The Daily Audio Bible

12 The word of Adonai came to me: ² “Human being, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes that can see, but they don’t take notice; and they have ears that can hear, but they don’t pay attention; because they are a rebellious people. ³ So you, human being, prepare supplies for exile; and during the daytime, as they watch, go away as if you were going into exile — leave your place, and go somewhere else as they watch. Perhaps they will take notice, even though they are a rebellious house. ⁴ Bring out your belongings during the day while they watch, as supplies for exile; and you yourself, while they watch, are to leave as people do who are going into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall while they watch, and carry [your belongings] out through it. ⁶ While they watch, you are to shoulder your pack and carry it out into the dark, with your face covered, so that you can’t see the ground; for I am making you a sign for the house of Isra’el.”

⁷ So I did as I had been ordered — I brought out my belongings during the day as supplies for exile, and in the evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand; then I carried my pack out on my shoulder in the dark as they watched.

⁸ In the morning the word of Adonai came to me: ⁹ “Human being, the house of Isra’el, that rebellious house, has asked you what you are doing. ¹⁰ Tell them that Adonai Elohim says this prophecy concerns the prince in Yerushalayim and all the house of Isra’el there. ¹¹ Say: ‘I am a sign for you. As I have done, so will it be done to them — they will go into exile, into captivity. ¹² The prince who is with them will shoulder his pack and leave in the dark. They will dig holes through the wall to carry out their supplies. He will cover his face, so that he won’t be able to see the ground with his eyes. ¹³ I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. Then I will bring him to Bavel, to the land of the Kasdim. But he will not see it, even though he is going to die there. ¹⁴ I will scatter to every wind all who are in attendance on him to help him, along with all his troops; and I will pursue them with the sword. ¹⁵ They will know that I am Adonai when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the countries. ¹⁶ But I will spare a few of them from sword, famine and plague; so that they can tell about all their disgusting practices among the nations where they go; thus they too will know that I am Adonai.’”

¹⁷ The word of Adonai came to me: ¹⁸ “Human being, shake as you eat your food; tremble anxiously as you drink your water; ¹⁹ and say to the people of the land, ‘Here is what Adonai Elohim says concerning those living in Yerushalayim in the land of Isra’el: “They will eat their bread in anxiety and drink their water in horror; because the land will be desolated from everything that fills it, due to the violence of those living there. ²⁰ The inhabited cities will be laid waste, the land will be desolate, and you will know that I am Adonai.”’”

²¹ The word of Adonai came to me: ²² “Human being, don’t you have this proverb in the land of Isra’el, ‘Time keeps passing, and none of the visions are fulfilled’? ²³ Therefore tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘I will put an end to that proverb; never again will they use it as a proverb in Isra’el.’ Tell them, ‘The time has come for the fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ There will no longer be empty visions or falsely optimistic divinations in the house of Isra’el, ²⁵ because I am Adonai. I will speak; and whatever statement I make, it will be accomplished. It will no longer be delayed; for in your days, you rebellious house, I will speak the word and accomplish it,’ says Adonai Elohim.”

²⁶ Again, the word of Adonai came to me: ²⁷ “Human being, look! People from the house of Isra’el are saying, ‘The vision he sees concerns the distant future; he is prophesying about a time far off.’ ²⁸ Therefore, say to them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘None of my words will be delayed any more, but the word that I speak will be accomplished,’ says Adonai Elohim.”

13 The word of Adonai came to me: ² “Human being, prophesy against the prophets of Isra’el who prophesy. Tell those prophesying out of their own thoughts, ‘Listen to what Adonai says! ³ Adonai Elohim says: “Woe to the vile prophets who follow their own spirits and things which they have not seen! ⁴ Isra’el, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You [prophets] have not gone up to the breaks in the barricade or repaired it for the house of Isra’el, so that they can stand fast in battle on the day of Adonai. ⁶ Their visions are futile and their divination is false; they say, ‘Adonai says,’ when Adonai has not sent them; yet they hope that the word will be confirmed. ⁷ Haven’t you had a futile vision and spoken a false divination when you say, ‘Adonai says,’ and I have not spoken? ⁸ Therefore here is what Adonai Elohim does say: ‘Because you have spoken futilities and seen falsehoods, therefore I am against you,’ says Adonai Elohim.

⁹ “‘“My hand will be against the prophets who have futile visions and produce false divinations; they will not be allowed into the council of my people, or be written in the register of the house of Isra’el, or enter the land of Isra’el. Then you will know that I am Adonai Elohim. ¹⁰ They deserve this, because they have led my people astray by saying there is peace when there is no peace. If someone builds a wall without mortar, they ‘plaster’ it with whitewash [to make it appear strong]. ¹¹ Tell these ‘plasterers’ that a cloudburst is coming, with huge hailstones and gale-force winds; ¹² and the wall will fall down. Then people will ask you, ‘Where is the whitewash you used to “plaster” it?’” ¹³ Therefore Adonai Elohim says: “In my rage I will cause gale-force winds to break out, and in my anger there will come a cloudburst, with huge hailstones to consume it in fury. ¹⁴ This is how I will break down the wall you covered with whitewash — I will smash it to the ground, so that its foundation will be revealed. The wall will fall down, and you will be consumed with it. Then you will know that I am Adonai. ¹⁵ In this way I will spend my fury on the wall and on those who covered it with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone, and so are those who “plastered” it,’ ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Isra’el who prophesy about Yerushalayim and see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,” says Adonai Elohim.’

