Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Psalm 43^[a]

Prayer To Worship God Anew

Chapter 13

Prophecy against False Prophets. ¹ This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those whose prophesies are formulated in their own minds: Hear the word of the Lord.

³ Thus says the Lord God: Disaster will engulf those foolish prophets who follow thoughts that are fabricated in their own imaginations and have received no visions. ⁴ Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals foraging among ruins. ⁵ They have not bothered to reinforce the breaches in the walls of the house of Israel so that it may stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord.

⁶ The visions they saw were false, and their divinations were baseless. They assert: “Thus says the Lord,” despite the fact that the Lord did not send them, and then they expect their words to be proved true. ⁷ Have you not seen false visions or uttered lying divinations when you have asserted, “Thus says the Lord,” even though I have not said any such thing?

⁸ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken untruths and proclaimed false predictions, I have now set myself in opposition to you, says the Lord God. ⁹ My hand will be raised against those prophets whose visions are baseless and whose divinations are clearly false. They will not be granted any position in the council of my people, nor will their names be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they be permitted to set foot in the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ Because they lead my people astray, crying aloud, “Peace!” when there is no peace, and because, when the people were repairing a flimsy wall, these prophets concealed its flaws by smearing whitewash on it, ¹¹ say to those who covered it with whitewash that it will collapse, for I will cause rain to fall in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down and unleash a wind of gale force. ¹² When the wall collapses that you have smeared with whitewash and it falls to the ground so that its foundations will be laid bare, you will be destroyed along with it, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.

¹³ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I intend to unleash a violent stormwind in my rage, torrential rain in my anger, and hailstones in my fury, ¹⁴ and I will shatter the wall that you smeared with whitewash and knock it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. It will fall, and you will perish beneath it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ When I have vented my fury upon the wall and upon those who smeared it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who smeared it— ¹⁶ the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and envisioned peace for it when there was no peace,” says the Lord God.

Warning against False Teachers^[a]

Chapter 2

False Teachers Will Arise. ¹ Just as there were false prophets who arose among the people, so there will be false teachers among you. They will introduce their disruptive views and even deny the very Master who redeemed them, thus bringing swift destruction on themselves.

² Many will be seduced by their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be brought into disrepute. ³ In their greed they will exploit you with concocted stories.

The Condemnation of False Teachers. However, their condemnation has been hanging over them for a long time, and the destruction awaiting them does not slumber.