False Prophets Condemned

131 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 2 'Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who are prophesying, and thou hast said to those prophesying from their own heart: Hear ye a word of Jehovah: 3 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Wo unto the prophets who are foolish, Who are going after their own spirit, And they have seen nothing. 4 As foxes in the wastes, Thy prophets, O Israel, have been. 5 Ye have not gone up into breaches, Nor do ye make a fence for the house of Israel, To stand in battle in a day of Jehovah. 6 They have seen vanity, and lying divination, Who are saying: An affirmation of Jehovah, And Jehovah hath not sent them, And they have hoped to establish a word. 7 A vain vision have ye not seen, And a lying divination spoken, When ye say: An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have not spoken? 8 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen a lie, Therefore, lo, I 'am' against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. 9 And My hand hath been on the prophets, Who are seeing vanity, and who are divining a lie, In the assembly of My people they are not, And in the writing of the house of Israel they are not written, And unto the ground of Israel they come not, And ye have known that I 'am' the Lord Jehovah.

10 Because, even because, they did cause My people to err, Saying, Peace! and there is no peace, And that one is building a wall, And lo, they are daubing it with chalk. 11 Say to those daubing with chalk—It falleth, There hath been an overflowing shower, And ye, O hailstones, do fall, And a tempestuous wind doth rend, 12 And lo, fallen hath the wall! Doth not one say unto you, Where 'is' the daubing that ye daubed? 13 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: I have rent with a tempestuous wind in My fury, And an overflowing shower is in Mine anger, And hailstones in My fury—to consume. 14 And I have broken down the wall that ye daubed with chalk, And have caused it to come unto the earth, And revealed hath been its foundation, And it hath fallen, And ye have been consumed in its midst, And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah. 15 And I have completed My wrath on the wall, And on those daubing it with chalk, And I say to you: The wall is not, And those daubing it are not; 16 The prophets of Israel who are prophesying concerning Jerusalem, And who are seeing for her a vision of peace, And there is no peace, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, who are prophesying out of their own heart, and prophesy concerning them, 18 And thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Wo to those sowing pillows for all joints of the arm, And to those making the kerchiefs For the head of every stature—to hunt souls, The souls do ye hunt of My people? And the souls ye have do ye keep alive? 19 Yea, ye pierce Me concerning My people, For handfuls of barley, And for pieces of bread, to put to death Souls that should not die, And to keep alive souls that should not live, By your lying to My people—hearkening to lies. 20 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I 'am' against your pillows, With which ye are hunting there the souls of the flourishing, And I have rent them from off your arms, And have sent away the souls that ye are hunting, The souls of the flourishing. 21 And I have torn your kerchiefs, And delivered My people out of your hand, And they are no more in your hand for a prey, And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah. 22 Because of paining the heart of the righteous with falsehood, And I have not pained it, And strengthening the hands of the wicked, So as not to turn back from his evil way, To keep him alive, 23 Therefore, vanity ye do not see, And divination ye do not divine again, And I have delivered My people out of your hand, And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah!'

Judgment on Idolaters Who Consult a Prophet

141 And come in unto me do certain of the elders of Israel, and sit before me. 2 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 3 'Son of man, these men have caused their idols to go up on their heart, and the stumbling-block of their iniquity they have put over-against their faces; am I inquired of at all by them? 4 'Therefore, speak with them, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Every one of the house of Israel who causeth his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath gone in unto the prophet—I Jehovah have given an answer to him for this, for the abundance of his idols, 5 in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart, in that they have become estranged from off me by their idols—all of them. 6 'Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn ye back, yea, turn ye back from your idols, and from all your abominations turn back your faces, 7 for every one of the house of Israel, and of the sojourners who doth sojourn in Israel, who is separated from after Me, and doth cause his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath come in unto the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I, Jehovah, have answered him for Myself; 8 and I have set My face against that man, and made him for a sign, and for similes, and I have cut him off from the midst of My people, and ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah. 9 'And the prophet, when he is enticed, and hath spoken a word—I, Jehovah, I have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel. 10 And they have borne their iniquity: as the iniquity of the inquirer, so is the iniquity of the prophet; 11 so that the house of Israel do not wander any more from after Me, nor are defiled any more with all their transgressions, and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

The Justice of God's Punishment of Jerusalem

12 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 13 'Son of man, the land—when it sinneth against Me to commit a trespass, and I have stretched out My hand against it, and broken for it the staff of bread, and sent into it famine, and cut off from it man and beast— 14 and these three men have been in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job—they by their righteousness deliver their own soul—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. 15 'If an evil beast I cause to pass through the land, and it hath bereaved, and it hath been a desolation, without any passing through because of the beast— 16 these three men in its midst: I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah—neither sons nor daughters do they deliver; they alone are delivered, and the land is a desolation. 17 'Or—a sword I bring in against that land, and I have said: Sword, thou dost pass over through the land, and I have cut off from it man and beast— 18 and these three men in its midst: I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah—they deliver not sons and daughters, for they alone are delivered. 19 'Or—pestilence I send unto that land, and I have poured out My fury against it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast— 20 and Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst: I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah—neither son nor daughter do they deliver; they, by their righteousness, deliver their own soul. 21 'For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Although My four sore judgments—sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence—I have sent unto Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast, 22 yet, lo, there hath been left in it an escape, who are brought forth, sons and daughters, lo, they are coming forth unto you, and ye have seen their way, and their doings, and have been comforted concerning the evil that I have brought in against Jerusalem, all that which I have brought in against it. 23 And they have comforted you, for ye see their way and their doings, and ye have known that not for nought have I done all that which I have done in her—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

Jerusalem like a Useless Vine

151 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying: 2 'Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any tree? The vine-branch that hath been, Among trees of the forest? 3 Is wood taken from it to use for work? Do they take of it a pin to hang any vessel on it? 4 Lo, to the fire it hath been given for fuel, Its two ends hath the fire eaten, And its midst hath been scorched! Is it profitable for work? 5 Lo, in its being perfect it is not used for work, How much less, when fire hath eaten of it, And it is scorched, Hath it been used yet for work? 6 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: As the vine-tree among trees of the forest, That I have given to the fire for fuel, So I have given the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7 And I have set My face against them, From the fire they have gone forth, And the fire doth consume them, And ye have known that I 'am' Jehovah, In My setting My face against them. 8 And I have made the land a desolation, Because they have committed a trespass, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'