If a lying windbag should come and say,‘ I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ he would be just the right preacher for these people!

若有人心存虚假，用谎言说：‘我要向你们预言得清酒和浓酒。’那人就必作这民的先知。

若有人心存虚假，用谎言说：“我向你们传讲可得清酒和烈酒”，那人就必作这百姓的传讲者。

若有人心存虚假，用谎言说：“我向你们传讲可得清酒和烈酒”，那人就必作这百姓的传讲者。

倘若有骗子撒谎说，‘我预言你们会有美酒佳酿。’他就会成为这个民族的先知。

若有人随从虚假的心，撒谎说：“我要向你们说清酒和烈酒的预言。”那人就是这民的预言家了。

若有人心存虛假，用謊言說：我要向你們預言得清酒和濃酒。那人就必作這民的先知。

若有人心存虛假，用謊言說：「我向你們傳講可得清酒和烈酒」，那人就必作這百姓的傳講者。

若有人心存虛假，用謊言說：「我向你們傳講可得清酒和烈酒」，那人就必作這百姓的傳講者。

倘若有騙子撒謊說，『我預言你們會有美酒佳釀。』他就會成為這個民族的先知。

若有人隨從虛假的心，撒謊說：“我要向你們說清酒和烈酒的預言。”那人就是這民的預言家了。

假使有人以虛假的作風往來而撒謊說：『我要向你們發神言講論酒和濃酒的題目』，這種人便可以做這人民的神言人了！

如人從虛偽、尚誑言、曰、我論清酒醇醪、向爾預言、彼則可為斯民之先知焉、○

如人好偽、佯托感神、以清酒醇醪、誨人燕飲、則民樂以為師、

如人尚虛浮、以偽妄之言告民曰、我乃先知、我訓爾宜飲清酒醇醪、我乃先知我訓爾宜飲清酒醇醪原文作我向爾述預言論及酒與醇醪則民尊之為師、○

If a liar and deceiver comes and says,‘ I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’ that would be just the prophet for this people!

Suppose a prophet goes around telling lies. And he prophesies that you will have plenty of wine and beer. Then that kind of prophet would be just right for this nation!

If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying,“ I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people!

Suppose a prophet full of lies would say to you,“ I’ll preach to you the joys of wine and alcohol!” That’s just the kind of prophet you would like!

If a man comes and utters empty lies—“ I will preach to you about wine and beer”— he would be just the preacher for this people!

If someone walking after wind and falsehood Had lied and said,‘ I will prophesy to you about wine and liquor,’ He would become a prophet to this people.

If a man should walk in a false spirit And speak a lie, saying,‘ I will prophesy to you of wine and drink,’ Even he would be the prattler of this people.

If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

If a man of wind comes and invents lies:“ I will preach to you about wine and beer,” he would be just the preacher for this people!

If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie,[ saying], I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

If a man walking in a spirit of falsehood lies:“ I will prophesy to you of wine and of strong drink;” he would be the prophet of this people.

The prophets prophesy lies. The priests exercise power by their own authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!

They say to the visionaries,“ See no more visions!” and to the seers,“ Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us nice things, relate deceptive messages.Turn aside from the way, stray off the path. Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.”

They continually say to those who reject what the LORD has said,‘ Things will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts,‘ Nothing bad will happen to you!’

Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah,“ Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie!

The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.

“ That is because, from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of them practice deceit.They offer only superficial help for the harm my people have suffered. They say,‘ Everything will be all right!’ But everything is not all right!

and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders,and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.

But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.

This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies( although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

The old prophet then said,“ I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the LORD’s authority,‘ Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’” But he was lying to him.

So I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.They offer only superficial help for the hurt my dear people have suffered. They say,“ Everything will be all right!” But everything is not all right!

Her leaders take bribes when they decide legal cases, her priests proclaim rulings for profit, and her prophets read omens for pay. Yet they claim to trust the LORD and say,“ The LORD is among us. Disaster will not overtake us!”

The LORD said,‘ Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that.Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said,‘ I will deceive him.’ The LORD asked him,‘ How?’He replied,‘ I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said,‘ Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.”

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.

“ The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says,‘ I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.Before two years are over, I will bring back to this place everything that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from it and carried away to Babylon.

The LORD says,“ I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying,‘ I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’

Then a spirit stepped forward and stood before the LORD. He said,‘ I will deceive him.’ The LORD asked him,‘ How?’He replied,‘ I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said,‘ Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.”

Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you.For I, the LORD, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.”

Then I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All- Powerful.

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.

So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them,“ Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said,“ Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king.”

This is what the LORD says:“ The prophets who mislead my people are as good as dead. If someone gives them enough to eat, they offer an oracle of peace. But if someone does not give them food, they are ready to declare war on him.

I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the LORD, affirm it!”

Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.

But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves.And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep.

suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you.Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,yet was rebuked for his own transgression( a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness).These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved.For by speaking high- sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.

Then the LORD said to me,“ Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind.

“ The LORD God of Israel who rules over all also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so.‘ I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes.And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say,“ May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!”This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the LORD.”

This is what the sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing!Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel.You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the LORD.They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say,“ the LORD declares,” though the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say,“ the LORD declares,” although I myself never spoke?“‘ Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the sovereign LORD.My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign LORD.“‘ This is because they have led my people astray saying,“ All is well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash.Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out.When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you,“ Where is the whitewash you coated it with?”“‘ Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury.I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, and you will know that I am the LORD.