13 ^[a]“If prophets or those who divine by dreams appear among you and show you omens or portents,^(A)

⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams that you dream,^(A)

⁹ You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers,^[a] your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.”^(A)

²⁵ I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, “I have dreamed! I have dreamed!”^{(A) 26} How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? ²⁷ They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal.^{(B) 28} Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the Lord.^(C)

Testing the Spirits

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.^(A)