13:17 “As for you, son of man, turn toward 1 the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. 2 Prophesy against them 13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands 3 on all their wrists 4 and make headbands 5 for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! 6 Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 13:19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people 7 who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!
13:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note 8 that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives 9 like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds.
1 tn Heb “set your face against.”
2 tn Heb “from their heart.”
3 sn The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:413.
4 tn Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.
5 tn The Hebrew term occurs in the Bible only here and in v. 21. It has also been understood as a veil or type of head covering. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:414) suggests that given the context of magical devices, the expected parallel to the magical arm bands, and the meaning of this Hebrew root (סָפַח [safakh, “to attach” or “join”]), it may refer to headbands or necklaces on which magical amulets were worn.
6 tn Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).
7 tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”
8 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
9 tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”