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Jeremiah 51-52
New American Standard Bible

Babylon Judged for Sins against Israel

51 This is what the Lord says:

“Behold, I am going to stir up
[a]The (A)spirit of a destroyer against Babylon
And against the inhabitants of [b]Leb-kamai.
2 I will send [c]foreigners to Babylon so that they may (B)winnow her
And devastate her land;
For they will be opposed to her on every side
On the day of her disaster.
3 Let not [d]him who [e](C)bends his bow [f]bend it,
Nor let him rise up in his (D)coat of armor.
Do not spare her young men;
Devote all her army to destruction.
4 They will fall down [g]dead in the land of the Chaldeans,
And (E)pierced through in their streets.”

5 For (F)neither Israel nor Judah has been [h]forsaken
By his God, the Lord of armies,
Although their land is (G)full of guilt
[i]Before the Holy One of Israel.
6 (H)Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you save his life!
Do not (I)perish in her [j]punishment,
For this is the (J)Lord’s time of vengeance;
He is going to (K)repay to her what she deserves.
7 Babylon has been a golden (L)cup in the hand of the Lord,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The (M)nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are (N)going insane.
8 Suddenly (O)Babylon has fallen and been broken;
(P)Wail over her!
(Q)Bring [k]balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9 We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Abandon her and (R)let’s each go to his own country,
For her judgment has (S)reached to heaven
And it rises to the clouds.
10 The Lord has (T)brought [l]about our vindication;
Come and let’s (U)recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!

11 (V)Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers!
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes,
Because His plan is against Babylon to destroy it;
For it is the (W)vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple.
12 (X)Lift up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon;
Post a strong guard,
Station [m]sentries,
Set up an ambush!
For the Lord has both (Y)planned and performed
What He spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 You who (Z)live by many waters,
Abundant in (AA)treasures,
Your end has come,
The [n]measure of your [o](AB)end.
14 The (AC)Lord of armies has sworn by Himself:
“I will certainly fill you with a [p]population like (AD)locusts,
And they will cry out with shouts of victory over you.”

15 It is (AE)He who made the earth by His power,
Who established the world by His wisdom,
And by His understanding He (AF)stretched out the heavens.
16 When He utters His (AG)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (AH)clouds ascend from the end of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain
And brings out (AI)wind from His storehouses.
17 (AJ)Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his [q]idols,
For his cast metal images are (AK)deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
18 They are (AL)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the time of their punishment they will perish.
19 The (AM)portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [r]Maker of everything,
And of the [s]tribe of His inheritance;
The (AN)Lord of armies is His name.
20 He says, “You are My [t](AO)war-club, My weapon of war;
And with you I (AP)shatter nations,
And with you I destroy kingdoms.
21 With you I (AQ)shatter the horse and his rider,
And with you I shatter the (AR)chariot and its rider,
22 And with you I shatter (AS)man and woman,
And with you I shatter the old man and (AT)youth,
And with you I shatter the young man and virgin,
23 And with you I shatter the shepherd and his flock,
And with you I shatter the farmer and his team,
And with you I shatter governors and officials.

24 “But I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of (AU)Chaldea for (AV)all their evil that they have done in Zion before your eyes,” declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, (AW)I am against you, mountain of (AX)destruction
That destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord,
“And I will stretch out My hand against you,
And roll you down from the rocky cliffs,
And I will make you a (AY)burnt out mountain.
26 They will not take from you even a stone for a corner
Nor a stone for foundations,
But you will be (AZ)desolate forever,” declares the Lord.

27 (BA)Lift up a signal flag in the land,
Blow a trumpet among the nations!
Consecrate the nations against her,
Summon against her the (BB)kingdoms of (BC)Ararat, Minni, and (BD)Ashkenaz;
Appoint an officer against her,
Bring up the (BE)horses like bristly locusts.
28 Consecrate the nations against her,
The kings of the Medes,
[u]Their governors and all [v]their officials,
And every land [w]under their control.
29 So the (BF)land quakes and writhes,
For the plans of the Lord against Babylon stand,
To make the land of Babylon
[x]A (BG)desolation without inhabitants.
30 The (BH)warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They stay in the strongholds;
(BI)Their strength is [y]exhausted,
They are becoming (BJ)like women;
Their homes are set on fire,
The (BK)bars of her gates are broken.
31 One [z](BL)courier runs to meet [aa]another,
And one [ab](BM)messenger to meet [ac]another,
To tell the king of Babylon
That his city has been captured from end to end;
32 The river crossing places have been seized,
And they have burned the marshes with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.

33 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says:
“The daughter of Babylon is like a (BN)threshing floor
At the time that [ad]it is tread down;
In just a little while the time of (BO)harvest will come for her.”

34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has (BP)devoured me, he has crushed me,
He has set me down like an (BQ)empty vessel;
He has (BR)swallowed me like a monster,
He has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
He has washed me away.
35 May the (BS)violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,”
The [ae]inhabitant of Zion will say;
And, “May my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
Jerusalem will say.

36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“Behold, I am going to (BT)plead your case
And (BU)take vengeance for you;
And (BV)I will dry up her [af]sea
And make her fountain dry.
37 (BW)Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals,
An (BX)object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.
38 They will roar together like (BY)young lions,
They will growl like lions’ cubs.
39 When they become heated up, I will serve them their banquet
And (BZ)make them drunk, so that they may rejoice in triumph,
And may (CA)sleep a perpetual sleep
And not wake up,” declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down like [ag]lambs (CB)to the slaughter,
Like rams together with male goats.

41 “How [ah](CC)Sheshak has been captured,
And (CD)the praise of the whole earth has been seized!
How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations!
42 The [ai](CE)sea has come up over Babylon;
She has been engulfed by its roaring waves.
43 Her cities have become an (CF)object of horror,
A dry land and a desert,
A land in which (CG)no one lives
And through which no [aj]one of mankind passes.
44 (CH)I will punish Bel in Babylon,
And I will make what he has swallowed (CI)come out of his mouth;
And the nations will no longer (CJ)stream toward him.
Even the (CK)wall of Babylon has fallen down!

45 “(CL)Come out from her midst, My people,
And each of you (CM)save yourselves
From the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 Now, (CN)so that your heart does not grow faint,
And you are not afraid at the (CO)report that will be heard in the land—
For the report will come in [ak]one year,
And after that [al]another report in [am]another year,
And violence will be in the land
With (CP)ruler against ruler—
47 Therefore behold, days are coming
When I will punish the (CQ)idols of Babylon;
And her whole land will be (CR)put to shame.
And all her slain will fall in her midst.
48 Then (CS)heaven and earth and everything that is in them
Will shout for joy over Babylon,
Because (CT)the destroyers will come to her from the north,”
Declares the Lord.

49 (CU)Indeed, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel,
As (CV)the slain of all the earth have also fallen for Babylon.
50 You (CW)who have escaped the sword,
Go! Do not stay!
(CX)Remember the Lord from far away,
And let Jerusalem [an]come to your mind.
51 (CY)We are ashamed because we have heard rebuke;
Disgrace has covered our faces,
Because (CZ)strangers have entered
The holy places of the Lord’s house.

52 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When I will punish her (DA)idols,
And the mortally wounded will groan throughout her land.
53 Though Babylon (DB)ascends to the heavens,
And though she fortifies [ao]her lofty stronghold,
Destroyers will come from (DC)Me to her,” declares the Lord.

54 The (DD)sound of an outcry from Babylon,
And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon,
And He will make her loud [ap]noise vanish from her.
And their (DE)waves will roar like many waters;
The clamor of their voices [aq]sounds forth.
56 For the (DF)destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon,
And her warriors will be captured,
Their (DG)bows shattered;
For the Lord is a God of (DH)retribution,
He will fully repay.
57 “I will (DI)make her leaders and her wise men drunk,
Her governors, her officials, and her warriors,
So that they will sleep a (DJ)perpetual sleep and not wake up,”
(DK)Declares the King, whose name is the Lord of armies.

58 This is what the Lord of armies says:

“The broad (DL)wall of Babylon will be completely demolished,
And her high (DM)gates will be set on fire;
So the peoples will (DN)labor for nothing,
And the nations become (DO)exhausted only for fire.”

