| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Then this message came to me from the LORD: | 1Then the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2“Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the LORD. | 2"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination: 'Hear the word of the LORD! |
| 3This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’ | 3This is what the sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing! |
| 4“O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins. | 4Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel. |
| 5They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the LORD. | 5You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the LORD. |
| 6Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, ‘This message is from the LORD,’ even though the LORD never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies! | 6They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say, "the LORD declares," though the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed. |
| 7Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, ‘This message is from the LORD,’ when I have not even spoken to you? | 7Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, "the LORD declares," although I myself never spoke? |
| 8“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign LORD. | 8"'Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the sovereign LORD. |
| 9I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. | 9My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign LORD. |
| 10“This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! | 10"'This is because they have led my people astray saying, "All is well," when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash. |
| 11Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. | 11Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out. |
| 12And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘What happened to your whitewash?’ | 12When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you, "Where is the whitewash you coated it with?" |
| 13“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury. | 13"'Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury. |
| 14I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the LORD. | 14I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, and you will know that I am the LORD. |
| 15At last my anger against the wall and those who covered it with whitewash will be satisfied. Then I will say to you: ‘The wall and those who whitewashed it are both gone. | 15I will vent my rage against the wall, and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you, "The wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no more-- |
| 16They were lying prophets who claimed peace would come to Jerusalem when there was no peace. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!’ Judgment against False Women Prophets | 16those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace," declares the sovereign LORD.' |
| 17“Now, son of man, speak out against the women who prophesy from their own imaginations. | 17"As for you, son of man, turn toward the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. Prophesy against them |
| 18This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction on yourselves? | 18and say 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Woe to those who sew bands on all their wrists and make headbands for heads of every size to entrap people's lives! Will you entrap my people's lives, yet preserve your own lives? |
| 19You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live. | 19You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies! |
| 20“This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage. | 20"'Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Take note that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people's lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people's lives, which you hunt like birds. |
| 21I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the LORD. | 21I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD. |
| 22You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, but I didn’t want them to be sad. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins. | 22This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life. |
| 23Because of all this, you will no longer talk of seeing visions that you never saw, nor will you make predictions. For I will rescue my people from your grasp. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” | 23Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you will know that I am the LORD.'" |
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