Ezekiel’s Vision of God
1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visionsa of God. Timeline: The Life and Times of Ezekiel Person Profile: Ezekiel
2On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, Insight: A Long Layover
3the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeansb by the River Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was upon him there.
4Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
5Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.
6Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
7Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.
8The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.
9Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.
10As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.
11Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies.
12And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.
13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.
14And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.
15Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.
16The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
17When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went.
18As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.
19When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.
20Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creaturesc was in the wheels.
21When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creaturesd was in the wheels.
22The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creaturese was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads.
23And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body.
24When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.
25A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.
26And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
27Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
28Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.
Ezekiel Sent to Rebellious Israel
So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
1And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Focus: Different Callings, Same Purpose
2Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me.
3And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.
4“For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’
5“As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them.
6“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.
7“You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.
8“But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
9Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it.
10Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.
1Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
2So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.
4Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.
5“For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,
6“not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.
7“But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.
8“Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.
9“Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
10Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears.
11“And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the glory of the LORD from His place!”
13I also heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise.
14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
15Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
Ezekiel Is a Watchman
16Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me:
18“When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
19“Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
20“Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
21“Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”
22Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”
23So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
25“And you, O son of man, surely they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.
26“I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.
27“But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
The Siege of Jerusalem Portrayed
1“You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. Insight: Parables Performed
2“Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. Insight: Ezekiel’s Brick
3“Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4“Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.
5“For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
6“And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. Insight: Measuring the Exile
7“Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.
8“And surely I will restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it.
10“And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it.
11“You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink.
12“And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”
13Then the LORD said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”
14So I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.”
15Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”
16Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread,
17“that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste away because of their iniquity.
A Sword Against Jerusalem
1“And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair.
2“You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them.
3“You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment.
4“Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel.
5“Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations and the countries all around her.
6‘She has rebelled against My judgments by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are all around her; for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statutes.’
7“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have multiplied disobedience more than the nations that are all around you, have not walked in My statutes nor kept My judgments, nor even donea according to the judgments of the nations that are all around you’—
8“therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Indeed I, even I, am against you and will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations.
9‘And I will do among you what I have never done, and the like of which I will never do again, because of all your abominations.
10‘Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments among you, and all of you who remain I will scatter to all the winds.
11‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity.
12‘One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
13‘Thus shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.
14‘Moreover I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
15‘So itb shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the LORD, have spoken.
16‘When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread.
17‘So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.’ ”
Judgment on Idolatrous Israel
1Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
2“Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3“and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.
4“Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
5“And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars.
6“In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
7“The slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the LORD. Focus: You Shall Know That I Am the Lord
8“Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries.
9“Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations.
10“And they shall know that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”
11‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
12‘He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. Thus will I spend My fury upon them.
13‘Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols.
14‘So I will stretch out My hand against them and make the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” ’ ”
Judgment on Israel Is Near
1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel:
‘An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
3Now the end has come upon you,
And I will send My anger against you;
I will judge you according to your ways,
And I will repay you for all your abominations.
4My eye will not spare you,
Nor will I have pity;
But I will repay your ways,
And your abominations will be in your midst;
Then you shall know that I am the LORD!’
5“Thus says the Lord GOD:
‘A disaster, a singular disaster;
Behold, it has come!
6An end has come,
The end has come;
It has dawned for you;
Behold, it has come!
7Doom has come to you, you who dwell in the land;
The time has come,
A day of trouble is near,
And not of rejoicing in the mountains.
8Now upon you I will soon pour out My fury,
And spend My anger upon you;
I will judge you according to your ways,
And I will repay you for all your abominations.
9‘My eye will not spare,
Nor will I have pity;
I will repay you according to your ways,
And your abominations will be in your midst.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD who strikes.
10‘Behold, the day!
Behold, it has come!
Doom has gone out;
The rod has blossomed,
Pride has budded.
11Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness;
None of them shall remain,
None of their multitude,
None of them;
Nor shall there be wailing for them.
12The time has come,
The day draws near.
‘Let not the buyer rejoice,
Nor the seller mourn,
For wrath is on their whole multitude.
13For the seller shall not return to what has been sold,
Though he may still be alive;
For the vision concerns the whole multitude,
And it shall not turn back;
No one will strengthen himself
Who lives in iniquity.
14‘They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready,
But no one goes to battle;
For My wrath is on all their multitude.
15The sword is outside,
And the pestilence and famine within.
Whoever is in the field
Will die by the sword;
And whoever is in the city,
Famine and pestilence will devour him.
16‘Those who survive will escape and be on the mountains
Like doves of the valleys,
All of them mourning,
Each for his iniquity.