59 The [ar]command that Jeremiah the prophet [as]gave Seraiah the son of (DP)Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with (DQ)Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (And Seraiah was quartermaster.) 60 Jeremiah (DR)wrote [at]on a single scroll all the disaster which would come against Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon. 61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud, 62 and say, ‘You, Lord, have [au]promised concerning this place to (DS)cut it off, so that there will be (DT)nothing living in it, [av]whether man or animal; but it will be a permanent desolation.’ 63 And as soon as you finish reading this [aw]scroll, you shall tie a stone to it and (DU)throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and (DV)not rise again, because of the disaster that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become (DW)exhausted.’” (DX)To this point are the words of Jeremiah.

The Fall of Jerusalem

52 (DY)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [ax](DZ)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (EA)Libnah. 2 He did (EB)evil in the sight of the Lord, in accordance with everything that (EC)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the (ED)anger of the Lord this came about in Jerusalem and Judah, until He drove them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (EE)revolted against the king of Babylon. 4 (EF)Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it, and built a [ay](EG)bulwark all around [az]it. 5 (EH)So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (EI)fourth month the (EJ)famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was (EK)breached, and all the (EL)warriors fled and left the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [ba](EM)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (EN)overtook Zedekiah in the [bb]desert plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and (EO)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (EP)Riblah in the land of (EQ)Hamath, and he [bc]passed sentence on him. 10 And the king of Babylon (ER)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the commanders of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (ES)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze shackles and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.

12 (ET)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (EU)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (EV)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who [bd]was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (EW)burned the house of the Lord, the (EX)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So the entire army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (EY)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (EZ)took into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the (FA)deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. 16 But (FB)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.

17 Now the bronze (FC)pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the (FD)stands and the bronze [be](FE)sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans smashed to pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took the (FF)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [bf]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took the (FG)bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [bg]pans, and the drink offering bowls, whatever was fine gold, and whatever was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one [bh]sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [bi]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was (FH)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (FI)height of each pillar was [bj]eighteen cubits, and [bk]it was twelve cubits in (FJ)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Also, a (FK)capital of bronze was on top of it; and the height of each capital was [bl]five cubits, with latticework and (FL)pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [bm]exposed pomegranates; all (FM)the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the latticework all around.

24 Then the captain of the guard took (FN)Seraiah the chief priest and (FO)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [bn](FP)officers of the temple. 25 He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the warriors, seven [bo]of the (FQ)king’s advisers who were found in the city, the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land who were found inside the city. 26 Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguards took them and (FR)brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (FS)struck them and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was (FT)led into exile from its land.

28 These are the people whom (FU)Nebuchadnezzar took into exile: in the [bp]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (FV)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 people in all.

31 (FW)Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [bq]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, [br](FX)showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 (FY)Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [bs]Jehoiachin (FZ)changed his prison clothes, and [bt](GA)had his meals in [bu]the king’s presence regularly all the days of his life. 34 And as his allowance, a (GB)regular allowance was given to him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day, all the days of his life until the day of his death.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 51:1 Or a destroying wind
  2. Jeremiah 51:1 Cryptic name for Chaldea; or the heart of those who rise up against Me
  3. Jeremiah 51:2 Some ancient versions winnowers
  4. Jeremiah 51:3 I.e., the Chaldean defender
  5. Jeremiah 51:3 Lit step(s) on; MT in order to string
  6. Jeremiah 51:3 Lit step(s) on; MT in order to string
  7. Jeremiah 51:4 Lit killed; or wounded
  8. Jeremiah 51:5 Lit widowed
  9. Jeremiah 51:5 Lit From
  10. Jeremiah 51:6 Or penalty for wrongdoing
  11. Jeremiah 51:8 Or balsam resin
  12. Jeremiah 51:10 Lit forth
  13. Jeremiah 51:12 Or watchmen
  14. Jeremiah 51:13 Lit cubit
  15. Jeremiah 51:13 Lit being cut off
  16. Jeremiah 51:14 Or mankind
  17. Jeremiah 51:17 Or images
  18. Jeremiah 51:19 Lit Fashioner
  19. Jeremiah 51:19 Or scepter; cf. Num 24:17
  20. Jeremiah 51:20 Lit shatterer
  21. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
  22. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit her
  23. Jeremiah 51:28 Lit of his dominion
  24. Jeremiah 51:29 Or An object of horror
  25. Jeremiah 51:30 Lit dried up
  26. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
  27. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit runner
  28. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
  29. Jeremiah 51:31 Lit announcer
  30. Jeremiah 51:33 Lit of treading it
  31. Jeremiah 51:35 Lit inhabitress
  32. Jeremiah 51:36 Or broad river
  33. Jeremiah 51:40 Or young rams
  34. Jeremiah 51:41 Cryptic name for Babylon
  35. Jeremiah 51:42 Or broad river
  36. Jeremiah 51:43 Lit son of man
  37. Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
  38. Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
  39. Jeremiah 51:46 Lit the
  40. Jeremiah 51:50 Lit come upon your heart
  41. Jeremiah 51:53 Lit the height of her strength
  42. Jeremiah 51:55 Or voice
  43. Jeremiah 51:55 Lit is given
  44. Jeremiah 51:59 Lit word
  45. Jeremiah 51:59 Lit commanded
  46. Jeremiah 51:60 Or in...book
  47. Jeremiah 51:62 Lit spoken
  48. Jeremiah 51:62 Lit from man even to beast
  49. Jeremiah 51:63 Or book
  50. Jeremiah 52:1 Another reading is Hamital
  51. Jeremiah 52:4 I.e., a defensive wall
  52. Jeremiah 52:4 Lit against it
  53. Jeremiah 52:7 Lit against the city on every side
  54. Jeremiah 52:8 Heb Arabah
  55. Jeremiah 52:9 Lit spoke judgments with
  56. Jeremiah 52:12 Lit stood before the king
  57. Jeremiah 52:17 I.e., large basin
  58. Jeremiah 52:18 Or spoons for incense
  59. Jeremiah 52:19 Or spoons for incense
  60. Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
  61. Jeremiah 52:20 As in LXX and Syriac; MT omits the sea; i.e., large basin
  62. Jeremiah 52:21 About 27 ft. high and 18 ft. in circumference or 8 m and 5.4 m
  63. Jeremiah 52:21 Lit a thread of 12 cubits would encircle it
  64. Jeremiah 52:22 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
  65. Jeremiah 52:23 Lit windward
  66. Jeremiah 52:24 Lit keepers of the door
  67. Jeremiah 52:25 Lit men of those seeing the king’s face
  68. Jeremiah 52:28 Or possibly seventeenth
  69. Jeremiah 52:31 Or Awil-Marduk (“Man of Marduk”)
  70. Jeremiah 52:31 Lit lifted up the head of
  71. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit he
  72. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit ate bread
  73. Jeremiah 52:33 Lit his presence
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Jeremiah 50
Lamentations 1
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Lamentations 1-5
New American Standard Bible

The Sorrows of Zion

1 How (A)lonely sits the city
That once had (B)many people!
She has become like a (C)widow
Who was once (D)great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [a]provinces
Has become a (E)forced laborer!
2 She (F)weeps bitterly in the night,
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has no one to comfort her
Among all her (G)lovers.
All her friends have (H)dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 (I)Judah has gone into exile out of affliction
And [b]harsh servitude;
She lives (J)among the nations,
But she has not found a resting place;
All those who (K)pursued her have overtaken her
In the midst of [c]distress.
4 The roads [d]of Zion are in mourning
Because (L)no one comes to an appointed feast.
All her gates are (M)deserted;
Her priests groan,
Her (N)virgins are worried,
And as for Zion herself, it is (O)bitter for her.
5 Her adversaries have become [e]her masters,
Her enemies are [f]secure;
For the Lord has [g](P)caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her wrongdoings;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives [h]led by the enemy.
6 All of her (Q)splendor
Is gone from the daughter of Zion;
Her leaders have become like deer
That have found no pasture,
And they have [i](R)fled without strength
[j]From the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
(S)Jerusalem remembers all her treasures
That were hers since the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And (T)no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They (U)laughed at her [k]ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned (V)greatly,
Therefore (W)she has become an [l]object of ridicule.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even (X)she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her (Y)uncleanness was in her garment’s seams;
She [m]did not think of her (Z)future.
So she has [n](AA)fallen in an astonishing way;
(AB)She has no comforter.
“(AC)See, Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has [o](AD)honored himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the (AE)nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they were (AF)not to enter Your congregation.
11 All her people groan, (AG)seeking bread;
They have given their treasures for food
To (AH)restore their [p]lives.
“See, Lord, and look,
For I am (AI)despised.”
12 “Is it (AJ)nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain
Which was inflicted on me,
With which the (AK)Lord tormented me on the day of His (AL)fierce anger.
13 From [q]the height He sent fire into my (AM)bones,
And it dominated them.
He has spread a (AN)net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me (AO)desolate,
[r]Faint all day long.
14 The (AP)yoke of my wrongdoings is bound;
By His hand they are woven together.
They have (AQ)come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [s]fail.
The Lord (AR)has handed me over
To those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 The (AS)Lord has thrown away all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [t]time against me
To crush my (AT)young men;
The Lord has (AU)trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 For these things I (AV)weep;
[u]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a (AW)comforter,
One to restore my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion (AX)stretches out with her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has (AY)commanded regarding Jacob
That those around him become his adversaries;
(AZ)Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them.
18 “The Lord is (BA)righteous,
For I have (BB)rebelled against His [v]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And (BC)see my pain;
(BD)My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 I (BE)called to my lovers, but they deserted me;
My (BF)priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to (BG)restore their [w]strength themselves.
20 See, Lord, for I am in distress;
My [x](BH)spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (BI)rebellious.
In the street the sword has made women childless;
In the house it is like death.
21 They have heard that I (BJ)groan;
There is no one to comfort me,
All my enemies have heard of my disaster;
They are (BK)joyful that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
So that they will become (BL)like me.
22 May all their wickedness come before You;
And (BM)deal with them just as You have dealt with me
For all my wrongdoings.
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”

God’s Anger over Israel

2 How the Lord has [y](BN)covered the daughter of Zion
With a cloud in His anger!
He has (BO)hurled
The (BP)glory of Israel from heaven to earth,
And has not remembered His (BQ)footstool
In the day of His anger.
2 The Lord has [z](BR)destroyed; He has not spared
All the settlements of Jacob.
In His wrath He has (BS)overthrown
The strongholds of the daughter of Judah,
He has (BT)hurled them down to the ground;
He has (BU)profaned the kingdom and its leaders.
3 In fierce anger He has cut off
[aa]All the (BV)strength of Israel;
He has (BW)pulled back His right hand
From the enemy.
And He has (BX)burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
Consuming on all sides.
4 He has bent His (BY)bow like an enemy;
His right hand is positioned like an adversary,
And He has killed everything that was (BZ)pleasant to the eye.
In the tent of the daughter of Zion
He has (CA)poured out His wrath like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an (CB)enemy.
He has (CC)engulfed Israel;
He has engulfed all its (CD)palaces,
He has destroyed its strongholds
And (CE)caused great mourning and grieving in the daughter of Judah.
6 And He has treated His [ab]tabernacle violently, like a despised garden;
He has (CF)destroyed His appointed [ac]meeting place.
The Lord has (CG)caused
The appointed feast and Sabbath in Zion to be forgotten,
And He has (CH)despised king and priest
In the indignation of His anger.
7 The Lord has (CI)rejected His altar,
He has [ad]repudiated His sanctuary;
He (CJ)has handed over
The walls of her palaces to the enemy.
They have made a (CK)noise in the house of the Lord
As on the day of an appointed feast.
8 The Lord determined to destroy
The wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has (CL)stretched out a line,
He has not restrained His hand from [ae]destroying,
And He has (CM)caused rampart and wall to mourn;
They have languished together.
9 Her (CN)gates have sunk into the ground,
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her leaders are among the nations;
The (CO)Law is gone.
Her prophets, too, find
(CP)No vision from the Lord.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
(CQ)Sit on the ground and [af](CR)are silent.
They have thrown (CS)dust on their heads;
They have put on (CT)sackcloth.
The (CU)virgins of Jerusalem
Have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My (CV)eyes fail because of tears,
My [ag](CW)spirit is greatly troubled;
My [ah](CX)heart is poured out on the earth
(CY)Because of the [ai]destruction of the daughter of my people,
When (CZ)little ones and infants languish
In the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
“(DA)Where is grain and wine?”
As they faint like a wounded person
In the streets of the city,
As their (DB)lives are poured out
[aj]In their mothers’ arms.
13 How shall I admonish you?
What (DC)shall I compare to you,
Daughter of Jerusalem?
What shall I liken to you as I comfort you,
(DD)Virgin daughter of Zion?
For your collapse is as vast as the sea;
Who can (DE)heal you?
14 Your (DF)prophets have seen for you
Worthless and deceptive visions;
And they have not (DG)exposed your wrongdoing
So as to restore you from captivity,
But they have (DH)seen for you worthless and misleading pronouncements.
15 All who pass along the way
(DI)Clap their hands in ridicule at you;
They (DJ)[ak]hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem:
“Is this the city of which they said,
‘(DK)Perfect in beauty,
(DL)A joy to all the earth’?”
16 All (DM)your enemies
Have opened their mouths wide against you;
They [al]hiss and (DN)gnash their teeth.
They say, “We have (DO)engulfed her!
This certainly is the (DP)day which we awaited;
We have reached it, we have seen it!”
17 The Lord has (DQ)done what He determined;
He has accomplished His word
Which He commanded from days of old.
He has torn down (DR)without sparing,
And He has helped the enemy to (DS)rejoice over you;
He has (DT)exalted the [am]might of your adversaries.
18 Their (DU)heart cried out to the Lord:
“You (DV)wall of the daughter of Zion,
Let your (DW)tears stream down like a river day and night;
Give yourself no relief,
Let [an]your eyes have no rest.
19 Arise, whimper in the (DX)night
At the beginning of the night watches;
(DY)Pour out your heart like water
Before the presence of the Lord;
Raise your hands to Him
For the (DZ)life of your little ones
Who (EA)languish because of hunger
At the head of every street.
20 See, Lord, and look!
With (EB)whom have You dealt this way?
Should women really (EC)eat their [ao]children,
The little ones who were [ap]born healthy?
Should (ED)priest and prophet really be killed
In the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 On the ground in the streets
Lie (EE)young and old;
My (EF)virgins and my young men
Have fallen by the sword.
You have put them to death on the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered, (EG)without sparing.
22 You called as on the day of an appointed feast
My (EH)terrors on every side;
And there was (EI)no one who survived or escaped
On the day of the Lord’s anger.
As for those (EJ)whom I brought forth healthy and whom I raised,
My enemy annihilated them.”

Jeremiah Shares Israel’s Misery

3 I am the man who has (EK)seen misery
Because of the rod of His wrath.
2 He has driven me and made me walk
In (EL)darkness and not in light.
3 Indeed, He has (EM)turned His hand against me
Repeatedly all the day.
4 He has consumed my (EN)flesh and my skin,
He has (EO)broken my bones.
5 He has [aq](EP)besieged and surrounded me with [ar](EQ)bitterness and hardship.
6 He has made me live in (ER)dark places,
Like those who have long been dead.
7 He has (ES)walled me in so that I cannot go out;
He has made my [as](ET)chain heavy.
8 Even when I cry out and call for help,
He (EU)shuts out my prayer.
9 He has (EV)blocked my ways with cut stone;
He has twisted my paths.
10 He is to me like a bear lying in wait,
Like a lion in secret places.
11 He has made my ways deviate, and (EW)torn me to pieces;
He has made me desolate.
12 He (EX)bent His bow
And (EY)took aim at me as a target for the arrow.
13 He made the [at]arrows of His (EZ)quiver
Enter my [au]inward parts.
14 I have become a (FA)laughingstock to all my people,
Their (FB)song of ridicule all the day.
15 He has (FC)filled me with bitterness,
He has made me drink plenty of wormwood.
16 He has also (FD)made my teeth grind with (FE)gravel;
He has made me cower in the (FF)dust.
17 My soul has been excluded (FG)from peace;
I have forgotten [av]happiness.
18 So I say, “My [aw]strength has failed,
And so has my (FH)hope from the Lord.”

