Ezekiel 14

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

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

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

The word of Jehovah 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 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 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 tell them, 'Thus says Jehovah: "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 Jehovah will answer him in it according to the multitude of his idols;

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

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

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 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 Jehovah will answer him by myself:

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 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 Jehovah.

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.

"'"If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, Jehovah, 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 They will be responsible for the punishment they receive, as will those who believe in these prophets will receive the same punishment.

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

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 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 Jehovah.'"

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

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

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

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 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 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.

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

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 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 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 it, as I live, says Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered 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 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 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.

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

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!

"For thus says Jehovah: '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 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, 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 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.”

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 Jehovah."