וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

בֶּן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא אֶל־נְבִיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנִּבָּאִים וְאָמַרְתָּ לִנְבִיאֵי מִלִּבָּם שִׁמְעוּ דְּבַר־ה'

Son of man, prophesy concerning the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their heart, and whose words do not reflect the word of God: Hear the word of the Lord:

כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הוֹי עַל־הַנְּבִיאִים הַנְּבָלִים אֲשֶׁר הֹלְכִים אַחַר רוּחָם וּלְבִלְתִּי רָאוּ

So said the Lord God: Woe to the contemptible and lowly prophets who follow their own spirit and desires and that which they have not seen through prophecy but have fabricated.

כְּשֻׁעָלִים בָּחֳרָבוֹת נְבִיאֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָיוּ

Like foxes hiding among the ruins have your prophets been, Israel.

לֹא עֲלִיתֶם בַּפְּרָצוֹת וַתִּגְדְּרוּ גָדֵר עַל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲמֹד בַּמִּלְחָמָה בְּיוֹם ה'

You did not go up into the breaches to seal them, or build a fence for the house of Israel, to enable it to withstand in battle against its enemies, on the day of the Lord. Foxes exploit the cover of ruins to stealthily launch attacks on vineyards and residential areas, and even widen existing breaches. Similarly, these false prophets did not warn the people of the impending punishment for their sins or repair the breaches, which are the basic obligations of a prophet. On the contrary, they exploited the people’s weaknesses and widened the breach among them.

חָזוּ שָׁוְא וְקֶסֶם כָּזָב הָאֹמְרִים נְאֻם־ה' וְה' לֹא שְׁלָחָם וְיִחֲלוּ לְקַיֵּם דָּבָר

They, these false prophets, have envisioned that which is vain and false divination; they are the ones who say: The utterance of the Lord, but the Lord did not send them, and yet they instill in their audience false hope that the matter will be fulfilled.

הֲלוֹא מַחֲזֵה־שָׁוְא חֲזִיתֶם וּמִקְסַם כָּזָב אֲמַרְתֶּם וְאֹמְרִים נְאֻם־ה' וַאֲנִי לֹא דִבַּרְתִּי

Isn’t it a vain vision that you have seen and false divination that you say? You say: The utterance of the Lord, but I have not spoken.

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים יַעַן דַּבֶּרְכֶם שָׁוְא וַחֲזִיתֶם כָּזָב לָכֵן הִנְנִי אֲלֵיכֶם נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

Therefore, so said the Lord God: Because you have spoken that which is vain and you have envisioned falsehood, therefore behold, I am against you – the utterance of the Lord God.

וְהָיְתָה יָדִי אֶל־הַנְּבִיאִים הַחֹזִים שָׁוְא וְהַקֹּסְמִים כָּזָב בְּסוֹד עַמִּי לֹא־יִהְיוּ וּבִכְתָב בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יִכָּתֵבוּ וְאֶל־אַדְמַת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָבֹאוּ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי ה' אֱלוֹהִים

My punitive hand will be against the prophets, who envision that which is vain and who divine falsehood; in the company of My people they will not be, and they will not be inscribed in the register of the house of Israel. They will be lost from the nation and its collective memory, as they will not be listed among its leaders and their words will not be recorded, and to the soil of Israel they will not come at the end of the exile, and you will know that I am the Lord God.

יַעַן וּבְיַעַן הִטְעוּ אֶת־עַמִּי לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם וְאֵין שָׁלוֹם וְהוּא בֹּנֶה חַיִץ וְהִנָּם טָחִים אֹתוֹ תָּפֵל

Because and because they have misled My people, saying: Peace to you, and there is no peace. The false prophets would regularly promise that everything would continue to function routinely and that there was no cause for concern: The city was strong, the Temple still stood, and offerings were brought regularly, and therefore everything would be fine. And when he, the king deciding national policy, or the people, builds a partition, and behold, they, the false prophets, plaster it, the wall, with its deficiencies and cracks, with insubstantial plaster.The king’s plans engender an illusory hope that victory will be achieved and that the people will be protected. The false prophets, assuring the people of a rosy future, prevent the people from perceiving the weaknesses of the plan, which is likely to lead to disaster.

