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!

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!

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 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 prophesy lies. The priests rule by their own authority. And my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”

They say to the seers,‘ Don’t see any more visions!’ They say to the prophets,‘ Don’t give us any more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things. Prophesy things we want to hear even if they aren’t true.Get out of our way! Get off our path! Keep the Holy One of Israel away from us!’ ”

They keep speaking to those who hate me. They say,‘ The Lord says you will have peace.’ They speak to all those who do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They tell them,‘ No harm will come to you.’

Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the false prophet Hananiah. Jeremiah said,“ Listen, Hananiah! The Lord hasn’t sent you. But you have tricked these people. Now they trust in lies.

The elders and important leaders are the heads. The prophets who teach lies are the tails.

Everyone wants to get richer and richer, from the least important of them to the most important. Prophets and priests alike try to fool everyone they can.They bandage the wounds of my people as if they were not very deep.‘ Peace, peace,’ they say. But there isn’t any peace.

Then the man of sin will appear. The Lord Jesus will overthrow him with the breath of his mouth. The glorious brightness of Jesus’ coming will destroy the man of sin.The coming of the man of sin will fit how Satan works. The man of sin will show his power through all kinds of signs and wonders. These signs and wonders will lead people astray.So people who are dying will be fooled by this evil. These people are dying because they refuse to love the truth. The truth would save them.So God will fool them completely. Then they will believe the lie.

I have also seen something horrible among Jerusalem’s prophets. They are not faithful to me. They are not living by the truth. They strengthen the hands of those who do evil. So not one of them turns from their sinful ways. All of them are like the people of Sodom to me. They are just like the people of Gomorrah.”

I had not made godly people sad. But when you told them lies, you made them lose all hope. You advised sinful people not to turn from their evil ways. You did not want them to save their lives.

The old prophet answered,“ I’m also a prophet, just like you. An angel gave me a message from the Lord. The message said,‘ Bring the man of God back with you to your house. Then he can eat bread and drink water with you.’ ” But the old prophet was telling him a lie.

I will give their wives to other men. I will give their fields to new owners. Everyone wants to get richer and richer. Everyone is greedy, from the least important to the most important. Prophets and priests alike try to fool everyone they can.They bandage the wounds of my people as if they were not very deep.‘ Peace, peace,’ they say. But there isn’t any peace.

Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”

The Lord said,‘ Who will get Ahab, the king of Israel, to attack Ramoth Gilead? I want him to die there.’“ One angel suggested one thing. Another suggested something else.Finally, a spirit came forward and stood in front of the Lord. The spirit said,‘ I’ll get Ahab to do it.’“‘ How?’ the Lord asked.“ The spirit said,‘ I’ll go and put lies in the mouths of all his prophets.’“‘ You will have success in getting Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead,’ said the Lord.‘ Go and do it.’“ So the Lord has put lies in the mouths of your prophets. He has said that great harm will come to you.”

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit. Test the spirits to see if they belong to God. Many false prophets have gone out into the world.

People like that are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving only themselves. With smooth talk and with words they don’t mean they fool people who don’t know any better.

“ The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,‘ I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, removed all the objects that belong to my house. He took them to Babylon. Before two years are over, I will bring them back to this place.

“ I have heard what the prophets are saying. They prophesy lies in my name. They say,‘ I had a dream! The Lord has given me a dream!’

Finally, a spirit came forward and stood in front of the Lord. The spirit said,‘ I’ll get Ahab to do it.’“‘ How?’ the Lord asked.“ The spirit said,‘ I’ll go out and put lies in the mouths of all his prophets.’“‘ You will have success in getting Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead,’ said the Lord.‘ Go and do it.’“ So the Lord has put lies in the mouths of all your prophets. He has said that great harm will come to you.”

Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who say to you,‘ You won’t serve the king of Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you.‘ I have not sent them,’ announces the Lord.‘ They are prophesying lies in my name. So I will drive you away from your land. And you will die. So will the prophets who prophesy to you.’ ”

Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.They are spirits of demons that perform signs. They go out to gather the kings of the whole world for battle. This battle will take place on the great day of the God who rules over all.

People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ.That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light.So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve.

So the king of Israel brought about 400 prophets together. He asked them,“ Should I go to war against Ramoth Gilead? Or should I stay here?”“ Go,” they answered.“ The Lord will hand it over to you.”

