The Theater of Denial: False Prophets, Manufactured Truth, and the Price of Refusing Reality
Ezekiel 12
1 Yahweh’s word also came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, you dwell in the middle of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don’t see; who have ears to hear, and don’t hear: for they are a rebellious house.
3 Therefore, son of man, prepare your stuff for moving, and move by day in their sight. You shall move from your place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.
4 You shall bring out your stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for moving. You shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as when men go out into exile.
5 Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your stuff out that way.
6 In their sight you shall bear it on your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark. You shall cover your face, so that you don’t see the land; for I have set you for a sign to the house of Israel.”
7 I did so as I was commanded. I brought out my stuff by day, as stuff for moving, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I carried it out in the dark, and bore it on my shoulder in their sight.
8 In the morning, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
9 “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’
10 Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel among whom they are.”’
11 Say, ‘I am your sign. As I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall go into exile, into captivity.’
12 The prince who is among them shall bear his stuff on his shoulder in the dark, and shall go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry it out that way. He shall cover his face, because he shall not see the land with his eyes.
13 I will also spread my net on him, and he shall be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.
14 I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15 They shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries.
16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come. They shall know that I am Yahweh.”
17 Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness.
19 Tell the people of the land, ‘The Lord Yahweh says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink their water in dismay, that her land may be desolate, stripped of all that is in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.
20 The cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be a desolation; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’”
21 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?
23 Tell them therefore, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.”’ But tell them, ‘The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision.
24 For there shall be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25 For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall be performed. It shall be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious house, I will speak the word, and will perform it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
26 Again Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
27 “Son of man, behold, those of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times that are far off.’
28 Therefore tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “None of my words shall be deferred any more, but the word which I shall speak shall be performed,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
Ezekiel 13
1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word:
3 The Lord Yahweh says, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
4 Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.
5 You have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Yahweh.
6 They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, ‘Yahweh says’; but Yahweh has not sent them. They have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.
7 Haven’t you seen a false vision, and haven’t you spoken a lying divination, in that you say, ‘Yahweh says’; albeit I have not spoken?”
8 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you,” says the Lord Yahweh.
9 “My hand shall be against the prophets who see false visions, and who divine lies. They shall not be in the council 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 you shall know that I am the Lord Yahweh.
10 Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, ‘Peace’; and there is no peace; and when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it with whitewash:
11 tell those who plaster it with whitewash, that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower; and you, great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it.
12 Behold, when the wall has fallen, won’t it be said to you, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’
13 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘I will even tear it with a stormy wind in my wrath; and there shall be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it.
14 So will I break down the wall that you have plastered with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in its middle. You shall know that I am Yahweh.
15 Thus I will accomplish my wrath on the wall, and on those who have plastered it with whitewash; and I will tell you, “The wall is no more, neither those who plastered it;
16 even the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
17 “You, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy against them,
18 and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists, and make veils for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people, and save souls alive for yourselves?
19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.”
20 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against your magic bands, with which you hunt the souls there as birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will let the souls go, even the souls that you hunt as birds.
21 I will also tear your veils, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall no more be in your hand to be hunted; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.
22 Because with lies you have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive:
23 therefore you shall no more see false visions, nor divine divinations. I will deliver my people out of your hand; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.”’”
Ezekiel 14
1 Then some of the elders of Israel came to me, and sat before me.
2 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of at all by them?
4 Therefore speak to them, and tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I Yahweh will answer him who comes according to the multitude of his idols;
5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.”’
6 Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.
7 For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Yahweh will answer him by myself.
8 I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the middle of my people; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.
9 If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the middle of my people Israel.
10 They shall bear their iniquity. The iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;
11 that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”
12 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,
13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;
14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness,” says the Lord Yahweh.
15 “If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it is made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;
16 though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.
17 Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land’; so that I cut off from it man and animal;
18 though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only would be delivered themselves.
19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;
20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness.”
21 For the Lord Yahweh says: “How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem: the sword, the famine, the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal!
22 Yet, behold, there shall be left in it a remnant that shall be carried out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their doings. Then you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.
23 They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,” says the Lord Yahweh.
Scripture: World English Bible Classic (WEB), a public-domain translation. Available for free copying and sharing at eBible.org.
