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!’
34. A prophet or a priest or one of the people might say, ‘This is a message from the Lord!’ That person has lied. So I will punish him and his whole family.
35. This is what you will say to each other: ‘What did the Lord answer?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’
36. But you will never again say, ‘The message of the Lord.’ This is because the only message you speak is your own words. You used to change the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord of heaven’s armies.
37. This is how you speak to the prophets: ‘What answer did the Lord give you?’ or ‘What did the Lord say?’
38. But don’t say, ‘What was the message from the Lord?’ If you use these words, the Lord will say this to you: You should not have called it a message from the Lord. I told you not to use those words.
39. I will pick you up like a heavy load. And I’ll throw you away from me. I gave the city of Jerusalem to your ancestors and to you. But I will throw you and that city away from me.