17Every hand will be feeble,
And every knee will be as weak as water.
18They will also be girded with sackcloth;
Horror will cover them;
Shame will be on every face,
Baldness on all their heads.
19‘They will throw their silver into the streets,
And their gold will be like refuse;
Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them
In the day of the wrath of the LORD;
They will not satisfy their souls,
Nor fill their stomachs,
Because it became their stumbling block of iniquity.
20‘As for the beauty of his ornaments,
He set it in majesty;
But they made from it
The images of their abominations—
Their detestable things;
Therefore I have made it
Like refuse to them.
21I will give it as plunder
Into the hands of strangers,
And to the wicked of the earth as spoil;
And they shall defile it.
22I will turn My face from them,
And they will defile My secret place;
For robbers shall enter it and defile it.
23‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled.
25Destruction comes;
They will seek peace, but there shall be none.
26Disaster will come upon disaster,
And rumor will be upon rumor.
Then they will seek a vision from a prophet;
But the law will perish from the priest,
And counsel from the elders.
27‘The king will mourn,
The prince will be clothed with desolation,
And the hands of the common people will tremble.
I will do to them according to their way,
And according to what they deserve I will judge them;
Then they shall know that I am the LORD!’ ”
Abominations in the Temple
1And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me there.
2Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire—from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber.
3He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.
4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.
5Then He said to me, “Son of man, lift your eyes now toward the north.” So I lifted my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the altar gate, was this image of jealousy in the entrance.
6Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater abominations.”
7So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall.
8Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was a door.
9And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.”
10So I went in and saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls.
11And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12Then He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’ ”
13And He said to me, “Turn again, and you will see greater abominations that they are doing.”
14So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the LORD’s house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.”
16So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
17And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.
18“Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”
The Wicked Are Slain
1Then He called out in my hearing with a loud voice, saying, “Let those who have charge over the city draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand.”
2And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with his battle-ax in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer’s inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple.a And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side;
4and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” Focus: A Mark of Mercy
5To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity.
6“Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the temple.
7Then He said to them, “Defile the temple, and fill the courts with the slain. Go out!” And they went out and killed in the city.
8So it was, that while they were killing them, I was left alone; and I fell on my face and cried out, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?”
9Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see!’
10“And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”
11Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and said, “I have done as You commanded me.”
The Glory Departs from the Temple
1And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
2Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, “Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he went in as I watched.
3Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the templea when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court.
4Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.
5And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks.
6Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,” that he went in and stood beside the wheels.
7And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out.
8The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.
9And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone.
10As for their appearance, all four looked alike—as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
11When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went.
12And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the four had, were full of eyes all around.
13As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, “Wheel.”
14Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
15And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar.
16When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them.
17When the cherubimb stood still, the wheels stood still, and when onec was lifted up, the otherd lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them.
18Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. Focus: Parted from His Presence
19And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
20This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim.
21Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
22And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each went straight forward.
Judgment on Wicked Counselors
1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the LORD’s house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city, Focus: Stand for Truth
3“who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the meat.’
4“Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”
5Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the LORD: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.
6“You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”
7‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.
8“You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord GOD.
9“And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and execute judgments on you.
10“You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
11“This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.
12“And you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”
13Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”
God Will Restore Israel
14Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
15“Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’ Focus: A Little Sanctuary
17“Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’
18“And they will go there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there.
19“Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them,a and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
20“that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
21“But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.
22So the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them.
23And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
24Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea,b to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the LORD had shown me.
Judah’s Captivity Portrayed
1Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
2“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
3“Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.
4“By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity.
5“Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it.
6“In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”
7So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.
8And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9“Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’
10“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.” ’
11“Say, ‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’
12“And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes.
13“I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.
14“I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15“Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
16“But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Judgment Not Postponed
17Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18“Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety.
19“And say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: “They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all who are in it, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.
20“Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
21And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
22“Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?
23“Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.” But say to them, “The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision.
24“For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25“For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
26Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
27“Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’
28“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
Woe to Foolish Prophets
1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ ”
3Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
4“O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.
5“You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.
6“They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.
7“Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”
8Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD.
9“My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.
10“Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar—
11“say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down.
12“Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”
13Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.
14“So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
15“Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it,
16‘that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord GOD.
17“Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them,
18“and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleevesa and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? Insight: The Witches of Jerusalem
19“And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”
20‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds.
21“I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
22“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.
23“Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
Idolatry Will Be Punished
1Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. Insight: A Gift of the Exile
2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
3“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?
4“Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, Focus: Idolatry of the Heart
5“that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’
6“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.
7“For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the LORD will answer him by Myself.
8“I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.
9“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the LORD have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
10“And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,
11“that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness
12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:
13“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.
