Ezekiel 6
Good News Translation
The Lord Condemns Idolatry
6 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the mountains of Israel and give them my message. 3 Tell the mountains of Israel to hear the Sovereign Lord's word—to hear what I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling the mountains, the hills, the gorges, and the valleys: I will send a sword to destroy the places where people worship idols. 4 The altars will be torn down and the incense altars broken. All the people there will be killed in front of their idols. 5 I will scatter the corpses of the people of Israel; I will scatter their bones all around the altars. 6 All the cities of Israel will be destroyed, so that all their altars and their idols will be smashed to pieces, their incense altars will be shattered, and everything they made will disappear. 7 People will be killed everywhere, and those who survive will acknowledge that I am the Lord.
8 “I will let some escape the slaughter and be scattered among the nations, 9 where they will live in exile. There they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them,[a] because their faithless hearts deserted me and they preferred idols to me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done. 10 They will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings were not empty threats.”
11 The Sovereign Lord said, “Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease. 12 Those far away will get sick and die; those nearby will be killed in war; those who survive will starve to death. They will feel all the force of my anger. 13 Corpses will be scattered among the idols and around the altars, scattered on every high hill, on the top of every mountain, under every green tree and every large oak, in every place where they burned sacrifices to their idols. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. 14 Yes, I will reach out and destroy their country. I will make it a wasteland from the southern desert to the city of Riblah in the north, not sparing any place where the Israelites live. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 6:9 Some ancient translations disgraced them; Hebrew I am disgraced.
Ezekiel 6
New King James Version
Judgment on Idolatrous Israel
6 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, (A)set your face toward the (B)mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3 and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, to the hills, to the ravines, and to the valleys: “Indeed I, even I, will bring a sword against you, and (C)I will destroy your [a]high places. 4 Then your altars shall be desolate, your incense altars shall be broken, and (D)I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. 6 In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the [b]high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. 7 The slain shall fall in your midst, and (E)you shall know that I am the Lord.
8 (F)“Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are (G)scattered through the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will (H)remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, because (I)I was crushed by their adulterous heart which has departed from Me, and (J)by their eyes which play the harlot after their idols; (K)they will loathe themselves for the evils which they committed in all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them.”
11 ‘Thus says the Lord God: (L)“Pound[c] your fists and stamp your feet, and say, ‘Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! (M)For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. 12 He who is far off shall die by the pestilence, he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die by the famine. (N)Thus will I spend My fury upon them. 13 Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when their slain are among their idols all around their altars, (O)on every high hill, (P)on all the mountaintops, (Q)under every green tree, and under every thick oak, wherever they offered sweet incense to all their idols. 14 So I will (R)stretch out My hand against them and make the land desolate, yes, more desolate than the wilderness toward (S)Diblah, in all their dwelling places. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” ’ ”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 6:3 Places for pagan worship
- Ezekiel 6:6 Places for pagan worship
- Ezekiel 6:11 Lit. Strike your hands
Ezekiel 6
English Standard Version
Judgment Against Idolatry
6 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 (A)“Son of man, (B)set your face toward (C)the mountains of Israel, and (D)prophesy against them, 3 and say, (E)You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to (F)the mountains and (G)the hills, to (H)the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, (I)and I will destroy your high places. 4 (J)Your altars shall become desolate, and your (K)incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols. 5 (L)And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, (M)and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 Wherever you dwell, (N)the cities shall be waste and (O)the high places ruined, so that your altars will be waste and ruined,[a] your idols broken and destroyed, your (P)incense altars cut down, and your works wiped out. 7 And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
8 (Q)“Yet I will leave some of you alive. When you have among the nations (R)some who escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries, 9 then those of you who escape (S)will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how (T)I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes (U)that go whoring after their idols. (V)And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord. (W)I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”
11 Thus says the Lord God: (X)“Clap your hands (Y)and stamp your foot and say, Alas, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, (Z)for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. 12 (AA)He who is far off shall die of pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who is left and is preserved shall die of famine. (AB)Thus I will spend my fury upon them. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, (AC)when their slain lie among their idols around their altars, (AD)on every high hill, (AE)on all the mountaintops, (AF)under every green tree, and under (AG)every leafy oak, wherever (AH)they offered pleasing aroma to all their idols. 14 And (AI)I will stretch out my hand against them and (AJ)make the land desolate and waste, (AK)in all their dwelling places, from the wilderness to (AL)Riblah.[b] Then (AM)they will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 6:6 Or and punished
- Ezekiel 6:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts Diblah
Ezekiel 6
New American Standard Bible
Idolatrous Worship Denounced
6 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the (A)mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them 3 and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord [a]God! This is what the Lord [b]God says to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword against you, and (B)I will destroy your high places. 4 So your (C)altars will become deserted and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. 5 I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your (D)bones around your altars. 6 [c]Everywhere you live, (E)cities will be in ruins and the high places will be deserted, so that your altars will be in ruins and [d]deserted, your (F)idols will be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars will be cut down, and your works wiped out. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.
8 “However, I will leave a (G)remnant, in that you will have those who (H)escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will (I)remember Me among the nations to which they will be taken captive, how I have [e](J)been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which committed infidelity with their idols; and they will (K)loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them.”’
11 “This is what the Lord [f]God says: ‘Clap your hands, (L)stamp your foot and say, “(M)Woe, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by the (N)sword, famine, and plague! 12 Anyone who is (O)far away will die by the plague, anyone who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who remains and is spared from these will die by the famine. So I will (P)expend My wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their (Q)dead are among their idols around their altars, on (R)every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every leafy tree and under every massive oak with thick branches—the places where they offered a soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 So through all their dwelling places I will (S)stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; so they will know that I am the Lord.”’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 6:6 Lit In all your dwellings
- Ezekiel 6:6 As in some ancient versions; MT suffer for their guilt
- Ezekiel 6:9 Lit been broken; another reading is broken their (but unlikely)
- Ezekiel 6:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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