False Prophets Condemned

Ezekiel 13

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 a "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those b who prophesy from their own hearts: 'Hear the word of the Lord!' 3 Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4 Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. 5 c You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord. 6 d They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the Lord,' e when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. 7 Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, f whenever you have said, 'Declares the Lord,' although I have not spoken?"

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, g I am against you, declares the Lord God. 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, h nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, i nor shall they enter the land of Israel. j And you shall know that I am the Lord God. 10 Precisely because they have misled my people, k saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, l these prophets smear it with whitewash, 1 11 say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! m There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. 12 And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the coating with which you smeared it?' 13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: m I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, m and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. 14 And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, n and you shall know that I am the Lord. 15 Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem k and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.

17 "And you, son of man, o set your face against p the daughters of your people, q who prophesy out of their own minds. Prophesy against them 18 and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women r who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and s make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in t the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive? 19 You have profaned me among my people u for handfuls of barley v and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.

20 "Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, w I am against x your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds. 21 Your veils also I will tear off and y deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, z and you shall know that I am the Lord. 22 a Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and b you have encouraged the wicked, that c he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, 23 d therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the Lord."

  1. Cross References
    Ezekiel 2:1
    And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.
  2. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:17
    And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own minds. Prophesy against them
    Jeremiah 23:16
    Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.
    Jeremiah 23:26
    How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart.
  3. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:30
    And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
    Psalms 106:23
    Therefore he said he would destroy them - had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
    Psalms 80:12
    Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
    Isaiah 5:5
    And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
    Isaiah 58:12
    And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
  4. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:23
    Therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the Lord.
    Ezekiel 12:24
    For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.
    Ezekiel 21:29
    While they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you - to place you on the necks of the profane wicked, whose day has come, the time of their final punishment.
    Ezekiel 22:28
    And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God,' when the Lord has not spoken.
    Jeremiah 5:31
    The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
  5. Cross References
    Jeremiah 14:14
    And the Lord said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:21
    I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
  7. Cross References
    Ezekiel 5:8
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : Behold, I, e...
    Ezekiel 21:3
    And say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lo...
    Ezekiel 26:3
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : Behold, I am...
    Ezekiel 28:22
    And say, Thus says the Lord God : "Behold, I am...
    Ezekiel 29:3
    Speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God : "Behol...
    Ezekiel 30:22
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : Behold, I am...
    Ezekiel 34:10
    Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against th...
    Ezekiel 35:3
    And say to it, Thus says the Lord God : Behold,...
    Ezekiel 38:3
    And say, Thus says the Lord God : Behold, I am ...
    Jeremiah 21:13
    "Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the ...
  8. Cross References
    Ezra 2:59
    The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers' houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel:
    Ezra 2:62
    These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean.
    Nehemiah 7:5
    Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles and the officials and the people to be enrolled by genealogy. And I found the book of the genealogy of those who came up at the first, and I found written in it:
    Psalms 69:28
    Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
    Psalms 87:6
    The Lord records as he registers the peoples, "This one was born there." Selah
  9. Cross References
    Ezekiel 20:38
    I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
  10. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:7
    And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  11. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:16
    The prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.
    Jeremiah 6:14
    They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace.
    Micah 3:5
    Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.
  12. Cross References
    Ezekiel 22:28
    And her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God,' when the Lord has not spoken.
  13. Cross References
    Ezekiel 38:22
    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.
    Isaiah 28:2
    Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong; like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters, he casts down to the earth with his hand.
    Isaiah 28:17
    And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.
    Isaiah 30:13
    Therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.
  14. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:11
    Say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out.
  15. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:11
    Say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out.
  16. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:7
    And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  17. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:10
    Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash.
  18. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:2
    Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.
  19. Cross References
    Exodus 15:20
    Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
    Judges 4:4
    Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
    2 Kings 22:14
    So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her.
  20. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:2
    "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: 'Hear the word of the Lord!'
  21. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:20
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds.
  22. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:21
    Your veils also I will tear off and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  23. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:20
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds.
  24. Cross References
    Micah 3:5
    Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths.
  25. Cross References
    Proverbs 28:21
    To show partiality is not good, but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
  26. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:8
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : "Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God.
  27. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:18
    And say, Thus says the Lord God : Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive?
  28. Cross References
    Ezekiel 34:10
    Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
  29. Cross References
    Ezekiel 6:7
    And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
  30. Cross References
    Jeremiah 14:14
    And the Lord said to me: "The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.
    Jeremiah 28:15
    And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.
  31. Cross References
    Jeremiah 23:14
    But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.
  32. Cross References
    Ezekiel 18:21
    But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
  33. Cross References
    Ezekiel 13:6 - 7
    They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the Lord,' when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word.
    Ezekiel 13:9
    My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
Next Book Next Book