Ezekiel 7:20-27
New American Standard Bible
The Temple Profaned
20 Moreover, they transformed the splendor of His jewels into pride, and (A)they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. 21 And I will hand it over to the (B)foreigners as plunder, and to the wicked of the earth as spoils; and they will profane it. 22 I will also turn My (C)face away from them, and they will profane My treasure; then robbers will enter and profane it.
23 ‘(D)Make the [a]chain, for the land is full of [b](E)bloody crimes, and the city is (F)full of violence. 24 Therefore, I will bring the worst of the (G)nations, and they will take possession of their houses. I will also put an end to the (H)pride of the strong ones, and their (I)holy places will be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek (J)peace, but there will be none. 26 (K)Disaster will come upon disaster and (L)rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a (M)vision from a prophet, but the (N)Law will be lost from the priest, and (O)counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn, the prince will be (P)clothed in horror, and the hands of the people of the land will [c]tremble. I will deal with them because of their conduct, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 7:23 I.e., used for imprisonment
- Ezekiel 7:23 Lit judgment of blood
- Ezekiel 7:27 Lit be horrified
Ezekiel 7:20-27
New English Translation
20 They rendered the beauty of his ornaments into pride,[a] and with it they made their abominable images—their detestable idols. Therefore I will render it filthy to them. 21 I will give it to foreigners as loot, to the world’s wicked ones as plunder, and they will desecrate it. 22 I will turn my face away from them, and they will desecrate my treasured place.[b] Vandals will enter it and desecrate it.[c] 23 (Make the chain,[d] because the land is full of murder[e] and the city is full of violence.) 24 I will bring the most wicked of the nations, and they will take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong, and their sanctuaries[f] will be desecrated. 25 Terror[g] is coming! They will seek peace, but find none. 26 Disaster after disaster will come, and one rumor after another. They will seek a vision from a prophet; priestly instruction will disappear, along with counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn and the prince will be clothed with shuddering; the hands of the people of the land will tremble. Based on their behavior I will deal with them, and by their standard of justice[h] I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord!”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 7:20 tc The MT reads “he set up the beauty of his ornament as pride.” The verb may be repointed as plural without changing the consonantal text. The Syriac reads “their ornaments” (plural), implying עֶדְיָם (ʿedyam) rather than עֶדְיוֹ (ʿedyo) and meaning “they were proud of their beautiful ornaments.” This understands “ornaments” in the common sense of women’s jewelry, which then was used to make idols. The singular suffix “his ornaments” would refer to using items from the temple treasury to make idols. D. I. Block points out the foreshadowing of Ezek 16:17, which, with Rashi and the Targum, supports the understanding that this is a reference to temple items. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:265.
- Ezekiel 7:22 sn My treasured place probably refers to the temple (however, cf. NLT’s “my treasured land”).
- Ezekiel 7:22 sn Since the pronouns “it” are both feminine, they do not refer to the masculine “my treasured place”; instead they probably refer to Jerusalem or the land, both of which are feminine in Hebrew.
- Ezekiel 7:23 tc The Hebrew word “the chain” occurs only here in the OT. The reading of the LXX (“and they will make carnage”) seems to imply a Hebrew text of הַבַּתּוֹק (habbattoq, “disorder, slaughter”) instead of הָרַתּוֹק (haratoq, “the chain”). The LXX is also translating the verb as a third person plural future and taking this as the end of the preceding verse. As M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:154) notes, this may refer to a chain for a train of exiles, but “the context does not speak of exile but of the city’s fall. The versions guess desperately, and we can do little better.”
- Ezekiel 7:23 tn Heb “judgment for blood,” i.e., indictment or accountability for bloodshed. The word for “judgment” does not appear in the similar phrase in 9:9.
- Ezekiel 7:24 sn Or “their holy places” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NCV, NRSV).
- Ezekiel 7:25 tn The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT. It is interpreted based on a Syriac cognate meaning “to bristle or stiffen (in terror).”
- Ezekiel 7:27 tn Heb “and by their judgments.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.