14“Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD. Focus: Salvation by Proxy
15“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,
16“even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.
17“Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it,
18“even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.
19“Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,
20“even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”
21For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it?
22“Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.
23“And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord GOD.
The Outcast Vine
1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: Insight: The Parables of Ezekiel
2“Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest?
3“Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on?
4“Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work?
5“Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?
6“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
7‘and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them.
8‘Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord GOD.”
God’s Love for Jerusalem
1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3“and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to Jerusalem: “Your birth and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. Focus: Skeletons in the Closet
4“As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
5“No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born.
6“And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’
7“I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.
8“When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD.
9“Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.
10“I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk.
11“I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck.
12“And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
13“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty.
14“Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord GOD.
Jerusalem’s Harlotry
15“But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it.
16“You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be.
17“You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them.
18“You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them.
19“Also My food which I gave you—the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you—you set it before them as sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord GOD.
20“Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter,
21“that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
22“And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.
23“Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord GOD—
24“that you also built for yourself a shrine, and made a high place for yourself in every street.
25“You built your high places at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry.
26“You also committed harlotry with the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to provoke Me to anger.
27“Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.
28“You also played the harlot with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied.
29“Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.
30“How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord GOD, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.
Jerusalem’s Adultery
31“You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned payment.
32“You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband.
33“Men make payment to all harlots, but you made your payments to all your lovers, and hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry.
34“You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”
Jerusalem’s Lovers Will Abuse Her
35‘Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD!
36‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,
37“surely, therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness.
38“And I will judge you as women who break wedlock or shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy.
39“I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down your high places. They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.
40“They shall also bring up an assembly against you, and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords.
41“They shall burn your houses with fire, and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers.
42“So I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more.
43“Because you did not remember the days of your youth, but agitated Mea with all these things, surely I will also recompense your deeds on your own head,” says the Lord GOD. “And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.
More Wicked than Samaria and Sodom
44“Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’ Focus: Three Sinful Sisters
45“You are your mother’s daughter, loathing husband and children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.
46“Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters.
47“You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.
48“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done.
49“Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50“And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.b
51“Samaria did not commit half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done.
52“You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.
53“When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back the captives of your captivity among them,
54“that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when you comforted them.
55“When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state.
56“For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride,
57“before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the reproach of the daughters of Syriac and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere.
58“You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the LORD.
59‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “I will deal with you as you have done, who despised the oath by breaking the covenant.
An Everlasting Covenant
60“Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
61“Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you.
62“And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
63“that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
The Eagles and the Vine
1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel,
3“and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
Full of feathers of various colors,
Came to Lebanon
And took from the cedar the highest branch.
4He cropped off its topmost young twig
And carried it to a land of trade;
He set it in a city of merchants.
5Then he took some of the seed of the land
And planted it in a fertile field;
He placed it by abundant waters
And set it like a willow tree.
6And it grew and became a spreading vine of low stature;
Its branches turned toward him,
But its roots were under it.
So it became a vine,
Brought forth branches,
And put forth shoots.
7“But there was anothera great eagle with large wings and many feathers;
And behold, this vine bent its roots toward him,
And stretched its branches toward him,
From the garden terrace where it had been planted,
That he might water it.
8It was planted in good soil by many waters,
To bring forth branches, bear fruit,
And become a majestic vine.” ’
9“Say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Will it thrive?
Will he not pull up its roots,
Cut off its fruit,
And leave it to wither?
All of its spring leaves will wither,
And no great power or many people
Will be needed to pluck it up by its roots.
10Behold, it is planted,
Will it thrive?
Will it not utterly wither when the east wind touches it?
It will wither in the garden terrace where it grew.” ’ ”
11Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
12“Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon.
13‘And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,
14‘that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15‘But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?
16‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17‘Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. Insight: No Rescue and No Escape
18‘Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”
19Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head.
20“I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me.
21“All his fugitivesb with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Israel Exalted at Last
22Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain.
23“On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.
24“And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the LORD, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the LORD, have spoken and have done it.”
A False Proverb Refuted
1The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
2“What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:
‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are set on edge’? Focus: Blaming Parents
3“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
4“Behold, all souls are Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.
5But if a man is just
And does what is lawful and right;
6If he has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife,
Nor approached a woman during her impurity;
7If he has not oppressed anyone,
But has restored to the debtor his pledge;
Has robbed no one by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
8If he has not exacted usury
Nor taken any increase,
But has withdrawn his hand from iniquity
And executed true judgment between man and man;
9If he has walked in My statutes
And kept My judgments faithfully—
He is just;
He shall surely live!”
Says the Lord GOD.
