Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 Then ^(A)the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to ^(B)the East Gate of the Lord’s house, which faces eastward; and there ^(C)at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. ² And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked ^[a]counsel in this city, ³ who say, ‘The time is not ^(D)near to build houses; ^(E)this city is the ^[b]caldron, and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”

⁵ Then ^(F)the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for ^(G)I know the things that come into your mind. ^6 (H)You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(I)“Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, they are the meat, and this city is the caldron; ^(J)but I shall bring you out of the midst of it. ⁸ You have ^(K)feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and ^(L)execute judgments on you. ^10 (M)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at ^(N)the border of Israel. ^(O)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ^11 (P)This city shall not be your ^[c]caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel. ¹² And you shall know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, but ^(Q)have done according to the customs of the Gentiles which are all around you.” ’ ”

¹³ Now it happened, while I was prophesying, that ^(R)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then ^(S)I fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”