< Ezekiel 13 >

1 Again, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets who are prophesying in Israel, and say to those who are prophesying out of their own imaginations, 'Listen to the word of Yahweh.
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say thou to those who prophesy out of their own heart, Hear ye the word of Jehovah.
3 The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, but who have seen nothing!
Thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the wastelands.
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.
5 You have not gone to the breaks in the wall around the house of Israel in order to repair it, in order to resist in battle on the day of Yahweh.
Ye have not gone up into the gaps, nor built up the wall for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.
6 The people have false visions and make false predictions, those who say, “Such and such is Yahweh's declaration.” Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true.
They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, Jehovah says, but Jehovah has not sent them. And they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.
7 Have you not had false visions and made false predictions, you who say, “Such and such is Yahweh's declaration” when I myself have not spoken?'
Have ye not seen a false vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, Jehovah says, albeit I have not spoken?
8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because you have had false visions and have told lies—therefore this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration against you:
Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, says the lord Jehovah.
9 My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who make false predictions. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!
And my hand shall be against the prophets who see false visions, and who divine lies. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the lord Jehovah.
10 Because of this, and because they led my people astray and said, “Peace!” when there is no peace, they are building a wall that they will paint with whitewash.'
Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace, and there is no peace, and when a man builds up a wall, behold, they daub it with untempered mortar,
11 Say to those who are whitewashing the wall, 'It will fall down; there will be a downpour of rain, and I will send hailstones to make it fall down, and a windstorm wind to break it down.
say to those who daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it.
12 See, the wall will fall down. Have others not said to you, “Where is the whitewash that you put on it?”
Lo, when the wall has fallen, shall it not be said to you, Where is the daubing with which ye have daubed it?
13 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I will bring a windstorm in my rage, and there will be floods of rain in my wrath! Hailstones in my rage will completely destroy it.
Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my wrath, and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it.
14 For I will tear down the wall that you have covered with whitewash, and I will demolish it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. So it will fall, and you will be annihilated in the middle of it all. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.
So I will break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered. And it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst of it. And ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
15 For I will annihilate in my fury the wall and those who whitewashed it. I will say to you, “The wall exists no more, nor do the people who whitewashed it—
Thus I will accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon those who have daubed it with untempered mortar. And I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who daubed it,
16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and who had visions of peace for her. But there is no peace!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”'
namely, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, says the lord Jehovah.
17 So you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own minds, and prophesy against them.
And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who prophesy out of their own heart, and prophesy thou against them.
18 Say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the women who sew magic charms onto every part of their hand and make veils for their heads of every size, used to hunt down people. Will you hunt down my people but save your own lives?
And say, Thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the women who sew pillows upon all elbows, and make headdresses for the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves?
19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread, to kill people who should not die, and to preserve the lives of those who should not continue to live, because of your lies to my people who heard you.
And ye have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls who should not die, and to save the souls alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.
20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I am against the magic charms that you have used to ensnare the people's lives as if they were birds. Indeed, I will tear them from your arms; and the people whom you have trapped like birds—I will let them go free.
Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against your pillows, with which ye hunt the souls there to make fly, and I will tear them from your arms. And I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make fly.
21 I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hand, so they will no longer be trapped in your hands. You will know that I am Yahweh.
I will also tear your headdresses, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall no more be in your hand to be hunted. And ye shall know that I am Jehovah.
22 Because you discourage the heart of the righteous person with lies, even though I did not desire his discouragement, and because you encourage instead the actions of the wicked person so that he will not turn from his way to save his life—
Because with lies ye have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive.
23 therefore you will no longer have false visions or continue to make predictions, for I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.'”
Therefore ye shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations. And I will deliver my people out of your hand. And ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

< Ezekiel 13 >