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The Vision of the Eastern Gate

11 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east facing gate of the Lord’s Temple. At the entrance of the gate I saw 25 men. Included among them were Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah, who were princes of the people.

Then he told me, “Son of Man, these men are plotting evil and are giving wicked advice in this city. They keep saying, ‘The right time to build families[a] hasn’t yet arrived. The city is the pot and we are the meat.’ Therefore you are to prophesy against them. Prophesy, Son of Man!”

God Rebukes those who Plot Evil

Just then the Spirit of the Lord took control of[b] me and told me, “You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You’ve said, O house of Israel, that I know what goes through your mind.[c] You’ve increased the number of fatally wounded in this city and you’ve filled your streets with the dead.”

‘Therefore this is what the Lord God says, “The corpses that you’ve laid out in your midst are the meat, and this city is the cooking pot. But you’ll be taken out from the middle of it. You’ve feared the sword,[d] but I’m bringing violent death in your direction,”[e] declares the Lord God. “I’m bringing you out from the middle of it and I’m going to deliver you into the hands of strangers, because I’m going to carry out my sentence against you. 10 You’re going to die violently,[f] and I’ll judge you as far as the borders of Israel. Then you’ll learn[g] that I am the Lord. 11 This city won’t be your cooking pot and neither will you be the meat in it, because I’m going to judge you as far as the borders of Israel. 12 Then you’ll learn[h] that I am the Lord, because you didn’t live by my statues or obey my ordinances. Instead, you obeyed the ordinances of the nations around you.”’”

Ezekiel Reacts to Pelatiah’s Death

13 While I was prophesying, Benaiah’s son Pelatiah died, so I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice. “Ah, Lord God,” I said, “are you going to put an end to the survivors within Israel?”

14 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 15 “Son of Man, your brothers, your other relatives, your fellow exiles,[i] and the entire house of Israel are the people to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘They’ve abandoned the Lord. This land was given to us for an inheritance.’”

The Future Hope of Israel

16 “Therefore you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “Although I’ve removed them far away to live among the nations, and although I’ve scattered them throughout the earth, yet I’ve continued to be their sanctuary, even for the short time that they will be living in the lands to which they’ve gone.”’

17 “Therefore you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “I’m going to gather you from among the nations, assembling you from the lands among which you have been dispersed. I’ll give you the land of Israel. 18 When they return from there and cast away all of their loathsome things and detestable practices, 19 then I’ll give them a united heart, placing a new spirit within them.[j] I’ll remove their stubborn heart[k] and give them a heart that’s sensitive to me.[l] 20 When they live by my statutes and keep my ordinances by observing them, then they’ll be my people and I will be their God. 21 But to those whose hearts delight in loathsome things and detestable practices, I’ll bring the consequences of their behavior crashing down on their own heads,” declares the Lord God.’”

The Cherubim Leave

22 Then the cherubim arose, with their wheels alongside, and the glory of Israel’s God remained above and over them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from the middle of the city and stood on the mountain, east of the city. 24 Then in a vision from the Spirit of God, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Chaldea. At that point, the vision that I had been observing ended. 25 Later, I spoke to the exiles concerning everything the Lord had spoken that I had witnessed.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 11:3 Lit. houses
  2. Ezekiel 11:5 Lit. Lord fell on
  3. Ezekiel 11:5 Or spirit
  4. Ezekiel 11:8 I.e. execution during military invasion; and so throughout the chapter
  5. Ezekiel 11:8 Lit. bringing the sword against you
  6. Ezekiel 11:10 Lit. to fall by the sword
  7. Ezekiel 11:10 Or know
  8. Ezekiel 11:12 Or know
  9. Ezekiel 11:15 So LXX and Syr; MT reads your redeemers
  10. Ezekiel 11:19 So LXX, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate; MT reads you (pl)
  11. Ezekiel 11:19 Lit. heart from their flesh
  12. Ezekiel 11:19 Lit. heart of flesh

God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem

11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah(A) son of Benaiah, leaders(B) of the people.(C) The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil(D) and giving wicked advice in this city.(E) They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot,(F) and we are the meat in it.’(G) Therefore prophesy(H) against them; prophesy, son of man.”

Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.(I) You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.(J)

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot,(K) but I will drive you out of it.(L) You fear the sword,(M) and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.(N) I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands(O) of foreigners and inflict punishment on you.(P) 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.(Q) Then you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be a pot(R) for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. 12 And you will know that I am the Lord,(S) for you have not followed my decrees(T) or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.(U)

13 Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah(V) son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?(W)

The Promise of Israel’s Return

14 The word of the Lord came to me: 15 “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’(X)

16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary(Y) for them in the countries where they have gone.’

17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’(Z)

18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images(AA) and detestable idols.(AB) 19 I will give them an undivided heart(AC) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone(AD) and give them a heart of flesh.(AE) 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.(AF) They will be my people,(AG) and I will be their God.(AH) 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,(AI) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AJ)

22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory(AK) of the God of Israel was above them.(AL) 23 The glory(AM) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain(AN) east of it. 24 The Spirit(AO) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia[a] in the vision(AP) given by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 11:24 Or Chaldea