Old/New Testament

Prophecies Against Evil Leaders

11 The Spirit lifted me up. And he brought me to the front gate of the Temple of the Lord. This gate faces east. I saw 25 men where the gate opens. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah. They were leaders of the people. They were among these 25 men. ² Then the Lord said to me, “Human being, these are the men who plan evil. And they give wicked advice in this city of Jerusalem. ³ They say, ‘It is almost time for us to build houses. This city is like a cooking pot. And we are like the best meat.’ ⁴ So prophesy against them. Prophesy, human being.”

⁵ Then the Spirit of the Lord entered me. He told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: You have said these things, people of Israel. But I know what is going through your mind. ⁶ You have killed many people in this city. You have filled its streets with their bodies.

⁷ “So this is what the Lord God says: Those people you have killed and left in the middle of the city are like the best meat. And this city is like the cooking pot. But I will force you out of the city. ⁸ You have feared the sword. But I will bring a sword against you, says the Lord God. ⁹ I will force you out of the city. I will hand you over to strangers. I will surely punish you. ¹⁰ You will die by the sword. I will punish you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹ This city will not be your cooking pot. You will not be the best meat in the middle of the city. I will punish you at the border of Israel. ¹² Then you will know that I am the Lord. You did not live by my rules. You did not obey my laws. You did the same things that the nations around you do.”

¹³ As I prophesied, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I bowed facedown on the ground. I shouted with a loud voice and said, “Oh no, Lord God! Will you completely destroy the Israelites who are left alive?”

Promise to Those Remaining

¹⁴ The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁵ “Human being, the people still in Jerusalem have spoken about your relatives. And they have spoken about all the people of Israel who are captives with you. The people still in Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far from the Lord. This land was given to us as our property.’

¹⁶ “So say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I sent the people far away among the nations. I scattered them among the countries. But for a little while I have become a Temple to them in the countries where they have gone.’

¹⁷ “So say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the nations. And I will bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will give you back the land of Israel.’

¹⁸ “They will come to this land. Then they will take away all the hated idols from the land. They will take all the terrible images from there. ¹⁹ I will give them a desire to respect me completely. I will put a new way to think inside them. I will take out the stubborn heart like stone from their bodies. Then I will give them an obedient heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will live by my rules. They will obey my laws and keep them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But some people will want to serve their evil statues and hated idols. And I will pay them back for their evil ways, says the Lord God.”

Ezekiel’s Vision Ends

²² Then the living creatures lifted their wings. The wheels went beside them. And the glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³ The glory of the Lord went up from inside Jerusalem. And it stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city. ²⁴ The Spirit lifted me up. And he brought me to the captives who had been taken from Judah to Babylonia. He did this in a vision given by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen ended. ²⁵ And I told the things that the Lord had shown me. I told it to the captives from Judah.

Ezekiel Moves Out

12 Again the Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, you are living among a people who refuse to obey. They have eyes to see, but they do not see. They have ears to hear, but they do not hear. This is because they are a family that refuses to obey.

³ “So, human being, pack your things as if you will be taken away captive. And walk away like a captive. Do this in the daytime with the people watching. Move from your place to another with the people watching. Maybe they will understand, even though they are a people who refuse to obey. ⁴ Bring out the things you would pack as a captive. Do it during the day when the people are watching. At evening go out with the people watching. Go like those who are taken away as captives from their country. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall while they watch. Bring your things out through the hole. ⁶ Lift them onto your shoulders with the people watching. Carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so you cannot see the ground. I have made you a sign to the people of Israel.”

⁷ I did these things as I was commanded. In the daytime I brought out my things. I was packed, ready to go away as a captive. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I brought my things out in the dark. I carried them on my shoulders. And the people saw all this.

⁸ Then in the morning the Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ⁹ “Human being, Israel refuses to obey. Didn’t those people ask you, ‘What are you doing?’

¹⁰ “Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: This message is about the king in Jerusalem. And it is about all the people of Israel who live there.’ ¹¹ Say, ‘I am a sign to you.’

“The same things I have done will be done to the people in Jerusalem. They will be taken away from their country as captives. ¹² The king among them will put his things on his shoulder in the dark. And he will leave. The people will dig a hole through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the ground. ¹³ But I will spread my net over him. He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Babylonians. He will not see that land, but he will die there. ¹⁴ All who are around the king I will scatter in every direction. I will scatter his helpers and all his army. I will chase them with a sword.

¹⁵ “Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will scatter them among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries. ¹⁶ But I will save a few of them from the sword. I will save a few from hunger and disease. Then they can tell about their hated actions among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Lesson of Ezekiel’s Shaking

¹⁷ The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ¹⁸ “Human being, shake as you eat your food. Shake with fear as you drink your water. ¹⁹ Then say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people who live in Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their food with fear. And they will drink their water in shock. This is because their land will be made empty. This is because of the violence of the people who live in it. ²⁰ And the cities where people live will become ruins. The land will become empty. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

The Visions Will Come True

²¹ The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ²² “Human being, what is this saying you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? ²³ So say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will make them stop saying this. Then nobody in Israel will use it anymore.’ But tell them, ‘The time is near when every vision will come true. ²⁴ There will be no more false visions or pleasing prophecies inside the nation of Israel. ²⁵ This is because I, the Lord God, will speak. What I say will be done. It will not be delayed. You are a people who refuse to obey. And in your time I will say the word and do it, says the Lord God.’”

²⁶ The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ²⁷ “Human being, look! The people of Israel are saying this: ‘The vision that Ezekiel sees is for a time many years from now. He is prophesying about times far away.’

