Ezekiel 11

1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of the LORD’s house, which looks eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

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.

2 Then said he to me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:

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

3 Which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.

They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’

4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.

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

5 And the Spirit of the LORD fell on me, and said to me, Speak; Thus says the LORD; Thus have you said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

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.

6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

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

7 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Your slain whom you have laid in the middle of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the middle of it.

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.

8 You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword on you, says the Lord GOD.

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

9 And I will bring you out of the middle thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

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

10 You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

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.

11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall you be the flesh in the middle thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel:

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.

12 And you shall know that I am the LORD: for you have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

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.”

13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord GOD! will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

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?”

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

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

15 Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: to us is this land given in possession.

“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.’

16 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

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.’

17 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

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.’

18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from there.

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

19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

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,

20 That they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

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.

21 But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way on their own heads, says the Lord GOD.

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.”

22 Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

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

23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the middle of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

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

24 Afterwards the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.

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,

25 Then I spoke to them of the captivity all the things that the LORD had showed me.

I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.