rd

Jeremiah 23

Againſt falſe Paſtors. 5 A prophecie of the great Paſtor Ieſus Chriſt.
1.W O vnto the Paſtors that deſtroy and ſcatter the ſhepe of my paſture, ſaith the Lord.
2.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord God of Iſraél vnto the Paſtors that fede my people, Ye haue ſcattred my flocke and thruſt them out, & haue not viſited thẽ: beholde, I wil viſite you for the wickednes of your workes, ſaith the Lord.
3.And I wil gather the rẽnant of my ſhepe out of all countreys, whether I had driuen them, and wil bring them againe to their foldes, and they ſhal growe and encreaſe.
4.And I wil ſet vp ſhepherdes ouer them, which ſhal fede them: and they ſhal dread no more nor be afraid, nether ſhal any of them be lacking, ſaith the Lord.
5.Beholde, The daies come, ſaith the Lord, that I wil raiſe vnto Dauid a righteous branche, & a King ſhal reigne, and proſper, and ſhal execute iudgement, and iuſtice in the earth.
6.In his daies Iudáh ſhalbe ſaued, and Iſraél ſhal dwell ſafely, and this is the name whereby thei ſhal call him, The Lord our righteouſnes.
7.Therefore beholde, the daies come, ſaith the Lord, that thei ſhal no more ſay, The Lord liueth, which broght vp the children of Iſraél out of ye land of Egypt,
8.But the Lord liueth, which broght vp and led the ſede of the houſe of Iſraél out of the North countrey & from all contreys where I had ſcattered them, and thei ſhal dwell in their owne land.
9.Mine heart breaketh within me, becauſe of the Prophetes, all my bones ſhake: I am like a drunken man ( & like a man whome wine hathe ouercome ) for the preſence of the Lord and for his holie wordes.
10.For the land is ful of adulterers, and becauſe of othes ye land mourneth, the pleaſant places of the wildernes are dryed vp, and their courſe is euil, and their force is not right.
11.For bothe the Prophet and the Prieſt do wickedly: and their wickednes haue I founde in mine Houſe, ſaith the Lord.
12.Wherefore their waie ſhalbe vnto them as ſliperie waies in the darkenes: thei ſhalbe driuen forthe and fall therein: for I wil bring a plague vpon them, euen the yere of their viſitacion, ſaith the Lord.
13.And I haue ſene fooliſhnes in the Prophetes of Samaria, yt prophecied in Báal and cauſed my people Iſraél to erre.
14.I haue ſene alſo in the Prophetes of Ieruſalém filthines: thei commit adulterie & walke in lies: thei ſtrengthen alſo the hãds of the wicked that none can returne from his wickednes: thei are all vnto me as Sodóm, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomoráh.
15.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord of hoſtes concerning the Prophetes, Beholde, I wil fede them with wormewood, and make them drinke the water of gall: for from ye Prophetes of Ieruſalém is wickednes gone forthe into all the land.
16.Thus ſaith the Lord of hoſtes, Heare not the wordes of the Prophetes that prophecie vnto you, and teache you vanitie: thei ſpeake the viſiõ of their owne heart & not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17.Thei ſaie ſtil vnto them that deſpiſe me, The Lord hath ſaid, Ye ſhal haue peace: & thei ſaie vnto euerie one that walketh after the ſtubbernes of his owne heart, No euil ſhal come vpon you.
18.For who hathe ſtand in the counſel of the Lord that he hathe perceiued & heard his worde? Who hathe marked his worde and heard it?
19.Beholde, the tempeſt of the Lord goeth forthe in his wrath, & a violent whirlwinde ſhal fall downe vpon the head of the wicked.
20.The angre of the Lord ſhal not returne vntil he haue executed, and til he haue performed the thoghts of his heart: in the latter daies ye ſhal vnderſtand it plainely.
21.I haue not ſent theſe Prophetes, ſaith the Lord, yet thei ranne: I haue not ſpoke to them, and yet thei prophecied.
22.But if thei had ſtand in my counſel, and had declared my wordes to my people, then they ſhulde haue turned them from their euil waie, and from the wickednes of their inuentions.
23.Am I a God at hand, ſaith the Lord, and not a God farre of?
24.Can anie hide him ſelf in ſecret places, that I ſhal not ſe him, ſaith the Lord? Do not I fil heauen and earth, ſaith the Lord?
25.I haue heard what the Prophetes ſaid, that prophecie lies in my Name, ſaying, I haue dreamed, I haue dreamed.
26.How long ? Do the Prophetes delite to prophecie lies, euen prophecying the deceit of their owne heart?
27.Thinke thei to cauſe my people to forget my Name by their dreames, which thei tel euerie man to his neighbour, as their forefathers haue forgottẽ my Name for Báal?
28.The Prophet that hathe a dreame, let him tel a dreame, and he that hathe my worde, let him ſpeake my worde faithfully: what is ye chaffe to the wheat, ſaith the Lord?
29.Is not my worde euen like a fyre, ſaith the Lord? and like an hammer, that breaketh the ſtone?
30.Therefore beholde, I wil come againſt the Prophetes, ſaith the Lord, that ſteale my worde euerie one from his neighbour.
31.Beholde, I wil come againſt the Prophetes, ſaith the Lord, which haue ſwete tongues, and ſaye, He ſaith.
32.Beholde, I wil come againſt them that prophecie falſe dreames, ſaith the Lord, & do tel them, and cauſe my people to erre by their lies, and by their flatteries, and I ſend them not, nor cõmanded them: therefore thei bring no profite vnto this people, ſaith the Lord.
33.And when this people, or the Prophet, or a Prieſt ſhal aſke thee, ſaying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou ſhalt then ſay vnto them, What burden? I wil euen forſake you, ſaith the Lord.
34.And the Prophet, or the Prieſt, or the people that ſhal ſay, The burden of the Lord, I wil euen viſit euerie ſuche one, & his houſe.
35.Thus ſhal ye ſay euerie one to his neighbour, and euerie one to his brother, What hathe the Lord anſwered? and what hathe the Lord ſpoken?
36.And ye burden of the Lord ſhal ye mencion no more: for euerie mans dworde ſhal be his burden: for ye haue peruerted the wordes of the liuing God, the Lord of hoſtes our God.
37.Thus ſhalt thou ſay to ye Prophet, What hathe the Lord anſwered thee? and what hathe the Lord ſpoken?
38.And if you ſay, The burden of the Lord, Then thus ſaith the Lord, Becauſe ye ſay this worde, The burden of the Lord, and I haue ſent vnto you, ſaying, Ye ſhal not ſay, The burden of the Lord,
39.Therefore beholde I, euen I, wil vtterly forget you, and I wil forſake you, & the citie that I gaue you & your fathers, and caſt you out of my preſence,
40.And wil bring an euerlaſting reproche vpõ you, & a perpetual ſhame which ſhal neuer be forgotten.

