Jeremiah 23:33

Easy-to-Read Version

"The people of Judah, or a prophet, or a priest may ask you, ‘Jeremiah, what is the announcement of the Lord ?' You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load, and I will throw down this heavy load.' This message is from the Lord .

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you will respond to them, ‘What is the burden? I will throw you away! This is the Lord’s declaration.’

Hebrew Names Version
When this people, or the prophet, or a Kohen, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? then shall you tell them, What burden! I will cast you off, says the LORD.

King James Version
And 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 .

English Standard Version
"When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord ?' you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the Lord .'

New American Standard Bible
"Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, 'What is the pronouncement of the LORD?' then you shall say to them, 'What pronouncement?' The LORD declares, 'I will abandon you.'

New Century Version
"Suppose the people of Judah, a prophet, or a priest asks 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 you down, says the Lord .'

Amplified Bible
"Now when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you [in jest], 'What is the oracle of the LORD [the burden to be lifted up and carried]?' Then you shall say to them, 'What oracle [besides the one that declares you people to be the burden]!' The LORD says, 'I will unburden Myself and I will abandon you.'

World English Bible
When this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of Yahweh? then shall you tell them, What burden! I will cast you off, says Yahweh.

Geneva Bible (1587)
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 Lorde.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the oracle of Yahweh?' then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?' Yahweh declares, ‘I will abandon you.'

Berean Standard Bible
"Now when this people, or a prophet or a priest, asks you, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' you are to say to them: 'What oracle? I will forsake you, declares the LORD.'

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said to me: Jeremiah, when a prophet or a priest or anyone else comes to you and asks, "Does the Lord have news for us?" tell them, "You people are a nuisance to the Lord , and he will get rid of you."

Complete Jewish Bible
"When [someone from] this people, a prophet or a cohen asks you, ‘What is the burden of Adonai ?' you are to answer them, ‘What burden? I am throwing you off,' says Adonai .

Darby Translation
And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even cast you off, saith Jehovah.

George Lamsa Translation
land when this people, or a prophet or a priest, shall ask you, and say to you, What is the word of the LORD? you shall say to them, This is the word of the LORD: I will utterly uproot you, says the LORD.

Good News Translation
The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of my people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the Lord 's message?' you are to say, ‘You are a burden to the Lord , and he is going to get rid of you.'

Lexham English Bible
"Now when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, ask you, saying, ‘What is the burden of Yahweh?' then you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will forsake you,'" declares Yahweh.

Literal Translation
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? You shall then say to them, What burden? I will even forsake you, says Jehovah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf this people, ether eny prophete or prest axe the, and saye: what is the burthen of the LORDE? Thou shalt saye vnto them: What? burthen? Therfore will I cast you fro me (saieth the LORDE) because ye youre selues are a burthen.

American Standard Version
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of Jehovah? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will cast you off, saith Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
And if this people, or the prophet, or a priest, questioning you, says, What word of weight is there from the Lord? then you are to say to them, You are the word, for I will not be troubled with you any more, says the Lord.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying: 'What is the burden of the LORD?' then shalt thou say unto them: 'What burden! I will cast you off, saith the LORD.'

King James Version (1611)
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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If this people, eyther any prophete or priest aske thee, and say: What is the burthen of the Lord? Thou shalt say vnto them: what burthen? I wyll forsake you saith the Lorde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if this people, or the priest, or the prophet, should ask, What is the burden of the Lord? then thou shalt say to them, Ye are the burden, and I will dash you down, saith the Lord.

English Revised Version
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? then shalt thou say unto them, What burden! I will cast you off, saith the LORD.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor if this puple, ether profete, ether prest, axith thee, and seith, What is the birthun of the Lord? thou schalt seie to hem, Ye ben the birthun, for Y schal caste you awei, seith the Lord;

Update Bible Version
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask you, saying, What is the burden of Yahweh? Then you shall say to them, You are the burden. I will cast you off, says Yahweh.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say to them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD.

New English Translation
The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, ‘What burdensome message do you have from the Lord ?' Tell them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you away. I, the Lord , affirm it!

New King James Version
"So when these people or the prophet or the priest ask you, saying, 'What is the oracle of the Lord?' you shall then say to them, 'What oracle?' [fn] I will even forsake you," says the Lord.

New Living Translation
"Suppose one of the people or one of the prophets or priests asks you, ‘What prophecy has the Lord burdened you with now?' You must reply, ‘You are the burden! The Lord says he will abandon you!'

New Life Bible
"When these people, or the one who speaks in My name, or a religious leader asks you, ‘What heavy load has the Lord placed on us?' then you say to them, ‘You are the heavy load. And I will throw you off, says the Lord.'

New Revised Standard
When this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, "What is the burden of the Lord ?" you shall say to them, "You are the burden, and I will cast you off, says the Lord ."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But when this people or a prophet or a priest shall ask thee saying What is the oracle of Yahweh? Then shalt thou say unto them Ye, yourselves, are the oracle, Therefore will I reject you Declareth Yahweh;

Douay-Rheims Bible
If therefore this people, or the prophet, or the priest shall ask thee, saying: What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt say to them: You are the burden: for I will cast you away, saith the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
"When one of this people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' you shall say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off, says the LORD.'

