Ezekiel 11

1 [Then God’s] Spirit lifted me up and took me to the gate on the east side of the temple area. There at the gate were 25 men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.

Moreover the Spirit took me up, and brought me to the front gate of the house of the Lord, that looks eastward: and behold at the entrance of the gate were about five and twenty men; and I saw in the midst of them Jechonias the son of Ezer, and Phaltias the son of Banaeas, the leaders of the people.

2 Yahweh said to me, “You human, these are the [new leaders in Jerusalem] who are planning to do evil things and who are giving wicked advice [to people] in this city.

And the Lord said to me, Son of man, these are the men that devise vanities, and take evil counsel in this city:

3 They say, ‘[Everything will go well for us, so] it will surely soon be [RHQ] time to build houses. [We are like] [MET] fine/choice pieces of meat that are carefully stored in covered pots, and we are protected [from the bad things that will happen to others].’

who say, Have not the houses been newly built? This is the caldron, and we are the flesh.

4 So, you human, prophesy [the terrible things that will happen to] them.”

Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man.

5 Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon me and told me to [to the people], “This is what Yahweh says: You Israeli people [MTY] are saying those things, but I know what you are thinking.

And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, say; Thus says the Lord; Thus have you said, O house of Israel: and I know the devices of your spirit.

6 You have killed many people in this city and filled the streets with their corpses.

You have multiplied your dead in this city, and you have filled your ways with slain men.

7 Therefore this is what Yahweh the Lord says: The corpses of the people whom you have killed here are [like] the meat [MET], and this city is [like] the pot [MET], but I will expel you from this city.

Therefore thus says the Lord; Your dead whom you have struck in the midst of it, these are the flesh, and this[city] is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.

8 You are afraid [being killed by enemies’] swords, and that is what I will cause to happen to you.

You fear the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, says the Lord.

9 I will expel you from this city and enable foreigners to capture you and punish you.

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

10 They will kill [EUP] you with their swords; you will be punished [right here] in Israel. Then people will realize that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you on the mountains of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

11 This city will not be [a place were you will be protected like] [MET] meat in a covered pot. I will punish you wherever you are in Israel.

And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Phaltias the son of Banaeas died. And I fell upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Alas, alas, O Lord! will you utterly destroy the remnant of Israel?

12 And you will know that I, Yahweh, [have predicted that would happen], because you have not obeyed my commands and decrees; instead, you have imitated [wicked] behavior [of the people] of the nearby nations.”

13 While I was prophesying that, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah [suddenly] died. Then I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out loudly, “Yahweh my Lord, are you going [similarly] get rid of all the Israeli people who are still alive?”

14 Then Yahweh gave me this message:

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

15 “You human, the people who are still in Jerusalem are talking about you and your own relatives and about all the other people who were (exiled/forced to go to other countries), saying, ‘They [in Babylonia], far from Yahweh. They have left their [here in Israel, so] their property now belongs to us!’”

Son of man, your brethren, and the men of your captivity, and all the house of Israel are come to the full, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, Keep you far away from the Lord: the land is given to us for an inheritance.

16 So tell [them], “This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Although I caused them to be taken far [from Israel] and scattered them among other nations, for a short time I will (be like a refuge for/protect) them in the countries to which they have been taken.”

Therefore say you, Thus says the Lord; I will cast them off among the nations, and will disperse them into every land, yet will I be to them for a little sanctuary in the countries which they shall enter.

17 So also tell them, “This is what Yahweh the Lord says: [Some day] I will gather you from the [to which you have been taken] and bring you back to Israel, and you will live in your country/land [again].

Therefore say you, Thus says the Lord; I will also take them from the heathen, and gather them out of the lands wherein I have scattered them, and will give them the land of Israel.

18 When you return to your country, you will get rid of all the vile statues of gods and detestable idols.

And they shall enter in there, and shall remove all the abominations of it, and all its iniquities from it.

19 I will put a new way of thinking [IDM] within you. I will cause you to no longer be stubborn [IDM], and I will enable you to obey me completely [IDM].

And I will give them another heart, and will put a new spirit within them; and will extract the heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh:

20 When I do that, you will carefully obey all my laws [DOU]. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

that they may walk in my commandments, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be to me a people, and I will be to them a God.

21 But as for those who are devoted [worshiping] their vile statues and detestable idols, I will punish them as they deserve for the evil things that they have done.’”

And as for the heart [set upon] their abominations and their iniquities, as their heart went [after them], I have recompensed their ways on their heads, says the Lord.

22 Then the winged creatures, with their wheels beside them, spread their [and flew up into the air], and the dazzling brightness of Yahweh was above them.

Then the cherubs lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

23 That light went up away from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east of the city.

And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain which was in front of the city.

24 In the vision [that I had been seeing, God’s] Spirit lifted me up and brought me [back] to the (exiles in/people who had been forced to go to) Babylonia. Then the vision ended,

And the Spirit took me up, and brought me to the land of the Chaldeans, to the captivity, in a vision by the Spirit of God: and I went up after the vision which I saw.

25 and I told the exiles everything that Yahweh had shown [in the vision].

And I spoke to the captivity all the words of the Lord which he had showed me.