Ezekiel 13
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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)
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)
Ezekiel 13
Lexham English Bible
Condemnation of False Prophets
13 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] 2 “Son of man,[c] prophesy to[d] the prophets of Israel who are prophesying,[e] and you must say to those who are prophets out of their own imagination,[f] ‘Hear the word of Yahweh!’ 3 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Alas, for the foolish prophets who are going after their own spirit, and they did not see anything![g] 4 Your prophets have been like foxes[h] among ruins. 5 You did not go up into[i] the breaches and repair a wall for the house of Israel to stand firm in the battle on the day of Yahweh. 6 They saw falseness and a lying divination,[j] the ones saying, ‘Declaration of Yahweh!’ and Yahweh did not send them, and they wait for the confirmation of their word.[k] 7 Have you not seen a false vision[l] and spoken a lying divination,[m] and you said, ‘Declaration of Yahweh!’ but I myself did not speak.[n] 8 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because of your speaking falseness and because you envisioned a lie, therefore, look! I am against you!” declares[o] the Lord Yahweh. 9 “And it will be my hand against the prophets who are seeing falseness and who are practicing lying divination. They will not be in the council of my people, and they will not be written down in the record book of the house of Israel, and into[p] the land of Israel they will not come, and then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh. 10 Because, yes, because they led my people astray, saying[q] ‘Peace!’ And there is not peace. And when anyone[r] builds a flimsy wall, look, they coat it with whitewash. 11 Say to those covering it with whitewash that it will fall; there will be a torrent of rain,[s] and I will give stones of hail; they will fall! [t] And a windstorm[u] will burst forth! 12 And look! When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’ 13 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘And so I will let burst forth a windstorm[v] in my rage, and there will be a torrent of rain[w] in my anger, and hailstones in my rage for complete destruction.[x] 14 And I will break down the wall that you covered with whitewash, and I will knock it to the ground, and its foundation will be revealed, and it will fall, and you will come to an end in the midst of it, and you will know that I am Yahweh! 15 And I will fully vent my rage against the wall and against those covering it with whitewash, and I will say to you, “The wall is no more,[y] and the people covering it are no more,[z] 16 that is, the prophets of Israel, the ones prophesying concerning Jerusalem and the ones seeing visions of peace, and there is not peace!’” ” declares[aa] the Lord Yahweh.
17 “And you, son of man,[ab] place your face toward the daughters of your people who prophesy from their imagination,[ac] and prophesy against them! 18 And you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to those who sew[ad] magic charm bands on all the wrists[ae] of the hands of my people and those who make the veils[af] that are on the head of people of every height, to ensnare people’s lives![ag] Will you ensnare the lives[ah] of my people and keep yourselves alive?[ai] 19 And you defiled me among my people for a handful of barley and for morsels of bread to kill persons who should not die and to keep alive persons who should not live by means of your lies to my people who are listening to your lies.”’[aj] 20 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Look! I am against your magic charm bands with which you are ensnaring persons[ak] as birds; I will tear them from your arms, and I will release the persons that you are ensnaring, treating persons as birds. 21 And I will tear off your veils, and I will deliver my people from your hand, and they will not any longer be in your hand as prey, and you will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you disheartened the heart of the righteous by deception, and I have not[al] caused him pain, and strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he did not turn[am] from his wicked way to save his life. 23 Therefore falseness[an] you will not see,[ao] and divination you will not practice[ap] any longer, and I will rescue my people from your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh!’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 13:1 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 13:1 Or “to say”
- Ezekiel 13:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 13:2 Or “against”
- Ezekiel 13:2 Literally “the ones prophesying”
- Ezekiel 13:2 Literally “heart”
- Ezekiel 13:3 Literally “and not they saw”
- Ezekiel 13:4 Or “jackals”
- Ezekiel 13:5 Hebrew “in”
- Ezekiel 13:6 Literally “a divination of a lie”
- Ezekiel 13:6 Literally “to confirm a word”
- Ezekiel 13:7 Literally “vision of falseness”
- Ezekiel 13:7 Literally “divination of a lie”
- Ezekiel 13:7 Literally “I not I spoke”
- Ezekiel 13:8 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 13:9 Hebrew “in”
- Ezekiel 13:10 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 13:10 Hebrew “he”
- Ezekiel 13:11 Literally “rain flooding”
- Ezekiel 13:11 Or “and I will give great hailstones. They will fall”
- Ezekiel 13:11 Literally “wind of a storm”; or “with respect/concerning you stones of hail, they will fall”
- Ezekiel 13:13 Literally “a wind of storm”
- Ezekiel 13:13 Literally “rain flooding there will be”
- Ezekiel 13:13 Literally “to complete destruction”
- Ezekiel 13:15 Literally “not is the wall”
- Ezekiel 13:15 Literally “not are the people whitewashing him”
- Ezekiel 13:16 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 13:17 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 13:17 Literally “heart”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Literally “the sewers of”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Or “joints”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Literally “the makers of the veils”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Or “souls”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Or “souls”
- Ezekiel 13:18 Literally “and lives/souls for you, you keep alive”
- Ezekiel 13:19 Hebrew “lie”
- Ezekiel 13:20 Literally “which you are ensnaring with them the souls/individuals”
- Ezekiel 13:22 Or “did not”
- Ezekiel 13:22 Or “not to turn”
- Ezekiel 13:23 Or “vanity” or “vain/false visions”
- Ezekiel 13:23 Or “observe”
- Ezekiel 13:23 Or “you will indeed not practice divination”
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