Ezekiel 14
1 Then came there unto me certain men of the elders of Israel, and sat down before me.
And there came to me men of the people of Israel, of the elders, and sat before me.
2 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and the stumbling-block of their iniquity have they placed before their faces: shall I in any wise let myself be inquired of by them?
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 Therefore speak with them and say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Whatever man it be of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and layeth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet: I the Lord will answer him, although he cometh with the multitude of his idols;
Therefore speak to them, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith 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 In order that I may grasp the house of Israel by their heart, those who are separated from me through all their idols.
that he should turn aside the house of Israel, according to their hearts that are estranged from me in their thoughts.
6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Return, and cause [your heart] to turn away from your idols: and from all your abominations turn away your faces.
Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Be converted, and turn from your [evil] practices, and from all your sins, and turn your faces back again.
7 For whatever man it be of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and layeth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and then cometh to the prophet to inquire through him of me: I the Lord will answer him through my word;
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 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment for a sign and for proverbs, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall 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 ye shall know that I am the Lord.
9 And when the prophet suffereth himself to be deceived, and he speaketh a word: I the Lord have suffered that prophet to be deceived: and I will stretch out my hand against him, and will destroy him from the midst of 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 And they shall bear their guilt: as the guilt of the inquirer is, so shall the guilt of the prophet be;
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 In order that the house of Israel may go no more astray by not following me, and not pollute themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may become unto me a people, and I may be unto them a God, saith the Lord Eternal.
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, saith the Lord.
12 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
13 Son of man, if a land should sin against me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out my hand against it, and break unto it the staff of bread, and send out famine against it, and cut off from it man and beast;
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 And if there be these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, in the midst of it: these through their righteousness should save but their own soul; saith the Lord Eternal.
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, saith the Lord.
15 If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they depopulate it, and it becometh desolate, without any one to pass through because of the beasts:
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 These three men [if they were] in it, as I live, saith the Lord Eternal, should not save either sons or daughters: they only should be saved, but the land should be made desolate.
and [if] these three men should be in the midst of it, [as] I live, saith the Lord, neither sons nor daughters shall be saved, but these only shall be saved, and the land shall be destroyed.
17 Or, if I should bring a sword over that land, and say, The sword shall pass through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast;
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 And if these three men should be in it: as I live, saith the Lord Eternal, they should not save either sons or daughters, but they alone should be saved.
though these three men were in the midst of it, as I live, saith the Lord, they shall not deliver sons or daughters, but they only shall be saved themselves.
19 Or, if I should send out the pestilence against that land, and pour out my fury over it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast;
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 And if Noah, Daniel, and Job, should be in the midst of it: as I live, saith the Lord Eternal, they should not save either son or daughter; they through their righteousness should save their own soul.
and should Noe, and Daniel, and Job, be in the midst of it, [as] I live, saith the Lord, there shall be left [them] neither sons nor daughters; [only] they by their righteousness shall deliver their souls.
21 For thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Although I send my four dreadful means of punishment over Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the wild beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast:
Thus saith the Lord, And if I even send upon Jerusalem my four sore judgments, sword, and famine, and evil beasts, and pestilence, to destroy from out of it man and beast;
22 Still, behold, there are left therein some that escape who shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters; behold, they are coming forth unto you, and ye will see their way and their doings; and then will ye be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, yea, concerning all that I have brought upon 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 ye shall see their ways and their thoughts: and ye shall mourn over the evils which I have brought upon Jerusalem, [even] all the evils which I have brought upon it.
23 And they will comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have executed in it, saith the Lord Eternal.
And they shall comfort you, because ye shall see their ways and their thoughts: and ye shall know that I have not done in vain all that I have done in it, saith the Lord.
