worship Baal.

28 El profeta con quien fuere sueño, cuente sueño; y con el que fuere mi palabra, cuente mi palabra verdadera. ¿Qué tiene la paja con el trigo, dijo Jehová?

Allow those [false] prophets to tell people their dreams, but those who have messages that [really] come from me should proclaim those messages faithfully. I, Yahweh, say [that like] straw and grain are certainly very different, [my messages and the messages from those false prophets are certainly very different].

29 ¿Mi palabra no es como el fuego, dice Jehová, y como martillo que quebranta la piedra?

[It is as though] my messages [burn] like a fire; they [strike people’s inner beings like] someone strikes a rock with a hammer and smashes it into pieces.

30 Por tanto, he aquí, yo contra los profetas, dice Jehová, que hurtan mis palabras, cada uno de su más cercano.

Therefore, [I, ] Yahweh say, 'I oppose all those prophets who steal messages from each other and claim that those messages came from me.

31 He aquí, yo contra los profetas, dice Jehová, que endulzan sus lenguas, y dicen: Dijo.

I oppose those prophets who speak their own messages but claim that those messages came from me.

32 He aquí, yo contra los que profetizan sueños mentirosos, dice Jehová, y los contaron, e hicieron errar mi pueblo con sus mentiras y con sus lisonjas; y yo no los envié, ni les mandé; y ningún provecho hicieron a este pueblo, dijo Jehová.

I oppose those prophets who falsely say that I told them something in a vision, but they are [only] telling lies that cause my people to sin. I did not send those prophets. I did not even appoint them [to be prophets]. And they have no messages that will benefit my people at all.' [That is what I, ] Yahweh, declare.”

33 Y cuando te preguntare este pueblo, o el profeta, o el sacerdote, diciendo: ¿Qué es la carga de Jehová? decirles has: ¿Qué carga? Dejaros he, dijo Jehová.

[Yahweh said to me], “If one of those prophets or priests or one of the [other] people asks you, ‘What problem has Yahweh told you about [now]?’, you must reply, ‘You are the problem! And Yahweh says that he will abandon you!’

34 Y el profeta, y el sacerdote, y el pueblo que dijere: Carga de Jehová: yo visitaré sobre el tal hombre, y sobre su casa.

And if any prophet or priest or anyone [else falsely] says, ‘[I have] a prophecy from Yahweh,’ I will punish that person and his family.

35 Así diréis cada cual a su compañero, y cada cual a su hermano; ¿Qué respondió Jehová? ¿y qué habló Jehová?

What you should continually ask each other is, ‘[When you spoke to Yahweh, ] what did he reply? What is he saying [to us]?’

36 Y nunca más os vendrá a la memoria carga de Jehová; porque la palabra de cada uno le será por carga; pues pervertisteis las palabras del Dios viviente, Jehová de los ejércitos, Dios nuestro.

But stop saying ‘[I have] a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ because those who say that are doing it only because they want people to accept their ideas, and by doing that they distort/change the messages that are from our God, the Commander of the armies of angels.

37 Así dirás al profeta: ¿Qué te respondió Jehová, y que habló Jehová?

This is what you should ask each prophet: ‘What did Yahweh reply [when you talked to him]? What is he saying [to us]?’

38 Y si dijereis: Carga de Jehová: Por tanto así dijo Jehová: Porque dijisteis esta palabra, carga de Jehová, habiendo enviado a vosotros, diciendo: No digáis, Carga de Jehová.

If he replies, ‘[What I told you] is a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ you should say to him, ‘You have continued to say, “[I received] a prophecy/message from Yahweh” even though I told you to not claim that you have received prophecies/messages from Yahweh.’

39 Por tanto, he aquí, que yo os olvidaré olvidando; y os arrancaré de mi presencia, y a la ciudad que os di a vosotros y a vuestros padres.

So I [, Yahweh, ] will get rid of you [false prophets]. I will expel you from my presence. And I will get rid of this city that I gave to you and to your ancestors.

40 Y daré sobre vosotros vergüenza perpetua, y confusiones eternas, que nunca las raiga olvido.

I will cause people to make fun of you forever. People will never forget that you were disgraced.”