Isaiah 30:10
Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Study Note
Study Note
The demand to the prophets 'prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits' — expressed in parallel form to verse 11 — provides the internal motivation for the suppression of authentic prophecy: a preference for comfortable falsehood over discomforting truth. The word 'smooth things' (halaqot) plays on the root 'to be smooth/flattering' — the kind of polished, frictionless speech that confirms existing preferences rather than challenging them. The passage in Isaiah 30:9-14 as a whole provides a sustained analysis of willful religious deception, culminating in the metaphor of the cracking wall (30:13) — the inevitable collapse of a society built on denied reality. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 ('having itching ears they will heap to themselves teachers... and shall be turned unto fables') directly echoes this Isaianic dynamic.
Other Translations
that say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits,
Who have said to seers, `Ye do not see,' And to prophets, `Ye do not prophesy to us Straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits,
Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Do not give us word of what is true, but say false things to give us pleasure:
Cross References
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And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets …
And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and …
Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage …
And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the …
And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me. And he said, …
Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they …
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And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of …