7I did just as I was ordered: I took out my gear by day as gear for exile, and in the evening I broke through the wall a-with my own hands.-a In the darkness I carried [the gear] out on my shoulder, carrying it before their eyes.
8In the morning, the word of the LORD came to me: 9O mortal, did not the House of Israel, that rebellious breed, ask you, “What are you doing?” 10Say to them: “Thus said the Lord GOD: This pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the House of Israel who are in it.” 11Say: “I am a portent for you: As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity. 12And the prince among them shall carry his gear on his shoulder as he goes out in the dark. Heb shall break through the wall in order to carry [his gear] out through it; he shall cover his face, because he himself shall not see the land with his eyes.” 13I will spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he shall not see it;c and there he shall die. 14And all those around him, his helpers and all his troops, I will scatter in every direction; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. 15Then, when I have scattered them among the nations and dispersed them through the countries, they shall know that I am the LORD. 16But I will spare a few of them from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may recount all their abominable deeds among the nations to which they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD!
17The word of the LORD came to me: 18O mortal, eat your bread in trembling and drink your water in fear and anxiety. 19And say to the people of the land: Thus said the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in anxiety and drink their water in desolation, because their land will be desolate of its multitudes on account of the lawlessness of all its inhabitants. 20The inhabited towns shall be laid waste and the land shall become a desolation; then you shall know that I am the LORD.
21The word of the LORD came to me: 22O mortal, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, that you say, “The days grow many and every vision comes to naught?” 23Assuredly, say to them, Thus said the Lord GOD: I will put an end to this proverb; it shall not be used in Israel any more. Speak rather to them: The days draw near, and the fulfillment of every vision. 24For there shall no longer be any false vision or soothing divination in the House of Israel. 25But whenever I the LORD speak what I speak, that word shall be fulfilled without any delay; in your days, O rebellious breed, I will fulfill every word I speak—declares the Lord GOD.
26The word of the LORD came to me: 27See, O mortal, the House of Israel says, “The vision that he sees is far ahead, and he prophesies for the distant future.” 28Assuredly, say to them: Thus said the Lord GOD: There shall be no more delay; whenever I speak a word, that word shall be fulfilled—declares the Lord GOD.
13 The word of the LORD came to me: 2O mortal, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy; say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: Hear the word of the LORD! 3Thus said the Lord GOD: Woe to the degenerate prophets, who follow their own fancy, with-out having had a vision! 4Your prophets, O Israel, have been like jackals among ruins. 5You did not enter the breaches and repair the walls for the House of Israel, that they might stand up in battle in the day of the LORD. 6They prophesied falsehood and lying divination; they said, “De-clares the LORD,” when the LORD did not send them, and then they waited for their word to be fulfilled. 7It was false visions you prophesied and lying divination you uttered, saying, “Declares the LORD,” when I had not spoken.
8Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: Because you speak falsehood and prophesy lies, assuredly, I will deal with you—declares the Lord GOD. 9My hand will be against the prophets who prophesy falsehood and utter lying divination. They shall not remain in the assembly of My people, they shall not be inscribed in the lists of the House of Israel, and they shall not come back to the land of Israel. Thus shall you know that I am the Lord GOD.
10Inasmuch as they have misled My people, saying, “It is well,” when nothing is well, daubing with plaster the flimsy wall which a-the peo-ple-a were building, 11say to those daubers of plaster: It shall collapse; a driving rain shall descend—and you, O great hailstones, shall fall—and a hurricane wind shall rend it. 12Then, when the wall collapses, you will be asked, “What became of the plaster you daubed on?”
13Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: In My fury I will let loose hur-ricane winds; in My anger a driving rain shall descend, and great hailstones in destructive fury. 14I will throw down the wall that you daubed with plaster, and I will raze it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you shall perish in its midst; then you shall know that I am the LORD. 15And when I have spent My fury upon the wall and upon those who daubed it with plaster, I will say to you: Gone is the wall and gone are its daubers, 16the prophets of Israel who prophesy about Jerusalem and see a vision of well-being for her when there is no well-being—declares the Lord GOD.
17And you, O mortal, set your face against the women of your people, who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them 18and say: Thus said the Lord GOD: Woe to those who sew padsb on all arm-joints and make bonnetsb for the head of every person, in order to entrap! Can you hunt down lives among My people, while you preserve your own lives? 19You have profaned c-My name-c among My people in return for handfuls of barley and morsels of bread; you have announced the death of persons who will not die and the survival of persons who will not live—lying to My people, who listen to your lies.
20Assuredly, thus said the Lord GOD: I am going to deal with your pads,b d-by which-d you hunt down lives like birds, and I will tear them from your arms and free the persons whose lives you hunt down like birds. 21I will tear off your bonnetsb and rescue My people from your hands, and they shall no longer be prey in your hands; then you shall know that I am the LORD. 22Because you saddened the heart of the innocent with lies, when I would not inflict suffering on him, and encouraged the wicked not to repent of his evil ways and so gain life— 23assuredly, you shall no longer prophesy lies or practice divination! I will save My people from your hands, and you shall know that I am the LORD.
14 Certain elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. 2And the word of the LORD came to me: 3O mortal, these men have turned their thoughts upon their fetishes and set their minds upon the sin through which they stumbled: Shall I respond to their inquiry? 4Now speak to them and tell them: Thus said the Lord GOD: If anyone of the House of Israel turns his thoughts upon his fetishes and sets his mind upon the sin through which he stumbled, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will respond to him a-as he comes with-a his multitude of fetishes. 5Thus I will hold the House of Israel to account for their thoughts, because they have all been estranged from Me through their fetishes.
6Now say to the House of Israel: Thus said the Lord GOD: Repent, and turn back from your fetishes and turn your minds away from all your abominations. 7For if any man of the House of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, breaks away from Me and turns his thoughts upon his fetishes and sets his mind upon the sins through which he stumbled, and then goes to the prophet to inquire of Me through him, I the LORD will respond to him directly. 8I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a byword, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
9And if a prophet is seduced and does speak a word [to such a man], it was I the LORD who seduced that prophet; I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10Thus they shall bear their punishment: The punishment of the inquirer and the punishment of the prophet shall be the same, 11so that the House