10“If he begets a son who is a robber
Or a shedder of blood,
Who does any of these things
11And does none of those duties,
But has eaten on the mountains
Or defiled his neighbor’s wife;
12If he has oppressed the poor and needy,
Robbed by violence,
Not restored the pledge,
Lifted his eyes to the idols,
Or committed abomination;
13If he has exacted usury
Or taken increase—
Shall he then live?
He shall not live!
If he has done any of these abominations,
He shall surely die;
His blood shall be upon him.
14“If, however, he begets a son
Who sees all the sins which his father has done,
And considers but does not do likewise;
15Who has not eaten on the mountains,
Nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
Nor defiled his neighbor’s wife;
16Has not oppressed anyone,
Nor withheld a pledge,
Nor robbed by violence,
But has given his bread to the hungry
And covered the naked with clothing;
17Who has withdrawn his hand from the poora
And not received usury or increase,
But has executed My judgments
And walked in My statutes—
He shall not die for the iniquity of his father;
He shall surely live!
18“As for his father,
Because he cruelly oppressed,
Robbed his brother by violence,
And did what is not good among his people,
Behold, he shall die for his iniquity.
Turn and Live
19“Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live.
20“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21“But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
22“None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.
23“Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?
24“But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
25“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? Focus: Life Is Not Fair
26“When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.
27“Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.
28“Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
29“Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?
30“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.
31“Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?
32“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
Israel Degraded
1“Moreover take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, Insight: The Lion Hunt
2“and say:
‘What is your mother? A lioness:
She lay down among the lions;
Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
3She brought up one of her cubs,
And he became a young lion;
He learned to catch prey,
And he devoured men.
4The nations also heard of him;
He was trapped in their pit,
And they brought him with chains to the land of Egypt.
5‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost,
She took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
6He roved among the lions,
And became a young lion;
He learned to catch prey;
He devoured men.
7He knew their desolate places,a
And laid waste their cities;
The land with its fullness was desolated
By the noise of his roaring.
8Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side,
And spread their net over him;
He was trapped in their pit.
9They put him in a cage with chains,
And brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in nets,
That his voice should no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.
10‘Your mother was like a vine in your bloodline,b
Planted by the waters,
Fruitful and full of branches
Because of many waters.
11She had strong branches for scepters of rulers.
She towered in stature above the thick branches,
And was seen in her height amid the dense foliage.
12But she was plucked up in fury,
She was cast down to the ground,
And the east wind dried her fruit.
Her strong branches were broken and withered;
The fire consumed them.
13And now she is planted in the wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14Fire has come out from a rod of her branches
And devoured her fruit,
So that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’ ”
This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.
The Rebellions of Israel
1It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.
2Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.” ’
4“Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make known to them the abominations of their fathers.
5“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God.’
6“On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’a the glory of all lands.
7“Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’
8“But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’
9“But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. Focus: Faithful Witnesses
10“Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
11“And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’b
12“Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
13“Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;c and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the wilderness, to consume them.
14“But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
15“So I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ‘flowing with milk and honey,’d the glory of all lands,
16“because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols.
17“Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
18“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19‘I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;
20‘hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’
21“Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’;e but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.
22“Nevertheless I withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.
23“Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,
24“because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
25“Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;
26“and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they might know that I am the LORD.” ’
27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.
28“When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. Insight: Bamah
29“Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamahf to this day.” ’
30“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your fathers, and committing harlotry according to their abominations?
31“For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will not be inquired of by you.
32“What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’
God Will Restore Israel
33“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.
34“I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.
35“And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face.
36“Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.
37“I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;
38“I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
39“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.
40“For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things.
41“I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
42“Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.
43“And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.
44“Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
Fire in the Forest
45Furthermore the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
46“Son of man, set your face toward the south; preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the South,g
47“and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be scorched by it.
48“All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”
49Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak parables?’ ”
Babylon, the Sword of God
1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;
3“and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.
4“Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,
5“that all flesh may know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.” ’
6“Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.
7“And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord GOD.”
8Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ Say:
‘A sword, a sword is sharpened
And also polished!
10Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter,
Polished to flash like lightning!
Should we then make mirth?
It despises the scepter of My son,
As it does all wood.
11And He has given it to be polished,
That it may be handled;
This sword is sharpened, and it is polished
To be given into the hand of the slayer.’
12“Cry and wail, son of man;
For it will be against My people,
Against all the princes of Israel.
Terrors including the sword will be against My people;
Therefore strike your thigh.
13“Because it is a testing,
And what if the sword despises even the scepter?
The scepter shall be no more,”
says the Lord GOD.
14“You therefore, son of man, prophesy,
And strike your hands together.
The third time let the sword do double damage.
