“ Some prophets are not really prophets at all. I show that their signs are fake. I make those who practice evil magic look foolish. I destroy the learning of those who think they are wise. Their knowledge does not make any sense at all.

使说假话的兆头失效，使占卜的癫狂，使智慧人退后，使他的知识变为愚拙；

我使虚谎的预兆失效，愚弄占卜的人，使智慧人退后，使他的知识变为愚拙；

我使虚谎的预兆失效，愚弄占卜的人，使智慧人退后，使他的知识变为愚拙；

我使假先知的预兆无法应验，使占卜者丑态百出；我颠覆智者的知识，使之愚不可及。

我使说假话者的兆头失效，使占卜者都变成愚昧人；我使有智慧的人后退，使他们的知识变为愚拙。

我破坏假先知的预兆，使占卜者显为愚妄；我颠覆了智慧人，使他们的知识变为愚拙；

使說假話的兆頭失效，使占卜的癲狂，使智慧人退後，使他的知識變為愚拙；

我使虛謊的預兆失效，愚弄占卜的人，使智慧人退後，使他的知識變為愚拙；

我使虛謊的預兆失效，愚弄占卜的人，使智慧人退後，使他的知識變為愚拙；

我使假先知的預兆無法應驗，使占卜者醜態百出；我顛覆智者的知識，使之愚不可及。

我使說假話者的兆頭失效，使占卜者都變成愚昧人；我使有智慧的人後退，使他們的知識變為愚拙。

是那使信口胡謅者的兆頭無效的，使占卜者變成了狂妄人，使智慧人退後，使他們的智識變為愚拙的，

我破壞假先知的預兆，使占卜者顯為愚妄；我顛覆了智慧人，使他們的知識變為愚拙；

我使誑者之兆不驗、卜筮之輩顚狂、智者卻退、其聰慧變為愚拙、

卜筮之輩、設兆惑人、我使其言不驗、彼自矜巧慧、反形愚拙、我使之然。

使偽先知所言預兆無驗、使卜筮者顯為愚、使智慧人退後、使其靈巧變為愚拙、

who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense,

who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools of fortune tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools.

who destroys the omens of the false prophets and makes fools of diviners; who confounds the wise and makes their knowledge foolishness;

Causing the omens of diviners to fail, Making fools of fortune tellers; Causing wise men to turn back And making their knowledge ridiculous,

Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness;

that frustrateth the signs of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

who destroys the omens of the false prophets and makes fools of diviners; who confounds the wise and makes their knowledge foolishness;

That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise[ men] backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem foolish,

who frustrates the signs of the liars, and makes diviners mad; who turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

The Lord blocks the sinful plans of the nations. He keeps them from doing what they want to do.

He stops the evil plans of those who are clever. The work of their hands doesn’t succeed.Some people think they are so wise. But God catches them in their own tricks. He sweeps away the evil plans of sinful people.Darkness covers them in the daytime. At noon they feel their way around as if it were night.

David had been told,“ Ahithophel, along with Absalom, is one of the people making secret plans against you.” So David prayed,“ Lord, make Ahithophel’s advice look foolish.”

A sword is coming against their prophets. But they are not really prophets at all! So they will look foolish. A sword is coming against their soldiers! They will be filled with terror.

I will make Babylon’s officials and wise men drunk. I will do the same thing to its governors, officers and soldiers. They will lie down and die. They will never wake up,” announces the King. His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.

So once more I will shock these people with many wonderful acts. I will destroy the wisdom of those who think they are so wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.”

“ So keep on casting your magic spells. Keep on practicing your evil magic. You have been doing those things ever since you were a child. Perhaps they will help you. Maybe they will scare your enemies away.All the advice you have received has only worn you out! Let those who study the heavens come forward. They claim to know what is going to happen by watching the stars every month. So let them save you from the trouble that is coming on you.They are just like straw. Fire will burn them up. They can’t even save themselves from the powerful flames. These are not like coals that can warm anyone. This is not like a fire to sit by.

His face turned pale. He was so afraid that his legs became weak. And his knees were knocking together.The king sent for those who try to figure things out by using magic. He also sent for those who study the heavens. All of them were wise men in Babylon. Then the king spoke to them. He said,“ I want one of you to read this writing. I want you to tell me what it means. Whoever does this will be dressed in purple clothes. A gold chain will be put around his neck. And he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”Then all the king’s wise men came in. But they couldn’t read the writing. They couldn’t tell him what it meant.

Those who try to figure things out by using magic came. So did those who study the heavens. I told all of them what I had dreamed. But they couldn’t tell me what it meant.

