Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading. New Living Translation Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope. English Standard Version Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. Berean Standard Bible The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading. King James Bible Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. New King James Version Your prophets have seen for you False and deceptive visions; They have not uncovered your iniquity, To bring back your captives, But have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions. New American Standard Bible Your prophets have seen for you Worthless and deceptive visions; And they have not exposed your wrongdoing So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you worthless and misleading pronouncements. NASB 1995 Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you false and misleading oracles. NASB 1977 Your prophets have seen for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your iniquity So as to restore you from captivity, But they have seen for you false and misleading oracles. Legacy Standard Bible Your prophets have beheld for you Worthless and ineffective visions; And they have not uncovered your iniquity So as to return you from captivity, But they have beheld for you worthless and misleading oracles. Amplified Bible Your prophets have seen (imagined) for you False and foolish visions; And they have not exposed your wickedness To restore you from captivity [by teaching you to repent], But they have seen (imagined) and declared to you false and misleading oracles. Christian Standard Bible Your prophets saw visions for you that were empty and deceptive; they did not reveal your iniquity and so restore your fortunes. They saw pronouncements for you that were empty and misleading. Holman Christian Standard Bible Your prophets saw visions for you that were empty and deceptive; they did not reveal your guilt and so restore your fortunes. They saw oracles for you that were empty and misleading. American Standard Version Thy prophets have seen for thee false and foolish visions; And they have not uncovered thine iniquity, to bring back thy captivity, But have seen for thee false oracles and causes of banishment. Contemporary English Version Your prophets deceived you with false visions and lying messages--they should have warned you to leave your sins and be saved from disaster. English Revised Version Thy prophets have seen visions for thee of vanity and foolishness; and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to bring again thy captivity: but have seen for thee burdens of vanity and causes of banishment. GOD'S WORD® Translation Your prophets saw misleading visions about you. They painted a good picture of you. They didn't expose your guilt in order to make things better again. They gave you false prophecies that misled you. Good News Translation Your prophets had nothing to tell you but lies; Their preaching deceived you by never exposing your sin. They made you think you did not need to repent. International Standard Version Your prophets look on your behalf; they see false and deceptive visions. They did not expose your sins in order to restore what had been captured. Instead, they crafted oracles for you that are false and misleading. Majority Standard Bible The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading. NET Bible Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless lies. They failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes. They saw oracles for you that were worthless lies. New Heart English Bible Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captivity, but have seen for you false and misleading oracles. Webster's Bible Translation Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not revealed thy iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. World English Bible Your prophets have seen false and foolish visions for you. They have not uncovered your iniquity, to reverse your captivity, but have seen for you false revelations and causes of banishment. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionYour prophets have seen for you a false and insipid thing, "" And have not revealed concerning your iniquity, "" To return your captivity, "" And they see for you false burdens and causes of expulsion. Young's Literal Translation Thy prophets have seen for thee a false and insipid thing, And have not revealed concerning thine iniquity, To turn back thy captivity, And they see for thee false burdens and causes of expulsion. Smith's Literal Translation Thy prophets saw for thee vanity and a foolish thing, and they uncovered not upon thine iniquity to turn back thy captivity; and they will see for thee burdens of falsehood and seductions. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleNun. Thy prophets have seen false and foolish things for thee: and they have not laid open thy iniquity, to excite thee to penance: but they have seen for thee false revelations and banishments. Catholic Public Domain Version NUN. Your prophets have seen false and foolish things for you. And they have not laid open your iniquity, so as to provoke you to repentance. Yet they have seen for you false revelations and banishments. New American Bible Your prophets provided you visions of whitewashed illusion; They did not lay bare your guilt, in order to restore your fortunes; They saw for you only oracles of empty deceit. New Revised Standard Version Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen oracles for you that are false and misleading. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYour prophets have seen false and deceptive visions for you; and they have not revealed to you anything of your sins, that you might repent and I should bring you back from captivity; but have seen for you false and deceptive prophecies. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Nun Your Prophets have seen falsehood and deception for you, and they have not laid bare for you concerning your sins that you would return to God and I would turn your captivity, and they saw for you lying and deceptive prophecies OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Thy prophets have seen visions for thee Of vanity and delusion; And they have not uncovered thine iniquity, To bring back thy captivity; But have prophesied for thee burdens Of vanity and seduction. Brenton Septuagint Translation NUN. Thy prophets have seen for thee vanities and folly: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn back thy captivity; but they have seen for thee vain burdens, and worthless visions. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God's Anger over Jerusalem…13What can I say for you? To what can I compare you, O Daughter of Jerusalem? To what can I liken you, that I may console you, O Virgin Daughter of Zion? For your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can ever heal you? 14The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading. 15All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?”… Cross References Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. Ezekiel 13:10-16 Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built, / tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth. / Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’ ... Jeremiah 14:14 “The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds. Jeremiah 6:14 They dress the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. Jeremiah 8:11 They dress the wound of the daughter of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all. Ezekiel 22:28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken. Isaiah 30:10 They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions. Micah 3:5 This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end? Jeremiah 23:25-26 “I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ / How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds? Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 2 Peter 2:1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. / So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. Matthew 24:11 and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. Treasury of Scripture Your prophets have seen vain and foolish things for you: and they have not discovered your iniquity, to turn away your captivity; but have seen for you false burdens and causes of banishment. prophets Isaiah 9:15,16 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail… Jeremiah 2:8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit. Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? they have Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Jeremiah 23:22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Ezekiel 13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: FALSE Jeremiah 23:14-17,31,32 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah… Jeremiah 27:9,10 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: … Ezekiel 22:25,28 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof… Jump to Previous Banishment Burdens Captivity Causes Changed Clear Deceptive Delusion Discovered Expose Exposed Falsehood Fate Folly Foolish Fortunes Iniquity Insipid Misleading Oracles Prophesied Prophets Restore Revealed Sin Turn Uncovered Vain Vanity Visions Ward Words WorthlessJump to Next Banishment Burdens Captivity Causes Changed Clear Deceptive Delusion Discovered Expose Exposed Falsehood Fate Folly Foolish Fortunes Iniquity Insipid Misleading Oracles Prophesied Prophets Restore Revealed Sin Turn Uncovered Vain Vanity Visions Ward Words WorthlessLamentations 2 1. Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem20. He complains thereof to God The visions of your prophets were empty and deceptive; In the context of Lamentations, the prophets of Judah had failed to deliver God's true message to the people. Instead of warning them of impending judgment due to their sins, they offered false assurances of peace and prosperity. This echoes the warnings found in Jeremiah 23:16-17, where God condemns the prophets who speak visions from their own minds rather than from the mouth of the Lord. The emptiness and deception of these visions highlight the danger of false prophecy, which leads people away from repentance and truth. they did not expose your guilt to ward off your captivity. The burdens they envisioned for you were empty and misleading. Persons / Places / Events 1. ProphetsReligious leaders in Judah who were supposed to convey God's messages to the people. In this context, they failed in their duty by delivering false visions. 2. Judah The southern kingdom of Israel, which faced destruction and exile due to its disobedience to God. 3. Captivity Refers to the Babylonian exile, a significant event where the people of Judah were taken captive due to their persistent sin and rebellion against God. 4. Visions and Oracles Messages or revelations that were supposed to come from God through the prophets. Here, they are described as false and misleading. 5. Iniquity The sin and moral corruption of the people of Judah, which the prophets failed to address. Teaching Points The Danger of False ProphecyFalse prophets can lead entire communities away from God's truth, resulting in severe consequences like captivity or spiritual downfall. The Importance of True Repentance Genuine repentance involves recognizing and addressing iniquity. Ignoring sin leads to spiritual captivity. Discernment in Spiritual Leadership Believers must seek discernment to identify true spiritual leaders who faithfully convey God's Word. The Role of Prophets and Leaders Spiritual leaders have a responsibility to confront sin and guide people towards righteousness, not comfort them with false assurances. Consequences of Ignoring God's Warnings Ignoring God's warnings through His true prophets can lead to devastating consequences, as seen in the Babylonian captivity.(14) Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things.--The words are eminently characteristic of Jeremiah, whose whole life had been spent in conflict with the false prophets (Jeremiah 2:8; Jeremiah 5:13; Jeremiah 6:13; Jeremiah 8:10; Jeremiah 14:14; Jeremiah 28:9, and elsewhere), who spoke smooth things, and prophesied deceit. They did not call men to repent of their iniquity. . . . Verse 14. - Thy prophets. Jeremiah constantly inveighs against the fallacious, immoral preaching of the great mass of his prophetic contemporaries (comp. Jeremiah 6:13, 14; Jeremiah 14:13-15; Jeremiah 23:14-40). Have seen vain and foolish things; i.e. have announced "visions" (prophecies) of an unreal and irrational tenor. Comp. Jeremiah 23:13, where the same word here paraphrased as "irrational" (literally, insipid) occurs. Discovered; i.e. disclosed. To turn away thy captivity. The Captivity, then, might have been "turned away," if the other prophets had, like Jeremiah, disclosed the true spiritual state of the people, and moved them to repentance. False burdens. Suggestive references to these false prophecies occur in Jeremiah 14:13, 14; Jeremiah 23:31, 32 (see the Exposition on these passages). Causes of banishment. So Jeremiah (Jeremiah 27:10; comp. 15), "They prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew The visionsחָ֤זוּ (ḥā·zū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 2372: To gaze at, to perceive, contemplate, to have a, vision of of your prophets נְבִיאַ֗יִךְ (nə·ḇî·’a·yiḵ) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet were empty שָׁ֣וְא (šāw) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7723: Evil, idolatry, uselessness and deceptive; וְתָפֵ֔ל (wə·ṯā·p̄êl) Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 8602: Plaster, slime, frivolity they did not וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-) Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no expose גִלּ֥וּ (ḡil·lū) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 1540: To denude, to exile, to reveal your guilt עֲוֺנֵ֖ךְ (‘ă·wō·nêḵ) Noun - common singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity to ward off לְהָשִׁ֣יב (lə·hā·šîḇ) Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again your captivity. שְׁבוּתֵ֑ךְ (šə·ḇū·ṯêḵ) Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 7622: Exile, prisoners, a former state of prosperity The oracles מַשְׂא֥וֹת (maś·’ō·wṯ) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 4864: A raising, rising, an utterance, a beacon, a present they saw וַיֶּ֣חֱזוּ (way·ye·ḥĕ·zū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 2372: To gaze at, to perceive, contemplate, to have a, vision of for you לָ֔ךְ (lāḵ) Preposition | second person feminine singular Strong's Hebrew were empty שָׁ֖וְא (šāw) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7723: Evil, idolatry, uselessness and misleading. וּמַדּוּחִֽים׃ (ū·mad·dū·ḥîm) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 4065: Something which draws aside, an enticement Links Lamentations 2:14 NIVLamentations 2:14 NLT Lamentations 2:14 ESV Lamentations 2:14 NASB Lamentations 2:14 KJV Lamentations 2:14 BibleApps.com Lamentations 2:14 Biblia Paralela Lamentations 2:14 Chinese Bible Lamentations 2:14 French Bible Lamentations 2:14 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:14 Your prophets have seen for you false (Lam. La Lm) |
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