Ezekiel 11

1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.

And the Spirit lifted me up, and he brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which looks toward the rising of the sun. And behold, at the entrance to the gate were twenty-five men. And I saw, in their midst, Jaazaniah, the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.

2 And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.

And he said to me: “Son of man, these are men who devise iniquity. And they offer a wicked counsel in this city,

3 They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’

saying: ‘Was it so long ago that houses were being built? This city is a cooking pot, and we are the meat.’

4 Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!”

Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.”

5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.

And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me: “Speak: Thus says the Lord: So have you spoken, O house of Israel. And I know the thoughts of your heart.

6 You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.

You have killed very many in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.

7 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.

Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Your slain, whom you have placed in its midst, these are the meat, and this city is the cooking pot. And I will draw you out of its midst.

8 You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.

You have dread the sword, and so I will lead the sword over you, says the Lord God.

9 I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.

And I will cast you out of its midst, and I will give you over to the hand of the enemies, and I will execute judgments among you.

10 You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

You will fall by the sword. I will judge you within the borders of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord.

11 The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel.

This city will not be a cooking pot for you, and you will not be like meat in its midst. I will judge you within the borders of Israel.

12 Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”

And you shall know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my precepts, and you have not accomplished my judgments. Instead, you have acted in accord with the judgments of the Gentiles, who are all around you.”

13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”

And it happened that, when I prophesied, Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, died. And I fell upon my face, and I cried out with a loud voice, and I said: “Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! Will you cause the consummation of the remnant of Israel?”

14 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

15 “Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, 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 has been given to us as a possession.’

“Son of man, your brothers, the men among your close relatives, your brothers and the entire house of Israel, are all among those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: ‘Withdraw far from the Lord; the earth has been given to us as a possession.’

16 Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD 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 to which they have gone.’

Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Since I have caused them to be far away, among the Gentiles, and since I have dispersed them among the lands, I will be a little sanctuary for them within the lands to which they have gone.

17 Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’

Because of this, say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from among the peoples, and I will unite you, from the lands into which you were dispersed, and I will give the soil of Israel to you.

18 When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.

And they shall go to that place, and they shall remove all the offenses and all its abominations from that place.

19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,

And I will give them one heart. And I will distribute a new spirit to their interior. And I will take away the heart of stone from their body. And I will give them a heart of flesh.

20 so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

So may they may walk in my precepts, and observe my judgments, and accomplish them. And so may they be my people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

But as for those whose heart walks after their offenses and abominations, I will set their own way upon their head, says the Lord God.”

22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels with them. And the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

23 And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.

And the glory of the Lord ascended from the midst of the city and stood above the mountain, which is to the east of the city.

24 And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,

And the Spirit lifted me up, and he brought me into Chaldea, to those of the transmigration, in a vision, in the Spirit of God. And the vision that I had seen was raised up, away from me.

25 I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

And I spoke, to those of the transmigration, all the words of the Lord that he had revealed to me.