Ezekiel 11

1 Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of Yhwh's house, which looketh 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 picked me up and took me to the eastern entrance of the Lord's Temple. Twenty-five men were gathered there at the entrance. I recognized among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.

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

The Lord told me, “Son of man, it's these men who are making evil plans and giving bad advice to the people 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're saying, ‘Is this the time for us to be building houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat inside it.’

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

So prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man!”

5 And the Spirit of Yhwh fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith Yhwh; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon me and told me to say: This is what the Lord says: “People of Israel, that's what you're saying! I know what you're thinking inside!

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

You murder more and more people in this city. You've filled its streets with the dead!

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

So this is what the Lord God says: Those you've killed in this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I'm going to take you out of it.

8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord Yhwh.

You're afraid of being killed by the sword, so I will bring invaders with swords to attack you, declares the Lord God.

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

I'm going to take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners, and I'm going to carry out my sentence against you.

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

You will be killed by the sword, and I will punish you right up to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

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

The city won't be like a pot for you, and you won't be the meat inside it either. I will punish you right up to the borders of Israel.

12 And ye shall know that I am Yhwh: for ye 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 didn't follow my rules and you didn't keep my laws. Instead you kept the laws 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 upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord Yhwh! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

While I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. I fell facedown on the ground and shouted loudly, “Lord God, are you going to completely destroy what's left of the people of Israel?”

14 Again the word of Yhwh came unto me, saying,

A message from Lord came to me, saying,

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

“Son of man, your brothers, including your relatives, your fellow exiles, and all the other Israelites, are those the people of Jerusalem were referring to when they said, ‘They are far away from the Lord. This country was given to us and we are to own it.’

16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Yhwh; 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.

So tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Even though I sent them far away to live among the foreign nations, scattering them among the different countries, I have been taking care of them for a while in the countries where they went.

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

Tell them that this is what the Lord God says: I'm going to gather you from the other nations and bring you back from the countries where you've been scattered, and I will return the country of Israel to you.

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

When they come back, they are going to get rid of all its offensive idols and disgusting practices from the country.

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:

I will give them single-minded commitment and a whole new spirit. I will take away their hard-hearted attitude and replace it with one that is loving.

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

This way they can follow my rules, keep my regulations, and do what I say. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord Yhwh.

But for those who still choose to worship offensive idols and engage in disgusting practices, I will let them experience the consequences of their own actions, declares the Lord God.”

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

Then the cherubim opened their wings and took off, with the wheels alongside them, and with the glory of the God of Israel above them.

23 And the glory of Yhwh went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

The glory of the Lord rose from inside the city and went over to the mountain to the 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.

In the vision given to me by the Spirit of God, the Spirit picked me up and carried me back to Babylonia to where the exiles were. After the vision left me,

25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that Yhwh had shewed me.

I explained to the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.