Ezekiel 13:14-23

14 And I shall destroy the wall, which ye have pargeted without tempering, and I shall make it even with the earth; and the foundament thereof shall be showed, and it shall fall down, and it shall be wasted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord. (And I shall destroy the wall, which ye have mortared without tempering, and I shall bring it down to the ground; and its foundation shall be shown, and it shall fall down, and thou shalt be wasted, or shalt be destroyed, in its midst; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.)

15 And I shall [ful]fill mine indignation in the wall, and in them that pargeted it without tempering; and I shall say to you, The wall is not, and they be not, that pargeted it, (And I shall fulfill my indignation upon the wall, and upon those who mortared it without tempering; and I shall say to you, The wall is not, and they be not, who mortared it,)

16 (that is,) the prophets of Israel, that prophesy to Jerusalem, and see to it the vision of peace, and peace is not, saith the Lord God. (that is, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied to Jerusalem, and saw a vision of peace for it, when there was no peace, saith the Lord God.)

17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy of their heart; and prophesy thou on them, (And thou, son of man, set thy face toward the daughters of thy people, who prophesy out of their own hearts; and prophesy thou against them,)

18 and say thou, The Lord God saith these things, Woe to them that sew together cushions under each cubit of [the] hand, and make pillows under the head of each age, to take souls; and when they deceived the souls of my people, they quickened the souls of them. (and say thou, The Lord God saith these things, Woe to those who sew bands for each wrist, and put veils on the heads of everyone, to hunt souls, or lives; and while they hunt the souls of my people, yet they keep their own souls safe.)

19 And they defouled me to my people, for an handful of barley, and for a gobbet of bread, that they should slay souls that die not, and quicken souls that live not; and they lied to my people, believing to leasings. (And they defiled me among my people, for a handful of barley, and for a piece of bread, so that they kill souls that should not die, and enliven souls that should not live; and they lied to my people, who believed the lies.)

20 For this thing the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I to your cushions, by which ye deceive souls flying; and I shall all-break those from (off) your arms, and I shall deliver [the] souls which ye deceive, souls (that ye make) to fly. (For this thing the Lord God saith these things, Lo! I am against your wristbands, with which ye hunt souls to make them fly; and I shall rip them off your arms, and I shall deliver, or shall set free, the souls which ye hunt to make fly.)

21 And I shall all-break your pillows, and I shall deliver my people from your hand (And I shall rip up your veils, and I shall deliver my people from out of your hands); and they shall no more be in your hands, to be robbed; and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.

22 For that that ye made falsely the heart of a just man to mourn, whom I made not sorry; and ye strengthened the hands of a wicked man, that he should not turn again from his evil way, and live. (Because ye falsely made the heart of the just, or of the righteous, to mourn, whom I have not made sorrowful; and ye strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that they would not turn from their evil ways, and live.)

23 Therefore ye shall not see vain things (And so ye shall not see empty and futile things again), and ye shall no more divine false divinings; and I shall deliver my people from your hand, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.

Ezekiel 13:14-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 13

It being said in Eze 12:24; that there should be no more a vain vision, nor a flattering divination; the prophet is ordered to prophesy against the false prophets and prophetesses, Eze 13:1,2,17; the former are described as prophesying out of their own hearts, Eze 13:2; as foolish ones, following their own spirit, and seeing nothing, Eze 13:3; they are compared to foxes in the deserts, Eze 13:4; and are represented as unconcerned to stand in the gap for the people, Eze 13:5; and as seeing vanity and lying divination; wherefore the Lord was against them, Eze 13:6-8; what they are threatened with are, that they should not be in the assembly of God's people; nor written in the writing of the house of Israel; nor enter into the land of Israel, Eze 13:9; the reason of which was, because they seduced the Lord's people, by speaking peace to them when there was none; which is figuratively expressed by building a wall, and daubing it with untempered mortar, Eze 13:10; upon which the wall is threatened to be rent, and caused to fall with a stormy wind; signifying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldean army; and the false prophets to have the wrath of God poured on them who doubted it, Eze 13:11-16; and then follows the order to the prophet to prophesy against the false prophetesses, and set his face against them, and pronounce woe upon them in the name of the Lord; who are described as prophesying out of their own hearts; sowing pillows to all armholes; and making kerchiefs on the head of all sorts of persons; and which they did for poor small gain, and to the detriment of immortal souls, good and bad, Eze 13:17-19; wherefore the Lord threatens to tear off their pillows and kerchiefs, and deliver his people out of their hands, no more to be hunted by them, Eze 13:20,21; the reason of which was, because they saddened the hearts of the righteous, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, Eze 13:22; and the chapter is concluded with a resolution that they should see no more vanity nor divine divinations; and that the Lord's people should be delivered from them, and they should know that he was the Lord, Eze 13:23.