Ezekiel 14

1 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

Then came there unto me certain men of the elders of Israel, and sat down before me.

2 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

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

3 “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their own faces. Should I be inquired of at all by them?

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?

4 Therefore announce this to them and say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols.

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;

5 I will do this so that I may take back the house of Israel in their hearts that have been driven far from me through their idols.'

In order that I may grasp the house of Israel by their heart, those who are separated from me through all their idols.

6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations.

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.

7 For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners staying in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself.

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;

8 So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

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.

9 If a prophet is deceived and speaks a message, then I, Yahweh, will deceive that prophet; I will reach out with my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

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.

10 They will carry their own iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet will be the same as the iniquity of the one who inquires from him.

And they shall bear their guilt: as the guilt of the inquirer is, so shall the guilt of the prophet be;

11 Because of this, the house of Israel will no longer wander away from following me nor defile themselves any longer through all their transgressions. They will be my people, and I will be their God—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”

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.

12 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

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

13 “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a sin so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both man and beast from the land;

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;

14 then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land's midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

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.

15 If I send evil beasts through the land and make it barren so that it becomes a wasteland where no man may pass through because of the beasts,

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:

16 then even if these same three men were in it—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued, but the land would become a wasteland.

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.

17 Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, 'Sword, go through the land and cut off both man and beast from it',

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;

18 then even if these three men were in the midst of the land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued.

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.

19 Or if I send a plague against this land and pour out my fury against it through bloodshed, in order to cut off both man and beast,

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;

20 then even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued by their righteousness.

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.

21 For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four punishments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both man and beast from her.

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:

22 Yet, behold! A remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land.

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;

23 The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

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.