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Yahweh’s Wrath Against Lying Prophets

13 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the (A)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart, ‘(B)Hear the word of Yahweh! Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the (C)wickedly foolish prophets who are walking after their own spirit and have (D)seen nothing. O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among waste places. You have not (E)gone up into the (F)breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the (G)day of Yahweh. They behold (H)worthlessness and lying divination who are saying, ‘Yahweh declares,’ when Yahweh has not sent them; (I)yet they wait for the establishing of their word. (J)Did you not see a worthless vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘Yahweh declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because you have spoken worthlessness and beheld a lie, therefore behold, (K)I am against you,” declares Lord Yahweh. “So My hand will be against the (L)prophets who see worthless visions and utter lying divinations. They will not be in the council of My people, (M)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, [a]that you may know that I am Lord Yahweh. 10 It is definitely because they have (N)misled My people by saying, ‘(O)Peace!’ when there is (P)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; 11 so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash that it will fall. A (Q)flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a stormy wind will break out. 12 Now behold, the wall will fall. Will it then not be said to you, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” 13 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make a stormy wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and (R)hailstones to consume it in wrath. 14 So I will pull down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its (S)foundation is laid bare; and it will fall, and you will be (T)consumed in its midst. And you will (U)know that I am Yahweh. 15 Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall [b]is gone, and its plasterers are gone— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and who (V)see visions of peace for her when there is (W)no peace,’ declares Lord Yahweh.

17 “Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are (X)prophesying (Y)from their own heart. Prophesy against them 18 and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on [c]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to (Z)hunt down [d]souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? 19 (AA)For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to (AB)keep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

20 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as [e]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as [f]birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and (AC)deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you (AD)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have (AE)strengthened the hands of the wicked not to (AF)turn from his evil way and preserve his life, 23 therefore, you women will no longer see (AG)worthless visions or practice divination, and I will (AH)deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will (AI)know that I am Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:9 Or and you will know
  2. Ezekiel 13:15 Lit is not...are not
  3. Ezekiel 13:18 Lit all joints of the hand; M.T. of my hands
  4. Ezekiel 13:18 Or lives, so in ch
  5. Ezekiel 13:20 Or flying ones
  6. Ezekiel 13:20 Or flying ones

False Prophets and Prophetesses

13 The word of the Lord came to me.

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying. You are to say to the prophets who prophesy from their own heart: Hear the word of the Lord.

This is what the Lord God says. Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and prophesy things which they have not seen. Israel, your prophets are like jackals among the ruins. You have not stepped up into the breaks in the wall, nor have you repaired the wall for the house of Israel, so that it could stand up in battle on the Day of the Lord. They see empty visions and their omens predict lies—those who say, “The declaration of the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not, in fact, seen an empty vision and predicted lies when you say, “The declaration of the Lord,” when, in fact, I have not spoken? Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. Because you have spoken empty words and have seen a lying vision, therefore, I am surely against you, declares the Lord God. My hand will come upon the prophets who see empty visions and predict a lie. They will not remain in the council of my people. They will not be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.

10 This will happen precisely because they have misled my people by saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace. When someone builds a flimsy wall, look how the false prophets daub it with a coat of mud plaster.[a] 11 Tell those who are daubing with plaster that the wall will fall. There will be driving rain, large hailstones will fall,[b] and a violent wind will break out, 12 and suddenly the wall will fall. Won’t they say to you, “Where is the mud plaster you daubed on now?”

13 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. In my wrath I will make a violent wind break out, and there will be driving rain because of my anger. In my wrath I will send large hailstones that bring destruction. 14 I will demolish the wall that you have daubed with mud plaster. I will level it to the ground, so that its foundation will be exposed. It will fall, and you will perish within the city. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 15 In this way I will exhaust my wrath against the wall and against those who daubed it with mud plaster, and I will say to you, “Gone is the wall, and gone are those who daubed on it— 16 those prophets of Israel who are prophesying about Jerusalem and who proclaim a vision of peace about her when there is no peace, declares the Lord God.”

17 You, son of man, are to set your face against the daughters of your people, who are prophesying ecstatically from their own hearts. You are to prophesy against them. 18 You are to say that this is what the Lord God says.

Woe to those women who sew magic bands for all their[c] wrists and who make veils of every size for people’s heads in order to trap souls.[d] Will you women trap the souls of my people, but preserve your own souls? 19 You women profane me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread, killing people[e] who should not die and keeping people alive who should not live. You do this by your lying to my people—those who listen to lies. 20 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says.

Listen. I am against your magic bands, with which you women trap souls like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and I will set free the souls that you trap like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and rescue my people from your hand. They will no longer be in your hand like prey. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

22 Because you have disheartened the righteous man with delusions, even though I have not intended to grieve him, and you have strengthened the hands of[f] the wicked man, so that he does not repent of his evil way, and so he does not save his life, 23 therefore, you women will no longer proclaim empty words, and you will no longer deceive with false omens. I will rescue my people from your hand. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 13:10 Or whitewash
  2. Ezekiel 13:11 The Hebrew text reads O you (feminine plural) large hailstones will fall. Alternate versions read I will give large hailstones that will fall.
  3. Ezekiel 13:18 The translation follows an alternate Hebrew reading. The main reading is my wrists.
  4. Ezekiel 13:18 Or lives
  5. Ezekiel 13:19 Literally souls
  6. Ezekiel 13:22 Or have encouraged