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Ezekiel 14
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Idolatrous Elders Punished

14 Some of the elders of Israel came(A) to me and sat down in front of me.(B) 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 ‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put their sinful stumbling blocks in front of themselves.(C) Should I actually let them enquire of me?(D)

4 ‘Therefore, speak to them and tell them, “This is what the Lord God says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart and puts his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet, I, the Lord, will answer him appropriately.[a] I will answer him according to his many idols, 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from me because of their idols.”

6 ‘Therefore, say to the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: Repent and turn away(E) from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things. 7 For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who reside in Israel separates himself from me, setting up idols in his heart and putting his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet to enquire of me, I, the Lord, will answer him myself. 8 I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among my people.(F) Then you will know that I am the Lord.

9 ‘ “But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, the Lord, who deceived that prophet.(G) I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.(H) 10 They will bear their punishment – the punishment of the one who enquires will be the same as that of the prophet –  11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following me and no longer defile themselves(I) with all their transgressions. Then they will be my people and I will be their God.(J) This is the declaration of the Lord God.” ’

Four Devastating Judgements

12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 ‘Son of man, suppose a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its supply of bread,(K) to send famine through it, and to wipe out both people and animals from it. 14 Even if these three men(L) – Noah,(M) Daniel,(N) and Job(O) – were in it, they would rescue only themselves by their righteousness.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.

15 ‘Suppose I allow dangerous animals(P) to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals. 16 Even if these three men were in it, as I live’ – the declaration of the Lord God – ‘they could not rescue their sons or daughters. They alone would be rescued, but the land would be desolate.(Q)

17 ‘Or suppose I bring a sword(R) against that land and say, “Let a sword pass through it,” so that I wipe out both people and animals from it.(S) 18 Even if these three men were in it, as I live’ – the declaration of the Lord God – ‘they could not rescue their sons or daughters, but they alone would be rescued.

19 ‘Or suppose I send a plague into that land(T) and pour out my wrath on it with bloodshed to wipe out both people and animals from it. 20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live’ – the declaration of the Lord God – ‘they could not rescue their son or daughter. They would rescue only themselves by their righteousness.

21 ‘For this is what the Lord God says: How much worse will it be when I send my four(U) devastating judgements against Jerusalem – sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague – in order to wipe out both people and animals from it! 22 Even so, there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. Indeed, they will come out to you, and you will observe their conduct and actions.(V) Then you will be consoled about the devastation I have brought on Jerusalem, about all I have brought on it. 23 They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done what I did to it.’(W) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Footnotes

  1. 14:4 Alt Hb tradition reads him who comes
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Ezekiel 14
New English Translation

Well-Deserved Judgment

14 Then some men from Israel’s elders came to me and sat down in front of me. 2 The Lord’s message came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity[a] right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek[b] me? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When anyone from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry.[c] 5 I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations. 7 For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the resident foreigner[d] who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally. 8 I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword[e] and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

9 “‘As for the prophet, if he is made a fool by being deceived into speaking a prophetic word—I, the Lord, have made a fool of[f] that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 10 They will bear their punishment;[g] the punishment of the one who sought an oracle will be the same as the punishment of the prophet who gave it[h] 11 so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God,[i] declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

12 The Lord’s message came to me: 13 “Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply,[j] cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals. 14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel,[k] and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals. 16 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they would save only their own lives, and the land would become desolate.

17 “Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I were to kill both people and animals. 18 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, they could not save their own sons or daughters—they would save only their own lives.

