Evil Rulers to Be Judged

11 Now the (A)Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lords house which faced eastward. And behold, there were twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and (B)Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. Then He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise wrongdoing and (C)give evil advice in this city, who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. [a]This (D)city is the pot and we are the meat.’ Therefore, (E)prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man!”

Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “This is how you think, house of Israel, for (F)I know [b]your (G)thoughts. You have (H)multiplied your slain in this city, and filled its streets with [c]them.” Therefore, this is what the Lord [d]God says: “Your (I)slain whom you have laid in the midst of [e]the city are the meat and this city is the pot; but [f]I will (J)bring you out of it. You have (K)feared a sword; so I will (L)bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God declares. “And I will bring you out of the midst of [g]the city, and hand you over to (M)strangers, and (N)execute judgments against you. 10 You will (O)fall by the sword. I will judge you to the (P)border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will (Q)not be a pot for you, nor will you be meat in the midst of it; I will judge you to the border of Israel. 12 So you will know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes, nor have you (R)executed My ordinances, but you have acted in accordance with the ordinances of the (S)nations around you.”’”

13 Now it came about, as I prophesied, that (T)Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, and said, “(U)Oh, Lord God! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete destruction?”

Promise of Restoration

14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, [h]your fellow exiles, and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Keep far from the Lord; this land has been given (V)to us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a (W)sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will (X)gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they come there, they will (Y)remove all its (Z)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (AA)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [i]them. And I will remove the (AB)heart of stone from their flesh and give them a (AC)heart of flesh, 20 so that they may (AD)walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (AE)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 [j]But as for those whose hearts go after their (AF)detestable things and abominations, I will [k](AG)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.

22 Then the cherubim (AH)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (AI)the glory of the God of Israel [l]hovered over them. 23 The (AJ)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (AK)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (AL)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to [m]Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen [n](AM)left me. 25 And I (AN)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 11:3 Or This is
  2. Ezekiel 11:5 Lit what comes up in your spirit
  3. Ezekiel 11:6 Lit the slain
  4. Ezekiel 11:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  5. Ezekiel 11:7 Lit it
  6. Ezekiel 11:7 As in LXX; MT he will bring you out
  7. Ezekiel 11:9 Lit it
  8. Ezekiel 11:15 As in LXX and some ancient versions; MT the men of your redemption
  9. Ezekiel 11:19 As in LXX and many mss; MT you
  10. Ezekiel 11:21 Lit And to the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes
  11. Ezekiel 11:21 Lit give...conduct on
  12. Ezekiel 11:22 Lit over them from above
  13. Ezekiel 11:24 I.e., Babylonia
  14. Ezekiel 11:24 Lit went up from

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 The spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. There, at the entrance of the gateway, were twenty-five men; among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the people.(A) He said to me, “Mortal, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;(B) they say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.’(C) Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O mortal.”(D)

Then the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: This is what you think, O house of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind.(E) You have killed many in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.(F) Therefore thus says the Lord God: The slain whom you have placed within it are the meat, and this city is the pot, but you shall be taken out of it.(G) You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, says the Lord God. I will take you out of it and give you over to the hands of foreigners and execute judgments upon you.(H) 10 You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord.(I) 11 This city shall not be your pot, and you shall not be the meat inside it; I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not kept, but you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are around you.”(J)

13 Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord God! You are finishing off the remnant of Israel!”(K)

God Will Restore Israel

14 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 15 Mortal, your kinsfolk, your own kin, your fellow exiles,[a] the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, “Stay far from the Lord; to us this land is given for a possession.”(L) 16 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far away among the nations and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a little while[b] in the countries where they have gone.(M) 17 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.(N) 18 When they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.(O) 19 I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them;[c] I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,(P) 20 so that they may follow my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.(Q) 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations,[d] I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord God.(R)

22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.(S) 23 And the glory of the Lord ascended from the middle of the city and stopped on the mountain east of the city.(T) 24 The spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen left me. 25 And I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes

  1. 11.15 Gk Syr: Heb people of your kindred
  2. 11.16 Or a little sanctuary
  3. 11.19 Heb mss Gk Syr Vg: MT you
  4. 11.21 Cn: Heb And to the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes

11 And the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the east gate of the house of the Lord, which looketh towards the rising of the sun: and behold in the entry of the gate five and twenty men: and I saw in the midst of them Jezonias the son of Azur, and Pheltias the son of Banaias, princes of the people.

And he said to me: Son of man, these are the men that study iniquity, and frame a wicked counsel in this city,

Saying: Were not houses lately built? This city is the caldron, and we the flesh.

Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, thou son of man.

