1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are prophesying; say to those who prophesy from their own minds, 'Hear the word of the LORD!
3 Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the senseless prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4 Like foxes among the ruins your prophets have been, Israel.
5 You did not go up into the gaps or repair the wall around the house of Israel so that it could stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD.
6 They have seen emptiness and lying divination. They say, "Declares the LORD," though the LORD did not send them, and then they expect him to fulfill the word.
7 Is it not an empty vision you have seen, and a lying divination you have spoken, when you say, "Declares the LORD," and I have not spoken?'
8 "So thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have spoken emptiness and seen lies, therefore see, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD.
9 My hand will be against the prophets who see emptiness and divine lies. They will have no place in the council of my people, they will not be recorded in the roll of the house of Israel, and they will not come into the land of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord GOD.
10 Precisely because they have misled my people, saying 'Peace' where there is no peace, and when someone puts up a flimsy wall, there they are, coating it with whitewash,
11 tell those who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. A drenching rain will come; you, great hailstones, will fall; and a storm wind will tear it apart.
12 When the wall has fallen, will not people ask you, 'Where is the coating you smeared on it?'
13 "So thus says the Lord GOD: In my wrath I will let a storm wind burst out, in my anger a drenching rain will come, and great hailstones in wrath to make an end.
14 I will tear down the wall you coated with whitewash and flatten it to the ground, so that its foundation is exposed; it will fall, you will be finished off inside it, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
15 So I will vent my wrath on the wall and on those who coated it with whitewash, and I will tell you, 'The wall is gone, and gone are those who coated it,
16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and saw for her visions of peace where there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.'
17 "You, Son of man, turn your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy from their own minds. Prophesy against them
18 and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew bands on all the joints of the hands and make veils for heads of every size to hunt down souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people and keep your own souls alive?
19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread, killing souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by lying to my people, who listen to lies.
20 "'So thus says the Lord GOD: See, I am against your bands with which you hunt souls there as though they were birds; I will rip them off your arms and set free the souls you hunt as though they were birds.
21 I will rip off your veils too and rescue my people from your hand; they will no longer be prey in your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
22 Because by lies you have broken the heart of the righteous man, whom I had not caused pain, and have encouraged the wicked man not to turn from his wicked way and live,
23 therefore you will no longer see emptiness or practice divination. I will rescue my people from your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"