⁶ Then the king of Israel ^(A)gathered ^[a]the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I refrain?”

So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”

¹⁹ Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on ^(A)Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, ^(B)and the four hundred prophets of ^[a]Asherah, who ^[b]eat at Jezebel’s table.”

¹⁵ “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets:

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord of hosts:

²² “Because with ^(A)lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have ^(B)strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.

⁷ Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “My hand will be ^(A)against the prophets who envision futility and who ^(B)divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, ^(C)nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, ^(D)nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. ^(E)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ^(F)‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they ^(G)plaster^[a] it with untempered mortar— ¹¹ say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. ^(H)There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. ¹² Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ¹⁴ So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. ^(I)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who ^(J)see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

28 And ^(A)it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the ^(B)fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of ^(C)Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, ² “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken ^(D)the yoke of the king of Babylon. ^3 (E)Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ^(F)took away from this place and carried to Babylon. ⁴ And I will bring back to this place ^[a]Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, ⁶ and the prophet Jeremiah said, ^(G)“Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: ⁸ The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. ⁹ As for ^(H)the prophet who prophesies of ^(I)peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

^20 (A)Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and ^(B)those who worshiped his image. ^(C)These two were cast alive into the lake of fire ^(D)burning with brimstone.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(A)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[a]does not slumber.

^3 (A)For the time will come when they will not endure ^(B)sound doctrine, ^(C)but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;