Ezekiel 14
New American Standard Bible
Idolatrous Elders Condemned
14 Then some (A)elders of Israel came to me and (B)sat down before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have (C)set up their idols in their hearts and have (D)put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be (E)consulted by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord [a]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 [b]the matter in view of the (F)multitude of his idols, 5 in order to take hold of [c](G)the hearts of the house of Israel who have [d](H)turned away from Me due to all their idols.”’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “(I)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your (J)abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the (K)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, (L)I the Lord will let Myself answer him Myself. 8 I will (M)set My face against that person and make him a (N)sign and [e]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 (O)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 (P)stray from Me and no longer (Q)defile themselves with all their offenses. So they will be (R)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord God.”
The City Will Not Be Spared
12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by (S)being unfaithful, and I stretch out My hand against it, [f]destroy its (T)supply of bread, send famine against it, and eliminate from it both human and animal life, 14 even (U)though these three men, (V)Noah, (W)Daniel, and (X)Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save (Y)themselves,” declares the Lord God. 15 “If I were to cause (Z)vicious animals to pass through the land and they [g]depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the animals, 16 though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters. (AA)They alone would be saved, but the country would be desolate. 17 Or if I were to (AB)bring a sword on that country and say, ‘A sword is to pass through the country,’ and I (AC)eliminated human and animal life from it, 18 even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved. 19 Or if I were to send a (AD)plague against that country and pour out My wrath on it in blood to eliminate man and animal from it, 20 even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord God, “they could not save either their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.”
21 For this is what the Lord God says: “How much more when (AE)I send My four [h]severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, vicious animals, and plague to eliminate human and animal life from it! 22 Yet, behold, [i]survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come out to you, and you will (AF)see their conduct and actions; then you will be (AG)comforted for the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. 23 Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done (AH)without reason whatever I did [j]to it,” declares the Lord God.
Footnotes
- 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 14:13 Lit break its staff
- Ezekiel 14:15 Lit bereaved it of children
- Ezekiel 14:21 Lit evil
- Ezekiel 14:22 Lit a survivor
- Ezekiel 14:23 Lit in
Ezekiel 14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
God’s Judgments Justified
14 Certain elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me.(A) 2 And the word of the Lord came to me: 3 Mortal, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and placed their iniquity as a stumbling block before them; shall I let myself be consulted by them?(B) 4 Therefore speak to them, and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Any of those of the house of Israel who take their idols into their hearts and place their iniquity as a stumbling block before them and yet come to the prophet, I the Lord will answer those who come with the multitude of their idols, 5 in order that I may take hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, all of whom are estranged from me through their idols.(C)
6 Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.(D) 7 For any of those of the house of Israel or of the aliens who reside in Israel who separate themselves from me, taking their idols into their hearts and placing their iniquity as a stumbling block before them and yet come to a prophet to inquire of me by him, I the Lord will answer them myself.(E) 8 I will set my face against them; I will make them a sign and a byword and cut them off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord.(F)
9 If a prophet is deceived and speaks a word, 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.(G) 10 And they shall bear their punishment—the punishment of the inquirer and the punishment of the prophet shall be the same— 11 so that the house of Israel may no longer go astray from me nor defile themselves any more with all their transgressions. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord God.(H)
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 13 Mortal, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly and I stretch out my hand against it and cut off its supply of bread[a] and send famine upon it and cut off from it humans and animals,(I) 14 even if Noah, Daniel,[b] and Job, these three, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord God.(J) 15 If I send wild animals through the land to ravage it so that it is made desolate and no one may pass through because of the animals,(K) 16 even if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate. 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land and say, “Let a sword pass through the land,” and I cut off humans and animals from it,(L) 18 though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be saved. 19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off humans and animals from it,(M) 20 even if Noah, Daniel,[c] and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither son nor daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.
21 Therefore thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four deadly acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild animals, and pestilence, to cut off humans and animals from it!(N) 22 Yet survivors shall be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; they will come out to you. When you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it.(O) 23 They shall console you when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that it was not without cause that I did all that I have done in it, says the Lord God.(P)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.