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13 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, [a]and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places. Ye have not gone up into the [b]gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah. They have seen falsehood and lying divination, that say, Jehovah saith; but Jehovah hath not sent them: and they [c]have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed. Have ye not seen a false vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, Jehovah saith; albeit I have not spoken?

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah. And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the [d]council of my people, neither shall they be written in the [e]writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah. 10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace; and when one buildeth up [f]a wall, behold, they daub it with [g]untempered mortar: 11 say unto them that daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. 12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my wrath; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it. 14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar; and I will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 16 to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord Jehovah.

17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, 18 and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the women that sew pillows upon all [h]elbows, and make kerchiefs for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! [i]Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive [j]for yourselves? 19 And ye have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hearken unto lies.

20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against your pillows, [k]wherewith ye there hunt the souls [l]to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt [m]to make them fly. 21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 22 Because with lies ye have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, [n]and be saved alive; 23 therefore ye shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations: and I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

14 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have [o]taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him [p]therein according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire [q]for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself: and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. And if the prophet be [r]deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear [s]their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that seeketh unto him; 11 that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah.

12 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 13 Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast; 14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah. 15 If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they [t]ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts; 16 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate. 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, [u]Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast; 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves. 19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast; 20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

21 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left [v]a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done [w]without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

15 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which [x]is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned: is it profitable for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was [y]meet for no work: how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned, shall it yet be [z]meet for any work! Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so [aa]will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set my face against them; they [ab]shall go forth from the fire, but the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I set my face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:3 Or, and things which they have not seen
  2. Ezekiel 13:5 Or, breaches
  3. Ezekiel 13:6 Or, have hoped
  4. Ezekiel 13:9 Or, secret
  5. Ezekiel 13:9 Or, register
  6. Ezekiel 13:10 Or, a slight wall
  7. Ezekiel 13:10 Or, whitewash. So in verses 11, 14, 15
  8. Ezekiel 13:18 Hebrew joints of the hands.
  9. Ezekiel 13:18 Or, Ye hunt . . . and ye save etc.
  10. Ezekiel 13:18 Or, that are yours
  11. Ezekiel 13:20 Or, where ye hunt
  12. Ezekiel 13:20 Or, as birds
  13. Ezekiel 13:20 Or, as birds
  14. Ezekiel 13:22 Or, by promising him life
  15. Ezekiel 14:3 Hebrew caused to come up.
  16. Ezekiel 14:4 Or, according thereto. Another reading is, he is come in the multitude etc.
  17. Ezekiel 14:7 Or, of him concerning me
  18. Ezekiel 14:9 Or, enticed
  19. Ezekiel 14:10 Or, the punishment of their iniquity
  20. Ezekiel 14:15 Hebrew bereave.
  21. Ezekiel 14:17 Or, Let the sword go
  22. Ezekiel 14:22 Hebrew they that escape.
  23. Ezekiel 14:23 Or, in vain
  24. Ezekiel 15:2 Or, was
  25. Ezekiel 15:5 Hebrew made into.
  26. Ezekiel 15:5 Hebrew made into.
  27. Ezekiel 15:6 Or, have I given
  28. Ezekiel 15:7 Or, have gone forth

False Prophets Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets(A) of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:(B) ‘Hear the word of the Lord!(C) This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish[a] prophets(D) who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!(E) Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair(F) it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.(G) Their visions are false(H) and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent(I) them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.(J) Have you not seen false visions(K) and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you,(L) declares the Sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying(M) divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records(N) of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(O)

10 “‘Because they lead my people astray,(P) saying, “Peace,”(Q) when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,(R) 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones(S) hurtling down,(T) and violent winds will burst forth.(U) 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

13 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones(V) and torrents of rain(W) will fall with destructive fury.(X) 14 I will tear down the wall(Y) you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation(Z) will be laid bare. When it[b] falls,(AA) you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. 15 So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AB)”’

17 “Now, son of man, set your face(AC) against the daughters(AD) of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them(AE) 18 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? 19 You have profaned(AF) me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread.(AG) By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.(AH)

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.(AI) 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(AJ) 22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies,(AK) when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,(AL) 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions(AM) or practice divination.(AN) I will save(AO) my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.(AP)’”

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.(AQ) Then the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts(AR) and put wicked stumbling blocks(AS) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?(AT) Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted(AU) me for their idols.’(AV)

“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!(AW) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!(AX)

“‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner(AY) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block(AZ) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire(BA) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. I will set my face against(BB) them and make them an example(BC) and a byword.(BD) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(BE)

“‘And if the prophet(BF) is enticed(BG) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.(BH) 10 They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray(BI) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,(BJ) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BK)’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins(BL) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply(BM) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,(BN) 14 even if these three men—Noah,(BO) Daniel[c](BP) and Job(BQ)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,(BR) declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “Or if I send wild beasts(BS) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,(BT) 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.(BU)

17 “Or if I bring a sword(BV) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,(BW) 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath(BX) on it through bloodshed,(BY) killing its people and their animals,(BZ) 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.(CA)

21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments(CB)—sword(CC) and famine(CD) and wild beasts and plague(CE)—to kill its men and their animals!(CF) 22 Yet there will be some survivors(CG)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.(CH) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct(CI) and their actions, you will be consoled(CJ) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CK)

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

15 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine(CL) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?(CM) Do they make pegs(CN) from it to hang things on? And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?(CO) If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. I will set my face against(CP) them. Although they have come out of the fire(CQ), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.(CR) I will make the land desolate(CS) because they have been unfaithful,(CT) declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:3 Or wicked
  2. Ezekiel 13:14 Or the city
  3. Ezekiel 14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20