< Jezekiel 11 >

1 Moreover the Spirit took me up, and brought me to the front gate of the house of the Lord, that looks eastward: and behold at the entrance of the gate were about five and twenty men; and I saw in the midst of them Jechonias the son of Ezer, and Phaltias the son of Banaeas, the 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 that devise vanities, and take evil 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 who say, Have not the houses been newly built? This is the cauldron, and we are the flesh.
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, son of man.
Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”
5 And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, say; Thus says the Lord; Thus have you said, O house of Israel: and I know the devices of your spirit.
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 your dead in this city, and you have filled your ways with slain men.
You have multiplied the people you have killed in this city and filled its streets with them.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord; Your dead whom you have struck in the midst of it, these are the flesh, and this[city] is the cauldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of 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; and I will bring a sword upon you, says the Lord.
You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh.
9 And I will bring you forth out of the midst of it, and will deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgements amongst 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 shall fall by the sword; I will judge you on the mountains of Israel; and you shall 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 And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Phaltias the son of Banaeas died. And I fell upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Alas, alas, O Lord! will you utterly destroy the remnant 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.
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.”
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 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
15 Son of man, your brethren, and the men of your captivity, and all the house of Israel are come to the full, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, Keep you far away from the Lord: the land is given to us for an inheritance.
“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 say you, Thus says the Lord; I will cast them off amongst the nations, and will disperse them into every land, yet will I be to them for a little sanctuary in the countries which they shall enter.
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 say you, Thus says the Lord; I will also take them from the heathen, and gather them out of the lands wherein I have scattered them, and will give them 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 And they shall enter in there, and shall remove all the abominations of it, and all its iniquities from it.
Then they will go there and remove every detestable thing and every abomination from that place.
19 And I will give them another heart, and will put a new spirit within them; and will extract the heart of stone from their flesh, 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 that they may walk in my commandments, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a 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 And as for the heart [set upon] their abominations and their iniquities, as their heart went [after them], I have recompensed their ways on their heads, says the Lord.
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 cherubs lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.
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 went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which was in front 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 took me up, and brought me to the land of the Chaldeans, to the captivity, in a vision by the Spirit of God: and I went up after the vision which I saw.
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 And I spoke to the captivity all the words of the Lord which he had showed me.
Then I declared to the exiles all the things of Yahweh that I had seen.

< Jezekiel 11 >