The Hebrew Prophets

I haue not sent these prophets, sayth the Lord, yet they ranne; I haue not spoken to them, and yet they prophecied.

But if they had stande in my counsell, and had declared my words to my people, then they should haue turned them from their euill way, and from the wickednesse of their inuentions.

Am I a God at hande, saith the Lord, and not a God farre off?

Can any hide him selfe in secrete places, that I shall not see him, sayth the Lord? Do not I fill heauen and earth, saieth the Lord?

I haue heard what the prophets said, that prophecie lies in my Name, saying, I haue dreamed, I haue dreamed.

Howe long? Doe the prophets delite to prophecie lies, euen prophecying the deceit of their owne heart?

Thinke they to cause my people to forget my Name by their dreames, which they tell euery man to his neyghbour, as their forefathers haue forgotten my Name for Baal?

The prophet that hath a dreame, let him tell a dreame, and hee that hath my worde, let him speake my worde faithfully: what is the chaffe to the wheate, sayth the Lord?

Is not my word euen like a fire, sayeth the Lord? and like an hammer, that breaketh the stone?

Therefore beholde, I will come against the prophets, saieth the Lord, that steale my word euerie one from his neighbour.

Beholde, I will come against the prophets, saith the Lord, which haue sweete tongues, and say, He saith.

Beholde, I will come against them that prophecie false dreames, saith the Lord, and doe tell them, and cause my people to erre by their lies, and by their flatteries, and I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they bring no profite vnto this people, saith the Lord.

And when this people, or the prophet, or a Priest shall aske thee, saying, What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt then say vnto them, What burden? I will euen forsake you, saith the Lord.

And the prophet, or the Priest, or the people that shall say, The burden of the Lord, I will euen visite euerie such one, and his house.

Thus shall yee say euery one to his neighbour, and euerie one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and what hath the Lord spoken?

And the burden of the Lord shall yee mention no more: for euery mans worde shall bee his burden: for ye haue peruerted the words of the liuing God, the Lord of hostes our God.

Thus shalt thou say to the Prophet, What hath the Lord answered thee? and what hath the Lord spoken?

And if you say, The burden of the Lord, Then thus saith the Lord, Because yee say this word, The burden of the Lord, and I haue sent vnto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the Lord,

Therefore beholde, I, euen I will vtterly forget you, and I will forsake you, and the citie that I gaue you and your fathers, and cast you out of my presence,

And will bring an euerlasting reproche vpon you, and a perpetual shame which shall neuer be forgotten.

The Lord shewed me, and beholde, two baskets of figges were set before the Temple of the Lord, after that Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel had caryed away captiue Ieconiah ye sonne of Iehoiakim King of Iudah, and the princes of Iudah with the workemen, and cunning men of Ierusalem, and had brought them to Babel.

One basket had verie good figges, euen like the figges that are first ripe: and the other basket had verie naughtie figges, which could not be eaten, they were so euill.

Then saide the Lord vnto mee, What seest thou, Ieremiah? And I said, Figges: ye good figges verie good, and the naughtie verie naughtie, which cannot be eaten, they are so euill.

Againe the worde of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Thus sayeth the Lord, the God of Israel, Like these good figges, so will I knowe them that are caryed away captiue of Iudah to bee good, whome I haue sent out of this place, into the land of the Caldeans.