13 Then the Lord gave this message to me: 2 ‘Son of man, speak my message to warn Israel's prophets. They are prophesying but they teach only their own ideas. Say to them, “Listen to this message from the Lord . 3 This is what the Almighty Lord says: Terrible trouble will come to those foolish prophets. They have not seen any vision from me but they tell people their own ideas. 4 People of Israel, your prophets have become like wild dogs that live among heaps of stones. 5 They have not helped you to mend the broken walls of your city. The walls will not be strong enough to keep Israel's people safe on the day of the Lord . That is when I will allow your enemies to attack you. 6 The visions that these prophets see are false. They tell lies about what will happen. They say, ‘The Lord says this,’ when I have not sent them with any message. But they still think that what they say will really happen. 7 Yes, you prophets have seen false visions. You tell lies when you say, ‘The Lord says this.’ You say that, but I have not spoken any message to you!
8 So this is what I, the Almighty Lord , say to them: I am now your enemy because of your lies. You deceive people when you tell them what will happen. Yes, I have become your enemy. That is what the Almighty Lord says.
9 I will punish the prophets who see false visions and who tell lies. They will not be among the leaders of my people. They will not be on the list of people who are true Israelites. They will not even return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Almighty Lord .
10 Those prophets have deceived my people. They say that there will be peace. But there is no peace for my people. They are like men who build a wall without any mortar. [ a ] They paint it white to make it look nice. 11 So tell those prophets that their paint is useless. The wall will soon fall down. There will be a lot of rain, hail and strong winds that knock it down. 12 After the wall has fallen down, people will say, ‘That white paint was useless!’
13 So this is what I, the Almighty Lord , say: Because I am angry with you, I will send strong winds to destroy your wall. I will send a lot of rain and hail. 14 I will break down your wall with its white paint. I will knock it down to the ground and leave only its foundation. It will fall on you and it will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord . 15 I will show you that I am very angry. I will destroy the wall and the prophets who painted it white. Then I will say to you, ‘The wall is no longer there. The prophets who painted it are no longer alive. [ b ] 16 They were prophets of Israel who told lies. They promised that Jerusalem would have peace. But there was really no peace.’ That is what the Almighty Lord says.”
17 Now, son of man, you must warn the women among your people who use their own ideas to prophesy. Tell them my message to warn them. 18 Say, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Terrible trouble will come to those women who make pieces of cloth which they say have magic power. People tie them around their arms and their heads. Those women want to have power over people's lives. They think they can have power over other people's lives but they themselves will be safe. 19 You have made people give you a little bit of barley or bread to eat. That is how they pay you to insult my name! You tell lies to my people, and they listen to you! As a result, you cause people to die who do not deserve to die. And people who do not deserve to live continue to live.
20 So this is what the Almighty Lord says to those women: I hate your pieces of cloth. You use them to catch people in traps, like you catch birds. But I will pull those cloths off your arms. Then those people that you like to catch will become free. 21 I will pull the cloths off your heads. That will rescue my people from your power. You will no longer be able to catch them. Then you will know that I am the Lord . 22 You have used lies to make righteous people stop being strong. But I did not want to hurt those people. You have also helped wicked people to continue to do evil things. You did not want them to change and save their lives. 23 So you women will not see any more false visions. You will no longer pretend that you know future events. I will rescue my people from your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord .” ’
13 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] you must speak to the prophets of Israel for me. They are only saying what they want to say. You must speak to them. Tell them this: ‘Listen to this message from the Lord ! 3 This is what the Lord God says. Bad things will happen to you foolish prophets. You are following your own spirits. You are not telling people what you really see in visions.
4 “‘Israel, your prophets are false prophets. They are like jackals hunting for food among the ruins of a city. 5 You have not put soldiers near the broken walls of the city. You have not built walls to protect the family of Israel. So when the day comes for the Lord to punish you, you will lose the war!
6 “‘Your prophets say they have seen visions. They did their magic to see what will happen next. But everything they said would happen is a lie. They claim to speak for the Lord , but the Lord did not send them. And they still think that what they said is what will happen.
7 “‘If you prophets saw visions, they were not true. And all you got from your magic was lies! So how can you say that the Lord told you those things? I did not speak to you!’”
8 So now, the Lord God really will speak. He says, “You told lies. You saw visions that were not true. So now I am against you!” This is what the Lord God said. 9 “I will punish those prophets whose visions are false and who lie about the future. I will remove them from my people. Their names will not be in the list of the family of Israel. They will never again come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God !
10 “Again and again those false prophets lied to my people. They said there would be peace, but there is no peace. The people need to fix the walls and prepare for war. But they only slap a thin coat of plaster [ b ] over the broken walls. 11 Tell them that I will send hail and a strong rain. The wind will blow hard, and a tornado will come. Then the wall will fall down. 12 When the wall falls down, the people will ask the prophets, ‘What happened to the plaster you put on the wall?’” 13 The Lord God says, “I am angry and I will send a storm against you. I am angry and I will send a strong rain. I am angry and I will make hail fall from the sky and completely destroy you! 14 You put plaster on the wall, but I will destroy the whole wall. I will pull it to the ground. The wall will fall on you, and then you will know that I am the Lord . 15 I will finish showing my anger against the wall and those who put plaster on it. Then I will say, ‘There is no wall, and there are no workers to put plaster on it.’