Hope of Relief in God’s Mercy

19 Remember my misery and my homelessness, the (FI)wormwood and [ax]bitterness.
20 (FJ)My soul certainly remembers,
And [ay]is (FK)bent over within me.
21 I recall this to my mind,
Therefore I [az](FL)wait.
22 [ba]The Lord’s (FM)acts of mercy indeed do not end,
(FN)For His compassions do not fail.
23 They are new (FO)every morning;
Great is (FP)Your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my (FQ)portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I [bb](FR)wait for Him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who [bc](FS)await Him,
To the [bd]person who (FT)seeks Him.
26 It is good that he (FU)waits silently
For the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
28 Let him (FV)sit alone and keep quiet,
Since He has laid it on him.
29 Let him [be]put his mouth in the (FW)dust;
Perhaps there is (FX)hope.
30 Let him give his (FY)cheek to the one who is going to strike him;
Let him be filled with shame.
31 For the Lord will (FZ)not reject forever,
32 For if He causes grief,
Then He will have (GA)compassion
In proportion to His abundant mercy.
33 For He (GB)does not [bf]afflict [bg]willingly
Or [bh]grieve the sons of mankind.
34 To crush under [bi]one’s feet
All the prisoners of the [bj]land,
35 To [bk]deprive a man of (GC)justice
In the presence of the Most High,
36 To [bl](GD)defraud someone in his lawsuit—
Of these things the Lord does not [bm]approve.
37 Who is [bn]there who speaks and it (GE)comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
That [bo](GF)both adversity and good proceed?

39 Of what can any living [bp]mortal, or any man,
(GG)Complain [bq]in view of his sins?
40 Let’s (GH)examine and search out our ways,
And let’s return to the Lord.
41 We (GI)raise our heart [br]and hands
Toward God in heaven;
42 We have (GJ)done wrong and rebelled;
You have (GK)not pardoned.
43 You have covered Yourself with (GL)anger
And (GM)pursued us;
You have slain and (GN)have not spared.
44 You have (GO)veiled Yourself with a cloud
So that (GP)no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us mere (GQ)refuse and rubbish
In the midst of the peoples.
46 All our enemies have (GR)opened their mouths against us.
47 (GS)Panic and pitfall have come upon us,
Devastation and destruction;
48 My [bs](GT)eyes run down with streams of water
Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 My eyes flow (GU)unceasingly,
Without stopping,
50 Until the Lord (GV)looks down
And sees from heaven.
51 My eyes bring pain to my soul
Because of all the daughters of my city.
52 My enemies (GW)without reason
Hunted me down (GX)like a bird;
53 They have silenced [bt]me (GY)in the pit
And have [bu](GZ)thrown stones on me.
54 Waters flowed (HA)over my head;
I said, “I am [bv]cut off!”
55 I (HB)called on Your name, Lord,
Out of the lowest pit.
56 You have (HC)heard my voice,
“(HD)Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief,
From my cry for help.”
57 You (HE)came near on the day I called to You;
You said, “(HF)Do not fear!”
58 Lord, You (HG)have pleaded my soul’s cause;
You have (HH)redeemed my life.
59 Lord, You have (HI)seen my oppression;
(HJ)Judge my case.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
All their (HK)schemes against me.
61 You have heard their (HL)reproach, Lord,
All their schemes against me.
62 The (HM)lips of my assailants and their talk
Are against me all day long.
63 Look at their [bw](HN)sitting and their rising;
(HO)I am their mocking song.
64 You will (HP)repay them, Lord,
In accordance with the work of their hands.
65 You will give them [bx](HQ)shamelessness of heart,
Your curse will be on them.
66 You will (HR)pursue them in anger and eliminate them
From under the (HS)heavens of the Lord!

Distress of the Siege Described

4 How (HT)dark the gold has become,
How the pure gold has changed!
The sacred stones are spilled out
At the [by]corner of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
Weighed against pure gold,
How they are regarded as (HU)earthenware jars,
The work of a potter’s hands!
3 Even (HV)jackals offer the breast,
They nurse their young;
But the daughter of my people has proved herself (HW)cruel,
Like (HX)ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The (HY)tongue of the infant clings
To the roof of its mouth because of (HZ)thirst;
The children (IA)ask for bread,
But no one breaks it for them.
5 Those who used to eat (IB)delicacies
Are made to tremble in the streets;
Those who were raised in crimson clothing
Embrace garbage heaps.
6 For the [bz]wrongdoing of the daughter of my people
Is greater than the [ca](IC)sin of Sodom,
Which was (ID)overthrown as in a moment,
[cb]And no hands were turned toward her.
7 Her [cc]consecrated ones were (IE)purer than snow,
They shined more than milk;
They were more ruddy in [cd]body than pearls of coral,
Their form was like [ce](IF)lapis lazuli.
8 Their appearance is (IG)darker than soot,
They are not recognized in the streets;
Their (IH)skin is shriveled on their bones,
It is dry, it has become like wood.
9 Better off are those (II)killed by the sword
Than those killed by hunger;
For they [cf](IJ)waste away, [cg]stricken
By the lack of the produce of the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
(IK)Boiled their own children;
They became (IL)food for them
Due to the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord has (IM)expended His wrath,
He has poured out His fierce anger;
And He has (IN)kindled a fire in Zion,
And it has consumed its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
Nor did any of (IO)the inhabitants of the world,
That the adversary and the enemy
Would (IP)enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Because of the sins of her (IQ)prophets
And the wrongdoings of her priests,
Who have shed in her midst
The (IR)blood of the righteous,
14 They wandered, (IS)blind, in the streets;
They were defiled with (IT)blood,
Such that no one could touch their (IU)garments.
15 “Keep away! (IV)Unclean!” [ch]they cried out of themselves.
“Keep away, keep away, do not touch!”
For they (IW)distanced themselves as well as wandered;
People among the nations said,
“They shall not continue to reside with us.”
16 The presence of the Lord has scattered them,
He will not continue to look at them;
They did not [ci](IX)honor the priests,
They did not favor the elders.
17 Yet our eyes failed,
Looking for [cj]help was (IY)useless;
At our observation point we have watched
For a (IZ)nation that could not save.
18 They (JA)hunted our steps
So that we could not walk in our streets;
Our (JB)end drew near,
Our days were [ck]finished
For our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were (JC)swifter
Than the eagles of the sky;
They chased us on the mountains,
They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The (JD)breath of our nostrils, the (JE)Lord’s anointed,
Was (JF)captured in their pits,
Of whom we had said, “[cl]In his (JG)shadow
We shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be joyful, daughter of (JH)Edom,
Who lives in the land of Uz;
But the (JI)cup will pass to you as well,
You will become drunk and expose yourself.
22 The punishment of your wrongdoing has been (JJ)completed, daughter of Zion;
He will no longer exile you.
But He (JK)will punish your wrongdoing, daughter of Edom;
He will expose your sins!

A Prayer for Mercy

5 Remember, Lord, what has come upon us;
Look, and see our (JL)disgrace!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to (JM)strangers,
Our (JN)houses to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, (JO)without a father;
Our mothers are like widows.
4 [cm]We have to pay for our drinking (JP)water,
Our wood comes to us at a price.
5 [cn]Our pursuers are at our necks;
We are worn out, we are given (JQ)no rest.
6 We have [co]submitted to (JR)Egypt and Assyria [cp]to get enough bread.
7 Our (JS)fathers sinned, and are gone;
It is we who have been burdened with the punishment for their wrongdoings.
8 (JT)Slaves rule over us;
There is (JU)no one to rescue us from their hand.
9 We get our bread [cq]at the (JV)risk of our lives
Because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has become as (JW)hot as an oven,
Because of the ravages of hunger.
11 They violated the (JX)women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Leaders were hung by their hands;
[cr](JY)Elders were not respected.
13 Young men [cs](JZ)worked at the grinding mill,
And youths (KA)staggered under loads of wood.
14 Elders are absent from the gate,
Young men from their (KB)music.
15 The joy of our hearts has (KC)ended;
Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
16 The (KD)crown has fallen from our head;
(KE)Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our (KF)heart is faint,
Because of these things our (KG)eyes are dim;
18 Because of (KH)Mount Zion which lies desolate,
(KI)Jackals prowl in it.

19 (KJ)You, Lord, [ct]rule forever;
Your (KK)throne is from generation to generation.
20 Why will You (KL)forget us forever?
Why do You abandon us for [cu]so long?
21 (KM)Restore us to You, Lord, so that we may be restored;
Renew (KN)our days as of old,
22 Unless (KO)You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly (KP)angry with us.

