11 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’S house, which looketh eastward; and behold, at the door of the gate five and twenty men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

² Then said He unto me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise mischief and give wicked counsel in this city,

³ who say, ‘It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.’

⁴ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.”

⁵ And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, “Speak! Thus saith the Lord: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

⁶ Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.

⁸ Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God.

⁹ And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers and will execute judgments among you.

¹⁰ Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¹¹ This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel.

¹² And ye shall know that I am the Lord; for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither executed My judgments, but have done according to the manner of the heathen who are round about you.”

¹³ And it came to pass when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice and said, “Ah, Lord God! Wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

¹⁴ Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁵ “Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get you far from the Lord; unto us is this land given as a possession.’

¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.’

¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will even gather you from the people and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’

¹⁸ And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

¹⁹ And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,

²⁰ that they may walk in My statutes and keep Mine ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

²¹ But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.”

²² Then the cherubims lifted up their wings, and the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

²³ And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

²⁴ Afterwards the Spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea to those of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.

²⁵ Then I spoke unto those of the captivity all the things that the Lord had shown me.

12 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see and see not; they have ears to hear and hear not, for they are a rebellious house.

³ Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee supplies for departure, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.

⁴ Then shalt thou bring forth thy goods by day in their sight, as supplies for removing; and thou shalt go forth at evening in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

⁵ Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out through it.

⁶ In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders and carry it forth in the twilight. Thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground; for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.”

⁷ And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my goods by day, as supplies for captivity, and in the evening I dug through the wall with mine hand. I brought them forth in the twilight, and I bore them upon my shoulder in their sight.

⁸ And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

⁹ “Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, ‘What doest thou?’

¹⁰ Say thou unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel that are among them.’

¹¹ Say, ‘I am your sign: as I have done, so shall it be done unto them. They shall remove and go into captivity.’

¹² And the prince who is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth; they shall dig through the wall to carry out through it. He shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

¹³ My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

¹⁴ And I will scatter toward every wind all who are about him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

¹⁵ And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the countries.

¹⁶ But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁷ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

¹⁸ “Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with sorrow;

¹⁹ and say unto the people of the land, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with sorrow, and drink their water with dismay, that her land may be desolate of all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

²⁰ And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.’”

²¹ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²² “Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth’?

²³ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say unto them, ‘The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

²⁴ For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

²⁵ For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more put off. For in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word and will perform it, saith the Lord God.’”

²⁶ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

²⁷ “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.’

²⁸ Therefore say unto them, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of My words be put off any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.’”

13 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts: ‘Hear ye the word of the Lord!

³ Thus saith the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

⁴ O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

⁵ Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the Lord.

⁶ They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, “The Lord saith,” but the Lord hath not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

⁷ Have ye not seen a vain vision and have ye not spoken a lying divination, wherein ye say, “The Lord saith it,” albeit I have not spoken?

⁸ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Because ye have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.

⁹ And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets who see vanity and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “‘Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, “Peace,” and there was no peace, and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar,

¹¹ say unto those who daub it with untempered mortar that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall rend it.

¹² Lo, when the wall has fallen, shall it not be said unto you, “Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?”

¹³ Therefore thus saith the Lord God: I will even rend it with a stormy wind in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger and great hailstones in My fury to consume it.

¹⁴ So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered, and it shall fall and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ Thus will I accomplish My wrath upon the wall and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you: “The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it,

¹⁶ to wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.”’

¹⁷ “Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them

¹⁸ and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the women who sew pillows to all armholes and make kerchiefs upon the head of those of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and will ye save the souls alive who come unto you?

¹⁹ And will ye pollute Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls who should not die and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to My people who hear your lies?

²⁰ “‘Therefore thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly; and I will tear them from your arms and will let the souls go, even the souls whom ye hunt to make them fly.

²¹ Your kerchiefs also will I tear and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

²² Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way by promising him life,

²³ therefore ye shall see no more vanity nor divine divinations; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.’”

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

² My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations,

³ knowing this: that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.

⁶ But let him ask in faith, never wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

⁷ For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

⁸ A doubleminded man is unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

¹⁰ but the rich in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

¹¹ For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat than it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth. So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

¹² Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to those who love Him.

¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.

¹⁴ But every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.

¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

¹⁶ Do not err, my beloved brethren.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

¹⁸ Of His own will, He begot us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

¹⁹ Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

²⁰ for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

²¹ Therefore lay apart all filthiness and the superfluity of wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

²³ For if any be a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴ for he beholdeth himself, and then goeth his way and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

²⁵ But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

²⁶ If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

²⁷ Pure religion, undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.