Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 Then (A)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to (B)the East Gate of the Lord’s house, which faces eastward; and there (C)at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked [a]counsel in this city, who say, ‘The time is not (D)near to build houses; (E)this city is the [b]caldron, and we are the meat.’ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”

Then (F)the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for (G)I know the things that come into your mind. (H)You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.” Therefore thus says the Lord God: (I)“Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; (J)but I shall bring you out of the midst of it. You have (K)feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God. “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and (L)execute judgments on you. 10 (M)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at (N)the border of Israel. (O)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 (P)This city shall not be your [c]caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but (Q)have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that (R)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then (S)I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”

God Will Restore Israel

14 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, (T)yet I shall be a little [d]sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: (U)“I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’ 18 And they will go there, and they will take away all its (V)detestable things and all its abominations from there. 19 Then (W)I will give them one heart, and I will put (X)a new spirit within [e]them, and take (Y)the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, 20 (Z)that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; (AA)and they shall be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations, (AB)I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

22 So the cherubim (AC)lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high above them. 23 And (AD)the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood (AE)on the mountain, (AF)which is on the east side of the city.

24 Then (AG)the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into [f]Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 11:2 Advice
  2. Ezekiel 11:3 Pot
  3. Ezekiel 11:11 Pot
  4. Ezekiel 11:16 holy place
  5. Ezekiel 11:19 Lit. you (pl.)
  6. Ezekiel 11:24 Or Babylon, and so elsewhere in the book

11 Moreover, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the Lord’s house, which faces east. And behold, at the door of the gateway there were twenty-five men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

Then [the Spirit] said to me, Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,

Who say, [The time] is not near to build houses; this city is the boiling pot and we are the flesh.

Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!

And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, Speak. Say, Thus says the Lord: This is what you thought, O house of Israel, for I know the things that come into your mind.

You have multiplied your slain in this city and you have filled its streets with the slain.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Your slain whom you have laid in your midst; they are the flesh and this city is the boiling pot, but you shall be brought forth out of the midst of it.

You have feared the sword, and I will bring a sword upon you, says the Lord God.

And I will bring you forth out of the midst of it and deliver you into the hands of foreigners and execute judgments among you.

10 You shall fall by the sword; I will judge and punish you [before your neighbors] at the border or outside the land of Israel, and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.

11 This city shall not be your boiling pot, neither shall you be the flesh in the midst of it; I will judge you at the border or outside of Israel;

12 And you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.

13 And while I was prophesying, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down upon my face and cried with a loud voice, Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?

14 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

15 Son of man, your brethren, even your kindred, your fellow exiles, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they of whom the [present] inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, They have gone far from the Lord [and from this land]; therefore this land is given to us for a possession.

16 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God: Whereas I have removed [Israel] far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet I have been to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries to which they have come.

17 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.

18 And when they return there, they shall take away from it all traces of its detestable things and all its abominations (sex impurities and heathen religious practices).

19 And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God],(A)

20 That they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for those whose heart yearns for and goes after their detestable things and their loathsome abominations [associated with idolatry], I will repay their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord God.

22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels which were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [the Shekinah, cloud] was over them.

23 Then the glory of the Lord rose up from over the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.

25 And I told the exiles everything that the Lord had shown me.