Ezekiel 13:17–23

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷The Lord said, “Now, mortal man, look at the women among your people who make up predictions. Denounce them ¹⁸and tell them what the Sovereign Lord is saying to them:

“You women are doomed! You sew magic wristbands for everyone and make magic scarves for everyone to wear on their heads, so that they can have power over other people’s lives. You want to possess the power of life and death over my people and to use it for your own benefit. ¹⁹You dishonour me in front of my people in order to get a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who don’t deserve to die, and you keep people alive who don’t deserve to live. So you tell lies to my people, and they believe you.”

²⁰Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I hate the wristbands that you use in your attempt to control life and death. I will rip them off your arms and set free the people that you were controlling.^{x 21}I will rip off your scarves and let my people escape from your power once and for all. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

²²“By your lies you discourage good people, whom I do not wish to hurt. You prevent evil people from giving up evil and saving their lives. ²³So now your false visions and misleading predictions are over. I am rescuing my people from your power, so that you will know that I am the Lord.”