And the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me: Speak: Thus saith the Lord: Thus have you spoken, O house of Israel, for I know the thoughts of your heart.

You have killed a great many in this city, and you have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Your slain, whom you have laid in the midst thereof, they are the flesh, and this is the caldron: and I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof.

You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord God.

And I will cast you out of the midst thereof, and I will deliver you into the hand of the enemies, and I will execute judgments upon you.

10 You shall fall by the sword: I will judge you in the borders of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

11 This shall not be as a caldron to you, and you shall not be as flesh in the midst thereof: I will judge you in the borders of Israel.

12 And you shall know that I am the Lord: because you have not walked in my commandments, and have not done my judgments, but you have done according to the judgments of the nations that; are round about you.

13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pheltias the son of Banaias died: and I fell down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice: and said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God: wilt thou make an end of all the remnant of Israel?

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

15 Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, thy kinsmen, and all the house of Israel, all they to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Get ye far from the Lord, the land is given in possession to us.

16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because I have removed them far off among the Gentiles, and because I have scattered them among the countries: I will be to them a little sanctuary in the countries whither they are come.

17 Therefore speak to them: Thus saith the Lord God: I will gather you from among the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries wherein you are scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

18 And they shall go in thither, and shall take away all the scandals, and all the abominations thereof from thence.

19 And I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in their bowels: and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:

20 That they may walk in my commandments, and keep my judgments, and do them: and that they may be my people, and I may be their God.

21 But as for them whose heart walketh after their scandals and abominations, I will lay their way upon their head, saith the Lord God.

22 And the cherubims lifted up their wings, and the wheels with them: and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood over the mount that is on the east side of the city.

24 And the spirit lifted me up, and brought me into Chaldea, to them of the captivity, in vision, by the spirit of God: and the vision which I had seen was taken up from me.

25 And I spoke to them of the captivity all the words of the Lord, which he had shewn me.

A New Heart and a New Spirit

11 Then the Spirit picked me up and took me to the gate of the Temple that faces east. There were twenty-five men standing at the gate. I recognized the leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.

2-3 God said, “Son of man, these are the men who draw up blueprints for sin, who think up new programs for evil in this city. They say, ‘We can make anything happen here. We’re the best. We’re the choice pieces of meat in the soup pot.’

“Oppose them, son of man. Preach against them.”

5-6 Then the Spirit of God came upon me and told me what to say: “This is what God says: ‘That’s a fine public speech, Israel, but I know what you are thinking. You’ve murdered a lot of people in this city. The streets are piled high with corpses.’

7-12 “Therefore this is what God, the Master, says: ‘The corpses that you’ve piled in the streets are the meat and this city is the soup pot, and you’re not even in the pot! I’m throwing you out! You fear war, but war is what you’re going to get. I’m bringing war against you. I’m throwing you out of this city, giving you over to foreigners, and punishing you good. You’ll be killed in battle. I’ll carry out judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you’ll realize that I am God. This city will not be your soup pot and you won’t be the choice pieces of meat in it either. Hardly. I will carry out judgment on you at the borders of Israel and you’ll realize that I am God, for you haven’t followed my statutes and ordinances. Instead of following my ways, you’ve sunk to the level of the laws of the nations around you.’”

13 Even while I was preaching, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. I fell down, face to the ground, and prayed loudly, “O Master, God! Will you completely wipe out what’s left of Israel?”

14-15 The answer from God came back: “Son of man, your brothers—I mean the whole people of Israel who are in exile with you—are the people of whom the citizens of Jerusalem are saying, ‘They’re in the far country, far from God. This land has been given to us to own.’

16-20 “Well, tell them this, ‘This is your Message from God, the Master. True, I sent you to the far country and scattered you through other lands. All the same, I’ve provided you a temporary sanctuary in the countries where you’ve gone. I will gather you back from those countries and lands where you’ve been scattered and give you back the land of Israel. You’ll come back and clean house, throw out all the rotten images and obscene idols. I’ll give you a new heart. I’ll put a new spirit in you. I’ll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a red-blooded, firm-muscled heart. Then you’ll obey my statutes and be careful to obey my commands. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!

21 “‘But not those who are self-willed and addicted to their rotten images and obscene idols! I’ll see that they’re paid in full for what they’ve done.’ Decree of God, the Master.”

22-23 Then the cherubim spread their wings, with the wheels beside them and the Glory of the God of Israel hovering over them. The Glory of God ascended from within the city and rested on the mountain to the east of the city.

* * *

24-25 Then, still in the vision given me by the Spirit of God, the Spirit took me and carried me back to the exiles in Babylon. And then the vision left me. I told the exiles everything that God had shown me.