It is the sword that slays,
The sword that slays the great men,
That enters their private chambers.
15I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
That the heart may melt and many may stumble.
Ah! It is made bright;
It is grasped for slaughter:
16“Swords at the ready!
Thrust right!
Set your blade!
Thrust left—
Wherever your edge is ordered!
17“I also will beat My fists together,
And I will cause My fury to rest;
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
18The word of the LORD came to me again, saying:
19“And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city.
20“Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.
21“For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.
22“In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall.
23“And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.
24“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.
25‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,
26‘thus says the Lord GOD:
“Remove the turban, and take off the crown;
Nothing shall remain the same.
Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
27Overthrown, overthrown,
I will make it overthrown!
It shall be no longer,
Until He comes whose right it is,
And I will give it to Him.” ’ Life Studies: Harriet Beecher Stowe
A Sword Against the Ammonites
28“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say:
‘A sword, a sword is drawn,
Polished for slaughter,
For consuming, for flashing—
29While they see false visions for you,
While they divine a lie to you,
To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain
Whose day has come,
Whose iniquity shall end.
30‘Return it to its sheath.
I will judge you
In the place where you were created,
In the land of your nativity.
31I will pour out My indignation on you;
I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath,
And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.
32You shall be fuel for the fire;
Your blood shall be in the midst of the land.
You shall not be remembered,
For I the LORD have spoken.’ ”
Sins of Jerusalem
1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!
3“Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself.
4“You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries.
5“Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.
6“Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.
7“In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow.
8“You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.
9“In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.
10“In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity.
11“One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.
12“In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord GOD.
13“Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.
14“Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and will do it.
15“I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. Focus: Faith in Context
16“You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
Israel in the Furnace
17The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.
19“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20‘As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.
21‘Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.
22‘As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have poured out My fury on you.’ ”
Israel’s Wicked Leaders
23And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
24“Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleanseda or rained on in the day of indignation.’
25“The conspiracy of her prophetsb in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.
26“Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.
27“Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.
28“Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD had not spoken.
29“The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.
30“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Focus: The Go-Between
31“Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.
Two Harlot Sisters
1The word of the LORD came again to me, saying:
2“Son of man, there were two women,
The daughters of one mother.
3They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
4Their names: Oholaha the elder and Oholibahb her sister;
They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.
The Older Sister, Samaria
5“Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring Assyrians,
6Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.
7Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.
8She has never given up her harlotry brought from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.
9“Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.
10They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.
The Younger Sister, Jerusalem
11“Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry. Insight: More Corrupt Than Her Sister
12“She lusted for the neighboring Assyrians,
Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.
13Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
15Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.
16As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent messengers to them in Chaldea.
17“Then the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, and alienated herself from them.
18She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then I alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.
19“Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20For she lusted for her paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.
Judgment on Jerusalem
22“Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord GOD:
‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,
From whom you have alienated yourself,
And I will bring them against you from every side:
23The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
24And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.
‘I will delegate judgment to them,
And they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25I will set My jealousy against you,
And they shall deal furiously with you;
They shall remove your nose and your ears,
And your remnant shall fall by the sword;
They shall take your sons and your daughters,
And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.
26They shall also strip you of your clothes
And take away your beautiful jewelry.
27‘Thus I will make you cease your lewdness and your harlotry
Brought from the land of Egypt,
So that you will not lift your eyes to them,
Nor remember Egypt anymore.’
28“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of those you hate, into the hand of those from whom you alienated yourself.
29‘They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry.
30‘I will do these things to you because you have gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols.
31‘You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her cup in your hand.’
32“Thus says the Lord GOD:
‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,
The deep and wide one;
You shall be laughed to scorn
And held in derision;
It contains much.
33You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
The cup of horror and desolation,
The cup of your sister Samaria.
34You shall drink and drain it,
You shall break its shards,
And tear at your own breasts;
For I have spoken,’
Says the Lord GOD.
35“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
‘Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back,
Therefore you shall bear the penalty
Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”
Both Sisters Judged
36The LORD also said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations.
37“For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.
38“Moreover they have done this to Me: They have defiled My sanctuary on the same day and profaned My Sabbaths.
39“For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed thus they have done in the midst of My house.
40“Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you washed yourself for them, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments.
41“You sat on a stately couch, with a table prepared before it, on which you had set My incense and My oil.
42“The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads.
43“Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’
44“Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.
45“But righteous men will judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.
46“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder.
47‘The assembly shall stone them with stones and execute them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire.
48‘Thus I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness.
49‘They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.’ ”
Symbol of the Cooking Pot
1Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem this very day.
