“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “(A)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your (B)abominations. For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the (C)strangers who reside in Israel, who deserts Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet to request something of Me for himself, (D)I the Lord will let Myself answer him Myself. I will (E)set My face against that person and make him a (F)sign and [a]a proverb, and I will eliminate him from among My people. So you will know that I am the Lord.

“But if the prophet is persuaded so that he speaks a word, it is I, the Lord, who have persuaded that prophet; and I will stretch out My hand against him and (G)eliminate him from among My people Israel. 10 And they will bear the punishment for their wrongdoing; as the wrongdoing of the inquirer is, so the wrongdoing of the prophet will be, 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer (H)stray from Me and no longer (I)defile themselves with all their offenses. So they will be (J)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord God.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 14:8 Lit proverbs

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, The Lord God proclaims: Come back! Turn away from your idols and from all your detestable practices. Turn away! Or anyone of the house of Israel or any immigrant in Israel who becomes estranged from me by deciding on their own to set up their idols and puts the cause of their downfall right in front of them, but then comes to the prophet to ask me something through him, I, the Lord, will require an answer. I will confront that one. I will set them up as a sign and an object lesson, and I will cut them off from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

As for the prophet who was seduced into speaking a word, even though it was I, the Lord, who seduced that prophet, I will use my power against him and cut him off completely from my people Israel. 10 The prophet and the inquirer alike will bear their guilt, 11 so that the house of Israel won’t stray away from me again or make themselves impure with any of their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God. This is what the Lord God says!

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