Ezekiel 13:4

THE MESSAGE

People Who Love Listening to Lies God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master. "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, ‘No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, ‘When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?' "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God , the Master, say so: ‘I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God . "‘I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God , the Master.' "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say ‘Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, ‘Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.' "Therefore God says, ‘I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God . "‘Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God .'"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.

Hebrew Names Version
Yisra'el, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

King James Version
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

English Standard Version
Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.

New American Standard Bible
"Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.

New Century Version
People of Israel, your prophets have been like wild dogs hunting to kill and eat among ruins.

Amplified Bible
"O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among the ruins.

World English Bible
Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

Geneva Bible (1587)
O Israel, thy Prophets are like the foxes in the waste places.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.

Legacy Standard Bible
O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among waste places.

Berean Standard Bible
Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among the ruins.

Contemporary English Version
Israel's prophets are no better than jackals that hunt for food among the ruins of a city.

Complete Jewish Bible
Isra'el, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.

Darby Translation
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in desert places.

Easy-to-Read Version
"‘Israel, your prophets are false prophets. They are like jackals hunting for food among the ruins of a city.

George Lamsa Translation
O Israel, your prophets are like the foxes in the ruins.

Good News Translation
People of Israel, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of a city.

Lexham English Bible
Your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.

Literal Translation
O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O Israel, thy prophetes are like the foxes vpon the drie felde:

American Standard Version
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

Bible in Basic English
O Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the waste places.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in ruins.

King James Version (1611)
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
O Israel, thy prophetes are lyke the fores in desert places.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thy prophets, O Israel, are like foxes in the deserts.

English Revised Version
O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Israel, thi profetis weren as foxis in desert.

Update Bible Version
O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.

Webster's Bible Translation
O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

New English Translation
Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel.

New King James Version
O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.

New Living Translation
"O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins.

New Life Bible
O Israel, your men who speak in My name are of no more worth than foxes in destroyed cities.

New Revised Standard
Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
As jackals, among ruins, thy prophets O Israel have been.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thy prophets, O Israel, were like foxes in the deserts.

Revised Standard Version
Your prophets have been like foxes among ruins, O Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
As foxes in the wastes, Thy prophets, O Israel, have been.

Contextual Overview

¹ God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master. "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, ‘No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, ‘When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?' "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God , the Master, say so: ‘I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God . "‘I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God , the Master.' "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say ‘Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, ‘Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.' "Therefore God says, ‘I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God . "‘Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God .'" ³People Who Love Listening to Lies God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master. "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, ‘No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, ‘When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?' "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God , the Master, say so: ‘I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God . "‘I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God , the Master.' "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say ‘Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, ‘Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.' "Therefore God says, ‘I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God . "‘Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God .'" ⁴People Who Love Listening to Lies God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master. "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, ‘No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, ‘When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?' "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God , the Master, say so: ‘I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God . "‘I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God , the Master.' "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say ‘Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, ‘Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.' "Therefore God says, ‘I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God . "‘Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God .'" ⁵People Who Love Listening to Lies God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. "Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master. "The fact is that they've lied to my people. They've said, ‘No problem; everything's just fine,' when things are not at all fine. When people build a wall, they're right behind them slapping on whitewash. Tell those who are slapping on the whitewash, ‘When a torrent of rain comes and the hailstones crash down and the hurricane sweeps in and the wall collapses, what's the good of the whitewash that you slapped on so liberally, making it look so good?' "And that's exactly what will happen. I, God , the Master, say so: ‘I'll let the hurricane of my wrath loose, a torrent of my hailstone-anger. I'll make that wall you've slapped with whitewash collapse. I'll level it to the ground so that only the foundation stones will be left. And in the ruin you'll all die. You'll realize then that I am God . "‘I'll dump my wrath on that wall, all of it, and on those who plastered it with whitewash. I will say to them, There is no wall, and those who did such a good job of whitewashing it wasted their time, those prophets of Israel who preached to Jerusalem and announced all their visions telling us things were just fine when they weren't at all fine. Decree of God , the Master.' "And the women prophets—son of man, take your stand against the women prophets who make up stuff out of their own minds. Oppose them. Say ‘Doom' to the women who sew magic bracelets and head scarves to suit every taste, devices to trap souls. Say, ‘Will you kill the souls of my people, use living souls to make yourselves rich and popular? You have profaned me among my people just to get ahead yourselves, used me to make yourselves look good—killing souls who should never have died and coddling souls who shouldn't live. You've lied to people who love listening to lies.' "Therefore God says, ‘I am against all the devices and techniques you use to hunt down souls. I'll rip them out of your hands. I'll free the souls you're trying to catch. I'll rip your magic bracelets and scarves to shreds and deliver my people from your influence so they'll no longer be victimized by you. That's how you'll come to realize that I am God . "‘Because you've confounded and confused good people, unsuspecting and innocent people, with your lies, and because you've made it easy for others to persist in evil so that it wouldn't even dawn on them to turn to me so I could save them, as of now you're finished. No more delusion-mongering from you, no more sermonic lies. I'm going to rescue my people from your clutches. And you'll realize that I am God .'" ⁶People Who Love Listening to Lies God 's Message came to me: "Son of man, preach against the prophets of Israel who are making things up out of their own heads and calling it ‘prophesying.' "Preach to them the real thing. Tell them, ‘Listen to God's Message!' God , the Master, pronounces doom on the empty-headed prophets who do their own thing and know nothing of what's going on! Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals scavenging through the ruins. They haven't lifted a finger to repair the defenses of the city and have risked nothing to help Israel stand on God 's Day of Judgment. All they do is fantasize comforting illusions and preach lying sermons. They say ‘ God says...' when God hasn't so much as breathed in their direction. And yet they stand around thinking that something they said is going to happen. ⁷"Haven't you fantasized sheer nonsense? Aren't your sermons tissues of lies, saying ‘ God says...' when I've done nothing of the kind? Therefore—and this is the Message of God , the Master, remember—I'm dead set against prophets who substitute illusions for visions and use sermons to tell lies. I'm going to ban them from the council of my people, remove them from membership in Israel, and outlaw them from the land of Israel. Then you'll realize that I am God , the Master.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