So do not listen to your prophets. Do not listen to those who claim to have secret knowledge. Do not listen to those who try to explain your dreams. Do not listen to those who get messages from people who have died. Do not listen to those who practice evil magic. All of them will tell you,‘ You won’t serve the king of Babylon.’But they prophesy lies to you. If you listen to them, you will be removed far away from your lands. I will drive you away from them. And you will die.

Zedekiah was the son of Kenaanah. Zedekiah had made horns out of iron. They looked like animal horns. He announced,“ The Lord says,‘ With these horns you will drive back the men of Aram until they are destroyed.’ ”All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing.“ Attack Ramoth Gilead,” they said.“ Win the battle over it. The Lord will hand it over to you.”

The officials of the city of Zoan are very foolish. Pharaoh’s wise men give advice that doesn’t make any sense. How can they dare to say to Pharaoh,“ We’re among the wise men”? How can they say to him,“ We’re like the advisers to the kings of long ago”?Pharaoh, where are your wise men now? Let them tell you what the Lord who rules over all has planned against Egypt.The officials of Zoan have become foolish. The leaders of Memphis have been lied to. The most important leaders in Egypt have led its people astray.The Lord has given them a spirit that makes them feel dizzy. They make Egypt unsteady in everything it does. Egypt is like a person who drinks too much. He throws up and then walks around in the mess he’s made.

In those days the advice Ahithophel gave was as good as advice from someone who asks God for guidance. That’s what David and Absalom thought about all of Ahithophel’s advice.

Here is what the Lord says about Edom. The Lord who rules over all says,“ Isn’t there wisdom in the town of Teman anymore? Can’t those who are wise give advice? Has their wisdom disappeared completely?

The bodies of all the Egyptians were covered with boils. The magicians couldn’t stand in front of Moses because of the boils that were all over them.

He asked them for advice in matters that required wisdom and understanding. The king always found their answers to be the best. Other men in his kingdom claimed to get knowledge by using magic. But the answers of Daniel and his friends were ten times better than theirs.

So the king died. He was brought to Samaria. They buried him there.

All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing.“ Attack Ramoth Gilead,” they said.“ Win the battle over it. The Lord will hand it over to you.”

“‘ How?’ the Lord asked.“ The spirit said,‘ I’ll go out and put lies in the mouths of all his prophets.’“‘ You will have success in getting Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead,’ said the Lord.‘ Go and do it.’“ So the Lord has put lies in the mouths of all your prophets. He has said that great harm will come to you.”Then Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah asked Micaiah,“ Do you think the spirit sent by the Lord left me? Do you think that spirit went to speak to you?”Micaiah replied,“ You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room to save your life.”

The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written,“ God catches wise people in their own evil plans.”( Job 5:13)It is also written,“ The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.”( Psalm 94:11)

All day long the battle continued. The king of Israel kept himself standing up by leaning against the inside of his chariot. He kept his face toward the men of Aram until evening. At sunset he died.

Ahithophel saw that his advice wasn’t being followed. So he put a saddle on his donkey. He started out for his house in his hometown. When he arrived, he made everything ready for his death. He made out his will. Then he killed himself. And so he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.

They answered the king,“ There is no one on earth who can do what you are asking! No king has ever asked for anything like that. Not even a king as great and mighty as you has asked for it. Those who get knowledge by using magic have never been asked to do what you are asking. And those who study the heavens haven’t been asked to do it either.What you are asking is much too hard. No one can tell you what you dreamed except the gods. And they don’t live among human beings.”That made the king very angry. He ordered that all the wise men in Babylon be put to death.

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish?God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe.Jews require signs. Greeks look for wisdom.But we preach about Christ and his death on the cross. That is very hard for Jews to accept. And everyone else thinks it’s foolish.But there are those God has chosen, both Jews and Greeks. To them Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom.The foolish things of God are wiser than human wisdom. The weakness of God is stronger than human strength.Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when God chose you. Not many of you were considered wise by human standards. Not many of you were powerful. Not many of you belonged to important families.But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

But what if a prophet says peace will come? And suppose peace really does come? Only then will he be recognized as a prophet truly sent by the Lord.”The false prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet. Then Hananiah broke the yoke.In front of all the people he said,“ The Lord says,‘ In the same way, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Before two years are over, I will remove it from the necks of all the nations.’ ” When Jeremiah the prophet heard this, he went on his way.A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It was after the false prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck. The message said,“ Go. Tell Hananiah,‘ The Lord says,“ You have broken a wooden yoke. But in its place you will get an iron yoke.”The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations. I will make them serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. So they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.” ’ ”Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the false prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah said,“ Listen, Hananiah! The Lord hasn’t sent you. But you have tricked these people. Now they trust in lies.So the Lord says,‘ I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. Before this year is over, you will die. You have taught the people to turn against me.’ ”In the seventh month of that very year, the false prophet Hananiah died.