Old/New Testament
Prophecies Against the Leaders
11 Then the Spirit[a] carried me to the East Gate of the Lord’s Temple. This gate faces the east, where the sun comes up. I saw 25 men there at the entrance of this gate. Some of the leaders were among them, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.
2 Then God spoke to me and said, “Son of man,[b] these are the men who make evil plans for this city. They always tell the people to do evil things. 3 These men say, ‘We will be building our houses again very soon. We are as safe in this city as meat in a pot!’ 4 So you must speak to the people for me. Son of man, prophesy against the people.”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me. He said to me, “Tell them that this is what the Lord said: House of Israel, you are planning big things. But I know what you are thinking. 6 You have killed many people in this city. You have filled the streets with dead bodies. 7 Now, the Lord God says this: ‘The dead bodies are the meat, and the city is the pot. But someone will come and take you out of this safe pot. 8 You are afraid of the sword, but I am bringing the sword against you!’” This is what the Lord God said.
9 He also said, “I will take you out of this city and give you to strangers. I will punish you. 10 You will die by the sword. I will punish you here in Israel, so you will know that I am the Lord. 11 Yes, this place will be the cooking pot, and you will be the meat cooking in it. I will punish you here in Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the Lord. It was my law that you broke. You did not obey my commands. You decided to live like the nations around you.”
13 As soon as I finished speaking for God, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died! I fell to the ground. I bowed with my face touching the ground and said, “Oh, Lord God, you are going to completely destroy all the survivors of Israel!”
Prophecies Against Survivors in Jerusalem
14 But then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 15 “Son of man, remember your brothers, the family of Israel. They were forced to leave their country, but I will bring them back.[c] But now, the people living in Jerusalem are saying, ‘Stay far away from the Lord. This land was given to us—it is ours!’
16 “So tell them this: The Lord God says, ‘It is true, I forced my people to go far away to other nations. I did scatter them among many countries. But I will be their temple for a short time while they are in those other countries. 17 But you must tell those people that the Lord God will bring them back. I have scattered you among many nations, but I will gather you together and bring you back from those nations. I will give the land of Israel back to you. 18 When my people come back, they will destroy all the terrible, filthy idols that are here now. 19 I will bring them together and make them like one person. I will put a new spirit[d] in them. I will take away that heart of stone, and I will put a real heart in its place. 20 Then they will obey my laws and my commands. They will do the things I tell them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.’”
The Glory of the Lord Leaves Jerusalem
21 Then God said, “But now, their hearts belong to those terrible, filthy idols, and I must punish those people for the bad things they have done.” This is what the Lord God said. 22 Then the Cherub angels raised their wings and flew into the air. The wheels went with them. The Glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The Glory of the Lord rose into the air and left the city and stopped on the hill east of Jerusalem.[e] 24 Then the Spirit[f] lifted me into the air and brought me back to Babylonia. It brought me back to the people who were forced to leave Israel. I saw all this in the vision from God. Then the one I saw in the vision rose into the air and left me. 25 Then I spoke to the people in exile. I told them about everything the Lord showed me.
Ezekiel Leaves Like a Captive
12 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man,[g] you live among people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes to see what I have done for them, but they don’t see those things. They have ears to hear what I told them to do, but they don’t hear my commands, because they are a rebellious people. 3 So, son of man, pack some things as if you are leaving on a trip. Pretend that you are a prisoner being taken far away. Do this during the day so that everyone can see you. Even though these people refuse to listen to me, maybe when they see you going away, they will understand what I have been trying to tell them.
4 “During the day, take your bags outside so that the people can see you. Then in the evening, pretend you are going away. Act as if you are a prisoner going to a faraway country. 5 While the people are watching, make a hole in the wall and go out through that hole in the wall. 6 At night, put your bag on your shoulder and leave. Cover your face so that you cannot see where you are going. You must do these things so that the people can see you, because I am using you as an example to the family of Israel.”
7 So I did as I was commanded. During the day, I took my bags and acted as if I were going to a faraway country. That evening, I used my hands and made a hole in the wall. During the night, I put my bag on my shoulder and left. I did this so that all the people could see me.
8 The next morning, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 9 “Son of man, did the people of Israel—those people who always refuse to obey—ask you what you were doing? 10 Tell them that this is what the Lord God said. This sad message is about the leader of Jerusalem and all the people of Israel who live there. 11 Tell them, ‘I am an example for all of you. What I have done will happen to you.’ You will be forced to go to a faraway country as prisoners. 12 And your leader will make a hole in the wall and sneak out at night. He will cover his face so that people will not recognize him. His eyes will not be able to see where he is going. 13 He will try to escape, but I will catch him! He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylonia—the land of the Chaldeans. But he will not be able to see where he is going.[h] 14 I will force the king’s people to live in the foreign countries around Israel, and I will scatter his army to the winds. The enemy soldiers will chase after them. 15 Then they will know that I am the Lord. They will know that I scattered them among the nations. They will know that I forced them to go to other countries.
16 “But I will let a few of the people live. They will not die from the disease, hunger, and war. I will let them live so that they can tell other people about the terrible things they did against me. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Shake With Fear
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, you must act as if you are very frightened. You must shake when you eat your food. You must act worried and afraid when you drink your water. 19 You must say this to the common people: ‘This is what the Lord God says to the people living in Jerusalem and in the other parts of Israel. You will be very worried while you eat your food. You will be terrified while you drink your water, because everything in your country will be destroyed! This will happen because the people living there are so violent. 20 Many people live in your cities now, but those cities will be ruined. Your whole country will be destroyed! Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Disaster Will Come
21 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 22 “Son of man, why do people quote this saying about the land of Israel:
‘Trouble will not come soon;
what is seen in visions will not come’?
