Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Send Forth Your Light

Psalm 43

False Prophets

13 The word of Adonai came to me saying: ² “Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, hear the word of Adonai, ³ thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit—except they have seen nothing! ⁴ O Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You have not gone up into the breaches and repaired the walls for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Adonai. ⁶ They have prophesied emptiness and predicted falsely, who say, “Adonai says.” Adonai has not sent them, yet they hope for confirmation of their word. ⁷ Did you not see an empty vision and speak a false omen, when you say, “Adonai says”—when I have not spoken?’”

⁸ Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because you have spoken falsely and prophesied lies, therefore behold, I am against you.” It is a declaration of Adonai. ⁹ “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not remain in the assembly of My people, nor will they be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor enter into the land of Israel. You will know that I am Adonai. ¹⁰ Precisely because they have led My people astray saying, ‘Shalom’ when there is no shalom, they build a weak wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash. ¹¹ Say to those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. There will be a down-pouring rain, and on you great hailstones will fall, and a storm wind will break out. ¹² Behold, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said about you, ‘Where is the whitewash that you plastered it with?’’’

¹³ Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim: “I will cause a storm wind to burst out in My fury. There will be a down-pouring rain in My anger and great hailstones in destructive wrath. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall that you have plastered with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation of it is exposed. It will collapse and you will be consumed within it. Then you will know that I am Adonai. ¹⁵ I will spend My wrath against the wall and against those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to you, the wall is no more! The whitewashers are no more— ¹⁶ the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and see visions of shalom for her, when there is no shalom.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

False Teachers Condemned

2 But false prophets also arose among the people,^[a] just as there will also be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies. They will even deny the Master who bought them^[b]—bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result the way of the truth will be maligned. ³ In their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber.