Jeremiah 23:1–8

THE LORD AND HIS SHEEP

23“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”^j This is the Lord’s declaration. ²“Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend my people: You have scattered my flock,^k banished them, and have not attended to them.^l I am about to attend to you because of your evil acts”—this is the Lord’s declaration. ³“I will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands where I have banished them,^m and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous.^{n 4}I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them.^o They will no longer be afraid or discouraged, nor will any be missing.”^p This is the Lord’s declaration.

THE RIGHTEOUS BRANCH OF DAVID

⁵“Look, the days are coming”^q—this is the Lord’s declaration—

“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David.^r

He will reign wisely as king

and administer justice and righteousness in the land.^s

⁶In his days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell securely.^t

This is the name he will be called:

The Lord Is Our Righteousness.^Au

⁷“Look, the days are coming”^v—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives^w who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ ⁸but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I^B had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”^x