Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer to God in Time of Trouble

Woe to Foolish Prophets

13 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy ^(A)against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to ^(B)those who prophesy out of their own ^(C)heart,^[a] ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ ”

³ Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen ^[b]nothing! ⁴ O Israel, your prophets are ^(D)like foxes in the deserts. ⁵ You ^(E)have not gone up into the ^[c]gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ^6 (F)They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has ^(G)not sent them; yet they hope that the word may ^[d]be confirmed. ⁷ Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “My hand will be ^(H)against the prophets who envision futility and who ^(I)divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, ^(J)nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, ^(K)nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. ^(L)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ^(M)‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they ^(N)plaster^[e] it with untempered mortar— ¹¹ say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. ^(O)There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. ¹² Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ¹⁴ So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. ^(P)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who ^(Q)see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(A)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[a]does not slumber.