This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish[a] prophets(A) who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!(B)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:3 Or wicked

14 The visions of your prophets
    were false(A) and worthless;
they did not expose your sin
    to ward off your captivity.(B)
The prophecies they gave you
    were false and misleading.(C)

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28 Let the prophet who has a dream(A) recount the dream, but let the one who has my word(B) speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. 29 “Is not my word like fire,”(C) declares the Lord, “and like a hammer(D) that breaks a rock in pieces?

30 “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against(E) the prophets(F) 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.’(G) 32 Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,(H)” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray(I) with their reckless lies,(J) yet I did not send(K) or appoint them. They do not benefit(L) these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

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The days of punishment(A) are coming,
    the days of reckoning(B) are at hand.
    Let Israel know this.
Because your sins(C) are so many
    and your hostility so great,
the prophet is considered a fool,(D)
    the inspired person a maniac.(E)

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“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?(A)

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The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherds(A) who are destroying and scattering(B) the sheep of my pasture!”(C) declares the Lord.

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14 The discerning heart seeks knowledge,(A)
    but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

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they are conceited(A) and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words(B) that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions

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16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach.(A) Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

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52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”(A)

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42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth(A) of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.(B) You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.(C)

43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.(D)

44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves,(E) which people walk over without knowing it.”

45 One of the experts in the law(F) answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.(G)

47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them.

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40 You foolish people!(A) Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?

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Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!(A) You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.(B) [14] [a]

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert,(C) and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell(D) as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides!(E) You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’(F) 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?(G) 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?(H) 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells(I) in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.(J)

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth(K) of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness.(L) You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides!(M) You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish,(N) but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.(O) 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs,(P) which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets(Q) and decorate the graves of the righteous.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 23:14 Some manuscripts include here words similar to Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47.

15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd.

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18 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?

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Their visions are false(A) and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent(B) them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.(C) Have you not seen false visions(D) and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?

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The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,(A)
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.(B)

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But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men,(A) their folly will be clear to everyone.

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