Then the king of Israel (A)gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”

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So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?”

“Go,”(A) they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”(B)

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19 Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount (A)Carmel, and the (B)450 prophets of Baal and (C)the 400 prophets of Asherah, (D)who eat at Jezebel's table.”

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19 Now summon(A) the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel.(B) And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”(C)

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14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen a horrible thing:
(A)they commit adultery and walk in lies;
    (B)they strengthen the hands of evildoers,
    so that no one turns from his evil;
(C)all of them have become like Sodom to me,
    (D)and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:
(E)“Behold, I will feed them with bitter food
    (F)and give them (G)poisoned water to drink,
for from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”

16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, (H)filling you with vain hopes. (I)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, (J)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who (K)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, (L)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

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14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem
    I have seen something horrible:(A)
    They commit adultery and live a lie.(B)
They strengthen the hands of evildoers,(C)
    so that not one of them turns from their wickedness.(D)
They are all like Sodom(E) to me;
    the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”(F)

15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says concerning the prophets:

“I will make them eat bitter food
    and drink poisoned water,(G)
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness(H) has spread throughout the land.”

16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Do not listen(I) to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
    they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions(J) from their own minds,
    not from the mouth(K) of the Lord.
17 They keep saying(L) to those who despise me,
    ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’(M)
And to all who follow the stubbornness(N) of their hearts
    they say, ‘No harm(O) will come to you.’

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22 (A)Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and (B)you have encouraged the wicked, that (C)he should not turn from his evil way to save his life,

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22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies,(A) 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,(B)

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Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, (A)whenever you have said, ‘Declares the Lord,’ although I have not spoken?”

Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, (B)I am against you, declares the Lord God. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, (C)nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, (D)nor shall they enter the land of Israel. (E)And you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, (F)saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, (G)these prophets smear it with whitewash,[a] 11 say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! (H)There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. 12 And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ 13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: (I)I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, (J)and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. 14 And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, (K)and you shall know that I am the Lord. 15 Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem (L)and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:10 Or plaster; also verses 11, 14, 15

Have you not seen false visions(A) 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,(B) declares the Sovereign Lord. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying(C) divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records(D) of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(E)

10 “‘Because they lead my people astray,(F) saying, “Peace,”(G) when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,(H) 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(I) hurtling down,(J) and violent winds will burst forth.(K) 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(L) and torrents of rain(M) will fall with destructive fury.(N) 14 I will tear down the wall(O) you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation(P) will be laid bare. When it[a] falls,(Q) 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.(R)”’

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:14 Or the city

20 And the beast was captured, and with it (A)the false prophet (B)who in its presence[a] had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who (C)worshiped its image. These two were (D)thrown alive into the lake of (E)fire that burns with sulfur.

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 19:20 Or on its behalf

20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet(A) who had performed the signs(B) on its behalf.(C) With these signs he had deluded(D) those who had received the mark of the beast(E) and worshiped its image.(F) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake(G) of burning sulfur.(H)

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False Prophets and Teachers

But (A)false prophets also arose among the people, (B)just as there will be false teachers among you, who will (C)secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master (D)who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth (E)will be blasphemed. And (F)in their greed they will exploit you (G)with false words. (H)Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

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False Teachers and Their Destruction

But there were also false prophets(A) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.(B) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord(C) who bought them(D)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct(E) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed(F) these teachers will exploit you(G) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

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(A)For the time is coming when people will not endure (B)sound[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 4:3 Or healthy

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.(A) Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.(B)

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A Tree and Its Fruit

15 (A)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are (B)ravenous wolves.

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True and False Prophets

15 “Watch out for false prophets.(A) They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.(B)

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Hananiah the False Prophet

28 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of (A)Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of (B)Azzur, the prophet from (C)Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (D)I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. (E)Within (F)two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place (G)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, (H)for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”

Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, (I)“Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. (J)The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. (K)As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”

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The False Prophet Hananiah

28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah(A) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,(B) said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke(C) of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles(D) of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin[a](E) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”(F)

Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.(G) Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague(H) against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin

Lying Prophets

13 Then I said: “Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets (A)say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” 14 And the Lord said to me: “The (B)prophets are prophesying lies in my name. (C)I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, (D)worthless divination, and (E)the deceit of their own minds.

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13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(A) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(B) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(C) in this place.’”

14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(D) in my name. I have not sent(E) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(F) divinations,(G) idolatries[a] and the delusions of their own minds.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations

10 (A)Therefore I will give their wives to others
    and their fields to conquerors,
because from the least to the greatest
    everyone (B)is greedy for unjust gain;
from prophet to priest,
    everyone deals falsely.
11 They have healed (C)the wound of my people lightly,
    saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
    when there is no peace.

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10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.(A)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;(B)
prophets(C) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.(D)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.(E)

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31 (A)the prophets prophesy falsely,
    and the priests rule at their direction;
(B)my people love to have it so,
    but what will you do when the end comes?

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31 The prophets prophesy lies,(A)
    the priests(B) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?(C)

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