Jeremiah 23 Comparison: Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version
Jeremiah 23
1Woe to the shepherds, Who lose and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith Jehovah.
2For concerning the shepherds, the feeders of my people, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, And have not taken care of them. Behold, I am about to requite you For the evil of your doings, saith Jehovah.
3But I will gather the remnant of my flock From all the countries whither I have driven them, And I will bring them back to their folds, And they shall be fruitful and increase.
4And I will raise up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; They shall fear no more, nor be dismayed; Nor shall they be lost, saith Jehovah.
5Behold, the days are coming, saith Jehovah, When I will raise up from David a righteous Branch, And a king shall reign and prosper, And shall maintain justice and equity in the land.
6In his days Judah shall be saved, And Israel shall dwell securely; And this is the name which shall be given him, Jehovah-is-our-salvation.
7Therefore, behold, the days shall come, saith Jehovah, When they shall no more say, "As Jehovah liveth Who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt!"
8But, "As Jehovah liveth Who brought up and led the race of Israel from the north country, And from all the countries whither I had driven them!" And they shall dwell in their own land.
9Concerning the Prophets. My heart is broken within me; All my bones tremble. I am become like a drunken man, Like a man whom wine hath overcome, Because of Jehovah, And because of his holy words.
10For the land is full of adulteries; Because of a curse doth the land mourn; The pastures of the waste are dried up; For they run to do evil, And their might is without right.
11Yea, both prophet and priest are profane; Even in my house have I found their wickedness, saith Jehovah.
12Therefore shall their way become as slippery places in the dark; They shall be driven on and fall therein; For I will bring evil upon them In the time of their visitation, saith Jehovah.
13In the prophets of Samaria have I seen folly; They prophesy in the name of Baal, and cause my people Israel to err.
14In the prophets of Jerusalem also have I seen a horrible thing; They commit adultery, and walk in falsehood; They strengthen the hands of evil-doers, So that none doth turn from his iniquity. They have all become to me as Sodom, And her inhabitants as Gomorrah.
15Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, And give them the water of hemlock to drink; For from the prophets of Jerusalem Hath profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Hearken not to the words of the prophets; They lead you to vanity; They utter the vision of their own heart, And not from the mouth of Jehovah.
17To them that despise me they say continually, "Jehovah hath said, Ye shall have peace"; And to every one that walketh after the perverseness of his heart, "No evil shall come upon you."
18For who of them hath stood in the council of Jehovah, And hath seen and heard his word? Who hath listened to his word and heard it?
19Behold a whirlwind from Jehovah goeth forth in fury, Even a rushing whirlwind; Upon the head of the wicked shall it rush.
20The fierce anger of Jehovah shall not turn back, Until he shall have executed, until he shall have accomplished the purpose of his heart. In the latter days ye shall understand it fully.
21I sent not these prophets, yet they ran; I spake not to them, yet they prophesied.
22For if they had stood in my council, Then would they have caused my people to hear my words, And would have turned them from their evil way. And from the wickedness of their doings.
23Am I a God near at hand, saith Jehovah, And not a God afar off?
24Can any one hide himself in secret places, So that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah; Do I nor fill heaven and earth? saith Jehovah.
25I have heard what the prophets say, Who prophesy falsehood in my name, Saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed."
26How long shall this be In the heart of the prophets, who prophesy falsehood, The prophets of the deceit of their own heart,
27Who think to cause my people to forget my name By the dreams which they relate one to another, As their fathers forgot my name through Baal?
28The prophet who hath a dream, let him tell a dream; And he that hath my word, let him speak my word truly! What is the chaff to the wheat? saith Jehovah.
29Is not my word like fire, saith Jehovah, And like a hammer, that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, That steal my words one from another.
31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, That take their tongues and utter oracles.
32Behold, I am against the prophets of false dreams, saith Jehovah, Who tell them, and cause my people to err By their lies and their arrogance. I have not sent them, nor commanded them, And they shall not profit this people at all, saith Jehovah.
33And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest Shall ask thee, saying, "What is the burden from Jehovah?" Then say thou to them, "What is the burden?" That I will cast you away, saith Jehovah.
34And the prophet, the priest, and the people, Who shall say, "The burden of Jehovah," I will punish that man and his house.
35Thus shall ye speak, one to another: "What hath Jehovah answered?" And, "What hath Jehovah spoken?"
36And of a burden of Jehovah shall ye speak no more; Else shall every man’s word be his burden, Because ye pervert the words of the living God, Of Jehovah of hosts, our God.
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: "What hath Jehovah answered thee?" And, "What hath Jehovah spoken?"
38If ye shall say, "The burden of Jehovah," Then thus saith Jehovah: Because ye say, "The burden of Jehovah," Although I sent to you and said, Ye shall not say, "The burden of Jehovah,"
39Therefore, behold, I will utterly forget you, And I will cast you, and the city which I gave to your fathers, out of my presence;
40And I will bring upon you an everlasting reproach, And a perpetual shame which shall not be forgotten.
Jeremiah 23
1Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.
2Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.
3And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
4And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.
5Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
8But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
9Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness.
10For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord.
12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
13And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?
24Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
25I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
28The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.
29Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.
32Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord.
33And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the Lord.
34And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will even punish that man and his house.
35Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
36And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.
37Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and, What hath the Lord spoken?
38But since ye say, The burden of the Lord; therefore thus saith the Lord; Because ye say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord;
39Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence:
40And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.
Understanding Noyes Translation (1869) vs King James Version in Jeremiah 23
Noyes Translation (1869) (Noyes)
A scholarly 1869 translation by George R. Noyes, aiming for precision and literary beauty. Known for its distinct Unitarian perspective and separate translation of poetical books like Psalms.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Jeremiah 23 in the Noyes Translation (1869) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Jeremiah 23:16
"Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Hearken not to the words of the prophets; They lead you to vanity; They utter the vision of their own heart, And not from the mouth of Jehovah."
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord."