²⁸ “So say to them: ‘The Lord God says this: None of my words will be delayed anymore. What I have said will be done, says the Lord God.’”

Ezekiel Speaks Against False Prophets

13 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, prophesy against the prophets of Israel. Say to those who make up their own prophecies: ‘Listen to the word of the Lord. ³ This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the foolish prophets. They are the ones who follow their own ideas. And they have not seen a vision from me. ⁴ People of Israel, your prophets have been like wild dogs hunting to kill and eat among ruins. ⁵ Israel is like a house in ruins. But you have not gone up into the broken places. Your prophets have not repaired the wall. So how can Israel hold back the enemy in the battle on the Lord’s day of judging? ⁶ Your prophets see false visions. They prophesy lies. They say, “This is the message of the Lord.” The Lord has not sent them. But they still hope their words will come true. ⁷ You said, “This is the message of the Lord.” But that is a false vision. Your prophecies are lies because I have not spoken.

⁸ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: You prophets spoke things that are false. You saw visions that do not come true. That is why I am against you, says the Lord God. ⁹ So I will punish the prophets who see false visions and prophesy lies. They will have no place among my people. Their names will not be written on the list of the people of Israel. They will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “‘It is because they led my people away. They said, “Peace!” but there is no peace. When the people build a weak wall, the prophets cover it with whitewash to make it look strong. ¹¹ So tell those who cover a weak wall with whitewash that it will fall down. Rain will pour down. Hailstones will fall. And a stormy wind will break the wall down. ¹² When the wall has fallen, people will ask you, “Where is the whitewash you used on the wall?”

¹³ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will break the wall with a stormy wind. In my anger rain will pour down. And hailstones will destroy the wall. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall on which you put whitewash. I will level it to the ground. Then people will see the wall’s foundation. And when the wall falls, you will be destroyed under it. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will carry out my anger on the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. Then I will tell you, “The wall is gone. And those who covered it with whitewash are also gone. ¹⁶ The prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem will be gone. And those who see visions of peace for Jerusalem will be gone also. There will be no peace, says the Lord God.”’

False Women Prophets

¹⁷ “Now, human being, reject the women among your people who make up their own prophecies. Prophesy against them. ¹⁸ Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for women who sew magic charms on their wrists. How terrible it will be for those who make veils of every length. These women do this to trap people. You ruin the lives of my people but try to save your own lives! ¹⁹ And you have dishonored me among my people. You have done it for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread. You have killed people who should not die. And you have kept alive those who should die. You have done this by lying to my people. And my people are willing to listen to lies.

²⁰ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I am against your magic charms. You use them to trap people as if they were birds. I will tear these charms off your arms. I will free those people you have trapped like birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils. I will save my people from your hands. They will no longer be in your power. You will not trap them. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ²² By your lies you caused the heart of the person who did right to be sad. I did not make him sad. You have encouraged the evil person not to stop being evil. And that would have saved his life. ²³ So you will not see any more false visions. You will not prophesy anymore. And I will save my people from your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Faith and Wisdom

1 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To all of God’s people who are scattered everywhere in the world:

Greetings.

² My brothers, you will have many kinds of troubles. But when these things happen, you should be very happy. ³ You know that these things are testing your faith. And this will give you patience. ⁴ Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete. You will have everything you need. ⁵ But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. God is generous. He enjoys giving to all people, so God will give you wisdom. ⁶ But when you ask God, you must believe. Do not doubt God. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea. The wind blows the wave up and down. ^7-8 He who doubts is thinking two different things at the same time. He cannot decide about anything he does. A person like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

True Riches

⁹ If a believer is poor, he should take pride that God has made him spiritually rich. ¹⁰ If he is rich, he should take pride that God has shown him that he is spiritually poor. The rich person will die like a wild flower in the grass. ¹¹ The sun rises and becomes hotter and hotter. The heat makes the plants very dry, and the flower falls off. The flower was beautiful, but now it is dead. It is the same with a rich person. While he is still taking care of his business, he will die.

Temptation Is Not from God

¹² When a person is tempted and still continues strong, he should be happy. After he has proved his faith, God will reward him with life forever. God promised this to all people who love him. ¹³ When someone is being tempted, he should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ It is the evil that a person wants that tempts him. His own evil desire leads him away and holds him. ¹⁵ This desire causes sin. Then the sin grows and brings death.

¹⁶ My dear brothers, do not be fooled about this. ¹⁷ Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars. God does not change like their shifting shadows. ¹⁸ God decided to give us life through the word of truth. He wanted us to be the most important of all the things he made.

Listening and Obeying

¹⁹ My dear brothers, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily. ²⁰ Anger will not help you live a good life as God wants. ²¹ So put out of your life every evil thing and every kind of wrong you do. Don’t be proud but accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save your souls.

²² Do what God’s teaching says; do not just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. ²³ A person who hears God’s teaching and does nothing is like a man looking in a mirror. ²⁴ He sees his face, then goes away and quickly forgets what he looked like. ²⁵ But the truly happy person is the one who carefully studies God’s perfect law that makes people free. He continues to study it. He listens to God’s teaching and does not forget what he heard. Then he obeys what God’s teaching says. When he does this, it makes him happy.

The True Way to Worship God

²⁶ A person might think he is religious. But if he says things he should not say, then he is just fooling himself. His “religion” is worth nothing. ²⁷ Religion that God the Father accepts is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help; and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of religion that God accepts as pure and good.