19 “Or suppose I were to send a plague into that land and pour out my rage on it with bloodshed, killing both people and animals. 20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments—sword, famine, wild animals, and plague—to Jerusalem to kill both people and animals! 22 Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds, you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem—for everything I brought on it. 23 They will console you when you see their behavior and their deeds, because you will know that it was not without reason that I have done everything that I have done in it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:3 tn Heb “the stumbling block of their iniquity.” This phrase is unique to the prophet Ezekiel.
  2. Ezekiel 14:3 tn Or “I will not reveal myself to them.” The Hebrew word is used in a technical sense here of seeking an oracle from a prophet (2 Kgs 1:16; 3:11; 8:8).
  3. Ezekiel 14:4 tn Heb “in accordance with the multitude of his idols.”
  4. Ezekiel 14:7 sn The ger (גֵּר) “resident foreigner” had a different status in different countries. In Israel the foreigners going by this term are (or are supposed to be) fully integrated into Israel’s social fabric and worshipers of Yahweh. Such an attachment to the Lord is a prior condition to the possibility of separating from the Lord. See also the notes at Exod 12:19 and Deut 29:11.
  5. Ezekiel 14:8 tn Heb “proverbs.”
  6. Ezekiel 14:9 tn The translation is uncertain due to difficulty both in determining the meaning of the verb’s stem and its conjugation in this context. In the Qal stem the basic meaning of the verbal root פָּתַה (patah) is “to be gullible, foolish.” The doubling stems (the Pual and Piel used in this verse) typically give such stative verbs a factitive sense, hence either “make gullible” (i.e., “entice”) or “make into a fool” (i.e., “to show to be a fool”). The latter represents the probable meaning of the term in Jer 20:7, 10 and is followed here (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:193; R. Mosis “Ez 14, 1-11 - ein Ruf zur Umkehr,” BZ 19 [1975]: 166-69; and ThWAT 4:829-31). In this view, if a prophet speaks when not prompted by God, he will be shown to be a fool, but this does not reflect negatively on the Lord because it is God who shows him to be a fool. Secondly, the verb is in the perfect conjugation and may be translated as “I have made a fool of him” or “I have enticed him,” or to show determination (see IBHS 439-41 §27.2f and g), or in certain syntactical constructions as future. Any of these may be plausible if the doubling stems used are understood in the sense of “making a fool of.” But if understood as “to make gullible,” more factors come into play. As the Hebrew verbal form is a perfect, it is often translated as present perfect: “I have enticed.” In this case the Lord states that he himself enticed the prophet to cooperate with the idolaters. Such enticement to sin would seem to be a violation of God’s moral character, but sometimes he does use such deception and enticement to sin as a form of punishment against those who have blatantly violated his moral will (see, e.g., 2 Sam 24). If one follows this line of interpretation in Ezek 14:9, one would have to assume that the prophet had already turned from God in his heart. However, the context gives no indication of this. Therefore, it is better to take the perfect as indicating certitude and to translate it with the future tense: “I will entice.” In this case the Lord announces that he will judge the prophet appropriately. If a prophet allows himself to be influenced by idolaters, then the Lord will use deception as a form of punishment against that deceived prophet. A comparison with the preceding oracles also favors this view. In 14:4 the perfect of certitude is used for emphasis (see “I will answer”), though in v. 7 a participle is employed. For a fuller discussion of this text, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 23-25.
  7. Ezekiel 14:10 tn Or “They will bear responsibility for their iniquity.” The Hebrew term “iniquity” (three times in this verse) often refers by metonymy to the consequence of sin (see Gen 4:13).
  8. Ezekiel 14:10 tn Or “As is the guilt of the inquirer, so is the guilt of the prophet.”
  9. Ezekiel 14:11 sn I will be their God. See Exod 6:7; Lev 26:12; Jer 7:23; 11:4.
  10. Ezekiel 14:13 tn Heb “break its staff of bread.”
  11. Ezekiel 14:14 sn Traditionally this has been understood as a reference to the biblical Daniel, though he was still quite young when Ezekiel prophesied. One wonders if he had developed a reputation as an intercessor by this point. For this reason some prefer to see a reference to a ruler named Danel, known in Canaanite legend for his justice and wisdom. In this case all three of the individuals named would be non-Israelites, however the Ugaritic Danel is not known to have qualities of faith in the Lord that would place him in the company of the other men. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:447-50.
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Ezekiel 14
New International Reader's Version

