He upheld the cause of the poor and needy. So things went well for Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’

The Lord says, “The leaders of my people are sure to be judged. 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.

Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This is the name he will go by: ‘The Lord has provided us with justice.’

Moreover, the Lord says, “Both the prophets and priests are godless. I have even found them doing evil in my temple!

But just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm! Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.

My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! I, the Lord, so affirm it!

So I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me.

I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’

So, now the Lord says, ‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’

“Therefore, the Lord who rules over all says, ‘You have not listened to what I said.

Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the Lord is about to destroy their lands.

The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.

“The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.

“The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem,

They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’

‘So pay attention to what I, the Lord, have said, all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.’

So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah.

Yes, here is what he says: “You hear cries of panic and of terror; there is no peace in sight.

But they will be subject to the Lord their God and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them.

Just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm. Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.