1 Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. ² They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. ³ So I made a careful study^[a] of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, ⁴ I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard.

An Angel Tells about the Birth of John

^5 (A) When Herod was king of Judea, there was a priest by the name of Zechariah from the priestly group of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was from the family of Aaron.^{[b] 6} Both of them were good people and pleased the Lord God by obeying all that he had commanded. ⁷ But they did not have children. Elizabeth could not have any, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old.

⁸ One day Zechariah's group of priests were on duty, and he was serving God as a priest. ⁹ According to the custom of the priests, he had been chosen to go into the Lord's temple that day and to burn incense,^{[c] 10} while the people stood outside praying.

¹¹ All at once an angel from the Lord appeared to Zechariah at the right side of the altar. ¹² Zechariah was confused and afraid when he saw the angel. ¹³ But the angel told him:

Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayers. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you must name him John. ¹⁴ His birth will make you very happy, and many people will be glad. ^15 (B) Your son will be a great servant of the Lord. He must never drink wine or beer, and the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him from the time he is born.

¹⁶ John will lead many people in Israel to turn back to the Lord their God. ^17 (C) He will go ahead of the Lord with the same power and spirit that Elijah^[d] had. And because of John, parents will be more thoughtful of their children. And people who now disobey God will begin to think as they ought to. This is how John will get people ready for the Lord.

¹⁸ Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old.”

^19 (D) The angel answered, “I am Gabriel, God's servant, and I was sent to tell you this good news. ²⁰ You have not believed what I have said. So you will not be able to say a thing until all this happens. But everything will take place when it is supposed to.”

²¹ The crowd was waiting for Zechariah and kept wondering why he was staying in the temple so long. ²² When he did come out, he could not speak, and they knew he had seen a vision. He motioned to them with his hands, but did not say a thing.

²³ When Zechariah's time of service in the temple was over, he went home. ²⁴ Soon after this, his wife was expecting a baby, and for five months she did not leave the house. She said to herself, ²⁵ “What the Lord has done for me will keep people from looking down on me.”^[e]

The Lord Appoints Ezekiel To Stand Watch

(Ezekiel 3.16-21)

33 The Lord said:

² Ezekiel, son of man, warn your people by saying:

Someday, I, the Lord, may send an enemy to invade a country. And suppose its people choose someone to stand watch ³ and to sound a warning signal when the enemy is seen coming. ^4-5 If any of these people hear the signal and ignore it, they will be killed in battle. But it will be their own fault, because they could have escaped if they had paid attention.

⁶ But suppose the person watching fails to sound the warning signal. The enemy will attack and kill some of the sinful people in that country, and I, the Lord, will hold that person responsible for their death.

⁷ Ezekiel, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me. ⁸ When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways. But if you refuse to warn them, you are responsible for their death. ⁹ If you do warn them, and they keep sinning, they will die because of their sins, and you will be innocent.

The Lord Is Always Fair

(Ezekiel 18.21-30)

¹⁰ The Lord said:

Ezekiel, son of man, the people of Israel are complaining that the punishment for their sins is more than they can stand. They have lost all hope for survival, and they blame me. ¹¹ Tell them that as surely as I am the living Lord God, I don't like to see wicked people die. I enjoy seeing them turn from their sins and live. So if the Israelites want to live, they must stop sinning and turn back to me.

¹² Tell them that when good people start sinning, all the good they did in the past cannot save them from being punished. And remind them that when wicked people stop sinning, their past sins will be completely forgiven, and they won't be punished.

¹³ Suppose I promise good people that they will live, then later they start sinning and believe they will be saved by the good they did in the past. These people will certainly be put to death because of their sins. Their good deeds will be forgotten.

¹⁴ Suppose I warn wicked people that they will die because of their sins, and they stop sinning and start doing right. ¹⁵ For example, they need to return anything they have taken as security for a loan and anything they have stolen. Then if they stop doing evil and start obeying my Law, they will live. ¹⁶ Their past sins will be forgiven, and they will live because they have done right.

¹⁷ Ezekiel, your people accuse me of being unfair. But they are the ones who are unfair. ¹⁸ If good people start doing evil, they will be put to death, because they have sinned. ¹⁹ And if wicked people stop sinning and start doing right, they will save themselves from punishment. ²⁰ But the Israelites still think I am unfair. So warn them that they will be punished for what they have done.

The News of Jerusalem's Fall

^21 (A) Twelve years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, a refugee who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me on the fifth day of the tenth month.^[a] He told me that the city had fallen.

²² The evening before this man arrived at my house, the Lord had taken control of me. So when the man came to me the next morning, I could once again speak.^[b]

What Will Happen to Those Left in Israel?

²³ Then the Lord said:

²⁴ Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in the ruined cities of Israel are saying, “Abraham was just one man, and the Lord gave him this whole land of Israel. There are many of us, and so this land must be ours.”

²⁵ So, Ezekiel, tell them I am saying:

How can you think the land is still yours? You eat meat with blood in it and worship idols. You commit murder ²⁶ and spread violence throughout the land. Everything you do is wicked; you are even unfaithful in marriage. And you claim the land is yours!

²⁷ As surely as I am the living Lord God, you people in the ruined cities will be killed in battle. Those of you living in the countryside will be eaten by wild animals, and those hiding in caves and on rocky cliffs will die from deadly diseases. ²⁸ I will make the whole country an empty wasteland and crush the power in which you take such pride. Even the mountains will be bare, and no one will try to cross them. ²⁹ I will punish you because of your sins, and I will turn your nation into a barren desert. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

The People Listen, but Don't Change

The Lord said:

³⁰ Ezekiel, son of man, the people with you in Babylonia talk about you when they meet by the city walls or in the doorways of their houses. They say, “Let's ask Ezekiel what the Lord has said today.” ³¹ So they all come and listen to you, but they refuse to do what you tell them. They claim to be faithful, but they are forever trying to cheat others out of their money. ³² They treat you as though you were merely singing love songs or playing music. They listen, but don't do anything you say.

³³ Soon they will be punished, just as you warned, and they will know that a prophet has been among them.

God's Faithful People Suffer

The Lord Condemns Idolatry

The Lord Helps the Helpless