Old/New Testament
Israel’s Leaders Are Judged
11 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s house which faces eastward. There I saw twenty-five men at the door of the gate. Among them I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who make sinful plans and tell others in this city to do what is wrong. 3 They say, ‘Will it not soon be time to build houses? This city is the pot and we are the meat.’ 4 So tell what will happen against them, son of man. Speak the Word of God!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and He said to me, “Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “This is what you thought, O people of Israel. For I know the things that come into your mind. 6 You have made many more of your people die in this city. You have filled its streets with them.” 7 So the Lord God says, “Your dead whom you have laid in the city are the meat, and this city is the pot. But I will bring you out of it. 8 You have been afraid of the sword, so I will bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God says. 9 “And I will bring you out of the city, and give you over to strangers and punish you. 10 You will be killed by the sword all the way to the land of Israel, so you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be a pot for you, and you will not be the meat inside it. But I will punish you all the way to the land of Israel. 12 And you will know that I am the Lord. For you have not walked in my Laws or obeyed them, but have followed the ways of the nations around you.”’”
13 While I was saying what was going to happen, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, “It is bad, Lord God! Will You bring a complete end to those of Israel who are left?”
God Will Bring Israel Back
14 Then the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your family, those who were driven out of the land, and all the people of Israel are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They have gone far away from the Lord. This land has been given to us for our own.’ 16 So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I sent them far away among the nations. I divided them among the countries. But still I was a holy place for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will gather you from the nations. I will gather you together out of the countries where you have been divided. And I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they return to it, they will take away all its hated and sinful things. 19 I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will walk in My Laws and keep them, and obey them. They will be My people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts go after their hated and sinful things, I will bring their actions upon their own heads,” says the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them. And the shining-greatness of the God of Israel was over them. 23 The shining-greatness of the Lord went up from the city and stood over the mountain east of it. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a special dream by the Spirit of God to the Jews who had been taken to Babylon. Then the special dream that I had seen left me. 25 And I told the Jews in Babylon all the things that the Lord had shown me.
The Man of God Leaves
12 The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live among sinful people. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear. For they are sinful people. 3 So, son of man, get your things ready to take with you to another land, and let them see you leave during the day. Let them see you leave to go to another place. It may be that they will understand even if they are sinful people. 4 Take your things with you during the day, with them watching you. Take the things you will need for going to another land. Then let them see you go out at evening, like those who go to another land. 5 While they watch, dig a hole through the wall and go out through it. 6 Load your things on your shoulder while they watch, and carry the load out in the dark. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you as something special for the people of Israel to see.”
7 I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my things that I would need to go to another land. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I went out in the dark and carried the load on my shoulder while they watched.
8 In the morning the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, have not the sinful people of Israel said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “This word is about the leader in Jerusalem, as well as all the people of Israel who are in it.”’ 11 Tell them, ‘I am something special for you to see. As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will be taken to another land and held there.’ 12 The leader among them will load his things on his shoulder in the dark and go out. A hole will be dug through the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My trap. I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Babylonians, yet he will not see it. And he will die there. 14 I will divide all his helpers and all his army who are around him to the four winds and have the sword follow them. 15 Then they will know that I am the Lord when I divide them among the nations, and spread them among the countries. 16 But I will let a few of them get away from the sword, hunger and disease. They will tell about all their sinful ways to the nations where they go. And they will know that I am the Lord.”
17 The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, shake in fear as you eat your bread and drink your water. 19 Then tell the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord God says about the people of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: “They will be afraid as they eat their bread, and drink their water in fear. For their land will lay waste because of the fighting of all who live in it. 20 The cities where people live will be laid waste, and the land will be destroyed. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”’”
21 The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this saying you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are long and every special dream comes to nothing’? 23 Tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “I will make this saying come to an end, so that they will no longer use it as a saying in Israel.’” But tell them, ‘The days are near when all the special dreams from God will come true. 24 For there will be no more false dreams or good sounding words that do not come true. 25 For I the Lord will speak, and whatever I say will be done. It will no longer be held back. For in your days, O sinful people, I will speak the word and do it,’ says the Lord God.”
