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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 Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: 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) Thus says the Lord God: Alas for the senseless prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!(B) Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. 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) 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) 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?

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have uttered falsehood and envisioned lies, I am against you, says the Lord God. 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)

17 As for you, mortal, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imaginations; prophesy against them(J) 18 and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every height, in the hunt for lives! Will you hunt down lives among my people and maintain your own lives?(K) 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death those who should not die and keeping alive those who should not live, by your lies to my people, who listen to lies.(L)

20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against your bands with which you hunt lives;[c] I will tear them from your arms and let the lives go free, the lives that you hunt down like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands; they shall no longer be prey in your hands, and you shall know that I am the Lord. 22 Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not disheartened them, and you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their wicked way and save their lives,(M) 23 therefore you shall no longer see false visions or practice divination; I will save my people from your hand. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(N)

Footnotes

  1. 13.10 Heb they
  2. 13.11 Heb rain and you
  3. 13.20 Gk Syr: Heb lives for birds