Footnotes

  1. Lamentations 1:1 Or districts
  2. Lamentations 1:3 Lit great
  3. Lamentations 1:3 Or narrow places
  4. Lamentations 1:4 Or to
  5. Lamentations 1:5 Lit head
  6. Lamentations 1:5 Or at ease
  7. Lamentations 1:5 Or tormented her
  8. Lamentations 1:5 Lit before
  9. Lamentations 1:6 Lit gone
  10. Lamentations 1:6 Lit Before
  11. Lamentations 1:7 Lit cessation
  12. Lamentations 1:8 Or abomination
  13. Lamentations 1:9 Or remember her final end
  14. Lamentations 1:9 Lit gone down
  15. Lamentations 1:9 Or boasted
  16. Lamentations 1:11 Lit soul
  17. Lamentations 1:13 I.e., heaven
  18. Lamentations 1:13 Or Sick
  19. Lamentations 1:14 Lit falter
  20. Lamentations 1:15 Another reading is feast
  21. Lamentations 1:16 Lit My eye, my eye
  22. Lamentations 1:18 Lit mouth
  23. Lamentations 1:19 Lit soul
  24. Lamentations 1:20 Lit inward parts are in ferment
  25. Lamentations 2:1 Or scorned...Zion in His anger
  26. Lamentations 2:2 Lit engulfed
  27. Lamentations 2:3 Lit Every horn
  28. Lamentations 2:6 Or booth
  29. Lamentations 2:6 Or feast
  30. Lamentations 2:7 I.e., scornfully rejected
  31. Lamentations 2:8 Lit engulfing
  32. Lamentations 2:10 Another reading is wail
  33. Lamentations 2:11 Lit inward parts are in ferment
  34. Lamentations 2:11 Lit liver
  35. Lamentations 2:11 Lit breaking
  36. Lamentations 2:12 Lit on...breast
  37. Lamentations 2:15 Or whistle
  38. Lamentations 2:16 Or whistle
  39. Lamentations 2:17 Lit horn
  40. Lamentations 2:18 Lit the daughter of your eye
  41. Lamentations 2:20 Lit fruit
  42. Lamentations 2:20 Or tenderly cared for
  43. Lamentations 3:5 Lit built against
  44. Lamentations 3:5 Lit poison
  45. Lamentations 3:7 Lit bronze piece
  46. Lamentations 3:13 Lit sons
  47. Lamentations 3:13 Lit kidneys
  48. Lamentations 3:17 Lit good
  49. Lamentations 3:18 Or splendor
  50. Lamentations 3:19 Lit poison
  51. Lamentations 3:20 Or bows down
  52. Lamentations 3:21 Lit have hope
  53. Lamentations 3:22 As in ancient versions; MT It is...mercy that we do not end
  54. Lamentations 3:24 Or hope in
  55. Lamentations 3:25 Or hope in
  56. Lamentations 3:25 Lit soul
  57. Lamentations 3:29 Lit give
  58. Lamentations 3:33 Or oppress
  59. Lamentations 3:33 Lit from His heart
  60. Lamentations 3:33 Or torment
  61. Lamentations 3:34 Lit his
  62. Lamentations 3:34 Or earth
  63. Lamentations 3:35 Or turn aside a man’s case
  64. Lamentations 3:36 Lit bend
  65. Lamentations 3:36 Lit see
  66. Lamentations 3:37 Lit this
  67. Lamentations 3:38 Lit the evil things and the good
  68. Lamentations 3:39 Or human being
  69. Lamentations 3:39 Or on the basis of
  70. Lamentations 3:41 Lit toward our
  71. Lamentations 3:48 Lit eye goes down
  72. Lamentations 3:53 Lit my life
  73. Lamentations 3:53 Or thrown a stone
  74. Lamentations 3:54 Or destroyed
  75. Lamentations 3:63 I.e., daily activities
  76. Lamentations 3:65 Or insanity
  77. Lamentations 4:1 Lit head
  78. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for wrongdoing
  79. Lamentations 4:6 Or punishment for sin
  80. Lamentations 4:6 I.e., without human intervention
  81. Lamentations 4:7 Or Nazirites
  82. Lamentations 4:7 Lit bones
  83. Lamentations 4:7 Heb sappir
  84. Lamentations 4:9 Lit flow away
  85. Lamentations 4:9 Lit pierced through
  86. Lamentations 4:15 Or they (other people) cried to them
  87. Lamentations 4:16 Lit lift up the faces of
  88. Lamentations 4:17 Lit our help
  89. Lamentations 4:18 Lit full
  90. Lamentations 4:20 I.e., under his protection
  91. Lamentations 5:4 Lit We drink our water with silver
  92. Lamentations 5:5 Lit We have been pursued upon
  93. Lamentations 5:6 Lit given Egypt a hand
  94. Lamentations 5:6 Lit to be satisfied with
  95. Lamentations 5:9 Lit with our soul
  96. Lamentations 5:12 Lit The faces of elders
  97. Lamentations 5:13 Lit carried the
  98. Lamentations 5:19 Lit sit
  99. Lamentations 5:20 Lit length of days
Next
Jeremiah 52
Ezekiel 1
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Ezekiel 1-13
New American Standard Bible

The Vision of Four Figures

1 Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the (A)river Chebar among the exiles, the (B)heavens were opened and I saw [a](C)visions of God. 2 (On the fifth of the month [b]in the (D)fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile, 3 the (E)word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, son of Buzi, in the (F)land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and there (G)the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

4 As I looked, behold, a (H)high wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing intermittently and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like (I)gleaming [c]metal in the midst of the fire. 5 And within it there were figures resembling (J)four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human (K)form. 6 Each of them had (L)four faces and (M)four wings. 7 Their legs were straight and [d]their feet were like a calf’s [e]hoof, and they sparkled like (N)polished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their (O)four sides were human (P)hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched one another; their faces did (Q)not turn when they moved, each (R)went straight forward. 10 As for the (S)form of their faces, each had a human (T)face; [f]all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and [g]all four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and (U)two covering their bodies. 12 And (V)each went straight forward; (W)wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 [h]In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of (X)fire, [i]like torches moving among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was [j]flashing from the fire. 14 And the living beings (Y)ran back and forth like bolts of (Z)lightning.

15 Now as I looked at the living beings, behold, there was one (AA)wheel on the ground beside the living beings, for [k]each of the four of them. 16 The (AB)appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like [l]sparkling (AC)topaz, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if [m]one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they [n]moved, they [o]moved in any of their four [p]directions without (AD)turning as they [q]moved. 18 As for their rims, they were high and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were [r](AE)covered with eyes all around. 19 (AF)Whenever the living beings [s]moved, the wheels [t]moved with them. And whenever the living beings (AG)rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 (AH)Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction[u]. And the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living [v]beings was in the wheels. 21 (AI)Whenever those went, they went; and whenever those stopped, they stopped. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose just as they did; for the spirit of the living [w]beings was in the wheels.

Vision of Divine Glory

22 Now (AJ)over the heads of the living [x]beings there was something like an expanse, like the awesome gleam of crystal, spread out over their heads. 23 Under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward the other; each one also had (AK)two wings covering its body on the one side and on the other. 24 And I also heard the sound of their wings, like the (AL)sound of abundant waters as they went, like the (AM)voice of [y]the Almighty, a sound of a crowd like the (AN)sound of an army camp; whenever they stopped, they let down their wings. 25 And a voice came from above the (AO)expanse that was over their heads; whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

26 Now (AP)above the expanse that was over their heads there was something (AQ)resembling a throne, like [z](AR)lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a (AS)man. 27 Then I [aa]noticed from the appearance of His waist and upward something (AT)like gleaming [ab]metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28 Like the appearance of the (AU)rainbow [ac]in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the (AV)glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I (AW)fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

The Prophet’s Call

2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, (AX)stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as He spoke to me the (AY)Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have (AZ)rebelled against Me; (BA)they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day. 4 So I am sending you to those who are [ad](BB)impudent and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [ae]God says:’ 5 As for them, (BC)whether they listen or [af]not—for they are a rebellious house—they will (BD)know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And as for you, son of man, you are (BE)not to fear them nor fear their words, though (BF)thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; you are not to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, since they are a rebellious house. 7 But you shall (BG)speak My words to them (BH)whether they listen or [ag]not, for they are rebellious.

8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth wide and (BI)eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and behold, a (BJ)hand was extended to me; and behold, a [ah](BK)scroll was in it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were songs of mourning, sighing, and (BL)woe.

Ezekiel’s Commission

3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; (BM)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I (BN)opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and (BO)fill your [ai]body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I (BP)ate it, and it was as sweet as (BQ)honey in my mouth.

4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, [aj]go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For (BR)you are not being sent to a people of [ak](BS)unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of [al]unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. [am]But I have sent you to [an]the people who understand you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are (BT)not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is [ao]stubborn and obstinate. 8 Behold, I have made your face just as hard as their faces, and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My (BU)words which I will speak to you and listen [ap]closely. 11 [aq]Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or [ar]not, ‘This is what the Lord [as]God says.’”

