18. But none of these prophets has stood in the heavenly council. None of them has seen or heard the message from the Lord. None of them has paid close attention to his message.
19. Now the punishment from the Lord will come like a storm. His anger will be like a tornado. It will come crashing down on the heads of those wicked people.
20. The Lord’S anger will not stop until he finishes what he plans to do. When that day is over, you will understand this clearly.
21. I did not send those prophets, but they ran to tell their messages. I did not speak to them, but they spoke in my name.
22. If they had stood in my heavenly council, then they would have told my messages to the people of Judah. They would have stopped the people from doing bad things. They would have stopped them from doing evil.”
23. This message is from the Lord. “I am God, and I am always near. I am not far away.
24. Someone might try to hide from me in some hiding place. But it is easy for me to see that person, says the Lord, because I am everywhere in heaven and earth.” This message is from the Lord:
25. “There are prophets who tell lies in my name. They say, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ I heard them say those things.
26. How long will this continue? They think up lies and then they teach them to the people.
27. They are trying to make the people of Judah forget my name by telling each other these false dreams. They are trying to make my people forget me, just as their ancestors forgot me and worshiped the false god Baal.
28. Straw is not the same as wheat! In the same way, the dreams of those prophets are not messages from me. If people want to tell about their dreams, let them. But those who hear my message must speak it truthfully.” This is what the Lord says.
29. Yes, the Lord says, “You must treat my message carefully, like a fire or like a hammer that can smash a rock.”
30. This message is from the Lord: “So I am against the false prophets. They keep stealing my words from each other.”
31. Yes, the Lord says, “I am against the false prophets. They use their own words and pretend that it is a message from me.