Idolatrous Elders Condemned

14 Then certain of the (A)elders of Israel came to me (B)and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came to me: (C)“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set (D)the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. (E)Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, (F)I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, (G)that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, (H)who are all estranged from me through their idols.

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: (I)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, (J)who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, (K)I the Lord will answer him myself. And (L)I will set my face against that man; I (M)will make him a sign and a byword (N)and cut him off from the midst of my people, (O)and you shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, (P)I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their punishment[a]—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— 11 that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor (Q)defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, (R)but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

12 And the word of the Lord came to me: 13 (S)“Son of man, when a land sins against me (T)by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and (U)break its supply[b] of bread and send famine upon it, and (V)cut off from it man and beast, 14 (W)even if these three men, (X)Noah, (Y)Daniel, and (Z)Job, were in it, (AA)they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.

15 (AB)“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, (AC)and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even if these three men were in it, (AD)as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but (AE)the land would be desolate.

17 “Or (AF)if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, (AG)and I cut off from it man and beast, 18 (AH)though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.

19 “Or (AI)if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.

21 “For thus says the Lord God: How much more (AJ)when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, (AK)sword, (AL)famine, (AM)wild beasts, and (AN)pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! 22 But behold, (AO)some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and (AP)you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. 23 They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:10 Or iniquity; three times in this verse
  2. Ezekiel 14:13 Hebrew staff

14 Then came certain anashim of the zekenim of Yisroel unto me, and sat before me.

And the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

Ben adam, these anashim have set up their gillulim (idols) in their lev, and put the michshol (stumbling block) of their avon before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them?

Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Every ish of Bais Yisroel that setteth up his gillulim in his lev, and putteth the michshol (stumbling block) of his avon before his face, and cometh to the navi; I Hashem will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his gillulim;

That I may seize Bais Yisroel in their lev, who have become estranged from me, all of them, for their gillulim (idols).

Therefore say unto Bais Yisroel, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Make teshuvah, and turn yourselves away from your gillulim (idols); and turn away your faces from all your to’avot (abominations).

For every one of Bais Yisroel, or of the ger that sojourneth in Yisroel, which separateth himself from Me, and setteth up his gillulim (idols) in his lev (heart), and putteth the michshol (stumbling block) of his avon (iniquity) before his face, and cometh to a navi (prophet) to inquire of him concerning Me; I Hashem will answer him by Myself;

And I will set My face against that ish, and will make him an ot (sign) and for meshalim (proverbs [i.e., make him a byword and an object lesson] and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am Hashem.

And if the navi be induced to make a pronouncement, I Hashem have induced that navi, and I will stretch out My yad against him, and will make him shmad from the midst of My people Yisroel.

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their avon; the punishment of the navi shall be even as the punishment of him that inquireth of him;

11 That Bais Yisroel may go no more astray from Me, neither be made tameh any more with all their peysha’im; but that they may be My people, and I may be to them Elohim, saith Adonoi Hashem.

12 The Devar Hashem came again to me, saying,

13 Ben adam, when eretz sinneth against Me by persistent ma’al (faithlessness, treachery), then will I stretch out Mine yad upon it, and will break the matteh lechem thereof, and will send ra’av (famine) upon it, and will cut off adam and behemah from it;

14 Though these three anashim—Noach, Daniel, and Iyov—were in it, they would deliver but their own nefesh by their tzedakah, saith Adonoi Hashem.

15 If I cause chayyah ra’ah (wild beasts) to pass through ha’aretz, and they bereave it of children, so that it be desolate, that no one may pass through because of the beasts;

16 Though these sheloshet ha’anashim were in the midst of it, as I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, they shall deliver neither banim nor banot; only they shall be delivered, but ha’aretz shall be desolate.

17 Or if I bring a cherev upon that land, and say, Cherev, pass through ha’aretz; so that I cut off adam and behemah from it;

18 Though these sheloshet ha’anashim were in it, as I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, they would deliver neither banim nor banot, but they only themselves would be delivered.

19 Or if I send a dever (plague) into that land, and pour out My chemah (fury) upon it in dahm, to cut off from it adam and behemah;

20 Though Noach, Daniel, and Iyov were in it, as I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, they would deliver neither ben nor bat; they would but deliver their own nefashot by their tzedakah.

21 For thus saith Adonoi Hashem: How much worse will it be when I send My four severe judgments upon Yerushalayim—-the cherev, and the ra’av (famine), and the chayyah ra’ah (wild beast), and the dever—-to cut off from it adam and behemah?

22 Yet, hinei, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought out, both banim and banot; behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their derech and their doings; and ye shall be consoled concerning the ra’ah that I have brought upon Yerushalayim, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23 And they shall console you, when ye see their drakhim and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith Adonoi Hashem.