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.

Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of Yahweh's house, facing east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate there were twenty-five men. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people, among them.

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

God said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who decide wicked plans 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.’

They are saying, 'The time to build houses is not now; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.'

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

Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, 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.

Then the Spirit of Yahweh fell on me and he said for me to say: This is what Yahweh says, “That is what you are saying, house of Israel; for I know what goes through your mind.

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

You have multiplied the people you have killed in this city and filled its streets with them.

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.

Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: The people you have killed, whose bodies you have laid in the midst of Jerusalem, are the meat, and this city is the pot. But you are going to be brought out from the midst of this city.

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

You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.

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

I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgment against 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 so you will know that I am Yahweh.

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 your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat within her 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.”

Then you will know that I am Yahweh, the one whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not carried out. Instead, you have carried out the decrees of the nations that surround 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?”

It came about that as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah, died. So I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”

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

The word of Yahweh 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! Your brothers! The men of your clan and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, 'They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our 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.’

Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the lands where 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.’

Therefore say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you from the lands where you were scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'

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

Then they will go there and remove every detestable thing and every abomination 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,

I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take out the heart of stone from their flesh and 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 that they will walk in my statutes, they will carry out my decrees and do them. Then they will 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 to those who walk with affection toward their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their conduct on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

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

The cherubim lifted up their wings and the wheels that were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high up over them.

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

Then the glory of Yahweh went up from within the midst of the city and stood on the mountain 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,

The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into Chaldea, to the exiles, in the vision from the Spirit of God, and the vision that I had seen went up from upon me.

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

Then I declared to the exiles all the things of Yahweh that I had seen.