Ezekiel 13

1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

2 “Son of man, you are to prophesy against the prophets of Israel who right now are busy prophesying. Tell those who make up their own prophecies: Listen to the word of the Lord!

'Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and thou hast said to those prophesying from their own heart: Hear ye a word of Jehovah:

3 This is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to these foolish prophets who follow their own ideas. They haven't seen anything.

Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe unto the prophets who are foolish, Who are going after their own spirit, And they have seen nothing.

4 Israel, your prophets are like foxes that live in the ruins.

As foxes in the wastes, Thy prophets, O Israel, have been.

5 They didn't go and help repair the gaps in the wall that defends the people of Israel so that it would stand secure during the battle on the Day of the Lord.

Ye have not gone up into breaches, Nor do ye make a fence for the house of Israel, To stand in battle in a day of Jehovah.

6 The visions they see are false, and the prophecies they give are lies. They claim, ‘This is what the Lord says,’ when the Lord didn't send them. Even so they still expect their message to be fulfilled!

They have seen vanity, and lying divination, Who are saying: An affirmation of Jehovah, And Jehovah hath not sent them, And they have hoped to establish a word.

7 Isn't it a false vision that you people saw? Isn't it a prophecy of lies when you announce, ‘This is what the Lord says,’ even though I haven't said anything?

A vain vision have ye not seen, And a lying divination spoken, When ye say: An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have not spoken?

8 So this is what the Lord God says: Since you've spoken lies and claimed to see false visions, then watch out, because I'm against you, declares the Lord God.

Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen a lie, Therefore, lo, I [am] against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

9 I will punish the prophets who see false visions and give prophecies that are lies. They will not belong to the assembly of my people or be listed in the register of Israelites, and they won't be allowed to enter the country of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.

And My hand hath been on the prophets, Who are seeing vanity, and who are divining a lie, In the assembly of My people they are not, And in the writing of the house of Israel they are not written, And unto the ground of Israel they come not, And ye have known that I [am] the Lord Jehovah.

10 They have deceived my people by saying, ‘We shall have peace,’ when there won't be any peace. It's like they're putting a coat of whitewash on an unstable wall of loose stones that the people have built.

Because, even because, they did cause My people to err, Saying, Peace! and there is no peace, And that one is building a wall, And lo, they are daubing it with chalk.

11 So tell those people whitewashing the wall that it's going to collapse. Rain will come pouring down. I will send hailstones crashing down on it. A windstorm will blow hard against it.

Say to those daubing with chalk — It falleth, There hath been an overflowing shower, And ye, O hailstones, do fall, And a tempestuous wind doth rend,

12 Don't you think that when the wall collapses people are going to ask you, ‘What happened to the whitewash you painted it with?’

And lo, fallen hath the wall! Doth not one say unto you, Where [is] the daubing that ye daubed?

13 So this is what the Lord God says: In my furious anger I'm going to send a windstorm, pouring rain, and hailstones to destroy the wall.

Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have rent with a tempestuous wind in My fury, And an overflowing shower is in Mine anger, And hailstones in My fury — to consume.

14 I will demolish the wall you whitewashed, knocking it to the ground to reveal its foundations. The city is going to fall, and you're going to be destroyed with it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

And I have broken down the wall that ye daubed with chalk, And have caused it to come unto the earth, And revealed hath been its foundation, And it hath fallen, And ye have been consumed in its midst, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.

15 Once the wall and those who whitewashed it have experienced my anger, I will tell you: The wall is no more, and those who whitewashed it are no more,

And I have completed My wrath on the wall, And on those daubing it with chalk, And I say to you: The wall is not, And those daubing it are not;

16 those ‘prophets’ of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and claimed to have seen a vision of peace for her when there wasn't going to be any peace, declares the Lord God.

The prophets of Israel who are prophesying concerning Jerusalem, And who are seeing for her a vision of peace, And there is no peace, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

17 Now, son of man, you are to oppose those Israelite women who make up prophecies in their own minds. Prophesy against them

And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who are prophesying out of their own heart, and prophesy concerning them,

18 and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the women who sew bracelets of magic charms for their wrists and make veils for all kinds of people to wear as ways to trap and exploit them. Do you think you can trap the lives of my people yet still keep your own?

And thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe to those sowing pillows for all joints of the arm, And to those making the kerchiefs For the head of every stature — to hunt souls, The souls do ye hunt of My people? And the souls ye have do ye keep alive?

19 You have disgraced me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people who believe in you, you have killed those who shouldn't have died and let others live who shouldn't.

Yea, ye pierce Me concerning My people, For handfuls of barley, And for pieces of bread, to put to death Souls that should not die, And to keep alive souls that should not live, By your lying to My people — hearkening to lies.

20 So this is what the Lord God says: Watch out! I condemn the magic charms you use to trap people like birds, and I will rip them off your arms. I will set free those you have trapped.

Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I [am] against your pillows, With which ye are hunting there the souls of the flourishing, And I have rent them from off your arms, And have sent away the souls that ye are hunting, The souls of the flourishing.

21 I will also rip off your veils and rescue my people from your power, so that they will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

And I have torn your kerchiefs, And delivered My people out of your hand, And they are no more in your hand for a prey, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.

22 Because you have discouraged good people with your lies, even though I didn't have anything against them, and because you have encouraged the wicked that they shouldn't give up from their evil ways to save their lives,

Because of paining the heart of the righteous with falsehood, And I have not pained it, And strengthening the hands of the wicked, So as not to turn back from his evil way, To keep him alive,

23 from now on you won't claim these false visions or practice magic. I will rescue my people from your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

Therefore, vanity ye do not see, And divination ye do not divine again, And I have delivered My people out of your hand, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah!'