Ezekiel 14

1 Some elders of Israel arrived and sat down with me.

And there came to me men of the people of Israel, of the elders, and sat before me.

2 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

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

3 “Son of man, these men are worshiping idols in their minds even though they know this will lead them to sin. Why should I respond to their requests?

Son of man, these men have conceived their devices in their hearts, and have set before their faces the punishment of their iniquities: shall I indeed answer them?

4 So tell them that this is what the Lord God says: When the people of Israel worship idols in their minds that will lead them to sin, and then come to consult the prophet, I the Lord will give them an answer appropriate to their many idols.

Therefore speak to them, and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord; Any man of the house of Israel, who shall conceive his devices in his heart, and shall set the punishment of his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet; I the Lord will answer him [according to the things] in which his mind is entangled,

5 Like this I might have the people of Israel decide to recommit themselves to me. Right now, because of their idols, all of them treat me as their enemy.

that he should turn aside the house of Israel, according to their hearts that are estranged from me in their thoughts.

6 So tell the people of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: Repent! Give up worshiping your idols Stop all your disgusting practices.

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, Be converted, and turn from your [evil] practices, and from all your sins, and turn your faces back again.

7 When the people of Israel or foreigners living with them worship idols in their minds that will lead them to sin and then come to consult the prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself.

For any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who shall separate himself from me, and conceive his imaginations in his heart, and set before his face the punishment of his iniquity, and come to the prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him, [according to the things] wherein he is entangled.

8 I will oppose anyone who does this and make any example of them that others will talk about. I will remove them from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

And I will set my face against that man, and will make him desolate and ruined, and will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

9 But if the prophet is deceived into giving a message, it was I the Lord who deceived him to do this. I will still reach out and destroy that prophet from my people Israel.

And if a prophet should cause to err and should speak, I the Lord have caused that prophet to err, and will stretch out my hand upon him, and will utterly destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10 They will be responsible for the punishment they receive, as will those who believe in these prophets will receive the same punishment.

And they shall bear their iniquity according to the trespass of him that asks; and it shall be in like manner to the prophet according to the trespass:

11 This is so that the people of Israel won't abandon me anymore and won't make themselves unclean with all their sins. Then they will be my people and I will be their God, declares the Lord God.”

that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, and that they may no more defile themselves with any of their transgressions: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord.

12 A message from the Lord came to me again, saying,

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

13 “Son of man, if a people in a country sin against me by being unfaithful to me, then I will act against them by cutting off their food supply, so they experience famine, with no food for people or animals.

Son of man, if a land shall sin against me by committing a trespass, then will I stretch out my hand upon it, and will break its staff of bread, and will send forth famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast.

14 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job, these three men, were present their good lives would only save themselves, declares the Lord God.

And though these three men should be in the midst of it, Noe, and Daniel, and Job, they [alone] should be delivered by their righteousness, says the Lord.

15 I could send wild animals rampaging through the country, so they would leave it uninhabited and desolate, a place no one would travel through for fear of such animals.

If again I bring evil beasts upon the land, and take vengeance upon it, and it be ruined, and there be no one to pass through for fear of the wild beasts:

16 As I live, declares the Lord God, even if these three men were present, they couldn't save their own sons or daughters. They would only save themselves, but the land would be left desolate.

and [if] these three men should be in the midst of it, [as] I live, says the Lord, neither sons nor daughters shall be saved, but these only shall be saved, and the land shall be destroyed.

17 I could bring war to that country and say, ‘Have a sword cut through it,’ so that I destroy both people and animals.

Or again if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Let the sword go through the land; and I cut off from them man and beast:

18 As I live, declares the Lord God, even if these three men were present, they couldn't save their own sons or daughters. They would only save themselves.

though these three men were in the midst of it, as I live, says the Lord, they shall not deliver sons or daughters, but they only shall be saved themselves.

19 I could send a disease on that country and because of my anger I would kill many, both people and animals.

Or [if] again I send pestilence upon that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to destroy from off it man and beast:

20 As I live, declares the Lord God, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were present, they couldn't save their sons or daughters. Their good lives would only save themselves.

and should Noe, and Daniel, and Job, be in the midst of it, [as] I live, says the Lord, there shall be left [them] neither sons nor daughters; [only] they by their righteousness shall deliver their souls.

21 This is what the Lord God says: It will be so much worse when I send my four severe judgments against Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease, so that both people and animals are killed!

Thus says the Lord, And if I even send upon Jerusalem my four sore judgements, sword, and famine, and evil beasts, and pestilence, to destroy from out of it man and beast;

22 Even so a few of them will survive, some sons and daughters who will be taken captive. They will be brought to you in Babylon, and when you realize what they did and how they acted, you will understand why I had to bring such a disaster down on Jerusalem—everything I did to it.

yet, behold, [there shall be] men left in it, the escaped thereof, who [shall] lead forth of it sons and daughters: behold, they [shall] go forth to you, and you shall see their ways and their thoughts: and you shall mourn over the evils which I have brought upon Jerusalem, [even] all the evils which I have brought upon it.

23 Realizing what they did and how they acted will help you to see that I had good reasons to do everything I did to Jerusalem, declares the Lord God.”

And they shall comfort you, because you shall see their ways and their thoughts: and you shall know that I have not done in vain all that I have done in it, says the Lord.