Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
New American Standard Bible
Ezekiel Prepares for Exile
12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live in the (A)midst of the (B)rebellious house, who (C)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. (D)Perhaps they will [a]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 (E)at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile. 5 Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and [b]go out through it. 6 Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall (F)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a (G)sign to the house of Israel.”
7 Then I (H)did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I (I)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 (J)rebellious house, not said to you, ‘(K)What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [c]God says: “This (L)pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are [d]in it.”’ 11 Say, ‘I am [e]a (M)sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will (N)go into exile, into captivity.’ 12 The (O)prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. [f]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 (P)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 (Q)not see it, though he will die there. 14 And I will (R)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 (S)know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 16 But I will [g]spare a few of them from the (T)sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and [h]may (U)know that I am the Lord.”
17 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (V)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 [i]their land will be [j](W)stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. 20 The inhabited (X)cities will be in ruins, and the (Y)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 (Z)proverb you people have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The (AA)days are long, and every (AB)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, “(AC)The days are approaching as well as the [k]fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there will no longer be any [l](AD)false vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I the Lord will speak whatever (AE)word I speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in (AF)your days, you (AG)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 (AH)many [m]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 (AI)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own [n]inspiration, ‘(AJ)Listen to the word of the Lord! 3 This is what the Lord [o]God says: “Woe to the (AK)foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have (AL)seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. 5 You have not (AM)gone up into the (AN)breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the (AO)day of the Lord. 6 They see (AP)deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; (AQ)yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word! 7 (AR)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, (AS)I am against you,” declares the Lord God. 9 “So My hand will be against the (AT)prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will [p]have no place in the council of My people, (AU)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, [q]so that you may know that I am the Lord God. 10 It is definitely because they have (AV)misled My people by saying, ‘(AW)Peace!’ when there is (AX)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 (AY)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 (AZ)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 (BA)foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will (BB)perish in its midst. And you will (BC)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 [r]is gone and those who plastered it are gone, 16 along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who (BD)see a vision of peace for her when there is (BE)no peace,’ declares the Lord God.
17 “Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are (BF)talking like prophets (BG)from their own [s]imagination. Prophesy against them 18 and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on [t]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to (BH)capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves? 19 (BI)For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death [u]some who should not die, and to (BJ)keep [v]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 [w]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let [x]them go, those souls whom you capture as [y]birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and (BK)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 (BL)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have [z](BM)encouraged the wicked not to (BN)turn from his wicked way to keep him alive, 23 therefore you women will no longer see (BO)deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will (BP)save My people from your hands. So you will (BQ)know that I am the Lord.”
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
14 Then some (BR)elders of Israel came to me and (BS)sat down before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have (BT)set up their idols in their hearts and have (BU)put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be (BV)consulted by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord [aa]God says: “Anyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will let Myself answer him in [ab]the matter in view of the (BW)multitude of his idols, 5 in order to take hold of [ac](BX)the hearts of the house of Israel who have [ad](BY)turned away from Me due to all their idols.”’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “(BZ)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your (CA)abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the (CB)strangers who reside in Israel, who deserts Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet to request something of Me for himself, (CC)I the Lord will let Myself answer him Myself. 8 I will (CD)set My face against that person and make him a (CE)sign and [ae]a proverb, and I will eliminate him from among My people. So you will know that I am the Lord.
9 “But if the prophet is persuaded so that he speaks a word, it is I, the Lord, who have persuaded that prophet; and I will stretch out My hand against him and (CF)eliminate him from among My people Israel. 10 And they will bear the punishment for their wrongdoing; as the wrongdoing of the inquirer is, so the wrongdoing of the prophet will be, 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer (CG)stray from Me and no longer (CH)defile themselves with all their offenses. So they will be (CI)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:3 Or see that they are
- Ezekiel 12:5 Lit bring it out
- Ezekiel 12:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 12:10 Lit in their midst
- Ezekiel 12:11 Lit your sign
- Ezekiel 12:12 I.e., the king’s attendants
- Ezekiel 12:16 Lit leave over men
- Ezekiel 12:16 Or they will know
- Ezekiel 12:19 Lit her
- Ezekiel 12:19 Lit deserted
- Ezekiel 12:23 Lit word
- Ezekiel 12:24 Lit worthless
- Ezekiel 12:27 Lit days
- Ezekiel 13:2 Lit heart
- Ezekiel 13:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 13:9 Lit not be in
