Jeremiah 23:9-15

A message to the prophets: My heart is broken. All my bones shake. I’m like someone who is drunk, like someone who has been overcome with wine. This is because of the LORD and his holy words. The land of Judah is full of people who are guilty of adultery. Because of this, the LORD cursed the land. It has become a very sad place, and the pastures have dried up. The people are evil and use their power in the wrong way. “Both the prophets and the priests live as if there were no God. I have found them doing evil things even in my own Temple,” says the LORD. “So they will be in danger. They will be forced into darkness where they will be defeated. I will bring disaster on them in the year I punish them,” says the LORD. “I saw the prophets of Samaria do something wrong. Those prophets prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel away. And I have seen the prophets of Jerusalem do terrible things. They are guilty of adultery and live by lies. They encourage evil people to keep on doing evil, so the people don’t stop sinning. All of those people are like the city of Sodom. The people of Jerusalem are like the city of Gomorrah to me!” So this is what the LORD All-Powerful says about the prophets: “I will make those prophets eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because the prophets of Jerusalem spread wickedness through the whole country.”