Jeremiah 23:16-24

Lying Prophets

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, c filling you with vain hopes. d They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, e 'It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who f stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, g 'No disaster shall come upon you.'"

18 For h who among them has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
 19 i Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
j a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
 20 k The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and k accomplished
the intents of his heart.
l In the latter days you will understand it clearly.

21 m "I did not send the prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
 22 n But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
o and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and p from the evil of their deeds.

23 q "Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 q Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. r Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.

  1. Cross References
    Psalms 12:2
    Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:21
    I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
    Jeremiah 23:26
    How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart.
    Numbers 16:28
    And Moses said, "Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord.
  3. Cross References
    Zechariah 10:2
    For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.
    Jeremiah 6:14
    They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.
  4. Cross References
    Jeremiah 3:17
    At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.
  5. Cross References
    Jeremiah 5:12
    They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, 'He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.
    Micah 3:11
    Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:22
    But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.
    Isaiah 40:14
    Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:23
    Behold the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth, a whirling tempest; it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 25:32
    Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, disaster is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!
  9. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:24
    The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this.
    Isaiah 55:11
    So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  10. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:24
    The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this.
    Isaiah 55:11
    So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:24
    The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days you will understand this.
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 14:14
    And the Lord said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.
  13. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:18
    For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
  14. Cross References
    Jeremiah 25:5
    Saying, 'Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever.
    Luke 1:17
    And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:2
    Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord.
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 94:7
    And they say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.
    Psalms 94:9
    He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
    Amos 9:2 - 3
    If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down.
    Psalms 139:7 - 12
    Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
  17. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:23
    Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away?
  18. Cross References
    Isaiah 66:1
    Thus says the Lord : "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?
    Acts 7:49
    'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.