¹⁰ The next day an evil^[a] spirit^(A) from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre,^(B) as he usually^(C) did. Saul had a spear^(D) in his hand

⁹ But an evil^[a] spirit^(A) from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre,^(B)

¹¹ For this reason God sends them^(A) a powerful delusion^(B) so that they will believe the lie^(C)

Paul and Silas in Prison

¹⁶ Once when we were going to the place of prayer,^(A) we were met by a female slave who had a spirit^(B) by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.

²⁰ And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’

“One suggested this, and another that. ²¹ Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’

²² “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.

“‘I will go out and be a deceiving^(A) spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.

“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’

²³ “So now the Lord has put a deceiving^(B) spirit in the mouths of all these prophets^(C) of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster^(D) for you.”

²⁹ Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice.^(A) But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.^(B)

²³ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit^(A) would leave him.

² “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols^(A) from the land, and they will be remembered no more,”^(B) declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets^(C) and the spirit of impurity from the land. ³ And if anyone still prophesies, their father and mother, to whom they were born, will say to them, ‘You must die, because you have told lies^(D) in the Lord’s name.’ Then their own parents will stab the one who prophesies.^(E)

⁴ “On that day every prophet will be ashamed^(F) of their prophetic vision. They will not put on a prophet’s garment^(G) of hair^(H) in order to deceive.^{(I) 5} Each will say, ‘I am not a prophet. I am a farmer; the land has been my livelihood since my youth.^[a]’^(J)

¹¹ and he said^(A) before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.