The False Prophet

13 “If a prophet or someone who has dreams^(A) arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, ² and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he says, ‘Let’s follow other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let’s worship them,’ ³ do not listen to that prophet’s words or to that dreamer. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul.^{(B) 4} You must follow the Lord your God and fear him. You must keep his commands and listen to him; you must worship him and remain faithful^[a] to him.^{(C) 5} That prophet or dreamer must be put to death,^(D) because he has urged rebellion against the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slavery,^(E) to turn you from the way the Lord your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you.^(F)

David in Saul’s Court

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul,^(A) and an evil spirit sent from the Lord began to torment him,

⁹ So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners,^(A) dreamers, fortune-tellers,^(B) or sorcerers^(C) who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ ¹⁰ They are prophesying a lie^(D) to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish.

⁹ “‘But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, the Lord, who deceived that prophet.^(A) I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.^(B)

⁹ The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie,^{(A) 10} and with every wicked deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.^{(B) 11} For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, ¹² so that all will be condemned^(C)—those who did not believe^(D) the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.