The Lord Judges Those Who Worship Other Gods

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to see me. They sat down with me. 2 Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 3 “Son of man, these men have thought about nothing but other gods. They have fallen into the evil trap of worshiping them. Should I let these men ask me for any advice? 4 Speak to them. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Suppose any of the Israelites think about other gods. And they fall into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then they go to a prophet to ask for advice. If they do, I myself will tell the prophet to answer them in keeping with their worship of many gods. 5 I will win back the hearts of the people of Israel. All of them have deserted me for their other gods.” ’

6 “So speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Turn away from your sins! Also turn away from your gods. Give up all the evil things you have done. I hate them.

7 “ ‘ “Suppose any of the Israelites or any outsiders who live in Israel separate themselves from me. And they think about other gods. They fall into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then they go to a prophet to ask me for advice. If they do, I myself will tell the prophet to answer them. 8 I will turn against them. I will make an example out of them. People will talk about the bad things that happen to them. I will remove them from you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

9 “ ‘ “Suppose that prophet is stirred up to give a prophecy. Then I am the one who has stirred him up. And I will reach out my powerful hand against him. I will destroy him from among my people Israel. 10 The prophet will be as much to blame as the one who asks him for advice. Both of them will be guilty. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me. And they will not make themselves ‘unclean’ anymore with their many sins. They will be my people. And I will be their God,” ’ announces the Lord and King.”

Jerusalem Can’t Escape the Lord’s Judgment

12 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 13 “Son of man, suppose the people in a certain country sin against me. And they are not faithful to me. So I reach out my powerful hand against them. I cut off their food supply. I make them very hungry. I kill them and their animals. 14 And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that country. Then these three men could save only themselves by doing what is right,” announces the Lord and King.

15 “Or suppose I send wild animals through that country. And they kill all its children. It becomes a dry and empty desert. No one can pass through it because of the animals. 16 And suppose these three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. But the land would become a dry and empty desert. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

17 “Or suppose I send swords to kill the people in that country. And I say, ‘Let swords sweep all through the land.’ And I kill its people and their animals. 18 And suppose these three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

19 “Or suppose I send a plague into that land. And I pour out my great anger on it by spilling blood. I kill its people and their animals. 20 And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that land. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They could save only themselves by doing what is right. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

21 The Lord and King says, “It will get much worse. I will punish Jerusalem in four horrible ways. There will be war, hunger, wild animals and plague. They will destroy the people and their animals. 22 But some people will be left alive. Some children will be brought out of the city. They will come to you. You will see how they act and the way they live. And you will be comforted in spite of all the trouble I brought on Jerusalem. 23 You will be comforted when you see how they act and the way they live. Then you will know that I did not do anything there without a reason,” announces the Lord and King.

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Ezekiel 14
New International Version

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.(A) 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts(B) and put wicked stumbling blocks(C) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?(D) 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. 5 I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted(E) me for their idols.’(F)

6 “Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!(G) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!(H)

7 “‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner(I) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block(J) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire(K) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. 8 I will set my face against(L) them and make them an example(M) and a byword.(N) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(O)

9 “‘And if the prophet(P) is enticed(Q) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.(R) 10 They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11 Then the people of Israel will no longer stray(S) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,(T) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.(U)’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 “Son of man, if a country sins(V) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply(W) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,(X) 14 even if these three men—Noah,(Y) Daniel[a](Z) and Job(AA)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,(AB) declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “Or if I send wild beasts(AC) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,(AD) 16 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.(AE)

17 “Or if I bring a sword(AF) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,(AG) 18 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19 “Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath(AH) on it through bloodshed,(AI) killing its people and their animals,(AJ) 20 as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.(AK)

21 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments(AL)—sword(AM) and famine(AN) and wild beasts and plague(AO)—to kill its men and their animals!(AP) 22 Yet there will be some survivors(AQ)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.(AR) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct(AS) and their actions, you will be consoled(AT) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23 You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AU)”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20
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