Ezekiel - Chapter 13

Ezekiel 13.1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Ezekiel 13.2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Ezekiel 13.3 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Ezekiel 13.4 O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ezekiel 13.5 Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. Ezekiel 13.6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Ezekiel 13.7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Ezekiel 13.8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 13.9 And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 13.10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Ezekiel 13.11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Ezekiel 13.12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Ezekiel 13.13 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. Ezekiel 13.14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 13.15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; Ezekiel 13.16 To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 13.17 Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, Ezekiel 13.18 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? Ezekiel 13.19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? Ezekiel 13.20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Ezekiel 13.21 Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 13.22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Ezekiel 13.23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezekiel : Chapter 13

The Denunciation of False Prophets in Ezekiel 13

Chapter 13 of the book of Ezekiel constitutes a solemn warning against the false prophets of Israel. Through this incisive text, God addresses severe accusations against these deceivers who, by their own inspiration, offer false hope to the people. He criticizes not only the prophets, but also the prophetesses who mislead God's faithful, promising peace when no true peace exists.

The gravity of the divine condemnation that weighs upon them reflects the seriousness of their offense. It is essential to consider, with us, five biblical passages that highlight the dangers of false teaching as presented in this crucial chapter.

Matthew 7:15

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." - Jesus warns against false prophets, a central theme also evoked in Ezekiel 13.

2 Peter 2:1

"In times past, false prophets have arisen among the people, just as false teachers will also arise among you. These will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Sovereign who saved them, thus bringing sudden destruction upon themselves." - Peter warns against false teachers, a direct echo of the warnings in Ezekiel 13.

Jeremiah 23:16

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Do not listen to the prophesying of the prophets; they fill the people with false hopes. They speak from visions they have imagined, and not from the mouth of the Lord.'" - Jeremiah, like Ezekiel, warns against those who speak falsely in God's name.

1 John 4:1

"Beloved, do not believe in any spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - John encourages discernment when faced with false prophets, a theme also present in Ezekiel 13.

James 1:6-8

"But ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed and carried about by the wind. Let no one think that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is unstable in all his actions." - James describes the unstable nature of those who lack true faith, similar to the description of false prophets in Ezekiel 13:6-7.

Meditating on these passages, we are called to remain vigilant and seek divine truth, thus warding off any deceptive influences that might lead us astray.