12 Then the (BV)Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great (BW)rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place!” 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the (BX)wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and (BY)the hand of the Lord was strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there for (BZ)seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.

16 Now (CA)at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a (CB)watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, (CC)warn them from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his (CD)blood I will require from your hand. 19 However if you have (CE)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have (CF)saved yourself. 20 Again, (CG)when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an (CH)obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand. 21 However, if you have (CI)warned [at]the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”

22 Now the hand of the Lord was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will (CJ)speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the (CK)glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that (CL)I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. 24 But the (CM)Spirit entered me and set me up on my feet; and He spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And as for you, son of man, they will (CN)put ropes [au]around you and bind you with them so that you do not go out among them. 26 Moreover, (CO)I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be unable to speak and will not be a man who reprimands them, since they are a rebellious house. 27 But (CP)when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [av]God says:’ The one who hears, let him hear; and the one who refuses, let him refuse; (CQ)for they are a rebellious house.

Siege of Jerusalem Predicted

4 “Now you, son of man, (CR)get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it—Jerusalem. 2 Then (CS)lay siege against it, build a siege wall, pile up an assault ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city, and direct your face toward it so that (CT)it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a (CU)sign to the house of Israel.

4 “Then you are to lie down on your left side and put the wrongdoing of the house of Israel on it; you shall (CV)bear their wrongdoing for the number of days that you lie on it. 5 For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their wrongdoing, 390 days; so (CW)you shall bear the wrongdoing of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the wrongdoing of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for (CX)each year. 7 Then you shall direct your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and (CY)prophesy against it. 8 Now behold, I will (CZ)put ropes [aw]around you so that you cannot turn from your one side to your other until you have completed the days of your siege.

Defiled Bread

9 “But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and (DA)spelt, and put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 Your food which you eat shall be (DB)twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time. 11 The water you drink shall be a [ax]sixth of a hin by measure; you shall drink it from time to time. 12 You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human (DC)dung.” 13 Then the Lord said, “In this way the sons of Israel will eat their bread (DD)unclean among the nations where I will scatter them.” 14 But I said, “(DE)Oh, Lord [ay]God! Behold, [az]I have (DF)never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what (DG)died of itself or was torn by animals, nor has any (DH)unclean meat ever entered my mouth!” 15 Then He said to me, “See, I will give you cow’s dung in place of human dung, so that you may prepare your bread over it.” 16 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold, I am going to (DI)break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by (DJ)weight and with anxiety, and drink water by (DK)measure and in horror, 17 because bread and water will be scarce; and they will tremble with one another and (DL)waste away in their guilt.

Jerusalem’s Desolation Foretold

5 “As for you, son of man, take a (DM)sharp sword; take and [ba]use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take (DN)scales for weighing and divide [bb]the hair. 2 A third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the (DO)days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take a third and strike it with the sword all around [bc]the city, and a third you shall scatter to the wind; for I will (DP)unsheathe a sword behind them. 3 Take also a few hairs in number from [bd]them and bind them in the hems of your robes. 4 Take again some of them and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will [be]spread to all the house of Israel.

5 “This is what the Lord [bf]God says: ‘This is (DQ)Jerusalem; I have placed her at the (DR)center of the nations, with lands around her. 6 But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against My statutes (DS)more than the lands which surround her; for they have (DT)rejected My ordinances and have not walked [bg]in My statutes.’ 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have (DU)more turmoil than the nations that surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor executed My ordinances, nor acted in accordance with the ordinances of the nations around you,’ 8 therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I, even I, am (DV)against you, and I will (DW)execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations. 9 And because of all your abominations I will do among you what I have (DX)not done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Therefore, (DY)fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and (DZ)scatter all your remnant to every wind. 11 Therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Because you have (EA)defiled My sanctuary with all your (EB)detestable idols and with all your abominations, I definitely will also withdraw and My eye will have no pity, and I also will not spare. 12 A third of you will die by (EC)plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will (ED)scatter to every wind, and I will (EE)unsheathe a sword behind them.

13 ‘Then My anger will be spent and I will satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be (EF)appeased; then they will know that I, the Lord, have (EG)spoken in My zeal, when I have spent My wrath upon them. 14 Moreover, I will make you a site of ruins and a (EH)disgrace among the nations that surround you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. 15 So [bh]it will be a disgrace, an object of abuse, a (EI)warning, and an object of horror to the nations that surround you when I (EJ)execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging reprimands. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 When I send against them the [bi]deadly arrows of famine which [bj]were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will also intensify the famine upon you and break off your [bk]provision of bread. 17 (EK)I will send on you famine and vicious animals, and they will bereave you of children; (EL)plague and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

Idolatrous Worship Denounced

6 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the (EM)mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them 3 and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord [bl]God! This is what the Lord [bm]God says to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword against you, and (EN)I will destroy your high places. 4 So your (EO)altars will become deserted and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. 5 I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your (EP)bones around your altars. 6 [bn]Everywhere you live, (EQ)cities will be in ruins and the high places will be deserted, so that your altars will be in ruins and [bo]deserted, your (ER)idols will be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars will be cut down, and your works wiped out. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

8 “However, I will leave a (ES)remnant, in that you will have those who (ET)escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will (EU)remember Me among the nations to which they will be taken captive, how I have [bp](EV)been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which committed infidelity with their idols; and they will (EW)loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them.”’

11 “This is what the Lord [bq]God says: ‘Clap your hands, (EX)stamp your foot and say, “(EY)Woe, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by the (EZ)sword, famine, and plague! 12 Anyone who is (FA)far away will die by the plague, anyone who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who remains and is spared from these will die by the famine. So I will (FB)expend My wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their (FC)dead are among their idols around their altars, on (FD)every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every leafy tree and under every massive oak with thick branches—the places where they offered a soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 So through all their dwelling places I will (FE)stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; so they will know that I am the Lord.”’”

Punishment for Wickedness Foretold

7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, this is what the Lord [br]God says to the land of Israel: ‘An (FF)end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end is upon you, for I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and [bs]bring all your abominations upon you. 4 And My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will [bt](FG)bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will (FH)know that I am the Lord!’

5 “This is what the Lord [bu]God says: ‘A (FI)disaster, a unique disaster, behold, it is coming! 6 An end [bv]is coming; the end has come! It has (FJ)awakened against you; behold, it has come! 7 Your [bw]doom has come to you, you inhabitant of the land. The (FK)time has come, the (FL)day is near—panic rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. 8 Now I will shortly (FM)pour out My wrath on you and expend My anger against you; I will (FN)judge you according to your ways and [bx]bring on you all your abominations. 9 My eye will have no pity nor will I spare you. I will [by]repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, am striking.

10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your [bz]doom has gone forth; the (FO)rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. 11 Violence [ca]has grown into a rod of (FP)wickedness. None of them shall remain, none of their [cb]people, none of their (FQ)wealth, nor anything eminent among them. 12 The (FR)time has come, the day has arrived. Let neither the (FS)buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn; for (FT)wrath is against all their multitude. 13 Indeed, the seller will not [cc](FU)regain [cd]what he sold as long as [ce]they both live; for the vision regarding all their multitude will not [cf]be averted, nor will any of them maintain his life by his wrongdoing.

14 ‘They have (FV)blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all [cg]their multitude. 15 The (FW)sword is outside the city and the plague and the famine are within. Anyone who is in the field will die by the sword, while famine and the plague will consume those in the city. 16 Even when their survivors (FX)escape, they will be on the mountains like (FY)doves of the valleys, all of them (FZ)moaning, each over his own wrongdoing. 17 All (GA)hands will hang limp, and all [ch]knees will drip with water. 18 They will (GB)put on sackcloth and (GC)shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces, and a [ci](GD)bald patch on all their heads. 19 They will (GE)fling their silver into the streets, and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their (GF)silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their [cj]appetite, nor can they fill their stomachs, because their wrongdoing has become a cause of stumbling.

The Temple Profaned

20 Moreover, they transformed the splendor of His jewels into pride, and (GG)they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. 21 And I will hand it over to the (GH)foreigners as plunder, and to the wicked of the earth as spoils; and they will profane it. 22 I will also turn My (GI)face away from them, and they will profane My treasure; then robbers will enter and profane it.

