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Condemnation of False Prophets

¹ And the word of Yahweh came^[a] to me, saying,^{[b] 2} "Son of man,^[c] prophesy to^[d] the prophets of Israel who are prophesying,^[e] and you must say to those who are prophets out of their own imagination,^[f] ‘Hear the word of Yahweh!' ³ Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Alas, for the foolish prophets who are going after their own spirit, and they did not see anything!^{[g] 4} Your prophets have been like foxes^[h] among ruins. ⁵ You did not go up into^[i] the breaches and repair a wall for the house of Israel to stand firm in the battle on the day of Yahweh. ⁶ They saw falseness and a lying divination,^[j] the ones saying, ‘Declaration of Yahweh!' and Yahweh did not send them, and they wait for the confirmation of their word.^{[k] 7} Have you not seen a false vision^[l] and spoken a lying divination,^[m] and you said, ‘Declaration of Yahweh!' but I myself did not speak.^{[n] 8} Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because of your speaking falseness and because you envisioned a lie, therefore, look! I am against you!" declares^[o] the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ "And it will be my hand against the prophets who are seeing falseness and who are practicing lying divination. They will not be in the council of my people, and they will not be written down in the record book of the house of Israel, and into^[p] the land of Israel they will not come, and then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁰ Because, yes, because they led my people astray, saying^[q] ‘Peace!' And there is not peace. And when anyone^[r] builds a flimsy wall, look, they coat it with whitewash. ¹¹ Say to those covering it with whitewash that it will fall; there will be a torrent of rain,^[s] and I will give stones of hail; they will fall! ^[t] And a windstorm^[u] will burst forth! ¹² And look! When the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?' ¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘And so I will let burst forth a windstorm^[v] in my rage, and there will be a torrent of rain^[w] in my anger, and hailstones in my rage for complete destruction.^{[x] 14} And I will break down the wall that you covered with whitewash, and I will knock it to the ground, and its foundation will be revealed, and it will fall, and you will come to an end in the midst of it, and you will know that I am Yahweh! ¹⁵ And I will fully vent my rage against the wall and against those covering it with whitewash, and I will say to you, "The wall is no more,^[y] and the people covering it are no more,^{[z] 16} that is, the prophets of Israel, the ones prophesying concerning Jerusalem and the ones seeing visions of peace, and there is not peace!'" " declares^[aa] the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁷ "And you, son of man,^[ab] place your face toward the daughters of your people who prophesy from their imagination,^[ac] and prophesy against them! ¹⁸ And you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Woe to those who sew^[ad] magic charm bands on all the wrists^[ae] of the hands of my people and those who make the veils^[af] that are on the head of people of every height, to ensnare people's lives!^[ag] Will you ensnare the lives^[ah] of my people and keep yourselves alive?^{[ai] 19} And you defiled me among my people for a handful of barley and for morsels of bread to kill persons who should not die and to keep alive persons who should not live by means of your lies to my people who are listening to your lies."'^{[aj] 20} Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Look! I am against your magic charm bands with which you are ensnaring persons^[ak] as birds; I will tear them from your arms, and I will release the persons that you are ensnaring, treating persons as birds. ²¹ And I will tear off your veils, and I will deliver my people from your hand, and they will not any longer be in your hand as prey, and you will know that I am Yahweh. ²² Because you disheartened the heart of the righteous by deception, and I have not^[al] caused him pain, and strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he did not turn^[am] from his wicked way to save his life. ²³ Therefore falseness^[an] you will not see,^[ao] and divination you will not practice^[ap] any longer, and I will rescue my people from your hand, and you will know that I am Yahweh!'"