אֱמֹר אֶל־טָחֵי תָפֵל וְיִפֹּל הָיָה גֶּשֶׁם שׁוֹטֵף וְאַתֵּנָה אַבְנֵי אֶלְגָּבִישׁ תִּפֹּלְנָה וְרוּחַ סְעָרוֹת תְּבַקֵּעַ

God addresses Ezekiel employing the same imagery: Say to those who plaster the wall with insubstantial plaster: It will fall. There will be torrential rain, and you, great hailstones, will fall, and a storm wind will breach or split the wall.

וְהִנֵּה נָפַל הַקִּיר הֲלוֹא יֵאָמֵר אֲלֵיכֶם אַיֵּה הַטִּיחַ אֲשֶׁר טַחְתֶּם!

Behold, the wall has fallen; won’t it be said to you: Where is the plaster that you plastered?

לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים וּבִקַּעְתִּי רוּחַ־סְעָרוֹת בַּחֲמָתִי וְגֶשֶׁם שֹׁטֵף בְּאַפִּי יִהְיֶה וְאַבְנֵי אֶלְגָּבִישׁ בְּחֵמָה לְכָלָה

Therefore, so said the Lord God: I will cause a storm wind to breach in My fury, and there will be pouring rain in My wrath and great hailstones in fury for annihilation.

וְהָרַסְתִּי אֶת־הַקִּיר אֲשֶׁר־טַחְתֶּם תָּפֵל וְהִגַּעְתִּיהוּ אֶל־הָאָרֶץ וְנִגְלָה יְסֹדוֹ וְנָפְלָה וּכְלִיתֶם בְּתוֹכָהּ וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will destroy the wall that you plastered with insubstantial plaster and level it to the ground, and its foundation will be revealed. It, Jerusalem, will fall, and you will be annihilated within it, and you will know that I am the Lord.

וְכִלֵּיתִי אֶת־חֲמָתִי בַּקִּיר וּבַטָּחִים אֹתוֹ תָּפֵל וְאֹמַר לָכֶם אֵין הַקִּיר וְאֵין הַטָּחִים אֹתוֹ

I will spend My fury upon the wall and upon those who plaster it with insubstantial plaster, and I will say to you: The wall is not there, and those who plastered it are not there. The wall is nothing more than a fantasy, and all attempts at reinforcement would be futile.

נְבִיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנִּבְּאִים אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְהַחֹזִים לָהּ חֲזוֹן שָׁלֹם וְאֵין שָׁלֹם נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

These are the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem and who envision visions of peace for it, and there is no peace – the utterance of the Lord God. To counter these visions based upon deceptive perceptions, God sends Ezekiel to the people with his unambiguous and harsh statements. Ezekiel rejects any idea of rebellion or war that these prophets encouraged, as those efforts have no chance of success.

וְאַתָּה בֶן־אָדָם שִׂים פָּנֶיךָ אֶל־בְּנוֹת עַמְּךָ הַמִּתְנַבְּאוֹת מִלִּבְּהֶן וְהִנָּבֵא עֲלֵיהֶן

Up to this point, Ezekiel has dealt with those who prophesied falsely about important political events, apparently in public. The prophet now turns his attention to a different group: You, Son of man, direct your attention to the daughters of your people who prophesy from their heart, and prophesy in their regard.

וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הוֹי לִמְתַפְּרוֹת כְּסָתוֹת עַל כָּל־אַצִּילֵי יָדַי וְעֹשׂוֹת הַמִּסְפָּחוֹת עַל־רֹאשׁ כָּל קוֹמָה לְצוֹדֵד נְפָשׁוֹת הַנְּפָשׁוֹת תְּצוֹדֵדְנָה לְעַמִּי וּנְפָשׁוֹת לָכֶנָה תְחַיֶּינָה!

