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!

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!

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 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!

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 give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes?

They tell the seers,“ Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets,“ Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your‘ Holy One of Israel.’”

They keep saying to those who despise my word,‘ Don’t worry! The Lord says you will have peace!’ And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say,‘ No harm will come your way!’

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah,“ Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies.

The leaders of Israel are the head, and the lying prophets are the tail.

“ From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. From prophets to priests, they are all frauds.They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.

Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

But now I see that the prophets of Jerusalem are even worse! They commit adultery and love dishonesty. They encourage those who are doing evil so that no one turns away from their sins. These prophets are as wicked as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah once were.”

You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, but I didn’t want them to be sad. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins.

But the old prophet answered,“ I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord:‘ Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him.

I will give their wives to others and their farms to strangers. From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that. They are all frauds.They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.

You rulers make decisions based on bribes; you priests teach God’s laws only for a price; you prophets won’t prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim to depend on the Lord.“ No harm can come to us,” you say,“ for the Lord is here among us.”

And the Lord said,‘ Who can entice King Ahab of Israel to go into battle against Ramoth gilead so he can be killed?’“ There were many suggestions,and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said,‘ I can do it!’“‘ How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.“ And the spirit replied,‘ I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’“‘ You will succeed,’ said the Lord.‘ Go ahead and do it.’“ So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.

Such people are not serving Christ our Lord; they are serving their own personal interests. By smooth talk and glowing words they deceive innocent people.

“ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:‘ I will remove the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks.Within two years I will bring back all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon.

“ I have heard these prophets say,‘ Listen to the dream I had from God last night.’ And then they proceed to tell lies in my name.

and finally a spirit approached the Lord and said,‘ I can do it!’“‘ How will you do this?’ the Lord asked.“ And the spirit replied,‘ I will go out and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’“‘ You will succeed,’ said the Lord.‘ Go ahead and do it.’“ So you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all your prophets. For the Lord has pronounced your doom.”

Do not listen to the false prophets who keep telling you,‘ The king of Babylon will not conquer you.’ They are liars.This is what the Lord says:‘ I have not sent these prophets! They are telling you lies in my name, so I will drive you from this land. You will all die— you and all these prophets, too.’”

And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

So the king of Israel summoned the prophets, about 400 of them, and asked them,“ Should I go to war against Ramoth gilead, or should I hold back?” They all replied,“ Yes, go right ahead! The Lord will give the king victory.”

This is what the Lord says:“ You false prophets are leading my people astray! You promise peace for those who give you food, but you declare war on those who refuse to feed you.

I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!

They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.These people are as useless as dried up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.

Then the Lord said,“ These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says about your prophets— Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah— who are telling you lies in my name:“ I will turn them over to Nebuchadnezzar for execution before your eyes.Their terrible fate will become proverbial, so that the Judean exiles will curse someone by saying,‘ May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned alive!’For these men have done terrible things among my people. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have lied in my name, saying things I did not command. I am a witness to this. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’“ O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins.They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord.Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say,‘ This message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!Can your visions be anything but false if you claim,‘ This message is from the Lord,’ when I have not even spoken to you?“ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign Lord.I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.“ This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying,‘ All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down.And when the wall falls, the people will cry out,‘ What happened to your whitewash?’“ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury.I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.