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“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
    “one should not preach of such things;
    disgrace will not overtake us.”(A)
Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
    Is the Lord’s patience exhausted?
    Are these his doings?
Do not my words do good
    to one who walks uprightly?
But you rise up against my people[a] as an enemy;
    you strip the robe from the peaceful,[b]
from those who pass by trustingly
    with no thought of war.
The women of my people you drive out
    from their pleasant houses;
from their young children you take away
    my glory forever.
10 Arise and go,
    for this is no place to rest,
because of uncleanness that destroys
    with a violent destruction.(B)
11 If someone were to go about uttering empty falsehoods,
    saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
    such a one would be the preacher for this people!(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 2.8 Cn: Heb But yesterday my people rose
  2. 2.8 Cn: Heb from before a garment

True and False Prophets

“Don’t say such things,”
    the people respond.[a]
“Don’t prophesy like that.
    Such disasters will never come our way!”

Should you talk that way, O family of Israel?[b]
    Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior?
If you would do what is right,
    you would find my words comforting.
Yet to this very hour
    my people rise against me like an enemy!
You steal the shirts right off the backs
    of those who trusted you,
making them as ragged as men
    returning from battle.
You have evicted women from their pleasant homes
    and forever stripped their children of all that God would give them.
10 Up! Begone!
    This is no longer your land and home,
for you have filled it with sin
    and ruined it completely.

11 Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,
    “I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!”
That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!

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Footnotes

  1. 2:6 Or the prophets respond; Hebrew reads they prophesy.
  2. 2:7 Hebrew O house of Jacob? See note on 1:5a.