3“And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Put on a pot, set it on,
And also pour water into it. Focus: The Boiling City
4Gather pieces of meat in it,
Every good piece,
The thigh and the shoulder.
Fill it with choice cuts;
5Take the choice of the flock.
Also pile fuel bones under it,
Make it boil well,
And let the cuts simmer in it.”
6‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Woe to the bloody city,
To the pot whose scum is in it,
And whose scum is not gone from it!
Bring it out piece by piece,
On which no lot has fallen.
7For her blood is in her midst;
She set it on top of a rock;
She did not pour it on the ground,
To cover it with dust.
8That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,
I have set her blood on top of a rock,
That it may not be covered.”
9‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre great.
10Heap on the wood,
Kindle the fire;
Cook the meat well,
Mix in the spices,
And let the cuts be burned up.
11“Then set the pot empty on the coals,
That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,
That its filthiness may be melted in it,
That its scum may be consumed.
12She has grown weary with lies,
And her great scum has not gone from her.
Let her scum be in the fire!
13In your filthiness is lewdness.
Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,
You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,
Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
14I, the LORD, have spoken it;
It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
Theya will judge you,”
Says the Lord GOD.’ ”
The Prophet’s Wife Dies
15Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
16“Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down.
17“Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”
18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.
19And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”
20Then I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
21‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
22‘And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.
23‘Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither mourn nor weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another.
24‘Thus Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; and when this comes, you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.’ ”
25‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters:
26‘on that day one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears;
27‘on that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
Proclamation Against Ammon
1The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them.
3“Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity,
4“indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk.
5“And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”
6‘For thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel,
7“indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
Proclamation Against Moab
8‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’
9“therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim.
10“To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
11“And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the LORD.”
Proclamation Against Edom
12‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,”
13‘therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14“I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord GOD.
Proclamation Against Philistia
15‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred,”
16‘therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.
17“I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”
Proclamation Against Tyre
1And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’
3“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.
4‘And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
5‘It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations.
6‘Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’
7“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzara king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people.
8‘He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you.
9‘He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers.
10‘Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached.
11‘With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground.
12‘They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water.
13‘I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more.
14‘I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,’ says the Lord GOD.
15“Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: ‘Will the coastlands not shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you?
16‘Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. Insight: A Funeral Service for Tyre
17‘And they will take up a lamentation for you, and say to you:
“How you have perished,
O one inhabited by seafaring men,
O renowned city,
Who was strong at sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!
18Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure.” ’
19“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you,
20‘then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living.
21‘I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord GOD.”
Lamentation for Tyre
1The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,
2“Now, son of man, take up a lamentation for Tyre,
3“and say to Tyre, ‘You who are situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord GOD:
“O Tyre, you have said,
‘I am perfect in beauty.’ Insight: Tyre: Merchant to the Coastlands
4Your borders are in the midst of the seas.
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
5They made all your planks of fir trees from Senir;
They took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.
6Of oaks from Bashan they made your oars;
The company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks
With ivory from the coasts of Cyprus.a
7Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail;
Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.
8“Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you;
They became your pilots.
9Elders of Gebal and its wise men
Were in you to caulk your seams;
All the ships of the sea
And their oarsmen were in you
To market your merchandise.
10“Those from Persia, Lydia,b and Libyac
Were in your army as men of war;
They hung shield and helmet in you;
They gave splendor to you.
11Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
And the men of Gammad were in your towers;
They hung their shields on your walls all around;
They made your beauty perfect.
12“Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods.
13“Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.
14“Those from the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules.
15“The men of Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment.
16“Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies.
17“Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and balm.
18“Damascus was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool.
19“Dan and Javan paid for your wares, traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise.
20“Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.
21“Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats.
22“The merchants of Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold.
23“Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants.
24“These were your merchants in choice items—in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.
25“The ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise.
You were filled and very glorious in the midst of the seas.
26Your oarsmen brought you into many waters,
But the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.
27“Your riches, wares, and merchandise,
Your mariners and pilots,
Your caulkers and merchandisers,
All your men of war who are in you,
And the entire company which is in your midst,
Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.
28The common-land will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.
29“All who handle the oar,
The mariners,
All the pilots of the sea
Will come down from their ships and stand on the shore.
30They will make their voice heard because of you;
They will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads;
They will roll about in ashes;
31They will shave themselves completely bald because of you,
Gird themselves with sackcloth,
And weep for you
With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
32In their wailing for you
They will take up a lamentation,
And lament for you:
‘What city is like Tyre,
Destroyed in the midst of the sea?
33‘When your wares went out by sea,
You satisfied many people;
You enriched the kings of the earth
With your many luxury goods and your merchandise.
