Psalm 32

Of David. A maskil.^[a]

³⁰ “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against^(A) the prophets^(B) who steal from one another words supposedly from me. ³¹ Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’^{(C) 32} Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,^(D)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray^(E) with their reckless lies,^(F) yet I did not send^(G) or appoint them. They do not benefit^(H) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

False Prophecy

³³ “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the message^(I) from the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What message? I will forsake^(J) you, declares the Lord.’ ³⁴ If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is a message^(K) from the Lord,’ I will punish^(L) them and their household. ³⁵ This is what each of you keeps saying to your friends and other Israelites: ‘What is the Lord’s answer?’^(M) or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁶ But you must not mention ‘a message from the Lord’ again, because each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort^(N) the words of the living God,^(O) the Lord Almighty, our God. ³⁷ This is what you keep saying to a prophet: ‘What is the Lord’s answer to you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁸ Although you claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ this is what the Lord says: You used the words, ‘This is a message from the Lord,’ even though I told you that you must not claim, ‘This is a message from the Lord.’ ³⁹ Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast^(P) you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your ancestors. ⁴⁰ I will bring on you everlasting disgrace^(Q)—everlasting shame that will not be forgotten.”

On Denying the Incarnation

4 Dear friends,^(A) do not believe every spirit,^(B) but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.^{(C) 2} This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh^(D) is from God,^{(E) 3} but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist,^(F) which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.^(G)

⁴ You, dear children,^(H) are from God and have overcome them,^(I) because the one who is in you^(J) is greater than the one who is in the world.^{(K) 5} They are from the world^(L) and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.^(M) This is how we recognize the Spirit^[a] of truth^(N) and the spirit of falsehood.^(O)