- Ezekiel 13:9 Or and you will know
- Ezekiel 13:15 Lit is not...are not
- Ezekiel 13:17 Lit heart
- Ezekiel 13:18 Lit all joints of the hand; MT of my hands
- Ezekiel 13:19 Lit souls
- Ezekiel 13:19 Lit souls
- Ezekiel 13:20 Or flying ones
- Ezekiel 13:20 Or flying ones
- Ezekiel 13:20 Or flying ones
- Ezekiel 13:22 Lit strengthened the hands of
- Ezekiel 14:4 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 14:4 Lit it
- Ezekiel 14:5 Lit their
- Ezekiel 14:5 Or all turned away from Me due to their idols
- Ezekiel 14:8 Lit proverbs
Ezekiel 12:1-14:11
New Living Translation
Signs of the Coming Exile
12 Again a message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people.
3 “So now, son of man, pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile could carry, and leave your home to go somewhere else. Do this right in front of the people so they can see you. For perhaps they will pay attention to this, even though they are such rebels. 4 Bring your baggage outside during the day so they can watch you. Then in the evening, as they are watching, leave your house as captives do when they begin a long march to distant lands. 5 Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it. 6 As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night. Cover your face so you cannot see the land you are leaving. For I have made you a sign for the people of Israel.”
7 So I did as I was told. In broad daylight I brought my pack outside, filled with the things I might carry into exile. Then in the evening while the people looked on, I dug through the wall with my hands and went out into the night with my pack on my shoulder.
8 The next morning this message came to me from the Lord: 9 “Son of man, these rebels, the people of Israel, have asked you what all this means. 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: These actions contain a message for King Zedekiah in Jerusalem[a] and for all the people of Israel.’ 11 Explain that your actions are a sign to show what will soon happen to them, for they will be driven into exile as captives.
12 “Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving. 13 Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians,[b] though he will never see it, and he will die there. 14 I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them. 15 And when I scatter them among the nations, they will know that I am the Lord. 16 But I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
17 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 18 “Son of man, tremble as you eat your food. Shake with fear as you drink your water. 19 Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says concerning those living in Israel and Jerusalem: They will eat their food with trembling and sip their water in despair, for their land will be stripped bare because of their violence. 20 The cities will be destroyed and the farmland made desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
A New Proverb for Israel
21 Again a message came to me from the Lord: 22 “Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: ‘Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.’ 23 Tell the people, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.’ Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: ‘The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!’
24 “There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel. 25 For I am the Lord! If I say it, it will happen. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
26 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 27 “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘He’s talking about the distant future. His visions won’t come true for a long, long time.’ 28 Therefore, tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’”
Judgment against False Prophets
13 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord. 3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!’
4 “O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins. 5 They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ even though the Lord never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies! 7 Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, ‘This message is from the Lord,’ when I have not even spoken to you?
8 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign Lord. 9 I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
10 “This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, ‘All is peaceful’ when there is no peace at all! It’s as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash! 11 Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down. 12 And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, ‘What happened to your whitewash?’
13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury. 14 I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 15 At last my anger against the wall and those who covered it with whitewash will be satisfied. Then I will say to you: ‘The wall and those who whitewashed it are both gone. 16 They were lying prophets who claimed peace would come to Jerusalem when there was no peace. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’
Judgment against False Women Prophets
17 “Now, son of man, speak out against the women who prophesy from their own imaginations. 18 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: What sorrow awaits you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction on yourselves? 19 You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.
20 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage. 21 I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 22 You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, but I didn’t want them to be sad. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins. 23 Because of all this, you will no longer talk of seeing visions that you never saw, nor will you make predictions. For I will rescue my people from your grasp. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
The Idolatry of Israel’s Leaders
14 Then some of the leaders of Israel visited me, and while they were sitting with me, 2 this message came to me from the Lord: 3 “Son of man, these leaders have set up idols[c] in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests? 4 Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The people of Israel have set up idols in their hearts and fallen into sin, and then they go to a prophet asking for a message. So I, the Lord, will give them the kind of answer their great idolatry deserves. 5 I will do this to capture the minds and hearts of all my people who have turned from me to worship their detestable idols.’
6 “Therefore, tell the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins. 7 I, the Lord, will answer all those, both Israelites and foreigners, who reject me and set up idols in their hearts and so fall into sin, and who then come to a prophet asking for my advice. 8 I will turn against such people and make a terrible example of them, eliminating them from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
9 “‘And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel. 10 False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins. 11 In this way, the people of Israel will learn not to stray from me, polluting themselves with sin. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!’”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
