Ezekiel 14

1 And some of the ancients of Israel came to me, and sat before me.

Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

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

The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

3 Son of man, these men have placed their uncleannesses in their hearts, and have set up before their face the stumblingblock of their iniquity: and shall I answer when they inquire of me?

"Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

4 Therefore speak to them, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Man, man of the house of Israel that shall place his uncleannesses in his heart, and set up the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet inquiring of me by him: I the Lord will answer him according to the multitude of his uncleannesses:

Therefore speak to them, and tell them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him in it according to the multitude of his idols;

5 That the house of Israel may be caught in their own heart, with which they have departed from me through all their idols.

that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols."'

6 Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Be converted, and depart from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

"Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD: "Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

7 For every man of the house of Israel, and every stranger among the proselytes in Israel, if he separate himself from me, and place his idols in his heart, and set the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and come to the prophet to inquire of me by him: I the Lord will answer him by myself.

For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:

8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an example, and a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of my people: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

9 And when the prophet shall err, and speak a word: I the Lord have deceived that prophet: and I will stretch forth my hand upon him, and will cut him off from the midst of my people Israel.

"'"If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10 And they shall bear their iniquity: according to the iniquity of him that inquireth, so shall the iniquity of the prophet be.

They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;

11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, nor be polluted with all their transgressions: but may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord of hosts.

that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God," says the LORD.'"

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

The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when a land shall sin against me, so as to transgress grievously, I will stretch forth my hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof: and I will send famine upon it, and will destroy man and beast out of it.

"Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;

14 And if these three men, Noe, Daniel, and Job, shall be in it: they shall deliver their own souls by their justice, saith the Lord of hosts.

though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the LORD."

15 And if I shall bring mischievous beasts also upon the land to waste it, and it be desolate, so that there is none that can pass because of the beasts:

"If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

16 If these three men shall be in it, as I live, saith the Lord, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters: but they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be made desolate.

though these three men were in it, as I live," says the LORD, "they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

17 Or if I bring the sword upon that land, and say to the sword: Pass through the land: and I destroy man and beast out of it:

"Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land'; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

18 And these three men be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they themselves alone shall be delivered.

though these three men were in it, as I live, says the LORD, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

19 Or if I also send the pestilence upon that land, and pour out my indignation upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

"Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

20 And Noe, and Daniel, and Job be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter: but they shall only deliver their own souls by their justice.

though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the LORD, they could not save either son nor daughter; they would save only their own souls by their righteousness.

21 For thus saith the Lord: Although I shall send in upon Jerusalem my four grievous judgments, the sword, and the famine, and the mischievous beasts, and the pestilence, to destroy out of it man and beast,

"For thus says the LORD: 'How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal.

22 Yet there shall be left in it some that shall be saved, who shall bring away their sons and daughters: behold they shall come among you, and you shall see their way, and their doings: and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, in all things that I have brought upon it.

Yet, look, there shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: look, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

23 And they shall comfort you, when you shall see their ways, and their doings: and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.

They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,' says the LORD."