^27:9So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination,²⁴ by dreams, by consulting the dead,²⁵ or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be²⁶ subject to the king of Babylon.’ ^27:10Do not listen to them,²⁷ because their prophecies are lies.²⁸ Listening to them will only cause you²⁹ to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile.³⁰

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Footnotes

24 Various means of divination are alluded to in the OT. For example, Ezek 21:26–27 alludes to throwing down arrows to see which way they fall and consulting the shape of the liver of slaughtered animals. Gen 44:5 alludes to reading the future through pouring liquid in a cup. The means alluded to in this verse were all classified as pagan and prohibited as illegitimate in Deut 18:10–14. The Lord had promised that he would speak to them through prophets like Moses (Deut 18:15, 18). But even prophets could lie. Hence, the Lord told them that the test of a true prophet was whether what he said came true or not (Deut 18:20–22). An example of false prophesying and the vindication of the true as opposed to the false will be given in the chapter that follows this.
25 An example of this is seen in 1 Sam 28.
26 The verb in this context is best taken as a negative obligatory imperfect. See §31.4g for discussion and examples. See Exod 4:15 as an example of positive obligation.
27 The words “Don’t listen to them” have been repeated from v. 9a to pick up the causal connection between v. 9a and v. 10 that is formally introduced by a causal particle in v. 10 in the original text.
28 Heb “they are prophesying a lie.”
29 Heb “lies will result in your being taken far …” (לְמַעַן [léma’an] + infinitive). This is a rather clear case of the particle לְמַעַן introducing result (contra 775 מַעַן note 1. There is no irony in this statement; it is a bold prediction).
30 The words “out of your country” are not in the text but are implicit in the meaning of the verb. The words “in exile” are also not in the text but are implicit in the context. These words have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ They are prophesying a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish.

NLTNew Living Translation

“ ‘Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, “The king of Babylon will not conquer you.” They are all liars, and their lies will lead to your being driven out of your land. I will drive you out and send you far away to die.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And you, you must not listen to your prophets, and to your diviners, and to your dreamers, and to your interpreters of signs, and to your sorcerers who are saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ For they are prophesying to you a lie, so that you will be removed from your land, and I will drive you away, and you will perish.

KJV 1900King James Version

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

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