Ezekiel 13

False Prophets Condemned

1Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy against the 1prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own 2inspiration, ‘3Listen to the word of the Lord! 3Thus says the Lord 4God, “Woe to the 5foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have 6seen nothing. 4O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins. 5You have not 7gone up into the 8breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the 9day of the Lord. 6They see 1011falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; 12yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word. 713Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

8Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Because you have spoken 14falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, 15I am against you,” declares the Lord God. 9“So My hand will be against the 16prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will 17have no place in the council of My people, 18nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, 19that you may know that I am the Lord God. 10It is definitely because they have 20misled My people by saying, ‘21Peace!’ when there is 22no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; 11so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A 23flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out. 12Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” 13Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and 24hailstones to consume it in wrath. 14So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its 25foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be 26consumed in its midst. And you will 27know that I am the Lord. 15Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall 28is gone and its plasterers are gone, 16along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who 29see visions of peace for her when there is 30no peace,’ declares the Lord God.

17“Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are 31prophesying 32from their own 33inspiration. Prophesy against them 18and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on 34all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to 35hunt down 36lives! Will you hunt down the 37lives of My people, but preserve the 38lives of others for yourselves? 1939For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death 40some who should not die and to 41keep 42others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

20Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt 43lives there as 44birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let 45them go, even those 46lives whom you hunt as 47birds. 21I will also tear off your veils and 48deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am the Lord. 22Because you 49disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have 5051encouraged the wicked not to 52turn from his wicked way and preserve his life, 23therefore, you women will no longer see 5354false visions or practice divination, and I will 55deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will 56know that I am the Lord.”