16 “All these things will happen to the false prophets of Israel. They speak to the people of Jerusalem and say there will be peace, but there is no peace.” This is what the Lord God said.
17 God said, “Son of man, look at the women prophets in Israel. They say the things they want to say, so you must speak against them for me. You must say this to them: 18 ‘This is what the Lord God says: Bad things will happen to you women. You sew cloth bracelets for people to wear on their arms. You make special scarves for people to wear on their heads. You say those things have magic powers to control people’s lives. You trap the people only to keep yourselves alive! 19 You make them think I am not important. You turn them against me for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. You tell lies to my people. They love to listen to lies. You kill those who should live, and you let people live who should die. 20 So this is what the Lord God says to you: You make those cloth bracelets to trap people, but I will set them free. I will tear those bracelets off your arms, and the people will be free from you. They will be like birds flying from a trap. 21 And I will tear up those scarves and save my people from your power. They will escape from your trap, and you will know that I am the Lord .
22 “‘You prophets tell lies. Your lies hurt good people—I did not want to hurt them! You support the wicked and encourage them. You don’t tell them to change their lives. You don’t try to save their lives! 23 So you will not see any more useless visions or do any more magic. I will save my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord .’”
13 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord ;
3 Thus saith the Lord God ; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord .
6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.
7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God .
9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God .
10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:
11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.
12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.
14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the Lord .
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;
16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God .
17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,
18 And say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?
19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?
20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.
21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord .
22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord .
13 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the ( A ) prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own [ a ] inspiration, ‘ ( B ) Listen to the word of the Lord ! 3 This is what the Lord [ b ] God says: “Woe to the ( C ) foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have ( D ) seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not ( E ) gone up into the ( F ) breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ( G ) day of the Lord . 6 They see ( H ) deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; ( I ) yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word! 7 ( J ) Did you not see a false vision and tell a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”
8 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have spoken deceit and have seen a lie, therefore behold, ( K ) I am against you,” declares the Lord God . 9 “So My hand will be against the ( L ) prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will [ c ] have no place in the council of My people, ( M ) nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, [ d ] so that you may know that I am the Lord God . 10 It is definitely because they have ( N ) misled My people by saying, ‘ ( O ) Peace!’ when there is ( P ) no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; 11 so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A ( Q ) flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out. 12 Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it ?’” 13 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ( R ) hailstones to consume it in wrath. 14 So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and hurl it down to the ground, so that its ( S ) foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will ( T ) perish in its midst. And you will ( U ) know that I am the Lord . 15 So I will expend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall [ e ] is gone and those who plastered it are gone, 16 along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who ( V ) see a vision of peace for her when there is ( W ) no peace,’ declares the Lord God .
17 “Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ( X ) talking like prophets ( Y ) from their own [ f ] imagination. Prophesy against them 18 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on [ g ] all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ( Z ) capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves? 19 ( AA ) For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death [ h ] some who should not die, and to ( AB ) keep [ i ] others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”
20 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you capture souls there as [ j ] birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let [ k ] them go, those souls whom you capture as [ l ] birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and ( AC ) save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as prey; and you will know that I am the Lord . 22 Because you ( AD ) disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have [ m ] ( AE ) encouraged the wicked not to ( AF ) turn from his wicked way to keep him alive, 23 therefore you women will no longer see ( AG ) deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will ( AH ) save My people from your hands. So you will ( AI ) know that I am the Lord .”
13 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets ( A ) of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ( B ) ‘Hear the word of the Lord ! ( C ) 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish [ a ] prophets ( D ) who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ( E ) 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair ( F ) it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord . ( G ) 6 Their visions are false ( H ) and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent ( I ) them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words. ( J ) 7 Have you not seen false visions ( K ) and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?
8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you, ( L ) declares the Sovereign Lord . 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying ( M ) divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records ( N ) of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord . ( O )
10 “‘Because they lead my people astray, ( P ) saying, “Peace,” ( Q ) when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, ( R ) 11 therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones ( S ) hurtling down, ( T ) and violent winds will burst forth. ( U ) 12 When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”
13 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones ( V ) and torrents of rain ( W ) will fall with destructive fury. ( X ) 14 I will tear down the wall ( Y ) you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation ( Z ) will be laid bare. When it [ b ] falls, ( AA ) you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord . 15 So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord . ( AB ) ”’
17 “Now, son of man, set your face ( AC ) against the daughters ( AD ) of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them ( AE ) 18 and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? 19 You have profaned ( AF ) me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. ( AG ) By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live. ( AH )
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. ( AI ) 21 I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord . ( AJ ) 22 Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies, ( AK ) when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives, ( AL ) 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions ( AM ) or practice divination. ( AN ) I will save ( AO ) my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord . ( AP ) ’”
