Lamentations 2:14
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
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

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.

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.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Nun. 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.

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.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Thy 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.

Literal Standard Version
Your 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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
Isaiah 58:1
"Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram's horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.

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.

Jeremiah 20:6
And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried--you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied these lies.'"

Jeremiah 23:25
"I have heard the sayings of the prophets who prophesy lies in My name: 'I had a dream! I had a dream!'

Jeremiah 23:32
"Indeed," declares the LORD, "I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:34
As for the prophet or priest or anyone who claims, 'This is the burden of the LORD,' I will punish that man and his household.

Jeremiah 23:36
But refer no more to the burden of the LORD, for each man's word becomes the burden, so that you pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of Hosts, our God.


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 Worthless
Jump 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 Worthless
Lamentations 2
1. Jeremiah laments the misery of Jerusalem
20. He complains thereof to God














(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 visions
חָ֤זוּ (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


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OT Prophets: Lamentations 2:14 Your prophets have seen for you false (Lam. La Lm)
Lamentations 2:13
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