34But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters;
Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.
35All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you;
Their kings will be greatly afraid,
And their countenance will be troubled.
36The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you;
You will become a horror, and be no more forever.’ ” ’ ”
Proclamation Against the King of Tyre
1The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
2“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Because your heart is lifted up,
And you say, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the midst of the seas,’
Yet you are a man, and not a god,
Though you set your heart as the heart of a god
3(Behold, you are wiser than Daniel!
There is no secret that can be hidden from you!
4With your wisdom and your understanding
You have gained riches for yourself,
And gathered gold and silver into your treasuries;
5By your great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches,
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches),”
6‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god,
7Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you,
The most terrible of the nations;
And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom,
And defile your splendor.
8They shall throw you down into the Pit,
And you shall die the death of the slain
In the midst of the seas.
9“Will you still say before him who slays you,
‘I am a god’?
But you shall be a man, and not a god,
In the hand of him who slays you.
10You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
By the hand of aliens;
For I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.’ ”
Lamentation for the King of Tyre
11Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
12“Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14“You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16“By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18“You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
Proclamation Against Sidon
20Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
21“Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, and prophesy against her,
22“and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon;
I will be glorified in your midst;
And they shall know that I am the LORD,
When I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her.
23For I will send pestilence upon her,
And blood in her streets;
The wounded shall be judged in her midst
By the sword against her on every side;
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.
24“And there shall no longer be a pricking brier or a painful thorn for the house of Israel from among all who are around them, who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.”
Israel’s Future Blessing
25‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am hallowed in them in the sight of the Gentiles, then they will dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob.
26“And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God.” ’ ”
Proclamation Against Egypt
1In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt.
3“Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
Who has said, ‘My Rivera is my own;
I have made it for myself.’
4But I will put hooks in your jaws,
And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales;
I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
5I will leave you in the wilderness,
You and all the fish of your rivers;
You shall fall on the open field;
You shall not be picked up or gathered.b
I have given you as food
To the beasts of the field
And to the birds of the heavens.
6“Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
Shall know that I am the LORD,
Because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
7When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their shoulders;c
When they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their backs quiver.”
8‘Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will bring a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast.
9“And the land of Egypt shall become desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the LORD, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’
10“Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from Migdold to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia.
11“Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years.
12“I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”
13‘Yet, thus says the Lord GOD: “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.
14“I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom.
15“It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.
16“No longer shall it be the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.” ’ ”
Babylonia Will Plunder Egypt
17And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it.
19“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army.
20‘I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.
21‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
Egypt and Her Allies Will Fall
1The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,
2“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’
3For the day is near,
Even the day of the LORD is near;
It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.
4The sword shall come upon Egypt,
And great anguish shall be in Ethiopia,
When the slain fall in Egypt,
And they take away her wealth,
And her foundations are broken down.
5“Ethiopia, Libya,a Lydia,b all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.”
6‘Thus says the LORD:
“Those who uphold Egypt shall fall,
And the pride of her power shall come down.
From Migdol to Syene
Those within her shall fall by the sword,”
Says the Lord GOD.
7“They shall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries,
And her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.
8Then they will know that I am the LORD,
When I have set a fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are destroyed.
9On that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships
To make the careless Ethiopians afraid,
And great anguish shall come upon them,
As on the day of Egypt;
For indeed it is coming!”
10‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“I will also make a multitude of Egypt to cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations,
Shall be brought to destroy the land;
They shall draw their swords against Egypt,
And fill the land with the slain.
12I will make the rivers dry,
And sell the land into the hand of the wicked;
I will make the land waste, and all that is in it,
By the hand of aliens.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
13‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“I will also destroy the idols,
And cause the images to cease from Noph;c
There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt;
I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
14I will make Pathros desolate,
Set fire to Zoan,
And execute judgments in No.d
15I will pour My fury on Sin,e the strength of Egypt;
I will cut off the multitude of No,
16And set a fire in Egypt;
Sin shall have great pain,
No shall be split open,
And Noph shall be in distress daily.
17The young men of Avenf and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword,
And these cities shall go into captivity.
18At Tehaphnehesg the day shall also be darkened,h
When I break the yokes of Egypt there.
And her arrogant strength shall cease in her;
As for her, a cloud shall cover her,
And her daughters shall go into captivity.
19Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”
Proclamation Against Pharaoh
20And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Insight: Disarming Egypt
21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.
22“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken; and I will make the sword fall out of his hand.
23‘I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them throughout the countries.
24‘I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man.
25‘Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; they shall know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt.
26‘I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”
Egypt Cut Down Like a Great Tree
1Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:
‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
3Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
With fine branches that shaded the forest,
And of high stature;
And its top was among the thick boughs.
