^13:18and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands¹⁷ on all their wrists¹⁸ and make headbands¹⁹ for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives!²⁰ Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? ^13:19You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people²¹ who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!

^13:20“ ‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note²² that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives²³ like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds.

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Footnotes

17 The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (), 1:.
18 Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.
19 The Hebrew term occurs in the Bible only here and in v. 21. It has also been understood as a veil or type of head covering. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [], 1:) suggests that given the context of magical devices, the expected parallel to the magical arm bands, and the meaning of this Hebrew root (סָפַח [safakh, “to attach” or “join”]), it may refer to headbands or necklaces on which magical amulets were worn.
20 Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).
21 Heb “human lives” or “souls.”
22 The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
23 Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive? You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? You have profaned me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.

“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Woe to the women who sew magic bands on the wrist of every hand and who make veils for the heads of people of every size in order to ensnare lives. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? You profane me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread; you put those to death who should not die and spare those who should not live, when you lie to my people, who listen to lies.

“ ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am against your magic bands with which you ensnare people like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will free the people you have ensnared like birds.

NLTNew Living Translation

This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction on yourselves? You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to those who sew magic charm bands on all the wrists of the hands of my people and those who make the veils that are on the head of people of every height, to ensnare people’s lives! Will you ensnare the lives of my people and keep yourselves alive? And you defiled me among my people for a handful of barley and for morsels of bread to kill persons who should not die and to keep alive persons who should not live by means of your lies to my people who are listening to your lies.” ’ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Look! I am against your magic charm bands with which you are ensnaring persons as birds; I will tear them from your arms, and I will release the persons that you are ensnaring, treating persons as birds.

KJV 1900King James Version

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? 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? 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.

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