Chapter 13

Prophecy against False Prophets. ¹ This word of the Lord came to me: ² Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those whose prophesies are formulated in their own minds: Hear the word of the Lord.

³ Thus says the Lord God: Disaster will engulf those foolish prophets who follow thoughts that are fabricated in their own imaginations and have received no visions. ⁴ Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals foraging among ruins. ⁵ They have not bothered to reinforce the breaches in the walls of the house of Israel so that it may stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord.

⁶ The visions they saw were false, and their divinations were baseless. They assert: “Thus says the Lord,” despite the fact that the Lord did not send them, and then they expect their words to be proved true. ⁷ Have you not seen false visions or uttered lying divinations when you have asserted, “Thus says the Lord,” even though I have not said any such thing?

⁸ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken untruths and proclaimed false predictions, I have now set myself in opposition to you, says the Lord God. ⁹ My hand will be raised against those prophets whose visions are baseless and whose divinations are clearly false. They will not be granted any position in the council of my people, nor will their names be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they be permitted to set foot in the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ Because they lead my people astray, crying aloud, “Peace!” when there is no peace, and because, when the people were repairing a flimsy wall, these prophets concealed its flaws by smearing whitewash on it, ¹¹ say to those who covered it with whitewash that it will collapse, for I will cause rain to fall in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down and unleash a wind of gale force. ¹² When the wall collapses that you have smeared with whitewash and it falls to the ground so that its foundations will be laid bare, you will be destroyed along with it, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.

¹³ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I intend to unleash a violent stormwind in my rage, torrential rain in my anger, and hailstones in my fury, ¹⁴ and I will shatter the wall that you smeared with whitewash and knock it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. It will fall, and you will perish beneath it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ When I have vented my fury upon the wall and upon those who smeared it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who smeared it— ¹⁶ the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and envisioned peace for it when there was no peace,” says the Lord God.

¹⁷ Prophecy against False Prophetesses. As for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people whose prophecies emerge from their own imaginations. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to those women who sew magic bands on their wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every height as they strive to ensnare their souls. Will you seek to ensnare the souls of my people and still preserve your own?

¹⁹ You have dishonored me in the eyes of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. By lying to my people who listen to lies, you have caused the death of persons who should not die and kept alive those who should not live.

²⁰ Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am now determined to move against your magic bands with which you entrap men’s lives. I will rip them from your arms and set free those people whom you have ensnared like birds. ²¹ I will tear off your veils and rescue my people from your clutches, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

²² Because you have intimidated the righteous with your lies and disheartened them when I had done nothing to cause them to be alarmed, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to abandon their wicked ways and save their lives, ²³ therefore, you will never again see false visions or practice divinations. I will rescue my people from your clutches, and then you will know that I am the Lord.