|
- Moreover, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the LORD'S house which faced eastward And behold, there were twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
- He said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give evil advice in this city,
- who say, 'The time is not near to build houses. This city is the pot and we are the flesh.'
- "Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!"
- Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, "Say, 'Thus says the LORD, "So you think, house of Israel, for I know your thoughts.
|
- Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. There at the entrance to the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
- The LORD said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city.
- They say, 'Will it not soon be time to build houses? This city is a cooking pot, and we are the meat.'
- Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man."
- Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say: "This is what the LORD says: That is what you are saying, O house of Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.
|
- "You have multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with them."
- 'Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of the city are the flesh and this city is the pot; but I will bring you out of it.
- "You have feared a sword; so I will bring a sword upon you," the Lord GOD declares.
- "And I will bring you out of the midst of the city and deliver you into the hands of strangers and execute judgments against you.
- "You will fall by the sword I will judge you to the border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the LORD.
|
- You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
- "Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it.
- You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign LORD.
- I will drive you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners and inflict punishment on you.
- You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
|
- "This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, but I will judge you to the border of Israel.
- "Thus you will know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you."'"
- Now it came about as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?"
- Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- "Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Go far from the LORD; this land has been given us as a possession.'
|
- This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.
- And you will know that I am the LORD, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you."
- Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?"
- The word of the LORD came to me:
- "Son of man, your brothers--your brothers who are your blood relatives and the whole house of Israel--are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, 'They are far away from the LORD; this land was given to us as our possession.'
|
- "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone."'
- "Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'
- "When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it.
- "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
- that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.
|
- "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.'
- "Therefore say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.'
- "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.
- I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
- Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
|
- "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD.
- Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.
- The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.
- And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea So the vision that I had seen left me.
- Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.
|
- But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."
- Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
- The glory of the LORD went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it.
- The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen went up from me,
- and I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
|
|
|