False Prophets Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: ² Mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying; say to those who prophesy out of their own imaginations: “Hear the word of the Lord!”^{(A) 3} Thus says the Lord God: Alas for the senseless prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!^{(B) 4} Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. ⁵ You have not gone up into the breaches or repaired a wall for the house of Israel, so that it might stand in battle on the day of the Lord.^{(C) 6} They have envisioned falsehood and lying divination; they say, “Says the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word!^{(D) 7} Have you not seen a false vision or uttered a lying divination when you have said, “Says the Lord,” even though I did not speak?

⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have uttered falsehood and envisioned lies, I am against you, says the Lord God. ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations; they shall not be in the council of my people nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord God.^{(E) 10} Because, in truth, because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a flimsy wall, these prophets^[a] smear whitewash on it.^{(F) 11} Say to those who smear whitewash on it that it shall fall. There will be a deluge of rain,^[b] great hailstones will fall, and a stormy wind will break out.^{(G) 12} When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, “Where is the whitewash you smeared on it?” ¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord God: In my wrath I will make a stormy wind break out, and in my anger there shall be a deluge of rain and hailstones in wrath to destroy it. ¹⁴ I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash and bring it to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare; when the city falls, you shall perish within it, and you shall know that I am the Lord.^{(H) 15} Thus I will 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 and saw visions of peace for it when there was no peace, says the Lord God.”^(I)

Salutation

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To our beloved coworker Philemon,^{(A) 2} to our^[a] sister Apphia, to our fellow soldier Archippus, and to the church in your^[b] house:^(B)

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

⁴ I thank my God always when I mention you^[c] in my prayers, ⁵ because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.^{(C) 6} I pray that the partnership of your faith may become effective as you comprehend all the good that we^[d] share in Christ.^{[e] 7} I have^[f] indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.^(D)

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

⁸ For this reason, though I am more than bold enough in Christ to command you to do the right thing, ⁹ yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.^{[g] 10} I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.^{(E) 11} Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful^[h] to^[i] you and to me. ¹² I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.^{[j] 13} I wanted to keep him with me so that he might minister to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel,^{(F) 14} but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.^{(G) 15} Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for the long term, ¹⁶ no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.^(H)

¹⁷ So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.^{(I) 18} If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to me. ¹⁹ I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.^{[k] 21} Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.^(J)

²² One thing more: prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.^(K)

Final Greetings and Benediction

²³ Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,^{[l](L) 24} and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my coworkers.^(M)

²⁵ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.^[m](N)

God’s Judgments Justified

14 Certain elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.^{(A) 2} And the word of the Lord came to me: ³ Mortal, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and placed their iniquity as a stumbling block before them; shall I let myself be consulted by them?^{(B) 4} Therefore speak to them, and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Any of those of the house of Israel who take their idols into their hearts and place their iniquity as a stumbling block before them and yet come to the prophet, I the Lord will answer those who come with the multitude of their idols, ⁵ in order that I may take hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, all of whom are estranged from me through their idols.^(C)

⁶ Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.^{(D) 7} For any of those of the house of Israel or of the aliens who reside in Israel who separate themselves from me, taking their idols into their hearts and placing their iniquity as a stumbling block before them and yet come to a prophet to inquire of me by him, I the Lord will answer them myself.^{(E) 8} I will set my face against them; I will make them a sign and a byword and cut them off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord.^(F)

⁹ If a prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.^{(G) 10} And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the inquirer and the punishment of the prophet shall be the same— ¹¹ so that the house of Israel may no longer go astray from me nor defile themselves any more with all their transgressions. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord God.^(H)

¹² The word of the Lord came to me: ¹³ Mortal, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly and I stretch out my hand against it and cut off its supply of bread^[a] and send famine upon it and cut off from it humans and animals,^{(I) 14} even if Noah, Daniel,^[b] and Job, these three, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord God.^{(J) 15} If I send wild animals through the land to ravage it so that it is made desolate and no one may pass through because of the animals,^{(K) 16} even if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate. ¹⁷ Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, “Let a sword pass through the land,” and I cut off humans and animals from it,^{(L) 18} though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be saved. ¹⁹ Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off humans and animals from it,^{(M) 20} even if Noah, Daniel,^[c] and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither son nor daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

²¹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four deadly acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild animals, and pestilence, to cut off humans and animals from it!^{(N) 22} Yet survivors shall be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; they will come out to you. When you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it.^{(O) 23} They shall console you when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that it was not without cause that I did all that I have done in it, says the Lord God.^(P)

Jesus before Pilate

²⁸ Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.^{(A) 29} So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰ They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³² (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)^(B)

³³ Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”^{(C) 34} Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”^{(D) 37} Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”^{(E) 38} Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

Jesus Sentenced to Death

After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.^{(F) 39} But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”^{(G) 40} They shouted in reply, “Not this man but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a rebel.^(H)