13 2 The word of the Lord against false prophets, which teach the people the counsels of their own hearts.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of (A)Israel, that prophesy, and say thou unto them, that prophesy out of their [a]own hearts, Hear the word of the Lord.
3 Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing.
4 O Israel, thy Prophets are like the foxes [b]in the waste places.
5 [c]Ye have not risen up in the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.
6 They have seen vanity, and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith it, and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word of their prophecy.
7 Have ye not seen a vain vision? and have ye not spoken a lying divination? [d]ye say, The Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken.
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have spoken vanity and have seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God,
9 And mine hand shall be upon the Prophets that see vanity, and divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the [e]writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
10 And therefore, because they have deceived my people, saying, [f]Peace, and there was no peace: and one built up a [g]wall, and behold, the others daubed it with untempered mortar,
11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: for there shall come a great shower, and I will send hailstones, which shall cause it to fall, and a stormy wind shall break it.
12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in my wrath, and a great shower shall be in mine anger, and hailstones in mine indignation to consume it.
14 So I will destroy the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with [h]untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither the daubers thereof,
16 To wit, the Prophets of Israel, which prophesy upon Jerusalem, and see visions of peace for it, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.
17 Likewise thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart: and prophesy thou against them, and say,
18 Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the women that sow [i]pillows under all armholes, and make veils upon the head of everyone that standeth up, to hunt souls: will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye give life to the souls that come unto you?
19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of [j]barley, and for pieces of bread to slay the souls of them that should not die, and [k]to give life to the souls that should not live, in lying to my people, that hear your lies?
20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will have to do with your pillows, wherewith ye hunt the [l]souls to make them to flee, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them to flee.
21 Your veils also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hands to be hunted, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
22 Because with your lies ye have made the heart of the [m]righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life,
23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 13:2 After their own fantasy, and not as having the revelation of the Lord, Jer. 23:16.
- Ezekiel 13:4 Watching to destroy the vineyard.
- Ezekiel 13:5 He speaketh to the governors, and true ministers that should have resisted them.
- Ezekiel 13:7 Ye promised peace to this people, and now ye see their destruction, so that it is manifest, that ye are false prophets.
- Ezekiel 13:9 That is, in the book of life, wherein the true Israelites are written.
- Ezekiel 13:10 Read Jer. 6:14.
- Ezekiel 13:10 Whereas the true Prophets prophesied the destruction of the city to bring the people to repentance, the false prophets spake the contrary, and flattered them in their vanities, so that what one false prophet said (which is here called the building of the wall) another false prophet would affirm, though he had neither occasion nor good ground to bear him.
- Ezekiel 13:15 Whereby is meant whatsoever man of himself setteth forth under the authority of God’s word.
- Ezekiel 13:18 These superstitious women for lucre would prophesy and tell every man his fortune, giving them pillows to lean upon, and kerchiefs to cover their heads, to the intent they might the more allure them and bewitch them.
- Ezekiel 13:19 Will ye make my word to serve your bellies?
- Ezekiel 13:19 These sorcerers made the people believe that they could preserve life or destroy it, and that it should come to everyone according as they prophesied.
- Ezekiel 13:20 That is, to cause them to perish, and that they should depart from the body.
- Ezekiel 13:22 By threatening them that were godly, and upholding the wicked.