Section 41 of 18313:1–16Ezekiel

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King James VersionEzekiel 13:1–16

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

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

Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.

And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:

Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Ezekiel 13:1–16

False Prophets Whitewash a Weak Wall with Peace

Woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their own spirit

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD. Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them.

One built a wall, and others daubed it with untempered morter

They have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace. When the wall is built, they daub it with untempered morter. Say unto them which daub it, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower, great hailstones, and a stormy wind. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

The wall image does not authorize attacking all hopeful speech or calling disagreement false prophecy without evidence. Peace without peace is a charge about false security, not a ban on consolation.

How this should shape us

Stand in the gap with truth, not with whitewash. Do not baptize every comfort as a lie, and do not call a person a fox only because they disagree with you.

Teach it back

Explain Ezekiel 13:1–16 in your own words. Name its place in Ezekiel, one source-controlled observation, one uncertainty, one enduring truth, and one harmful use the passage does not authorize.

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King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Ezekiel 13:1–16, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel

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Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 13:1–16

NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel

Supports: Verse-level controls for difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, dates, place names, textual issues, vision language, and material alternatives.

Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 13:1–16

Ezekiel course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and passage studies

Supports: Reader-oriented historical, literary, theological, and pastoral synthesis with visible alternatives and ancient-to-modern limits.

Enter the Bible Ezekiel course, Outline and Theological Themes: responsibility, allegory, history, and Jerusalem judgment; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

Jeremiah and Ezekiel: Ezekiel Parts 1-3 Study Guides

Supports: Current university-level literary-historical synthesis and interpretive questions, including ethical attention to gendered rhetoric and the final vision.

Yale Bible Study, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Ezekiel Part 2 and Part 3 study guides: sign acts, responsibility, allegory, chapters 16 and 23, and Jerusalem's fall; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

Hope in Exile: In Conversation with Ezekiel

Supports: Displaced identity, false hope, durable collective hope, restoration, land, temple, transformed community, and their limits.

Hiebel, 'Hope in Exile,' Religions 10.8 (2019), pp. 1-16, sections on Ezekiel 13, 20, 34-37, and 40-48; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

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King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

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Exact location: Ezekiel 13:1–16, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

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Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Ezekiel

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

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Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ezek.xml, OSIS 13:1–16

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NET Bible Notes: Ezekiel

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF

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Exact location: Official NET Ezekiel PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Ezekiel 13:1–16

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modern scholarly book course

Ezekiel course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and passage studies

Alan G. Padgett; revised by Tyler Mayfield

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised June 2023

Supports: Reader-oriented historical, literary, theological, and pastoral synthesis with visible alternatives and ancient-to-modern limits.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Ezekiel course, Outline and Theological Themes: responsibility, allegory, history, and Jerusalem judgment; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

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open university study guide series

Jeremiah and Ezekiel: Ezekiel Parts 1-3 Study Guides

Joel S. Baden and Jacqueline Vayntrub

Yale Bible Study, 2024

Supports: Current university-level literary-historical synthesis and interpretive questions, including ethical attention to gendered rhetoric and the final vision.

Exact location: Yale Bible Study, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Ezekiel Part 2 and Part 3 study guides: sign acts, responsibility, allegory, chapters 16 and 23, and Jerusalem's fall; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

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peer reviewed open access literary and theological article

Hope in Exile: In Conversation with Ezekiel

Janina M. Hiebel

Religions 10.8, article 476, 2019

Supports: Displaced identity, false hope, durable collective hope, restoration, land, temple, transformed community, and their limits.

Exact location: Hiebel, 'Hope in Exile,' Religions 10.8 (2019), pp. 1-16, sections on Ezekiel 13, 20, 34-37, and 40-48; applied to Ezekiel 13:1–16

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