¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who ^(A)see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

¹⁷ “Likewise, son of man, ^(B)set your face against the daughters of your people, ^(C)who prophesy out of their own ^[a]heart; prophesy against them, ¹⁸ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms ^[b]on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you ^(D)hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? ¹⁹ And will you profane Me among My people ^(E)for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like ^[c]birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. ^(F)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

²² “Because with ^(G)lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have ^(H)strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. ²³ Therefore ^(I)you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Idolatry Will Be Punished

14 Now ^(J)some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ² And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them ^(K)that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. ^(L)Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

⁴ “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵ that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

⁶ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and ^(M)turn your faces away from all your abominations. ⁷ For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. ^8 (N)I will set My face against that man and make him a ^(O)sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. ^(P)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

⁹ “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord ^(Q)have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰ And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, ¹¹ that the house of Israel may ^(R)no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, ^(S)but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness

¹² The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: ¹³ “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its ^(T)supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. ^14 (U)Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves ^(V)by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.

¹⁵ “If I cause ^(W)wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ^[d]empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶ even ^(X)though these three men were ^[e]in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be ^(Y)desolate.

¹⁷ “Or if ^(Z)I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I ^(AA)cut off man and beast from it, ¹⁸ even ^(AB)though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.

¹⁹ “Or if I send ^(AC)a pestilence into that land and ^(AD)pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰ even ^(AE)though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

²¹ For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when ^(AF)I send My four ^[f]severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? ^22 (AG)Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be ^(AH)brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and ^(AI)you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. ²³ And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing ^(AJ)without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.

The Outcast Vine

15 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ² “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? ³ Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? ⁴ Instead, ^(AK)it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? ⁵ Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ⁷ and ^(AL)I will set My face against them. ^(AM)They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. ^(AN)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. ⁸ Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.”