¹⁷ “You, human being, turn your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own thoughts. Prophesy against them; ¹⁸ tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Woe to the women who sew magic pads for all arm joints and put veils over people of all sizes, in order to hunt human lives! Will you hunt down the lives of my people while you keep your own lives safe? ¹⁹ You dishonor me before my people for a few handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread, killing people who should not die and sparing those who should not live, by your lying to my people, who love hearing lies.’ ²⁰ Therefore here is what Adonai Elohim says: ‘I am against your pads, with which you hunt human lives like birds; I will tear them from your arms and let the lives go, yes, the human lives that you hunt like birds. ²¹ I will also tear your veils and rescue my people from your clutches, so that they will no longer be in your power for you to hunt. Then you will know that I am Adonai. ²² Because you have disheartened the righteous with your lies when I was not trying to cause them pain and have encouraged the wicked not to turn from their wicked ways and thus be saved, ²³ therefore you will have no more futile visions, and you will produce no more divinations. I will rescue my people from your clutches, and you will know that I am Adonai.’”

14 Then certain of Isra’el’s leaders came to me; and while they were sitting with me, ² the word of Adonai came to me: ³ “Human being, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, thus setting in front of themselves the stumblingblock that leads to sin. Should I let them consult me at all? ⁴ Therefore speak to them, and tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Everyone in the house of Isra’el who takes his idols into his heart, thus setting in front of himself the stumblingblock that leads to sin, and then comes to the prophet, I myself, Adonai, will answer him in a manner suited to his many idols, ⁵ in order to grab hold of the house of Isra’el in their hearts; since, through their idols, they have all fallen away from me.’

⁶ “Therefore say to the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Repent! Turn yourselves away from your idols, turn your faces away from all your disgusting practices! ⁷ For everyone, whether from the house of Isra’el or a foreigner living in Isra’el, who separates himself from me and takes his idols into his heart, thus setting in front of himself the stumblingblock that leads to sin, and then comes to the prophet, asking him to consult me for him, I myself, Adonai, will answer him. ⁸ I will set my face against that person, make him a warning sign and an example, and cut him off from my people. Then you will know that I am Adonai.

⁹ “‘Now, whenever a prophet is enticed into speaking a word, it will be I, Adonai, who will have enticed that prophet. I will stretch out my hand over him and destroy him from among my people Isra’el. ¹⁰ The prophets will bear the guilt for their sins — the sin of the prophet will be the same as the sin of the inquirer — ¹¹ so that the house of Isra’el will no longer wander away from me or defile themselves with all their crimes; rather, they will be my people and I will be their God,’ says Adonai Elohim.”

7 This Malki-Tzedek, king of Shalem, a cohen of God Ha‘Elyon, met Avraham on his way back from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him; ² also Avraham gave him a tenth of everything.^[a]

Now first of all, by translation of his name, he is “king of righteousness”; and then he is also king of Shalem, which means “king of peace.”

³ There is no record of his father, mother, ancestry, birth or death; rather, like the Son of God, he continues as a cohen for all time.

⁴ Just think how great he was! Even the Patriarch Avraham gave him a tenth of the choicest spoils. ⁵ Now the descendants of Levi who became cohanim have a commandment in the Torah to take a tenth of the income of the people, that is, from their own brothers, despite the fact that they too are descended from Avraham. ⁶ But Malki-Tzedek, even though he was not descended from Levi, took a tenth from Avraham.

Also, he blessed Avraham, the man who received God’s promises; ⁷ and it is beyond all dispute that the one who blesses has higher status than the one who receives the blessing.

⁸ Moreover, in the case of the cohanim, the tenth is received by men who die; while in the case of Malki-Tzedek, it is received by someone who is testified to be still alive.

⁹ One might go even further and say that Levi, who himself receives tenths, paid a tenth through Avraham; ¹⁰ inasmuch as he was still in his ancestor Avraham’s body when Malki-Tzedek met him.

¹¹ Therefore, if it had been possible to reach the goal through the system of cohanim derived from Levi (since in connection with it, the people were given the Torah), what need would there have been for another, different kind of cohen, the one spoken of as to be compared with Malki-Tzedek and not to be compared with Aharon? ¹² For if the system of cohanim is transformed, there must of necessity occur a transformation of Torah. ¹³ The one about whom these things are said belongs to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar; ¹⁴ for everyone knows that our Lord arose out of Y’hudah, and that Moshe said nothing about this tribe when he spoke about cohanim.

¹⁵ It becomes even clearer if a “different kind of cohen,” one like Malki-Tzedek, arises, ¹⁶ one who became a cohen not by virtue of a rule in the Torah concerning physical descent, but by virtue of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is stated,