23 ‘(GJ)Make the [ck]chain, for the land is full of [cl](GK)bloody crimes, and the city is (GL)full of violence. 24 Therefore, I will bring the worst of the (GM)nations, and they will take possession of their houses. I will also put an end to the (GN)pride of the strong ones, and their (GO)holy places will be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek (GP)peace, but there will be none. 26 (GQ)Disaster will come upon disaster and (GR)rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a (GS)vision from a prophet, but the (GT)Law will be lost from the priest, and (GU)counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn, the prince will be (GV)clothed in horror, and the hands of the people of the land will [cm]tremble. I will deal with them because of their conduct, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Vision of Abominations in Jerusalem

8 Now it came about in the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord [cn]God fell upon me there. 2 Then I looked, and behold, something like the appearance of [co]a man; from His waist and downward there was the (GW)appearance of fire, and from His waist and upward like the appearance of a glow, like (GX)gleaming [cp]metal. 3 And He extended the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; and the (GY)Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the [cq]north gate of the inner courtyard, where the seat of the idol of jealousy, which (GZ)provokes to jealousy, was located. 4 And behold, the (HA)glory of the God of Israel was there, like the appearance which I saw in the plain.

5 Then He said to me, “Son of man, (HB)raise your eyes now toward the north.” So I raised my eyes toward the north, and behold, to the north of the altar gate was this (HC)idol of jealousy at the entrance. 6 And He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great (HD)abominations which the house of Israel are committing here, so that I would be far from My sanctuary? But yet you will see still greater abominations!”

7 Then He brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. 8 And He said to me, “Son of man, now (HE)dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall, and behold, an entrance. 9 Then He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked abominations that they are committing here.” 10 So I entered and looked, and behold, every form of crawling things and animals and detestable things, with all the idols of the house of Israel, were carved on the wall all around. 11 And standing in front of them were (HF)seventy (HG)elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan standing among them, each man with his (HH)censer in his hand; and the fragrance of the cloud of incense was rising. 12 Then He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in the rooms of his carved images? For they say, ‘(HI)The Lord does not see us; the Lord has (HJ)abandoned the land.’” 13 And He said to me, “Yet you will see still greater abominations which they are committing!”

14 Then He brought me to the entrance of the (HK)gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and behold, women were sitting there weeping for [cr]Tammuz. 15 And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Yet you will see still greater abominations than these!”

16 Then He brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their (HL)backs to the temple of the Lord while their faces were toward the east; and (HM)they were [cs]prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun. 17 And He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it a trivial thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they have committed here, that they have (HN)filled the land with violence and (HO)provoked Me to anger repeatedly? Yet behold, they are [ct]putting the twig to their nose! 18 Therefore, I indeed will deal in wrath. My eye will have no pity nor will I spare; and (HP)though they cry out in My ears with a loud voice, yet I will not listen to them.”

The Vision of Slaughter

9 Then He cried out in my [cu]presence with a loud (HQ)voice, saying, “Come forward, you [cv]executioners of the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” 2 And behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his smashing weapon in his hand; and among them was (HR)one man clothed in linen with a scribe’s kit at his waist. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.

3 Then the (HS)glory of the God of Israel ascended from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the [cw]temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose waist was the scribe’s kit. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and make a (HT)mark on the foreheads of the people who (HU)groan and sigh over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.” 5 But to the others He said in my [cx]presence, “Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. 6 [cy]Utterly (HV)kill old men, young men, female virgins, little children, and women, but do not (HW)touch any person on whom is the mark; and you shall (HX)start from My sanctuary.” So they started with the [cz]elders who were before the [da]temple. 7 He also said to them, “(HY)Defile the [db]temple and fill the courtyards with the dead. Go out!” So they went out and struck and killed the people in the city. 8 And as they were striking the people and I alone was left, I (HZ)fell on my face and cried out, [dc]saying, “(IA)Oh, Lord [dd]God! Are You going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel [de]by pouring out Your wrath on Jerusalem?”

9 Then He said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is (IB)filled with blood, and the city is (IC)full of perversion; for (ID)they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 But as for Me, (IE)My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but (IF)I will bring their conduct upon their heads.”

11 Then behold, the man clothed in linen, at whose waist was the scribe’s kit, [df]reported, saying, “I have done just as You have commanded me.”

Vision of God’s Glory Departing from the Temple

10 Then I looked, and behold, in the [dg](IG)expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim something like a (IH)sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a (II)throne, appeared above them. 2 And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the (IJ)whirling wheels under the [dh]cherubim and fill your hands with (IK)coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.

3 Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the [di]temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the (IL)inner courtyard. 4 Then the (IM)glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the (IN)temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the (IO)brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer courtyard, like the (IP)voice of [dj]God Almighty when He speaks.

6 And it came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel. 7 Then the cherub reached out with his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some coals and put them into the hands of the one clothed in linen; and he took them and went out. 8 The cherubim appeared to have something like a human hand under their wings.

9 Then I looked, and behold, (IQ)four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a [dk](IR)Tarshish stone. 10 And as for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. 11 When they moved, they went (IS)in any of their four [dl]directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which [dm]they faced, without turning as they went. 12 And their (IT)whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the (IU)wheels were [dn]covered with eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them. 13 The wheels were called, [do]as I heard, the [dp]whirling wheels. 14 And (IV)each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a human, the third, the face of a lion, and the fourth, the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim rose up. They are the (IW)living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. 16 Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would move beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels themselves would not turn away from beside them. 17 When [dq]the cherubim (IX)stood still, [dr]the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, [ds]the wheels would rise with them, because the spirit of the living beings was in them.

18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood (IY)over the cherubim. 19 When (IZ)the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the ground in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel [dt]hovered over them.

20 These are the (JA)living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by (JB)the river Chebar; so I knew that they were cherubim. 21 (JC)Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands. 22 As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.

Evil Rulers to Be Judged

11 Now the (JD)Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s 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 (JE)Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise wrongdoing and (JF)give evil advice in this city, 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. [du]This (JG)city is the pot and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore, (JH)prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man!”

5 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 (JI)I know [dv]your (JJ)thoughts. 6 You have (JK)multiplied your slain in this city, and filled its streets with [dw]them.” 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord [dx]God says: “Your (JL)slain whom you have laid in the midst of [dy]the city are the meat and this city is the pot; but [dz]I will (JM)bring you out of it. 8 You have (JN)feared a sword; so I will (JO)bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God declares. 9 “And I will bring you out of the midst of [ea]the city, and hand you over to (JP)strangers, and (JQ)execute judgments against you. 10 You will (JR)fall by the sword. I will judge you to the (JS)border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will (JT)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 (JU)executed My ordinances, but you have acted in accordance with the ordinances of the (JV)nations around you.”’”

13 Now it came about, as I prophesied, that (JW)Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, and said, “(JX)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, [eb]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 (JY)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 (JZ)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 (KA)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 (KB)remove all its (KC)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (KD)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [ec]them. And I will remove the (KE)heart of stone from their flesh and give them a (KF)heart of flesh, 20 so that they may (KG)walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (KH)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 [ed]But as for those whose hearts go after their (KI)detestable things and abominations, I will [ee](KJ)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.

22 Then the cherubim (KK)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (KL)the glory of the God of Israel [ef]hovered over them. 23 The (KM)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (KN)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (KO)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to [eg]Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen [eh](KP)left me. 25 And I (KQ)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Ezekiel Prepares for Exile

12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live in the (KR)midst of the (KS)rebellious house, who (KT)have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. 3 So as for you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; that is, go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. (KU)Perhaps they will [ei]understand, though they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you shall go out (KV)at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile. 5 Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and [ej]go out through it. 6 Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall (KW)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a (KX)sign to the house of Israel.”

7 Then I (KY)did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I (KZ)brought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight.

8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, has the house of Israel, the (LA)rebellious house, not said to you, ‘(LB)What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [ek]God says: “This (LC)pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are [el]in it.”’ 11 Say, ‘I am [em]a (LD)sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will (LE)go into exile, into captivity.’ 12 The (LF)prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. [en]They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out through it. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 I will also spread My (LG)net over him, and he will be caught in My net. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will (LH)not see it, though he will die there. 14 And I will (LI)scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. 15 So they will (LJ)know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 16 But I will [eo]spare a few of them from the (LK)sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and [ep]may (LL)know that I am the Lord.”

17 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (LM)eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. 19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord God says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: “They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because [eq]their land will be [er](LN)stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. 20 The inhabited (LO)cities will be in ruins, and the (LP)land will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the Lord.”’”

