Ezekiel 13:6-8

13:6 They see delusion and their omens are a lie. ¹  They say, “the Lord declares,” though the Lord has not sent them; ²  yet they expect their word to be confirmed. ³  13:7 Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, “the Lord declares,” although I myself never spoke?

13:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, ⁴  I am against you, ⁵  declares the sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 13:23

13:23 Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you ⁶  will know that I am the Lord.’”

Ezekiel 21:23

21:23 But those in Jerusalem ⁷  will view it as a false omen. They have sworn solemn oaths, ⁸  but the king of Babylon ⁹  will accuse them of violations ¹⁰  in order to seize them. ¹¹ 

Ezekiel 22:28

22:28 Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. ¹²  They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken.

¹ sn The same description of a false prophet is found in Micah 2:11.

² sn The Lord has not sent them. A similar concept is found in Jer 14:14; 23:21.

³ tn Or “confirmed”; NIV “to be fulfilled”; TEV “to come true.”

⁴ tn The word h!nn@h indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

⁵ tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘h!nn#n' ?l?K>,’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.

⁷ tn The Hebrew verb is feminine plural, indicating that it is the false prophetesses who are addressed here.

¹⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people in Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ sn When the people of Judah realized the Babylonians’ intentions, they would object on grounds that they had made a treaty with the Babylonian king (see 17:13).

¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of Babylon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ tn Or “iniquity.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “and he will remind of guilt for the purpose of being captured.” The king would counter their objections by pointing out that they had violated their treaty with him (see 17:18).

¹³ tn Heb “her prophets coat for themselves with whitewash.” The expression may be based on Ezek 13:10-15.