< Ezekiel 11 >

1 And lift me up doth a spirit, and it bringeth me in unto the east gate of the house of Jehovah, that is facing the east, and lo, at the opening of the gate twenty and five men, and I see in their midst Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, heads of the people.
Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
2 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, these [are] the men who are devising iniquity, and who are giving evil counsel in this city;
And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.
3 who are saying, It [is] not near — to build houses, it [is] the pot, and we the flesh.
They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’
4 Therefore prophesy concerning them, prophesy, son of man.'
Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!”
5 And fall upon me doth the Spirit of Jehovah, and He saith unto me, 'Say: Thus said Jehovah: Rightly ye have said, O house of Israel, And the steps of your spirit I have known.
And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
6 Ye multiplied your wounded in this city, And filled its out-places with the wounded.
You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Your wounded whom ye placed in its midst, They [are] the flesh, and it [is] the pot, And you he hath brought out from its midst.
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.
8 A sword ye have feared, And a sword I bring in against you, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.
9 And I have brought you out of its midst, And given you into the hand of strangers, And I have done among you judgments.
I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.
10 By the sword ye do fall, On the border of Israel I do judge you, And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.
You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
11 It is not to you for a pot, Nor are ye in its midst for flesh, At the border of Israel I do judge you.
The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel.
12 And ye have known that I [am] Jehovah, For in My statutes ye have not walked, And My Judgments ye have not done, And according to the judgments of the nations Who are round about you — ye have done!'
Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”
13 And it cometh to pass, at my prophesying, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah is dying, and I fall on my face, and cry — a loud voice — and say, 'Ah, Lord Jehovah, an end Thou art making of the remnant of Israel.'
Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”
14 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
15 'Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel — all of it, [are] they to whom inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Keep far off from Jehovah;
“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16 it [is] ours, the land hath been given for an inheritance; therefore say: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because I put them afar off among nations, And because I scattered them through lands, I also am to them for a little sanctuary, In lands whither they have gone in.
Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’
17 Therefore say: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: And I have assembled you from the peoples, And I have gathered you from the lands, Into which ye have been scattered, And I have given to you the ground of Israel.
Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’
18 And they have gone in thither. And turned aside all its detestable things, And all its abominations — out of it.
When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.
19 And I have given to them one heart, And a new spirit I do give in your midst, And I have turned the heart of stone out of their flesh, And I have given to them a heart of flesh.
And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
20 So that in My statutes they walk, And My judgments they keep, and have done them, And they have been to me for a people, And I am to them for God.
so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.
21 As to those whose heart is going unto the heart Of their detestable and their abominable things, Their way on their head I have put, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'
But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
22 And the cherubs lift up their wings, and the wheels [are] over-against them, and the honour of the God of Israel [is] over them above.
Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
23 And the honour of Jehovah goeth up from off the midst of the city, and standeth on the mountain, that [is] on the east of the city.
And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
24 And a spirit hath lifted me up, and bringeth me in to Chaldea, unto the Removed, in a vision, by the Spirit of God, and go up from off me doth the vision that I have seen;
And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
25 and I speak unto the Removed all the matters of Jehovah that He hath shewed me.
I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

< Ezekiel 11 >