Ezequiel 13

¹ The word of Jehovah continued to come to me:

² »Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart inspiration: ‘Listen to the word of Jehovah!

³ ‘The Lord Jehovah said: »Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.

⁴ ‘»O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.

⁵ ‘»You have not gone up into the gaps broken places of the wall around the house of Israel. You did not build the wall to stand in the battle on the day of Jehovah.«

⁶ »They see falsehood and lying divination. They are saying: ‘Jehovah declares,’ when Jehovah has not sent them. Yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.

⁷ ‘»Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said ‘Jehovah declares,’ but it is not I who has spoken?« ’

⁸ ‘»Therefore, the Lord Jehovah says: ‘»Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,’ declares the Lord Jehovah.«

⁹ ‘»My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of my people. They will not be written down in the register of the house of Israel. And they will not enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁰ ‘»It is definitely because they have misled my people by saying, »Peace!« When there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall they plaster it over with whitewash.’

¹¹ »So tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out.

¹² »When the wall has fallen, will you not be asked: Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’

¹³ »This is what the Lord Jehovah says: ‘In my fury I will cause a storm to break out. In my anger rain will pour down, and hailstones will destroy the wall.

¹⁴ ‘»I will tear down the wall that the prophets covered up with whitewash. I will level it and expose its foundation. When the wall falls, they will be destroyed by it. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.’

¹⁵ ‘»I will unleash my rage on the wall and on those who covered it up with paint. Then I will say to you: The wall is gone, and so are those who painted it.

¹⁶ ‘»The prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem are gone. Those who said that everything was all right, when it was not all right, are gone, declares the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁷ »Son of man, look at the women among your people who make up prophesies, and prophesy against them.

¹⁸ »Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Jehovah says: »How horrible it will be for women who sew magic charms for people's wrists and make magic veils of every size for people's heads. You want to trap people. You want to control the lives of my people for your own profit.

¹⁹ ‘»You dishonor me in front of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who should not die. You spare the lives of people who should not live. You lie to my people who are willing to listen.« ’

²⁰ »This is what the Lord Jehovah says: ‘I am against the magic charms that you use to trap people like birds. I will tear them from your arms and free the people that you have trapped.

²¹ ‘»I will tear off your magic veils and rescue my people from your power so that they will no longer be under your control. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.

²² ‘»You have discouraged righteous people with your lies, even though I had not brought them any grief. You encouraged wicked people not to turn from their wicked ways to save their lives.

²³ ‘»That is why you will no longer see false visions or make predictions. I will rescue my people from your power. Then you will know that I am Jehovah.’«