Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 The spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. There, at the entrance of the gateway, were twenty-five men; among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the people.^{(A) 2} He said to me, “Mortal, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;^{(B) 3} they say, ‘The time is not near to build houses; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.’^{(C) 4} Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O mortal.”^(D)

⁵ Then the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he said to me, “Say, Thus says the Lord: This is what you think, O house of Israel; I know the things that come into your mind.^{(E) 6} You have killed many in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.^{(F) 7} Therefore thus says the Lord God: The slain whom you have placed within it are the meat, and this city is the pot, but you shall be taken out of it.^{(G) 8} You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, says the Lord God. ⁹ I will take you out of it and give you over to the hands of foreigners and execute judgments upon you.^{(H) 10} You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord.^{(I) 11} This city shall not be your pot, and you shall not be the meat inside it; I will judge you at the border of Israel. ¹² Then you shall know that I am the Lord, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not kept, but you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are around you.”^(J)

¹³ Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord God! You are finishing off the remnant of Israel!”^(K)