21 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this (LQ)proverb you people have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The (LR)days are long, and every (LS)vision fails’? 23 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will put an end to this proverb so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But tell them, “(LT)The days are approaching as well as the [es]fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there will no longer be any [et](LU)false vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I the Lord will speak whatever (LV)word I speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in (LW)your days, you (LX)rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God.’”

26 Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for (LY)many [eu]years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,”’” declares the Lord God.

False Prophets Condemned

13 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the (LZ)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own [ev]inspiration, ‘(MA)Listen to the word of the Lord! 3 This is what the Lord [ew]God says: “Woe to the (MB)foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have (MC)seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 1:1 Some ancient versions a vision
  2. Ezekiel 1:2 Lit it was
  3. Ezekiel 1:4 Heb uncertain; Gr indicates a gold and silver alloy
  4. Ezekiel 1:7 Lit the sole of their feet
  5. Ezekiel 1:7 Lit sole of a foot
  6. Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
  7. Ezekiel 1:10 Lit the four of them
  8. Ezekiel 1:13 As in some ancient versions; MT And the likeness of the living beings
  9. Ezekiel 1:13 Lit like the appearance of
  10. Ezekiel 1:13 Lit going out
  11. Ezekiel 1:15 Lit his four faces
  12. Ezekiel 1:16 Or the look of topaz
  13. Ezekiel 1:16 Lit the wheel in the midst of the wheel
  14. Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
  15. Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
  16. Ezekiel 1:17 Lit sides
  17. Ezekiel 1:17 Lit went
  18. Ezekiel 1:18 Lit full of
  19. Ezekiel 1:19 Lit went
  20. Ezekiel 1:19 Lit went
  21. Ezekiel 1:20 MT adds the spirit to go
  22. Ezekiel 1:20 MT being
  23. Ezekiel 1:21 MT being
  24. Ezekiel 1:22 As in some mss and ancient versions; MT being
  25. Ezekiel 1:24 Heb Shaddai
  26. Ezekiel 1:26 Heb eben-sappir
  27. Ezekiel 1:27 Lit saw
  28. Ezekiel 1:27 See note v 4
  29. Ezekiel 1:28 Lit which occurs in
  30. Ezekiel 2:4 Lit hard-faced and hard-hearted
  31. Ezekiel 2:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  32. Ezekiel 2:5 Lit refrain
  33. Ezekiel 2:7 Lit refrain
  34. Ezekiel 2:9 Lit scroll of a book
  35. Ezekiel 3:3 Lit inward parts
  36. Ezekiel 3:4 Lit go, come
  37. Ezekiel 3:5 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
  38. Ezekiel 3:6 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
  39. Ezekiel 3:6 Or I certainly have sent
  40. Ezekiel 3:6 Lit them, they understand
  41. Ezekiel 3:7 Lit of a hard forehead and hard of heart
  42. Ezekiel 3:10 Lit with your ears
  43. Ezekiel 3:11 Lit Go, come
  44. Ezekiel 3:11 Lit refrain
  45. Ezekiel 3:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  46. Ezekiel 3:21 Lit him, the righteous
  47. Ezekiel 3:25 Lit on
  48. Ezekiel 3:27 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  49. Ezekiel 4:8 Lit on
  50. Ezekiel 4:11 About 0.6 qt. or 0.6 liter
  51. Ezekiel 4:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  52. Ezekiel 4:14 Lit my soul has
  53. Ezekiel 5:1 Lit pass it over your head
  54. Ezekiel 5:1 Lit them
  55. Ezekiel 5:2 Lit it
  56. Ezekiel 5:3 Lit there
  57. Ezekiel 5:4 Lit go out
  58. Ezekiel 5:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  59. Ezekiel 5:6 Lit in them, My statutes
  60. Ezekiel 5:15 Ancient versions you
  61. Ezekiel 5:16 Lit evil
  62. Ezekiel 5:16 Or are for destruction, which I will send
  63. Ezekiel 5:16 Lit staff
  64. Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  65. Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  66. Ezekiel 6:6 Lit In all your dwellings
  67. Ezekiel 6:6 As in some ancient versions; MT suffer for their guilt
  68. Ezekiel 6:9 Lit been broken; another reading is broken their (but unlikely)
  69. Ezekiel 6:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  70. Ezekiel 7:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  71. Ezekiel 7:3 Lit give
  72. Ezekiel 7:4 Lit give
  73. Ezekiel 7:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  74. Ezekiel 7:6 Or has come
  75. Ezekiel 7:7 Meaning uncertain
  76. Ezekiel 7:8 Lit give
  77. Ezekiel 7:9 Lit give
  78. Ezekiel 7:10 Meaning uncertain
  79. Ezekiel 7:11 Lit has risen
  80. Ezekiel 7:11 Or procession
  81. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return to
  82. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit the thing sold; i.e., his inherited land
  83. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit their life among the living ones
  84. Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return
  85. Ezekiel 7:14 Lit her
  86. Ezekiel 7:17 Heb idiom meaning to wet oneself
  87. Ezekiel 7:18 I.e., shaved as a sign of mourning
  88. Ezekiel 7:19 Lit soul
  89. Ezekiel 7:23 I.e., used for imprisonment
  90. Ezekiel 7:23 Lit judgment of blood
  91. Ezekiel 7:27 Lit be horrified
  92. Ezekiel 8:1 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  93. Ezekiel 8:2 As in LXX; MT fire
  94. Ezekiel 8:2 Heb uncertain; Gr indicates a gold and silver alloy
  95. Ezekiel 8:3 Lit facing north
  96. Ezekiel 8:14 I.e., a Babylonian god
  97. Ezekiel 8:16 I.e., worshiping
  98. Ezekiel 8:17 Possibly an obscene gesture toward God
  99. Ezekiel 9:1 Lit ears
  100. Ezekiel 9:1 Lit punishers
  101. Ezekiel 9:3 Lit house
  102. Ezekiel 9:5 Lit ears
  103. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit To destruction
  104. Ezekiel 9:6 Or old men
  105. Ezekiel 9:6 Lit house
  106. Ezekiel 9:7 Lit house
  107. Ezekiel 9:8 Lit and said
  108. Ezekiel 9:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  109. Ezekiel 9:8 Lit by Your pouring
  110. Ezekiel 9:11 Lit brought back word
  111. Ezekiel 10:1 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
  112. Ezekiel 10:2 As in LXX; MT cherub
  113. Ezekiel 10:3 Lit house, and so throughout the ch
  114. Ezekiel 10:5 Heb El Shaddai
  115. Ezekiel 10:9 Perhaps topaz
  116. Ezekiel 10:11 Lit sides
  117. Ezekiel 10:11 Lit the head turned
  118. Ezekiel 10:12 Lit full of
  119. Ezekiel 10:13 Lit in my ears
  120. Ezekiel 10:13 Heb galgal
  121. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  122. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  123. Ezekiel 10:17 Lit they
  124. Ezekiel 10:19 Lit over them from above
  125. Ezekiel 11:3 Or This is
  126. Ezekiel 11:5 Lit what comes up in your spirit
  127. Ezekiel 11:6 Lit the slain
  128. Ezekiel 11:7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  129. Ezekiel 11:7 Lit it
  130. Ezekiel 11:7 As in LXX; MT he will bring you out
  131. Ezekiel 11:9 Lit it
  132. Ezekiel 11:15 As in LXX and some ancient versions; MT the men of your redemption
  133. Ezekiel 11:19 As in LXX and many mss; MT you
  134. Ezekiel 11:21 Lit And to the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes
  135. Ezekiel 11:21 Lit give...conduct on
  136. Ezekiel 11:22 Lit over them from above
  137. Ezekiel 11:24 I.e., Babylonia
  138. Ezekiel 11:24 Lit went up from
  139. Ezekiel 12:3 Or see that they are
  140. Ezekiel 12:5 Lit bring it out
  141. Ezekiel 12:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  142. Ezekiel 12:10 Lit in their midst
  143. Ezekiel 12:11 Lit your sign
  144. Ezekiel 12:12 I.e., the king’s attendants
  145. Ezekiel 12:16 Lit leave over men
  146. Ezekiel 12:16 Or they will know
  147. Ezekiel 12:19 Lit her
  148. Ezekiel 12:19 Lit deserted
  149. Ezekiel 12:23 Lit word
  150. Ezekiel 12:24 Lit worthless
  151. Ezekiel 12:27 Lit days
  152. Ezekiel 13:2 Lit heart
  153. Ezekiel 13:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
Next
Lamentations 5
Ezekiel 14
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