Ezekiel 13

Prophets who have seen nothing

1The word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, prophesy against Israel’s prophets who are prophesying. Tell those who prophesy from their own hearts, ‘Hear the word of the LORD! 3This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4Israel, your prophets have become like jackals among ruins. 5You have not gone up into the breaches or built a wall around the house of Israel, so that it could stand in battle on the day of the LORD. 6They see empty visions and give lying divinations. They say, “The LORD declares,” though the LORD has not sent them, and they expect their word to come true. 7Have you not seen an empty vision and spoken a lying divination? You say, “The LORD declares,” when I have not spoken. 8“‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you speak emptiness and see lies, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. 9My hand will be against the prophets who see empty visions and give lying divinations. They will have no place in my people’s council, no entry in the register of the house of Israel, and no entrance into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.

The whitewashed wall

10They have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace. When someone builds a flimsy wall, they coat it with whitewash. 11Tell those who coat it with whitewash: It will fall! A driving rain will come; hailstones, you will fall, and a storm wind will tear it apart. 12When the wall has fallen, will people not ask you, “Where is the coating you put on it?” 13“‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In my fury I will unleash a storm wind, in my anger a driving rain, and in fury hailstones to destroy it. 14I will tear down the wall you coated with whitewash and bring it to the ground, exposing its foundation. It will fall, and you will perish within it. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 15I will spend my fury on the wall and on those who coated it with whitewash. I will tell you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who coated it— 16the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,” declares the Lord GOD.’

Those who hunt lives

17“And you, son of man, turn your face toward the daughters of your people who prophesy from their own hearts. Prophesy against them. 18Say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew bands for every wrist and make veils for heads of every height, to hunt down lives! Will you hunt down the lives of my people while keeping lives for yourselves? 19You profane me among my people for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, putting to death lives that should not die and keeping alive lives that should not live, by lying to my people who listen to lies. 20“‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I am against your bands with which you hunt lives like birds. I will tear them from your arms and release the lives you hunt—the lives like birds. 21I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hands. They will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the LORD. 22Because you have disheartened the righteous with lies, when I had not caused them grief, and strengthened the hands of the wicked so they would not turn from their evil path and live, 23you will no longer see empty visions or practice divination. I will rescue my people from your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”