Ezekiel 14

1 And come in unto me do certain of the elders of Israel, and sit before me.

Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

2 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

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

"Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

4 'Therefore, speak with them, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Every one of the house of Israel who causeth his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath gone in unto the prophet — I Jehovah have given an answer to him for this, for the abundance of his idols,

Therefore speak to them, and tell them, 'Thus says YHWH: "Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I YHWH will answer him in it according to the multitude of his idols;

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.

that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols."'

6 'Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn ye back, yea, turn ye back from your idols, and from all your abominations turn back your faces,

"Therefore tell the house of Israel, 'Thus says YHWH: "Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

7 for every one of the house of Israel, and of the sojourners who doth sojourn in Israel, who is separated from after Me, and doth cause his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath come in unto the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I, Jehovah, have answered him for Myself;

For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I YHWH will answer him by myself:

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

and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am YHWH.

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

"'"If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, YHWH, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

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

They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;

11 so that the house of Israel do not wander any more from after Me, nor are defiled any more with all their transgressions, and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God," says YHWH.'"

12 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

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

"Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;

14 and these three men have been in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job — they by their righteousness deliver their own soul — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says YHWH."

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

"If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

16 these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither sons nor daughters do they deliver; they alone are delivered, and the land is a desolation.

though these three men were in it, as I live," says YHWH, "they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

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

"Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, 'Sword, go through the land'; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

18 and these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — they deliver not sons and daughters, for they alone are delivered.

though these three men were in it, as I live, says YHWH, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

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

"Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

20 and Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither son nor daughter do they deliver; they, by their righteousness, deliver their own soul.

though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says YHWH, they could not save either son nor daughter; they would save only their own souls by their righteousness.

21 'For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Although My four sore judgments — sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence — I have sent unto Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast,

"For thus says YHWH: 'How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal.

22 yet, lo, there hath been left in it an escape, who are brought forth, sons and daughters, lo, they are coming forth unto you, and ye have seen their way, and their doings, and have been comforted concerning the evil that I have brought in against Jerusalem, all that which I have brought in against it.

Yet, look, there shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: look, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

23 And they have comforted you, for ye see their way and their doings, and ye have known that not for nought have I done all that which I have done in her — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it,' says YHWH."