or has found something lost and denies it and swears falsely<n id="1" /> concerning any one of the things that someone might do to sin<n id="2" /> &#8211;

If I had acted at risk of my own life<n id="1" /> &#8211; and nothing is hidden from the king! &#8211; you would have abandoned me.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

So now, look, the <sc>Lordsc> has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the <sc>Lordsc> has decreed disaster for you.&#8221;

But they said, &#8220;You&#8217;re lying! Tell us what he said.&#8221; So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I have designated you as king over Israel.&#8217;&#8221;

He replied, &#8216;I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.&#8217; The <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> said, &#8216;Deceive and overpower him.<n id="2" /> Go out and do as you have proposed.&#8217;

So now, look, the <sc>Lordsc> has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the <sc>Lordsc> has decreed disaster for you.&#8221;

<p class="poetry">But the king<n id="1" /> will rejoice in God;p> <p class="poetry">everyone who takes oaths in his name<n id="2" /> will boast,p> <p class="poetry">for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.p> <p class="poetry">Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason,<n id="1" /> outnumber me.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">They make me repay what I did not steal!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">A deceiver&#8217;s methods are evil;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he dreams up evil plans<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">to ruin the poor with lies,p> <p class="poetry">even when the needy are in the right.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">He feeds on ashes;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">his deceived mind misleads him.p> <p class="poetry">He cannot rescue himself,p> <p class="poetry">nor does he say, &#8216;Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">At whom are you laughing?p> <p class="poetry">At whom are you opening your mouthp> <p class="poetry">and sticking out your tongue?p> <p class="poetry">You are the children of rebels,p> <p class="poetry">the offspring of liars,<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">We have rebelled and tried to deceive the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">we turned back from following our God.p> <p class="poetry">We stir up<n id="1" /> oppression and rebellion;p> <p class="poetry">we tell lies we concocted in our minds.<n id="2" />p>

In spite of all this,<n id="1" /> Israel&#8217;s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,&#8221;<n id="2" /> says the <sc>Lordsc>.

<p class="poetry">The prophets prophesy lies.p> <p class="poetry">The priests exercise power by their own authority.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">And my people love to have it this way.p> <p class="poetry">But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;That is because, from the least important to the most important of them,p> <p class="poetry">all of them are greedy for dishonest gain.p> <p class="poetry">Prophets and priests alike,p> <p class="poetry">all of them practice deceit.p>

Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says,<n id="1" /> &#8220;We are safe!<n id="2" /> The temple of the <sc>Lordsc> is here! The temple of the <sc>Lordsc> is here! The temple of the <sc>Lordsc> is here!&#8221;<n id="3" />

You steal.<n id="1" /> You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to<n id="2" /> other gods whom you have not previously known.

<p class="poetry">One friend deceives anotherp> <p class="poetry">and no one tells the truth.p> <p class="poetry">These people have trained themselves<n id="1" /> to tell lies.p> <p class="poetry">They do wrong and are unable to repent.p>

<p class="poetry">All these idolaters<n id="1" /> will prove to be stupid and ignorant.p> <p class="poetry">Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.p> <p class="poetry">For the image he forges is merely a sham.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">There is no breath in any of those idols.<n id="3" />p>

Do not listen to them,<n id="1" /> because their prophecies are lies.<n id="2" /> Listening to them will only cause you<n id="3" /> to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile.<n id="4" />