23 “Tell the people that the Lord God will end that saying. They will not say that about Israel anymore. Now they will quote this saying:
‘Trouble will come soon;
what is seen in visions will happen.’
24 “There will not be any more false visions in Israel. There will not be any more magicians telling things that don’t come true. 25 That’s because I am the Lord, and if I say something will happen, it will happen! I will not wait any longer. Those troubles are coming soon—in your own lifetime. Hear me, you people who always refuse to obey! When I say something, I make it happen.” This is what the Lord God said.
26 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 27 “Son of man, the people of Israel think that the visions I give you are for a time far in the future. They think you are talking about things that will happen many years from now. 28 So you must tell them this: ‘The Lord God says, I will not delay any longer. If I say something will happen, it will happen!’” This is what the Lord God said.
Warnings Against False Prophets
13 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man,[i] you must speak to the prophets of Israel for me. They are only saying what they want to say. You must speak to them. Tell them this: ‘Listen to this message from the Lord! 3 This is what the Lord God says. Bad things will happen to you foolish prophets. You are following your own spirits. You are not telling people what you really see in visions.
4 “‘Israel, your prophets are false prophets. They are like jackals hunting for food among the ruins of a city. 5 You have not put soldiers near the broken walls of the city. You have not built walls to protect the family of Israel. So when the day comes for the Lord to punish you, you will lose the war!
6 “‘Your prophets say they have seen visions. They did their magic to see what will happen next. But everything they said would happen is a lie. They claim to speak for the Lord, but the Lord did not send them. And they still think that what they said is what will happen.
7 “‘If you prophets saw visions, they were not true. And all you got from your magic was lies! So how can you say that the Lord told you those things? I did not speak to you!’”
8 So now, the Lord God really will speak. He says, “You told lies. You saw visions that were not true. So now I am against you!” This is what the Lord God said. 9 “I will punish those prophets whose visions are false and who lie about the future. I will remove them from my people. Their names will not be in the list of the family of Israel. They will never again come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God!
10 “Again and again those false prophets lied to my people. They said there would be peace, but there is no peace. The people need to fix the walls and prepare for war. But they only slap a thin coat of plaster[j] over the broken walls. 11 Tell them that I will send hail and a strong rain. The wind will blow hard, and a tornado will come. Then the wall will fall down. 12 When the wall falls down, the people will ask the prophets, ‘What happened to the plaster you put on the wall?’” 13 The Lord God says, “I am angry and I will send a storm against you. I am angry and I will send a strong rain. I am angry and I will make hail fall from the sky and completely destroy you! 14 You put plaster on the wall, but I will destroy the whole wall. I will pull it to the ground. The wall will fall on you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 15 I will finish showing my anger against the wall and those who put plaster on it. Then I will say, ‘There is no wall, and there are no workers to put plaster on it.’
16 “All these things will happen to the false prophets of Israel. They speak to the people of Jerusalem and say there will be peace, but there is no peace.” This is what the Lord God said.
17 God said, “Son of man, look at the women prophets in Israel. They say the things they want to say, so you must speak against them for me. You must say this to them: 18 ‘This is what the Lord God says: Bad things will happen to you women. You sew cloth bracelets for people to wear on their arms. You make special scarves for people to wear on their heads. You say those things have magic powers to control people’s lives. You trap the people only to keep yourselves alive! 19 You make them think I am not important. You turn them against me for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. You tell lies to my people. They love to listen to lies. You kill those who should live, and you let people live who should die. 20 So this is what the Lord God says to you: You make those cloth bracelets to trap people, but I will set them free. I will tear those bracelets off your arms, and the people will be free from you. They will be like birds flying from a trap. 21 And I will tear up those scarves and save my people from your power. They will escape from your trap, and you will know that I am the Lord.
22 “‘You prophets tell lies. Your lies hurt good people—I did not want to hurt them! You support the wicked and encourage them. You don’t tell them to change their lives. You don’t try to save their lives! 23 So you will not see any more useless visions or do any more magic. I will save my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”
1 Greetings from James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To God’s people[a] who are scattered all over the world.
Faith and Wisdom
2 My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. 3 You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. 4 If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.
5 Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. 6 But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. 7-8 People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
True Riches
9 Believers who are poor should be glad that God considers them so important. 10 Believers who are rich should be glad when bad things happen that humble them. Their riches won’t keep them from disappearing as quickly as wildflowers. 11 As the sun rises and gets hotter, its heat dries up the plants, and the flowers fall off. The flowers that were so beautiful are now dead. That’s how it is with the rich. While they are still making plans for their business, they will die.
Temptation Does Not Come From God
12 Great blessings belong to those who are tempted and remain faithful! After they have proved their faith, God will give them the reward[b] of eternal life. God promised this to all people who love him. 13 Whenever you feel tempted to do something bad, you should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 14 You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. 15 Your desire grows inside you until it results in sin. Then the sin grows bigger and bigger and finally ends in death.
16 My dear brothers and sisters, don’t be fooled about this. 17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.
Listening and Obeying
19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.
22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.
The True Way to Worship God
26 You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants 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 worship that God accepts as pure and good.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International