Evil Rulers to Be Judged

11 Now the ^(A)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 ^(B)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 ^(C)give evil advice in this city, ³ who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. ^[a]This ^(D)city is the pot and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore, ^(E)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 ^(F)I know ^[b]your ^(G)thoughts. ⁶ You have ^(H)multiplied your slain in this city, and filled its streets with ^[c]them.” ⁷ 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. ⁸ You have ^(K)feared a sword; so I will ^(L)bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God declares. ⁹ “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.

Ezekiel Prepares for Exile

12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, you live in the ^(AO)midst of the ^(AP)rebellious house, who ^(AQ)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. ^(AR)Perhaps they will ^[o]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 ^(AS)at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and ^[p]go out through it. ⁶ Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall ^(AT)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a ^(AU)sign to the house of Israel.”

⁷ Then I ^(AV)did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I ^(AW)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 ^(AX)rebellious house, not said to you, ‘^(AY)What are you doing?’ ¹⁰ Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord ^[q]God says: “This ^(AZ)pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are ^[r]in it.”’ ¹¹ Say, ‘I am ^[s]a ^(BA)sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will ^(BB)go into exile, into captivity.’ ¹² The ^(BC)prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. ^[t]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 ^(BD)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 ^(BE)not see it, though he will die there. ¹⁴ And I will ^(BF)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 ^(BG)know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. ¹⁶ But I will ^[u]spare a few of them from the ^(BH)sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and ^[v]may ^(BI)know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, ^(BJ)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 ^[w]their land will be ^[x](BK)stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. ²⁰ The inhabited ^(BL)cities will be in ruins, and the ^(BM)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 ^(BN)proverb you people have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The ^(BO)days are long, and every ^(BP)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, “^(BQ)The days are approaching as well as the ^[y]fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ For there will no longer be any ^[z](BR)false vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I the Lord will speak whatever ^(BS)word I speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in ^(BT)your days, you ^(BU)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 ^(BV)many ^[aa]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 ^(BW)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own ^[ab]inspiration, ‘^(BX)Listen to the word of the Lord! ³ This is what the Lord ^[ac]God says: “Woe to the ^(BY)foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have ^(BZ)seen nothing! ⁴ Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You have not ^(CA)gone up into the ^(CB)breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ^(CC)day of the Lord. ⁶ They see ^(CD)deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; ^(CE)yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word! ^7 (CF)Did you not see a false vision and tell a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

⁸ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have spoken deceit and have seen a lie, therefore behold, ^(CG)I am against you,” declares the Lord God. ⁹ “So My hand will be against the ^(CH)prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will ^[ad]have no place in the council of My people, ^(CI)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, ^[ae]so that you may know that I am the Lord God. ¹⁰ It is definitely because they have ^(CJ)misled My people by saying, ‘^(CK)Peace!’ when there is ^(CL)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹ so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A ^(CM)flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out. ¹² Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” ¹³ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ^(CN)hailstones to consume it in wrath. ¹⁴ So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and hurl it down to the ground, so that its ^(CO)foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will ^(CP)perish in its midst. And you will ^(CQ)know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will expend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall ^[af]is gone and those who plastered it are gone, ¹⁶ along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who ^(CR)see a vision of peace for her when there is ^(CS)no peace,’ declares the Lord God.

¹⁷ “Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ^(CT)talking like prophets ^(CU)from their own ^[ag]imagination. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on ^[ah]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ^(CV)capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves? ^19 (CW)For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death ^[ai]some who should not die, and to ^(CX)keep ^[aj]others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

²⁰ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you capture souls there as ^[ak]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let ^[al]them go, those souls whom you capture as ^[am]birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils and ^(CY)save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as prey; and you will know that I am the Lord. ²² Because you ^(CZ)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have ^[an](DA)encouraged the wicked not to ^(DB)turn from his wicked way to keep him alive, ²³ therefore you women will no longer see ^(DC)deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will ^(DD)save My people from your hands. So you will ^(DE)know that I am the Lord.”

The Testing of Your Faith

1 ^[a](A)James, a ^(B)bond-servant of God and ^(C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are ^[b](E)dispersed abroad: ^(F)Greetings.

^2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[c]trials, ³ knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith produces ^[d](K)endurance. ⁴ And let ^[e](L)endurance have its perfect ^[f]result, so that you may be ^[g](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you ^(N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[h]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(P)ask in faith ^(Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(R)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a ^(S)[i]double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

^9 (U)Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ but the rich person is to glory in his ^[j]humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[k]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with ^(W)its scorching heat and ^(X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

^12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[l]been approved, he will receive ^(Z)the crown of life which the Lord ^(AA)has promised to those who ^(AB)love Him. ¹³ No one is to say when he is tempted, “^(AC)I am being tempted ^[m]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[n]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then ^(AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and ^(AE)sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. ^16 (AF)Do not be ^[o]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^(AH)from above, coming down from ^(AI)the Father of lights, ^(AJ)with whom there is no variation or ^[p]shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of ^(AK)His will He ^(AL)gave us birth by ^(AM)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[q]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[r]among His creatures.

^19 [s](AO)You know this, ^(AP)my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, ^(AQ)slow to speak, and ^(AR)slow to anger; ²⁰ for a man’s ^(AS)anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, ^(AT)ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all ^[t]that remains of wickedness, in ^[u]humility receive ^(AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (AV)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[v]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[w]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[x]an active doer, this person will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[y]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not ^[z](AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[aa]by ^(BD)the world.