18. But none of these prophets has stood in the meeting of angels.None of them has seen or heard the message of the Lord.None of them has paid close attention to the Lord’s message.
19. Look, the punishment from the Lordwill come like a storm.His anger will be like a hurricane.It will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people.
20. The Lord’s anger will not stopuntil he finishes what he plans to do.When that day is over,you will understand this clearly.
21. I did not send those prophets.But they ran to tell their message.I did not speak to them.But they prophesied anyway.
22. But if they had stood in the meeting of angels,they would have told my message to my people.They would have turned the people from their evil ways.They would have turned them from doing evil.
23. “I am a God who is near,” says the Lord.“I am also a God who is far away.”
24. “No one can hidewhere I cannot see him,” says the Lord.“I fill all of heaven and earth,” says the Lord.
25. “I have heard the prophets who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’
26. How long will this continue in the minds of these lying prophets? They prophesy from their own wishful thinking.
27. They are trying to make the people of Judah forget me. They are doing this by telling each other these dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me in the same way that their ancestors forgot me. Their ancestors forgot me and worshiped Baal.
28. Straw is not the same thing as wheat!” says the Lord. “If a prophet wants to tell about his dreams, let him! But let the person who hears my message speak it truthfully!
29. My message is like a fire,” says the Lord. “It is like a hammer that smashes a rock!
30. “So I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “These prophets keep stealing words from each other. They say these words are from me.
31. I am against the false prophets,” says the Lord. “They use their own words and pretend it is a message from me.
32. I am against the prophets who prophesy false dreams,” says the Lord. “They mislead my people with their lies and false teachings! I did not send those prophets to teach the people. I never commanded them to do anything for me. They can’t help the people of Judah at all,” says the Lord.
33. “The people of Judah, a prophet or a priest may ask you: ‘Jeremiah, what is the message from the Lord?’ You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load to the Lord. And I will throw down this heavy load, says the Lord!’