Notes

1:a.
Meanĩg, the princes, gouernours & falſe prophetes, as Ezek 34,2
1:b.
For the which I haue eſpecial care and haue prepared good paſtures for them
2:c.
Whoſe charge is to fede the flocke, but they eat the frute thereof, Ezek 34,3
3:d.
Thus the Prophets euer vſe to mixt the promiſes with ye threatnings, leſt the godlie ſhulde be to muche beaten downe, and therefore he ſheweth how God wil gather his Church after this diſperſion.
5:e.
This prophecie is of the reſtitution of the Church in the time of Ieſus Chriſt, who is ye true branche, read Iſa. 11, 1 & 45, 8. chap 33, 15. dani 9, 24.
6:*.
Deut 33,28.
6:*.
chap. 33,16.
7:f.
Read Chap. 16,14.
9:g.
Meaning, the falſe prophets which deceiue ye people: wherein appeareth his great loue toward his nacion, read Chap 14,13
9:".
Ebr. paſſed ouer or troubled.
10:h.
They runne head long to wickednes, and ſeke vaine helpe.
11:".
Or, are hypocrites
11:i.
My Temple is ful of their idolatrie and ſuperſtitions.
14:k.
They which ſhulde haue profited by my roddes againſt Samaria, are become worſe then they
14:l.
Thogh to ye worlde they ſeme holy fathers, yet I deteſt them as I did theſe abominable cities.
15:m.
Read Chap. 8,14.
15:".
Or, hypocriſie.
16:n.
Which thei haue inuented of their owne braine.
17:p.
Thus thei deride Ieremiáh as thogh the worde of God were not reueiled vnto him. ſo alſo ſpake Zedekiáh to Micháh, 1. King. 22,24.
17:*.
Read Chap 6,14, & 8,11
18:q.
Bothe that God hathe ſent me, and that my wordes ſhal be true.
21:*.
Chap. 14,13. & 27,15. & 29,8.
22:r.
He ſheweth the difference betwene the true Prophetes and the falſe, betwene the hireling and the true miniſter.
23:s.
Do not I ſe your falſehoode, howſoeuer you cloke it, and whereſoeuer you commit it?
25:t.
I haue a prophecie reueiled vnto me, as Nombr 12,6
26:".
Ebr. Is it in the heart of the prophetes?
27:u.
He ſheweth that Satan raiſeth vp falſe prophetes to bring the people from God.
28:x.
Let the falſe prophet declare that it is his owne fantaſie, & not ſclãder my worde as thogh it were a cloke to couer his lyes.
28:y.
Meaning, yt it is not ſufficient for Gods miniſters to abſtaine from lies, & to ſpeake the worde of God, but that there be iudgement in alledging it, & that it may appeare to be applyed to the ſame purpoſe yt it was ſpoken, Ezek. 3, 17. 1 cor 2,17 & 4, 2 2 tim. 2,15. 1. pet. 4,11.
30:z.
Which ſet forthe in my Name yt which I haue not cõmanded.
31:a.
So wri, the Lord.
33:b.
The Prophetes called their threatenings Gods burden, which the ſinners were not able to ſuſteine: therefore ye wicked in deriding the worde, wolde aſke of the Prophetes, what was the burden, as thogh thei wulde ſay, You ſeke nothing els, but to lay burdens on our ſhoulders, and thus thei reiected the worde of God, as a grieuous burden.
34:c.
Becauſe this worde was broght to contempt & deriſion, he wil teache them another maner of ſpeache, and wil cauſe this worde Burden to ceaſe, and teache them to aſke with reuerẽce, What ſaith ye Lord? d The thing which they mocke & contemne, ſhal comevpon them.
39:".
Or, take you away.
40:*.
Chap.20,11.