Say: So said the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew pads on all elbows and make kerchiefs, special hats or scarves, on the head of every erect person in order to entrap souls. These prophetesses were apparently more housebound and less public than their male counterparts. They engaged in methods of divination rather than declaiming visions. Their occult activities required them and their solicitors to don specific articles of clothing and ornaments. Perhaps some of these women even sought to create an impression of righteousness by wrapping their heads with special coverings. God declares: You, false prophetesses, will you entrap the souls of My people, but your souls you preserve? Will you mislead My people to the extent that they will betray their faith, so that you can provide for yourselves?

וַתְּחַלֶּלְנָה אֹתִי אֶל עַמִּי בּשַׁעֲלֵי שְׂעֹרִים וּבִפְתוֹתֵי לֶחֶם לְהָמִית נְפָשׁוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תְמוּתֶנָה וּלְחַיּוֹת נְפָשׁוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תִחְיֶינָה בְּכַזֶּבְכֶם לְעַמִּי שֹׁמְעֵי כָזָב

You profaned Me, My holiness, among My people, as they distance themselves from Me and instead trust in your words, and you did this in exchange for handfuls of barley and for crumbs of bread. These prophetesses had a much lower social status than the male prophets and so were paid significantly less. The prophet continues: They prophesy in order to slay souls that will not die and to preserve souls that will not live. If some woman complained about her neighbor, you prophesied that the neighbor would soon die, but in reality, she remained alive. Likewise, you encouraged individuals by telling them that their loved ones would live, when in fact they were destined to die in the near future. You thereby profane My name with your lying to My people, the listeners to lies. It is easy for you to deceive simple souls who place their faith in you, and you have exploited those opportunities.

לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלוֹהִים הִנְנִי אֶל־כִּסְתוֹתֵיכֶנָה אֲשֶׁר אַתֵּנָה מְצֹדְדוֹת שָׁם אֶת־הַנְּפָשׁוֹת לְפֹרְחוֹת וְקָרַעְתִּי אֹתָם מֵעַל זְרוֹעֹתֵיכֶם וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אֶת־הַנְּפָשׁוֹת אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם מְצֹדְדוֹת אֶת־נְפָשִׁים לפֹרְחֹת

Therefore, so said the Lord God: Behold, I am against your pads with which you entrap the souls like they were birds, and I will tear them, those pads, from your arms, and I will send forth the souls of My people, the souls that you entrap like birds. I will free from your clutches the souls that you captivated with your divinations.

וְקָרַעְתִּי אֶת־מִסְפְּחֹתֵיכֶם וְהִצַּלְתִּי אֶת־עַמִּי מִיֶּדְכֶן וְלֹא־יִהְיוּ עוֹד בְּיֶדְכֶן לִמְצֻדָה וִידַעְתֶּן כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

I will tear your kerchiefs, and I will deliver My people from your hand, and they will no longer be in your hand to be entrapped, and you will know that I am the Lord.

יַעַן הַכְאוֹת לֵב־צַדִּיק שֶׁקֶר וַאֲנִי לֹא הִכְאַבְתִּיו וּלְחַזֵּק יְדֵי רָשָׁע לְבִלְתִּי־שׁוּב מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָע לְהַחֲיֹתוֹ

God explains: I will respond in this manner because you have broken the heart of the righteous with falsehood, and I did not aggrieve him. For your own benefit you prophesy evil for the righteous and harass them, whereas no harm awaits them, and as a result of your assurances, you strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he would not repent his wicked way to keep him alive;

לָכֵן שָׁוְא לֹא תֶחֱזֶינָה וְקֶסֶם לֹא־תִקְסַמְנָה עוֹד וְהִצַּלְתִּי אֶת־עַמִּי מִיֶּדְכֶן וִידַעְתֶּן כִּי־אֲנִי ה'

therefore, you will not envision that which is vain, and you will no longer perform divinations, and I will deliver My people from your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord.