Ezekiel
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth
year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives
by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth
year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,
3the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the
priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and
the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
4Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out
of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness
was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out
of the midst of the fire.
5Also from within it came the likeness of four living
creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.
6Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet
were like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished
bronze.
8The hands of a man were under their wings on their
four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.
9Their wings touched one another. The creatures did
not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.
10As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face
of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of
the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the
face of an eagle.
11Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward;
two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.
12And each one went straight forward; they went
wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.
13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their
appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going
back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the
fire went lightning.
14And the living creatures ran back and forth, in
appearance like a flash of lightning.
15Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a
wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.
16The appearance of the wheels and their workings was
like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of
their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17When they moved, they went toward any one of four
directions; they did not turn aside when they went.
18As for their rims, they were so high they were
awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.
19When the living creatures went, the wheels went
beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the
wheels were lifted up.
20Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because
there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the
spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
21When those went, these went; when those stood, these
stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up
together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the
living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over
their heads.
23And under the firmament their wings spread out
straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each
one had two which covered the other side of the body.
24When they went, I heard the noise of their wings,
like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like
the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.
25A voice came from above the firmament that was over
their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.
26And above the firmament over their heads was the
likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of
the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
27Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw,
as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within
it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the
appearance of fire with brightness all around.
28Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a
rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the
appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw it, I fell
on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
2And He said to me, "Son of man,
stand on your feet, and I will speak to you."
2Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and
set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.
3And He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you
to the children of
4For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am
sending you to them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD.'
5As for them, whether they hear or whether they
refuse--for they are a rebellious house--yet they will know that a prophet has
been among them.
6"And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them
nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you
dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their
looks, though they are a rebellious house.
7You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear
or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.
8But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be
rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give
you."
9Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to
me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.
10Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on
the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning
and woe.
3Moreover He said to me, "Son of
man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of
2So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that
scroll.
3And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly,
and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you." So I ate, and it
was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
4Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house
of
5For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech
and of hard language, but to the house of
6not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard
language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them,
they would have listened to you.
7But the house of
8Behold, I have made your face strong against their
faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.
9Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made
your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though
they are a rebellious house."
10Moreover He said to me: "Son of man, receive
into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.
11And go, get to the captives, to the children of your
people, and speak to them and tell them, "Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether
they hear, or whether they refuse."
12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a
great thunderous voice: "Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His
place!"
13I also heard the noise of the wings of the living
creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them,
and a great thunderous noise.
14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I
went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was
strong upon me.
15Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by
the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among
them seven days.
16Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the
word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the
house of
18When I say to the wicked, "You shall surely
die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked
way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood I will require at your hand.
19Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn
from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but
you have delivered your soul.
20"Again, when a righteous man turns from his
righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he
shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and
his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I
will require at your hand.
21Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the
righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he
took warning; also you will have delivered your soul."
22Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He
said to me, "Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with
you."
23So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold,
the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River
Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and
spoke with me and said to me: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on
you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.
26I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your
mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a
rebellious house.
27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth,
and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD.' He who hears, let him
hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
4"You also, son of man, take a
clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city,
2Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it,
and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering
rams against it all around.
3Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it
as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it
shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to
the house of
4"Lie also on your left side, and lay the
iniquity of the house of
5For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity,
according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you
shall bear the iniquity of the house of
6And when you have completed them, lie again on your
right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of
7"Therefore you shall set your face toward the
siege of
8And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot
turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9"Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans,
lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them
for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three
hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it.
10And your food which you eat shall be by weight,
twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it.
11You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a
hin; from time to time you shall drink.
12And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it
using fuel of human waste in their sight."
13Then the LORD said, "So shall the children of
14So I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Indeed I have never
defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself
or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth."
15Then He said to me, "See, I am giving you cow
dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it."
16Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, surely I
will cut off the supply of bread in
17that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed
with one another, and waste away because of their iniquity.
5"And you, son of man, take a
sharp sword, take it as a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and your
beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair.
2You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of
the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take
one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter
in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.
3You shall also take a small number of them and bind
them in the edge of your garment.
4Then take some of them again and throw them into the
midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out
into all the house of
5"Thus says the Lord GOD: "This is
6She has rebelled against My judgments by doing
wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the
countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they
have not walked in My statutes.'
7Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you
have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have
not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even done according to the
judgments of the nations that are all around you'--
8therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I,
even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of
the nations.
9And I will do among you what I have never done, and
the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.
10Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst,
and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and
all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.
11"Therefore, as I live,' says the Lord GOD,
"surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable
things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My
eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.
12One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be
consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all
around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw
out a sword after them.
13"Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause
My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I,
the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.
14Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among
the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
15"So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson,
and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute
judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the LORD,
have spoken.
16When I send against them the terrible arrows of
famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will
increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.
17So I will send against you famine and wild beasts,
and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I
will bring the sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken."'
6Now the word of the LORD came to me,
saying:
2"Son of man, set your face toward the mountains
of
3and say, "O mountains of
4Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense
altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5And I will lay the corpses of the children of
6In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid
waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid
waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your
incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall
know that I am the LORD.
8"Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may
have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered
through the countries.
9Then those of you who escape will remember Me among
the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their
adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the
harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they
committed in all their abominations.
10And they shall know that I am the LORD; I have not
said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them."
11"Thus says the Lord GOD: "Pound your fists
and stamp your feet, and say, "Alas, for all the evil abominations of the
house of
12He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who
is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die
by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them.
13Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when their
slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all
the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever
they offered sweet incense to all their idols.
14So I will stretch out My hand against them and make
the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all
their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the
LORD."""
7Moreover the word of the LORD came
to me, saying,
2"And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to
the
3Now the end has come upon you, And I will send My
anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways, And I will repay
you for all your abominations.
4My eye will not spare you, Nor will I have pity; But I
will repay your ways, And your abominations will be in your midst; Then you
shall know that I am the LORD!'
5"Thus says the Lord GOD: "A disaster, a
singular disaster; Behold, it has come!
6An end has come, The end has come; It has dawned for
you; Behold, it has come!
7Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land; The
time has come, A day of trouble is near, And not of rejoicing in the mountains.
8Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury, And spend
My anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, And I will repay
you for all your abominations.
9"My eye will not spare, Nor will I have pity; I
will repay you according to your ways, And your abominations will be in your
midst. Then you shall know that I am the LORD who strikes.
10"Behold, the day! Behold, it has come! Doom has
gone out; The rod has blossomed, Pride has budded.
11Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness; None
of them shall remain, None of their multitude, None of them; Nor shall there be
wailing for them.
12The time has come, The day draws near. "Let not
the buyer rejoice, Nor the seller mourn, For wrath is on their whole multitude.
13For the seller shall not return to what has been
sold, Though he may still be alive; For the vision concerns the whole
multitude, And it shall not turn back; No one will strengthen himself Who lives
in iniquity.
14"They have blown the trumpet and made everyone
ready, But no one goes to battle; For My wrath is on all their multitude.
15The sword is outside, And the pestilence and famine
within. Whoever is in the field Will die by the sword; And whoever is in the
city, Famine and pestilence will devour him.
16"Those who survive will escape and be on the
mountains Like doves of the valleys, All of them mourning, Each for his
iniquity.
17Every hand will be feeble, And every knee will be as
weak as water.
18They will also be girded with sackcloth; Horror will
cover them; Shame will be on every face, Baldness on all their heads.
19"They will throw their silver into the streets,
And their gold will be like refuse; Their silver and their gold will not be
able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the LORD; They will not satisfy
their souls, Nor fill their stomachs, Because it became their stumbling block
of iniquity.
20"As for the beauty of his ornaments, He set it
in majesty; But they made from it The images of their abominations-- Their
detestable things; Therefore I have made it Like refuse to them.
21I will give it as plunder Into the hands of
strangers, And to the wicked of the earth as spoil; And they shall defile it.
22I will turn My face from them, And they will defile
My secret place; For robbers shall enter it and defile it.
23"Make a chain, For the land is filled with
crimes of blood, And the city is full of violence.
24Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles, And
they will possess their houses; I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled.
25Destruction comes; They will seek peace, but there
shall be none.
26Disaster will come upon disaster, And rumor will be
upon rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet; But the law will
perish from the priest, And counsel from the elders.
27"The king will mourn, The prince will be clothed
with desolation, And the hands of the common people will tremble. I will do to
them according to their way, And according to what they deserve I will judge
them; Then they shall know that I am the LORD!"'
8And it came to pass in the sixth
year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house
with the elders of
2Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the
appearance of fire--from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and
from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of
amber.
3He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a
lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and
brought me in visions of God to
4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there,
like the vision that I saw in the plain.
5Then He said to me, "Son of man, lift your eyes
now toward the north." So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there,
north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.
6Furthermore He said to me, "Son of man, do you
see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of
7So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I
looked, there was a hole in the wall.
8Then He said to me, "Son of man, dig into the
wall"; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.
9And He said to me, "Go in, and see the wicked
abominations which they are doing there."
10So I went in and saw, and there--every sort of
creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of
11And there stood before them seventy men of the elders
of the house of
12Then He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen
what the elders of the house of
13And He said to me, "Turn again, and you will see
greater abominations that they are doing."
14So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the
LORD's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son
of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these."
16So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD's
house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and
the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the
LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward
the east.
17And He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of
man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of
18Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not
spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I
will not hear them."
9Then He called out in my hearing
with a loud voice, saying, "Let those who have charge over the city draw
near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand."
2And suddenly six men came from the direction of the
upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man
among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They
went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from
the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to
the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side;
4and the LORD said to him, "Go through the midst
of the city, through the midst of
5To the others He said in my hearing, "Go after
him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.
6Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little
children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin
at My sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the
temple.
7Then He said to them, "Defile the temple, and
fill the courts with the slain. Go out!" And they went out and killed in
the city.
8So it was, that while they were killing them, I was
left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, "Ah, Lord GOD!
Will You destroy all the remnant of
9Then He said to me, "The iniquity of the house
of
10And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor
will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head."
11Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the
inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, "I have done as You commanded
me."
10And I looked, and there in the
firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something
like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
2Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and
said, "Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with
coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city."
And he went in as I watched.
3Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the
temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.
4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub,
and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the
cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD's glory.
5And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard
even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.
6Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed
in linen, saying, "Take fire from among the wheels, from among the
cherubim," that he went in and stood beside the wheels.
7And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the
cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put
it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out.
8The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's
hand under their wings.
9And when I looked, there were four wheels by the
cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the
wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone.
10As for their appearance, all four looked alike--as it
were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
11When they went, they went toward any of their four
directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the
direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went.
12And their whole body, with their back, their hands,
their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around.
13As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing,
"Wheel."
14Each one had four faces: the first face was the face
of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion,
and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living
creature I saw by the River Chebar.
16When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them;
and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same
wheels also did not turn from beside them.
17When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood
still, and when one was lifted up, the other lifted itself up, for the spirit
of the living creature was in them.
18Then the glory of the LORD departed from the
threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.
19And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up
from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them;
and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD's house, and the glory
of the God of Israel was above them.
20This is the living creature I saw under the God of
Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim.
21Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and
the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
22And the likeness of their faces was the same as the
faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons.
They each went straight forward.
11Then the Spirit lifted me up and
brought me to the East Gate of the LORD's house, which faces eastward; and
there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah
the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2And He said to me: "Son of man, these are the
men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,
3who say, "The time is not near to build houses;
this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.'
4Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of
man!"
5Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said to
me, "Speak! "Thus says the LORD: "Thus you have said, O house of
6You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you
have filled its streets with the slain."
7Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Your slain
whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron;
but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.
8You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword
upon you," says the Lord GOD.
9"And I will bring you out of its midst, and
deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you.
10You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the
border of
11This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be
the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of
12And you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have
not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to
the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.""'
13Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that
Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud
voice, and said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Will You make a complete end of the
remnant of
14Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
15"Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your
countrymen, and all the house of
16Therefore say, "Thus says the Lord GOD:
"Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have
scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them
in the countries where they have gone."'
17Therefore say, "Thus says the Lord GOD: "I
will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you
have been scattered, and I will give you the
18And they will go there, and they will take away all
its detestable things and all its abominations from there.
19Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new
spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them
a heart of flesh,
20that they may walk in My statutes and keep My
judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
21But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for
their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds
on their own heads," says the Lord GOD.
22So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the
wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them.
23And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of
the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
24Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision
by the Spirit of God into
25So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things
the LORD had shown me.
