Ezekiel 14

1 And men from [the] elderly of Israel come to me, and sit before me.

Then certain of the responsible men of Israel came to me and took their seats before me.

2 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

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

3 “Son of man, these men have caused their idols to go up on their heart, and they have put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their faces; am I inquired of at all by them?

Son of man, these men have taken their false gods into their hearts and put before their faces the sin which is the cause of their fall: am I to give ear when they come to me for directions?

4 Therefore, speak with them, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: Everyone of the house of Israel who causes his idols to go up to his heart, and sets the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and has gone to the prophet—I, YHWH, have given an answer to him for this, for the abundance of his idols,

For this cause say to them, These are the words of the Lord: Every man of Israel who has taken his false god into his heart, and put before his face the sin which is the cause of his fall, and comes to the prophet; I the Lord will give him an answer by myself in agreement with the number of his false gods;

5 in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart, in that they have become estranged from off Me by their idols—all of them.

So as to take the children of Israel in the thoughts of their hearts, because they have become strange to me through their false gods.

6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: Turn back, indeed, turn back from your idols, and turn back your faces from all your abominations,

For this cause say to the children of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: Come back and give up your false gods and let your faces be turned from your disgusting things.

7 for everyone of the house of Israel, and of the sojourners who sojourn in Israel, who is separated from after Me, and causes his idols to go up to his heart, and sets the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and has come to the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I, YHWH, have answered him for Myself;

When any one of the men of Israel, or of those from other lands who are living in Israel, who has become strange to me, and takes his false gods into his heart, and puts before his face the sin which is the cause of his fall, comes to the prophet to get directions from me; I the Lord will give him an answer by myself:

8 and I have set My face against that man, and made him for a sign, and for allegories, and I have cut him off from the midst of My people, and you have known that I [am] YHWH.

And my face will be turned against that man, and I will make him a sign and a common saying, cutting him off from among my people; and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

9 And the prophet, when he is enticed, and has spoken a word—I, YHWH, have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel.

And if the prophet, tricked by deceit, says anything, it is I the Lord by whom he has been tricked, and I will put out my hand against him, and he will be cut off from among my people Israel.

10 And they have borne their iniquity: as the iniquity of the inquirer, so is the iniquity of the prophet;

And the punishment of their sin will be on them: the sin of the prophet will be the same as the sin of him who goes to him for directions;

11 so that the house of Israel does not wander from after Me anymore, nor are they defiled with all their transgressions anymore, and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God—a declaration of Lord YHWH.”

So that the children of Israel may no longer go wandering away from me, or make themselves unclean with all their wrongdoing; but they will be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord.

12 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

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

13 “Son of man, when the land sins against Me to commit a trespass, and I have stretched out My hand against it, and broken the staff of bread for it, and sent famine into it, and cut off man and beast from it—

Son of man, when a land, sinning against me, does wrong, and my hand is stretched out against it, and the support of its bread is broken, and I make it short of food, cutting off man and beast from it:

14 and [despite] these three men [that] have been in its midst: Noah, Daniel, and Job—they [only] deliver their own soul by their righteousness,” a declaration of Lord YHWH.

Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord.

15 “If I cause an evil beast to pass through the land, and it has bereaved, and it has been a desolation, without any passing through because of the beast—

Or if I send evil beasts through the land causing destruction and making it waste, so that no man may go through because of the beasts:

16 [despite] these three men in its midst—[as] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “they deliver neither sons nor daughters; they alone are delivered, and the land is a desolation.

Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves, and the land would be made waste.

17 Or [if] I bring a sword in against that land, and I have said: Sword, pass over through the land, and I have cut off man and beast from it—

Or if I send a sword against that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, cutting off from it man and beast:

18 and [despite] these three men in its midst—[as] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “they do not deliver sons and daughters, for they alone are delivered.

Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves.

19 Or [if] I send pestilence to that land, and I have poured out My fury against it in blood, to cut off man and beast from it—

Or if I send disease into that land, letting loose my wrath on it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast:

20 and [despite] Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst—[as] I live,” a declaration of Lord YHWH, “they deliver neither son nor daughter; they, by their righteousness, [only] deliver their own soul.”

Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep son or daughter safe; only themselves would they keep safe through their righteousness.

21 For thus said Lord YHWH: “Although My four severe judgments—sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence—I have sent to Jerusalem, to cut off man and beast from it,

For this is what the Lord has said: How much more when I send my four bitter punishments on Jerusalem, the sword and need of food and evil beasts and disease, cutting off from it man and beast?

22 yet, behold, there has been left an escape in it, who are brought forth, sons and daughters, behold, they are coming forth to you, and you have seen their way, and their doings, and have been comforted concerning the calamity that I have brought in against Jerusalem, all that which I have brought in against it.

But truly, there will still be a small band who will be safe, even sons and daughters: and they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings: and you will be comforted about the evil which I have sent on Jerusalem, even about everything I have sent on it.

23 And they have comforted you, for you see their way and their doings, and you have known that I have not done all that which I have done in her for nothing,” a declaration of Lord YHWH.

They will give you comfort when you see their ways and their doings: and you will be certain that not for nothing have I done all the things I have done in it, says the Lord.