<p class="poetry">I rashly declared,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;All men are liars.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">The wicked turn aside from birth;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">liars go astray as soon as they are born.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">What is desirable<n id="1" /> for a person is to show loyal love,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and a poor person is better than a liar.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">You men,<n id="1" /> how long will you try to turn my honor into shame?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">How long<n id="3" /> will you love what is worthless<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and search for what is deceptive?<n id="5" /> (Selah)p>

<p class="poetry">You destroy<n id="1" /> liars;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc> despises<n id="3" /> violent and deceitful people.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">They<n id="1" /> spend all their time planning how to bring him<n id="2" /> down.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">They love to use deceit;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">they pronounce blessings with their mouths,p> <p class="poetry">but inwardly they utter curses.<n id="5" /> (Selah)p>

<p class="poetry">I will make justice the measuring line,p> <p class="poetry">fairness the plumb line;p> <p class="poetry">hail will sweep away the unreliable refuge,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the floodwaters will overwhelm the hiding place.p>

<p class="poetry">How blessed<n id="1" /> is the one<n id="2" /> who trusts in the <sc>Lordsc><n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and does not seek help from<n id="4" /> the proud or from liars!<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Men are nothing but a mere breath;p> <p class="poetry">human beings are unreliable.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">When they are weighed in the scales,p> <p class="poetry">all of them together are lighter than air.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Remove falsehood and lies<n id="1" /> far from me;p> <p class="poetry">do not give me poverty or riches,p> <p class="poetry">feed me with my allotted portion<n id="2" /> of bread,<n id="3" />p>

They see delusion and their omens are a lie.<n id="1" /> They say, &#8220;the <sc>Lordsc> declares,&#8221; though the <sc>Lordsc> has not sent them;<n id="2" /> yet they expect their word to be confirmed.<n id="3" />

Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, &#8220;the <sc>Lordsc> declares,&#8221; although I myself never spoke?p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;Therefore, this is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look,<n id="1" /> I am against you,<n id="2" /> declares the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>.

Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash.<n id="1" /> They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, &#8216;This is what the sovereign <sc>Lordsc> says,&#8217; when the <sc>Lordsc> has not spoken.

These two kings, their minds<n id="1" /> filled with evil intentions, will trade<n id="2" /> lies with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still an end at the appointed time.

<p class="poetry">Ephraim continually feeds on the wind;p> <p class="poetry">he chases the east wind all day;p> <p class="poetry">he multiplies lies and violence.p> <p class="poetry">They make treaties<n id="1" /> with Assyria,p> <p class="poetry">and send olive oil as tribute<n id="2" /> to Egypt.p>

<p class="poetry">If a lying windbag should come and say,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I&#8217;ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,&#8217;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he would be just the right preacher for these people!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">For you say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;We have made a treaty with death,p> <p class="poetry">with Sheol<n id="1" /> we have made an agreement.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">it will not reach us.p> <p class="poetry">For we have made a lie our refuge,p> <p class="poetry">we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council<n id="1" /> of my people, nor be written in the registry<n id="2" /> of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign <sc>Lordsc>.p>

You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people<n id="1" /> who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!p>