The Lord says,“ The prophets are those who lead my people astray. If my people feed them, the prophets promise them peace. If my people do not feed them, the prophets prepare to go to war against them.

I am against prophets who talk about dreams that did not come from me,” announces the Lord.“ They tell foolish lies. Their lies lead my people astray. But I did not send these prophets. I did not appoint them. They do not help my people in the least,” announces the Lord.

The only thing they have coming to them is death. Their stomach is their god. They brag about what they should be ashamed of. They think only about earthly things.

But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way there will be false teachers among you. In secret they will bring in teachings that will destroy you. They will even turn against the Lord and Master who died to pay for their sins. So they will quickly destroy themselves.Many people will follow their lead. These people will do the same evil things the false teachers do. They will cause people to think badly about the way of truth.These teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The God who will destroy them has not been sleeping.

They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to have wild parties in the middle of the day. They are like dirty spots and stains. They enjoy their sinful pleasures while they eat with you.They stare at women who are not their wives. They want to sleep with them. They never stop sinning. They trap those who are not firm in their faith. They have mastered the art of getting what they want. God has placed them under his judgment.They have left God’s way. They have wandered off. They follow the way of Balaam, son of Beor. He loved to get paid for doing his evil work.But a donkey corrected him for the wrong he did. Animals don’t speak. But the donkey spoke with a human voice. It tried to stop the prophet from doing a very dumb thing.These people are like springs without water. They are like mists driven by a storm. The blackest darkness is reserved for them.They speak empty, bragging words. They make their appeal to the evil desires that come from sin’s power. They tempt new believers who are just escaping from the company of sinful people.They promise to give freedom to these new believers. But they themselves are slaves to sinful living. That’s because“ people are slaves to anything that controls them.”

Then the Lord said to me,“ The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them. I have not even spoken to them. Everything they tell you about their visions or secret knowledge is a lie. They pretend to bring you messages from other gods. They try to get you to believe their own mistaken ideas.

The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He speaks about Ahab and Zedekiah. Ahab is the son of Kolaiah. Zedekiah is the son of Maaseiah. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. The Lord says about Ahab and Zedekiah,“ I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He will put them to death. You will see it with your own eyes.Because of what happens to them, people will use their names when they curse someone. All those who have been taken from Judah to Babylon will use their names in that way. They will say,‘ May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab. The king of Babylon burned them in the fire.’That will happen because they have done awful things in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives. They have spoken lies in my name. I did not give them the authority to speak those things. I know what they have done. And I am a witness to it,” announces the Lord.

The Lord and King says,“ How terrible it will be for you foolish prophets! You say what your own minds tell you to. Your visions do not come from me.Israel, your prophets are like wild dogs that live among broken- down buildings.You have not repaired the cracks in the city wall for the people of Israel. So it will not stand firm in the battle on the day I judge you.The visions of those prophets are false. They use magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But their magic tricks are lies. They say,‘ The Lord announces.’ But I have not sent them. In spite of that, they expect him to make their words come true.You prophets have seen false visions. You have used magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But your magic tricks are lies. So you lied when you said,‘ The Lord announces.’ I did not even speak to you at all.”“‘ The Lord and King says,“ I am against you prophets. Your messages are false. Your visions do not come true,” announces the Lord and King.“ Israel, my power will be against the prophets who see false visions. Their magic tricks are lies. They will not be among the leaders of my people. They will not be listed in the records of Israel. In fact, they will not even enter the land. Then you will know that I am the Lord and King.“‘ “They lead my people away from me. They say,‘ Peace.’ But there isn’t any peace. They are like people who build a weak wall. They try to cover up the weakness by painting the wall white.Tell those who do this that their wall is going to fall. Heavy rains will come. I will send hailstones crashing down. Powerful winds will blow.The wall will fall down. Then people will ask them,‘ Now where is the paint you covered it with?’ ”“‘ So the Lord and King speaks. He says,“ When I am very angry, I will send a powerful wind. Hailstones and heavy rains will come. They will fall with great force.I will tear down the wall you prophets painted over. I will knock it down. The only thing left will be its foundation. When it falls, you will be destroyed along with it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.