26 Again the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘The special dream he sees will not come to pass for many years. He is speaking of times far in the future.’ 28 So tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “None of My words will be held back any longer. Whatever I say will be done,’” says the Lord God.”
Word against False Preachers
13 Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, speak against those of Israel who speak false words in My name. Say to those who tell what is going to happen in the future out of their own minds, ‘Listen to the Word of the Lord! 3 The Lord God says, “It is bad for the foolish people who tell what is going to happen by following their own spirit and have seen nothing. 4 O Israel, your men who speak in My name are of no more worth than foxes in destroyed cities. 5 You have not gone up to the broken places to build the wall around the people of Israel so that it will stand in the battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have lied and have spoken false words using their secret ways, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says,’ when the Lord has not sent them. Yet they hope that what they say will come true. 7 Did you not see a false dream and tell a lie using your secret ways when you said, ‘This is what the Lord says,’ when I have not spoken?”’”
8 So the Lord God says: “Because you have spoken false words and seen a lie, I am against you,” says the Lord God. 9 “My hand will be against those who see false dreams and speak false words. They will have no place in the gathering of My wise people. Their names will not be written down with the people of Israel. And they will not go into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God. 10 Because they have led My people the wrong way by saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when anyone builds a bad wall, they cover it with whitewash, 11 tell those who cover it with whitewash that it will fall! A flood of rain will come, and large hailstones will fall. And a strong wind will break out. 12 When the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the covering you used to cover the wall?’” 13 So the Lord God says, “I will make a strong wind break out in My anger. There will also be a flood of rain in My anger, and large hailstones to destroy that wall. 14 I will break down the wall that you covered with whitewash. I will bring it down to the ground so that its base will be showing. And when it falls, you will be destroyed with it. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 15 I will send My anger upon the wall and upon those who have covered it with whitewash. And I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone and the ones who covered it are gone. 16 There are no more people of Israel who speak false words to Jerusalem in My name, and who see dreams of peace for her when there is no peace,’ says the Lord God.
17 “Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are telling what will happen from their own minds. Speak against them, 18 and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “It is bad for the women who sew objects with secret powers to wear on their arms, and make coverings for the heads to trap people. Will you go after the lives of My people, but save the lives of others for yourselves? 19 You have used Me in a sinful way among My people for hands full of barley and for pieces of bread. You have killed people who should not die, and have kept others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”
20 So the Lord God says, “I am against your objects with secret powers that you wear on your arms with which you trap people like birds. I will tear them from your arms. And I will let the people go that you trap like birds. 21 I will also tear off your head-coverings and save My people from you. They will no longer be trapped by your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 22 You have made My good people sad because of your lies whom I did not want to hurt. But you have helped the sinful man, so that he does not turn from his sinful way and save his life. 23 So you women will no longer see false dreams or use your secret ways to learn the future. I will save My people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.”
1 This letter is from James. I am a servant owned by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I greet the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation living in many parts of the world.
Take Hope When Tests Come
2 My Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests. 3 You know these prove your faith. It helps you not to give up. 4 Learn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.
5 If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking. 6 You must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea. 7 Such a man will get nothing from the Lord. 8 The man who has two ways of thinking changes in everything he does.
9 A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God. 10 But a rich man should be happy even if he loses everything. He is like a flower that will die. 11 The sun comes up with burning heat. The grass dries up and the flower falls off. It is no longer beautiful. The rich man will die also and all his riches will be gone. 12 The man who does not give up when tests come is happy. After the test is over, he will receive the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him.
God Does Not Tempt Us
13 When you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone. 14 A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do. 15 When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.
16 My Christian brothers, do not be fooled about this. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning. 18 He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.
19 My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry. 20 A man’s anger does not allow him to be right with God. 21 Put out of your life all that is unclean and wrong. Receive with a gentle spirit the Word that was taught. It has the power to save your souls from the punishment of sin.
22 Obey the Word of God. If you hear only and do not act, you are only fooling yourself. 23 Anyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror. 24 After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like. 25 But the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free.
26 If a person thinks he is religious, but does not keep his tongue from speaking bad things, he is fooling himself. His religion is worth nothing. 27 Religion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.