4The waters made it grow;
Underground waters gave it height,
With their rivers running around the place where it was planted,
And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.
5‘Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field;
Its boughs were multiplied,
And its branches became long because of the abundance of water,
As it sent them out.
6All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;
Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;
And in its shadow all great nations made their home.
7‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches,
Because its roots reached to abundant waters.
8The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it;
The fir trees were not like its boughs,
And the chestnuta trees were not like its branches;
No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.
9I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches,
So that all the trees of Eden envied it,
That were in the garden of God.’
10“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height,
11‘therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.
12‘And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.
13‘On its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens,
And all the beasts of the field will come to its branches—
14‘So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them.
‘For they have all been delivered to death,
To the depths of the earth,
Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.’
15“Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.
16‘I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth.
17‘They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations.
18‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.”
Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt
1And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:
‘You are like a young lion among the nations,
And you are like a monster in the seas,
Bursting forth in your rivers,
Troubling the waters with your feet,
And fouling their rivers.’
3“Thus says the Lord GOD:
‘I will therefore spread My net over you with a company of many people,
And they will draw you up in My net.
4Then I will leave you on the land;
I will cast you out on the open fields,
And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens.
And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.
5I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
And fill the valleys with your carcass.
6‘I will also water the land with the flow of your blood,
Even to the mountains;
And the riverbeds will be full of you.
7When I put out your light,
I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon shall not give her light.
8All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,
And bring darkness upon your land,’
Says the Lord GOD.
9‘I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.
10‘Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they shall tremble every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.’
11“For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you.
12‘By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of them the most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.
‘They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt,
And all its multitude shall be destroyed.
13Also I will destroy all its animals
From beside its great waters;
The foot of man shall muddy them no more,
Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.
14Then I will make their waters clear,
And make their rivers run like oil,’
Says the Lord GOD.
15‘When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
And the country is destitute of all that once filled it,
When I strike all who dwell in it,
Then they shall know that I am the LORD.
16‘This is the lamentation
With which they shall lament her;
The daughters of the nations shall lament her;
They shall lament for her, for Egypt,
And for all her multitude,’
Says the Lord GOD.”
Egypt and Others Consigned to the Pit
17It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
18“Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt,
And cast them down to the depths of the earth,
Her and the daughters of the famous nations,
With those who go down to the Pit:
19‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.’
20“They shall fall in the midst of those slain by the sword;
She is delivered to the sword,
Drawing her and all her multitudes.
21The strong among the mighty
Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell
With those who help him:
‘They have gone down,
They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’
22“Assyria is there, and all her company,
With their graves all around her,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword.
23Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit,
And her company is all around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who caused terror in the land of the living.
24“There is Elam and all her multitude,
All around her grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,
Who caused their terror in the land of the living;
Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.
25They have set her bed in the midst of the slain,
With all her multitude,
With her graves all around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword;
Though their terror was caused
In the land of the living,
Yet they bear their shame
With those who go down to the Pit;
It was put in the midst of the slain.
26“There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes,
With all their graves around it,
All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27They do not lie with the mighty
Who are fallen of the uncircumcised,
Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war;
They have laid their swords under their heads,
But their iniquities will be on their bones,
Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised,
And lie with those slain by the sword.
29“There is Edom,
Her kings and all her princes,
Who despite their might
Are laid beside those slain by the sword;
They shall lie with the uncircumcised,
And with those who go down to the Pit.
30There are the princes of the north,
All of them, and all the Sidonians,
Who have gone down with the slain
In shame at the terror which they caused by their might;
They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword,
And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.
31“Pharaoh will see them
And be comforted over all his multitude,
Pharaoh and all his army,
Slain by the sword,”
Says the Lord GOD.
32“For I have caused My terror in the land of the living;
And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised
With those slain by the sword,
Pharaoh and all his multitude,”
Says the Lord GOD.
The Watchman and His Message
1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2“Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,
3‘when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,
4‘then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.
5‘He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.
6‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’
7“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.
8“When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
9“Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
10“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’
11“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
The Fairness of God’s Judgment
12“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’
13“When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.
14“Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right,
15“if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
16“None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17“Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!
18“When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.
19“But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.
20“Yet you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.”
The Fall of Jerusalem
21And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has been captured!”
22Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had opened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.
The Cause of Judah’s Ruin
23Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
24“Son of man, they who inhabit those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’
25“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You eat meat with blood, you lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?
26“You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’
27“Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence.
28“For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.
29“Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’
Hearing and Not Doing
30“As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ Focus: Faith as Entertainment
31“So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain.
32“Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.
33“And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”