prophets: Crafty, mischievous, and ravenous; always scheming something for their own interest; while they would not risk their persons to avert the mischief which they had caused.

like: Song of Solomon 2:15, Micah 2:11, Micah 3:5, Matthew 7:15, Romans 16:18, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Galatians 2:4, Ephesians 4:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Timothy 4:2, Titus 1:10-12, Revelation 13:11-14, Revelation 19:20

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 20:6 - thy friends Luke 13:32 - that fox

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
So Abram left Egypt and went back to the Negev, he and his wife and everything he owned, and Lot still with him. By now Abram was very rich, loaded with cattle and silver and gold.

Genesis 13:3
He moved on from the Negev, camping along the way, to Bethel, the place he had first set up his tent between Bethel and Ai and built his first altar. Abram prayed there to God .

Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have fighting between us, between your shepherds and my shepherds. After all, we're family. Look around. Isn't there plenty of land out there? Let's separate. If you go left, I'll go right; if you go right, I'll go left."

Genesis 13:18
Abram moved his tent. He went and settled by the Oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to God .

Psalms 26:8
God , I love living with you; your house glows with your glory. When it's time for spring cleaning, don't sweep me out with the quacks and crooks, Men with bags of dirty tricks, women with purses stuffed with bribe-money.

Psalms 84:10
One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin. All sunshine and sovereign is God , generous in gifts and glory. He doesn't scrimp with his traveling companions. It's smooth sailing all the way with God -of-the-Angel-Armies.

Psalms 107:1
Oh, thank God —he's so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by God , tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas.

Psalms 145:18
God 's there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.

Jeremiah 29:12
"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.

Zephaniah 3:9
"In the end I will turn things around for the people. I'll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted, Words to address God in worship and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel. They'll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers, they'll come praying— All my scattered, exiled people will come home with offerings for worship. You'll no longer have to be ashamed of all those acts of rebellion. I'll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders. No more pious strutting on my holy hill! I'll leave a core of people among you who are poor in spirit— What's left of Israel that's really Israel. They'll make their home in God . This core holy people will not do wrong. They won't lie, won't use words to flatter or seduce. Content with who they are and where they are, unanxious, they'll live at peace."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes of the deserts. The false prophets, as the Targum; these are called Israel's prophets, because received, embraced, and encouraged by them; not the Lord's, for they were not sent by him, nor had any messages from him; and such are comparable to foxes, for their craftiness and cunning, and lying in wait to deceive, as these seduced the Lord's people, Ezekiel 13:10; and such are false teachers, who walk in craftiness, and handle the word of God deceitfully, and are deceitful workers; and to foxes in the deserts, which are hungry and ravenous, and make a prey of whatsoever comes within their reach, as these prophets did of the people,

Ezekiel 13:19. Kimchi interprets "deserts" of breaches and ruinous places in the walls of a vineyard, where the foxes lie, or through which they enter into the vineyard and spoil it; as these false prophets entered in among the Israelites, like to a vineyard, and did them much hurt and damage, by insinuating themselves among the weak, and those of little faith, which the above writer compares to breaches in vineyards; see Song of Solomon 2:15. It may be the deserts may have respect to the land of Chaldea, where Israel was carried captive, and where these foxes, the false prophets, could play their part to advantage; not being under the notice and restraints of the sanhedrim at Jerusalem.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the deserts - Foxes find a home among ruins etc. Lamentations 5:18. So the prophets find their profit in the ruin of their country.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 13:4. Thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. — The cunning of the fox in obtaining his prey has been long proverbial. These false prophets are represented as the foxes who, having got their prey by great subtlety, run to the desert to hide both themselves and it. So the false prophets, when the event did not answer to their prediction, got out of the way, that they might not be overwhelmed with the reproaches and indignation of the people.