1. You leaders of my people are like shepherds that kill and scatter the sheep.
2. You were supposed to take care of my people, but instead you chased them away. So now I'll really take care of you, and believe me, you will pay for your crimes!
3. I will bring the rest of my people home from the lands where I have scattered them, and they will grow into a mighty nation.
4. I promise to choose leaders who will care for them like real shepherds. All my people will be there, and they will never again be frightened.
5. Some day I will appointan honest kingfrom the family of David,a king who will be wiseand rule with justice.
6. As long as he is king,Israel will have peace,and Judah will be safe.The name of this king will be“The Lord Gives Justice”.
7. A time will come when you will again worship me. But you will no longer call me the Living God who rescued Israel from Egypt.
8. Instead, you will call me the Living God who rescued you from the land in the north and from all the other countries where I had forced you to go. And you will once again live in your own land.
9. When I think of the prophets,I am shocked, and I tremblelike someone drunk,because of the Lordand his sacred words.
10. Those unfaithful prophetsmisuse their powerall over the country.So God turned the pasture landsinto scorching deserts.
11. The Lord told me to say:You prophets and prieststhink so little of me, the Lord,that you even sinin my own temple!
12. Now I will punish youwith disaster,and you will slip and fallin the darkness.I, the Lord, have spoken.
13. The prophets in Samariawere disgusting to me,because they preachedin the name of Baaland led my people astray.
14. And you prophets in Jerusalemare even worse.You're unfaithful in marriageand never tell the truth.You even lead others to sininstead of helping themturn back to me.You and the people of Jerusalemare evil like Sodomand Gomorrah.
15. You prophets in Jerusalemhave spread evil everywhere.That's why I, the Lord, promiseto give you bitter poisonto eat and drink.
16. Don't listen to the liesof these false prophets,you people of Judah!The message they preachis something they imagined;it did not come from me,the Lord All-Powerful.