Jeremiah 10:21

10:21 For our leaders ¹  are stupid.

They have not sought the Lord’s advice. ² 

So they do not act wisely,

and the people they are responsible for ³  have all been scattered.

Jeremiah 12:10

12:10 Many foreign rulers ⁴  will ruin the land where I planted my people. ⁵ 

They will trample all over my chosen land. ⁶ 

They will turn my beautiful land

into a desolate wasteland.

Jeremiah 23:1-2

New Leaders over a Regathered Remnant

23:1 The Lord says, ⁷  “The leaders of my people are sure to be judged. ⁸  They were supposed to watch over my people like shepherds watch over their sheep. But they are causing my people to be destroyed and scattered. ⁹  23:2 So the Lord God of Israel has this to say about the leaders who are ruling over his people: “You have caused my people ¹⁰  to be dispersed and driven into exile. You have not taken care of them. So I will punish you for the evil that you have done. ¹¹  I, the Lord, affirm it! ¹² 

[10:21]  ¹ tn Heb “the shepherds.”

[10:21]  ² tn Heb “They have not sought the Lord.”

[10:21]  ³ tn Heb “all their flock (or “pasturage”).”

[12:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “Many shepherds.” For the use of the term “shepherd” as a figure for rulers see the notes on 10:21.

[12:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “my vineyard.” To translate literally would presuppose an unlikely familiarity of this figure on the part of some readers. To translate as “vineyards” as some do would be misleading because that would miss the figurative nuance altogether.

[12:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “my portion.”

[23:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[23:1]  ⁸ sn Heb This particle once again introduces a judgment speech. The indictment is found in v. 1 and the announcement of judgment in v. 2. This leads into an oracle of deliverance in vv. 3-4. See also the note on the word “judged” in 22:13.

[23:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “Woe to the shepherds who are killing and scattering the sheep of my pasture.” See the study note on 22:13 for the significance of “Sure to be judged” (Heb “Woe”) See the study note for the significance of the metaphor introduced here.

[23:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “about the shepherds who are shepherding my people. ‘You have caused my sheep….’” For the metaphor see the study note on the previous verse.

[23:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who should be shepherding my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away and you have not taken care of them. Behold I will visit upon you the evil of your deeds.” “Therefore” announces the judgment which does not come until “Behold.” It is interrupted by the messenger formula and a further indictment. The original has been broken up to conform more to contemporary English style, the metaphors have been interpreted for clarity and the connections between the indictments and the judgments have been carried by “So.”

[23:2]  ¹² tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”