Ezekiel 13

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and you have said to those prophesying from their own heart, Hear a word of YHWH!

“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Tell those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD!

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

This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, yet have seen nothing.

4 Your prophets have been As foxes in the wasteland, O Israel.

Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins.

5 You have not gone up into breaches, Nor do you make a wall for the house of Israel, To stand in battle in a day of YHWH.

You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD.

6 They have seen vanity, and lying divination, Who are saying: A declaration of YHWH, And YHWH has not sent them, And they have hoped to establish a word.

They see false visions and speak lying divinations. They claim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ when the LORD did not send them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.

7 Have you not seen a vain vision, And spoken a lying divination, When you say, A declaration of YHWH, And I have not spoken?

Haven’t you seen a false vision and spoken a lying divination when you proclaim, ‘Thus declares the LORD,’ even though I have not spoken?

8 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because you have spoken vanity, and seen a lie, Therefore, behold, I [am] against you, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have uttered vain words and seen false visions, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.

9 And My hand has been on the prophets, Who are seeing vanity, and who are divining a lie, They are not in the assembly of My people, And they are not written in the writing of the house of Israel, And they do not come to the ground of Israel, And you have known that I [am] Lord YHWH.

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of My people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

10 Because, even because, they caused My people to err, Saying, Peace! And there is no peace, And that one is building a wall, And behold, they are coating it with chalk.

Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built,

11 Say to those coating with chalk—It falls, There has been an overflowing shower, And you, O hailstones, fall, And a turbulent wind breaks out,

tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth.

12 And behold, the wall has fallen! Does one not say to you, Where [is] the coating that you coated?

Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’

13 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: I have broken with a turbulent wind in My fury, And an overflowing shower is in My anger, And hailstones in My fury—to consume.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury.

14 And I have broken down the wall that you coated with chalk, And have caused it to come to the earth, And its foundation has been revealed, And it has fallen, And you have been consumed in its midst, And you have known that I [am] YHWH.

I will tear down the wall you whitewashed and level it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed. The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

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

And after I have vented My wrath against the wall and against those who whitewashed it, I will say to you: ‘The wall is gone, and so are those who whitewashed it—

16 [These]—the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying concerning Jerusalem, And who are seeing a vision of peace for her, And there is no peace, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.’

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

Now, O son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them

18 And you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH: Woe to those sowing [magic] bands for all joints of the arm, And to those making the veils For the head of every stature—to hunt souls, Do you hunt the souls of My people? And do your souls that live remain alive?

and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their wrists and make veils for the heads of people of every height, in order to ensnare their souls. Will you ensnare the souls of My people but preserve your own?

19 Indeed, you 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—listening to lies.

You have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to My people who would listen, you have killed those who should not have died and spared those who should not have lived.

20 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I [am] against your [magic] bands, With which you are hunting there the souls of the flourishing, And I have torn them from off your arms, And have sent away the souls that you are hunting, The souls of the flourishing.

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against the magic charms with which you ensnare souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. So I will free the souls you have ensnared like birds.

21 And I have torn your veils, And delivered My people out of your hand, And they are no longer for a prey in your hand, And you have known that I [am] YHWH.

I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

22 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 [him] back from his evil way, To keep him alive,

Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies, even though I have caused them no grief, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways to save their lives,

23 Therefore, you do not see vanity, And you do not divine divination again, And I have delivered My people out of your hand, And you have known that I [am] YHWH!”

therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will deliver My people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”