Young's Literal Translation
And when this people, or the prophet, Or a priest, doth ask thee, saying, What [is] the burden of Jehovah? Then thou hast said unto them: Ye [are] the burden, and I have left you, An affirmation of Jehovah.

THE MESSAGE
"And anyone, including prophets and priests, who asks, ‘What's God got to say about all this, what's troubling him?' tell him, ‘You, you're the trouble, and I'm getting rid of you.'" God 's Decree.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you saying, 'What is the oracle of the LORD?' then you shall say to them, 'What oracle?' The LORD declares, 'I will abandon you.'

Contextual Overview

³³ "The people of Judah, or a prophet, or a priest may ask you, ‘Jeremiah, what is the announcement of the Lord ?' You will answer them and say, ‘You are a heavy load, and I will throw down this heavy load.' This message is from the Lord . ³⁴ "A prophet, or a priest, or maybe one of the people might say, ‘This is an announcement from the Lord ….' Because of that lie, I will punish that person and their whole family. ³⁵ This is what you will say to one another: ‘What did the Lord answer?' or ‘What did the Lord say?' ³⁶ But you will never again use the expression, ‘The announcement of the Lord .' That is because his message should not be a heavy load for anyone. But you changed the words of our God. He is the living God, the Lord All-Powerful! ³⁷ "If you want to learn about God's message, ask a prophet, ‘What answer did the Lord give you?' or ‘What did the Lord say?' ³⁸ But don't say, ‘What was the announcement from the Lord ?' If you use these words, the Lord will say this to you: ‘You should not have called my message an "announcement from the Lord ." I told you not to use those words. ³⁹ But you called my message a heavy load, so I will pick you up like a heavy load and throw you away from me. I gave the city of Jerusalem to your ancestors. But I will throw you and that city away from me, ⁴⁰ and I will make you a disgrace forever. You will never forget your shame.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What: Jeremiah 17:15, Jeremiah 20:7, Jeremiah 20:8, Isaiah 13:1, Isaiah 14:28, Nahum 1:1, Habakkuk 1:1, Malachi 1:1

I: Jeremiah 23:39, Jeremiah 23:40, Jeremiah 12:7, Deuteronomy 31:17, Deuteronomy 31:18, Deuteronomy 32:19, Deuteronomy 32:20, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Psalms 78:59, Psalms 78:60, Hosea 9:12

Reciprocal: Joshua 7:12 - neither Judges 6:13 - forsaken us 2 Kings 9:25 - the Lord 2 Kings 21:14 - And I will 2 Chronicles 12:5 - Ye have forsaken me Ezekiel 12:22 - what Ezekiel 33:31 - show much love Zechariah 9:1 - burden Zechariah 11:9 - I will Mark 8:13 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when this people, or a prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee,.... Any of the people, who were grown very profane; or any of the false prophets, who encouraged them in their irreligion and impiety; or any of the priests, who were in combination with them against the true prophets of the Lord; when any of these, in a scoffing jeering manner, should ask the Prophet Jeremiah,

saying, what [is] the burden of the Lord? or prophesy in the name of the Lord, as the Targum; and because some of the prophecies are called "burdens", see Isaiah 13:1; hence, by way of derision, they called every one so; and because many of these, though not all, were predictions of judgments and calamities that were to come on men; therefore they accounted all that the true prophets brought from the Lord as such, and sneering asked, what bad news do you bring now? what calamities are now to befall us? as if he was always a bringer of evil tidings;

thou shalt then say unto [them], what burden? making as if he was ignorant of what they meant; or rather as expressing indignation and resentment at the question; do you ask me such a question? I will tell you what it is, as follows: though the words may be rendered without an interrogation, "thou shalt then say unto [them], that which is a burden" t; which will fall heavy upon them, and be a burden unto them, and sink them down into ruin and destruction;

I will even forsake you, saith the Lord; so that they should have no more of his presence among them, or of prophecy with them, or of his protection of them.

t ואמרת אליהם את מה משא "dicito ad eos quodnam onus sit", Schmidt. So the Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Burden - Here a prophecy, either

(1) as being something weighty: or

(2) a something said aloud.

Isaiah brought the word into general use: Jeremiah never used it, though his predictions were all of impending evil. The false prophets, however, applied it in derision to Jeremiah’s prophecies, playing upon its double sense, and so turning solemn realities into mockery (see Jeremiah 23:34).

What burden? - Or, according to another reading, Ye are the burden.

I will even forsake you - Rather, and I will cast you away. From the idea of a burden the thought naturally arises of refusing to bear it, and throwing it off.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 23:33. What is the burden of the Lord? — The word משא massa, here used, signifies burden, oracle, prophetic discourse; and is used by almost every prophet. But the persons in the text appear to have been mockers. "Where is this burden of the Lord?"-"What is the burden now?" To this insolent question the prophet answers in the following verses.

I will even forsake you — I will punish the prophet, the priest and the people, that speak thus, Jeremiah 23:34. Here are burdens.