"Ifa manwalkingafter windand falsehoodHad toldlies[and said], 'I will speakout to you concerning wineand liquor,'He would be spokesmanto thispeople.
The prophetsprophesyfalsely,And the priestsruleon their [own] authority;And My peopleloveit so!But whatwill you doat the endof it?
Then Jeremiahthe prophetsaidto Hananiahthe prophet,"Listennow,Hananiah,the LORDhas not sentyou, and you have made thispeopletrustin a lie.
"Behold,I am againstthose who have prophesiedfalse~dreams,"declaresthe LORD,"and relatedthem and ledMy peopleastrayby their falsehoodsand recklessboasting;yet I did not sendthem or commandthem, nordo they furnishthispeoplethe slightestbenefit,"declaresthe LORD.
"I have heardwhatthe prophetshave saidwho prophesyfalselyin My name,saying,'I hada dream,I hada dream!'
"They keep sayingto those who despiseMe, 'The LORDhas said,"You will havepeace"'; And as for everyonewho walksin the stubbornnessof his own heart,They say,Calamitywill not comeupon you.'
"Also among the prophetsof JerusalemI have seena horriblething:The committingof adulteryand walkingin falsehood;And they strengthenthe handsof evildoers,So that noonehas turnedbackfrom his wickedness.Allof them have becometo Me like Sodom,And her inhabitantslike Gomorrah.
Then the LORDsaidto me, "The prophetsare prophesyingfalsehoodin My name.I have neithersentthem norcommandedthem norspokento them; they are prophesyingto you a false vision,divination,futilityand the deceptionof their own minds.
Then the kingof Israelgatheredthe prophetstogether, about fourhundredmen,and saidto them, "Shall I goagainstRamoth-gileadto battleorshall I refrain?"And they said,"Goup, for the Lordwill give[it] into the handof the king."
Beloved,do not believeeveryspirit,but testthe spiritsto see whetherthey are from God,becausemanyfalse prophetshave goneout into the world.
whoseendis destruction,whosegodis [their] appetite,and [whose] gloryis in their shame,who set their mindson earthly things.
For such menare slaves,not of our LordChristbut of their ownappetites;and by their smoothand flattering speechthey deceivethe heartsof the unsuspecting.
Her leaderspronouncejudgmentfor a bribe,Her priestsinstructfor a priceAnd her prophetsdivinefor money.Yet they leanon the LORDsaying,"Is not the LORDin our midst?Calamitywill not comeupon us."
Thussaysthe LORDconcerningthe prophetswho leadmy peopleastray;When they have [something] to bitewith their teeth,They cry,"Peace,"But againsthim whoputsnothingin their mouthsThey declareholywar.
"Becauseyou disheartenedthe righteouswith falsehoodwhen I did not causehim grief,but have encouragedthe wickednot to turnfrom his wickedway[and] preservehis life,
The headis the elderand honorableman, And the prophetwho teachesfalsehoodis the tail.
He saidto him, "I alsoam a prophetlikeyou, and an angelspoketo me by the wordof the LORD,saying,'Bringhim backwith you to your house,that he may eatbreadand drinkwater.'"[But] he liedto him.
"IfI have walkedwith falsehood,And my foothas hastenedafterdeceit,
[Like] cloudsand windwithoutrainIs a manwho boastsof his giftsfalsely.
And thesealsoreelwith wineand staggerfrom strongdrink:The priestand the prophetreelwith strongdrink,They are confusedby wine,they staggerfrom strongdrink;They reelwhile having visions,They totter[when rendering] judgment.
And they do not cryto Me from their heartWhenthey wailon their beds;For the sakeof grainand newwinethey assemblethemselves, They turnawayfrom Me.
Your prophetshave seenfor you false and foolish[visions]; And they have not exposedyour iniquitySo as to restoreyou from captivity,But they have seenfor you false and misleadingoracles.