12Now the word of the LORD came to me,
saying:
2"Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a
rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but
does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
3"Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings
for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from
your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they
will consider, though they are a rebellious house.
4By day you shall bring out your belongings in their
sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their
sight, like those who go into captivity.
5Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your
belongings out through it.
6In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders
and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot
see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of
7So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my
belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through
the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my
shoulder in their sight.
8And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
9"Son of man, has not the house of
10Say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD: "This
burden concerns the prince in
11Say, "I am a sign to you. As I have done, so
shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.'
12And the prince who is among them shall bear his
belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the
wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot
see the ground with his eyes.
13I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be
caught in My snare. I will bring him to
14I will scatter to every wind all who are around him
to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15"Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I
scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
16But I will spare a few of their men from the sword,
from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations
among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the
LORD."
17Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18"Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and
drink your water with trembling and anxiety.
19And say to the people of the land, "Thus says
the Lord GOD to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel:
"They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with
dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the
violence of all those who dwell in it.
20Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid
waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the
LORD.""'
21And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
22"Son of man, what is this proverb that you people
have about the land of
23Tell them therefore, "Thus says the Lord GOD:
"I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a
proverb in
24For no more shall there be any false vision or
flattering divination within the house of
25For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I
speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O
rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it," says the Lord
GOD."'
26Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
27"Son of man, look, the house of
28Therefore say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD:
"None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak
will be done," says the Lord GOD."'
13And the word of the LORD came to me,
saying,
2"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of
3Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish
prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4O
5You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall
for the house of
6They have envisioned futility and false divination,
saying, "Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they
hope that the word may be confirmed.
7Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not
spoken false divination? You say, "The LORD says,' but I have not
spoken."
8Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have
spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,"
says the Lord GOD.
9"My hand will be against the prophets who
envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My
people, nor be written in the record of the house of
10"Because, indeed, because they have seduced My
people, saying, "Peace!' when there is no peace--and one builds a wall,
and they plaster it with untempered mortar--
11say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar,
that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones,
shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down.
12Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said
to you, "Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?"'
13Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "I will cause
a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in
My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.
14So I will break down the wall you have plastered with
untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will
be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then
you shall know that I am the LORD.
15"Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and
on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you,
"The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it,
16that is, the prophets of
17"Likewise, son of man, set your face against the
daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against
them,
18and say, "Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the
women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of
people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and
keep yourselves alive?
19And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls
of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and
keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen
to lies?"
20"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold,
I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will
tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds.
21I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people
out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you
shall know that I am the LORD.
22"Because with lies you have made the heart of
the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the
hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his
life.
23Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor
practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you
shall know that I am the LORD.""'
14Now some of the elders of Israel
came to me and sat before me.
2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
3"Son of man, these men have set up their idols
in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into
iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?
4"Therefore speak to them, and say to them,
"Thus says the Lord GOD: "Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up
his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into
iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes,
according to the multitude of his idols,
5that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart,
because they are all estranged from Me by their idols."'
6"Therefore say to the house of Israel,
"Thus says the Lord GOD: "Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn
your faces away from all your abominations.
7For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the
strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his
idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into
iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD
will answer him by Myself.
8I will set My face against that man and make him a
sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then
you shall know that I am the LORD.
9"And if the prophet is induced to speak
anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand
against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
10And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of
the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,
11that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me,
nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My
people and I may be their God," says the Lord GOD."'
12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:
13"Son of man, when a land sins against Me by
persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut
off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.
14Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were
in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says
the Lord GOD.
15"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the
land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through
because of the beasts,
16even though these three men were in it, as I
live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor
daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.
17"Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say,
"Sword, go through the land,' and I cut off man and beast from it,
18even though these three men were in it, as I
live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither sons nor
daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.
19"Or if I send a pestilence into that land and
pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,
20even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I
live," says the Lord GOD, "they would deliver neither son nor
daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness."
21For thus says the Lord GOD: "How much more it
shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and
famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?
22Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who
will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you,
and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted
concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have
brought upon it.
23And they will comfort you, when you see their ways
and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause
that I have done in it," says the Lord GOD.
15Then the word of the LORD came to
me, saying:
2"Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better
than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men
make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?
4Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the
fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any
work?