Old/New Testament
11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and transported me to the eastern gate of the Eternal’s house. I saw 25 men standing at the entrance of the gate. I recognized 2 leaders among them—Jaazaniah (Azur’s son) and Pelatiah (Benaiah’s son).
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, these are the ones concocting evil plans and pushing wicked schemes on the city. 3 They say, “This is not a good time to build houses. The city of Jerusalem is like an iron pot, and we are the meat inside it.” 4 Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man; speak My message to them.
5 Then the Spirit of the Eternal came over me and said to me:
Eternal One: Tell them this is what the Eternal has to say: Those may be your secret thoughts, people of Israel, but I know what’s going on in your minds. 6 You have murdered masses of people in this city, and you have filled the streets with dead bodies. 7 The corpses you have scattered in the streets are the meat, and this city is the pot; but I will make sure you are taken out of this city. 8 Since you fear war, that is exactly what I will bring against you.
I, the Eternal Lord, declare that. 9 After I drive you out of the city, I will give you over to the control of foreigners, and they will punish you! 10 You will die in battle, and My judgment will fall on you as you flee for the border of Israel. Then you will know I am the Eternal One. 11 This city will not be a protective pot for you, and you certainly won’t be the meat tended within it. I will execute My judgment against you all the way to the border of Israel, 12 and you will know I am the Eternal One. You have been careless with My laws and disregarded My instructions, mindlessly conforming to the standards of the nations around you.
13 As I was prophesying, Pelatiah (Benaiah’s son) died. Then I fell to the ground, face down, and exclaimed in a loud voice, “Hear me, Eternal Lord! Will You do away completely with the remnant of Israel?”
14 At this, the word of the Eternal came to me:
Eternal One: 15 Son of man, your people in exile—your own relatives, your countrymen, and the whole nation of Israel—are the ones the citizens of Jerusalem have disparaged, saying, “They have been taken far away from the Eternal. This land is ours now. It has been given to us to keep.” But they are mistaken. It is those in exile whom I will redeem. 16 Give the citizens of Jerusalem My message. “Tell them that I, the Eternal Lord, drove them far away from My temple and scattered them among other countries, but I have still been a sanctuary for them during this time in those other lands where they have gone.” 17 Then deliver My message to the exiles. “Tell them that I, the Eternal Lord, will gather you and reassemble you from the places where I scattered you, and I will return your inheritance—the land of Israel—to you because you are My true children.”
Ezekiel may seem like a prophet of doom and gloom, but like most prophets he sees beyond judgment to God’s restoration of His people. The only hope for the Judean exiles is that they be given a new heart and spirit from their Creator. The prophet receives this optimistic message again and again. Although divine punishment is severe, divine rescue will eclipse any tragedy because God will recreate His people.
Eternal One: 18 When they return home, they will demolish all the disgusting idols and remove all the shocking images from the land. 19 I will give them a new will—an undivided heart—and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow My commands and uphold My laws and actually do as I say. They will be My people, and I will be their God. 21 As for those who remain dedicated to their disgusting idols and shocking images, the very things they have done will be brought down upon them as judgment.
So said the Eternal Lord.
22 Then the winged guardians[a] stretched out their wings, the wheels moved along with them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 23 The glory of the Eternal arose from the center of the city and began to move east, stopping momentarily above the mountain to its east called the Mount of Olives. 24 The Spirit snatched me up and brought me in a vision given by God’s Spirit to the exiles in the Chaldea. Then the vision left me, 25 and I told the exiles everything the Eternal had revealed to me.
12 The word of the Eternal One came to me again, this time over two days.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, you are living among a rebellious lot. They have eyes, but they do not see. They have ears, but they do not hear. They are a rebellious lot. 3 Because of this, son of man, act as if you are being sent into exile. I want you to go pack your bag and go about from one place to another so that everyone can see you leaving. Then perhaps they will understand what you’re demonstrating, although they are a rebellious lot. 4 During the day, bring out the bag you have packed for the journey where they can see you; in the evening, while they watch, leave the city as if you are going into exile. 5 While they are watching you leave, dig out an opening in the wall—as if you were escaping—and carry your bag through it. 6 Put your bag over your shoulder, and while everyone is watching, carry it out into the dark. Cover your face so that you don’t see the land. I have made you a sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem to the people of Israel.
7 So I did exactly what He told me to do. During the day, I brought out my bag as if it were an exile’s bag. Then in the evening, I dug out an opening in the wall with my hands. I put my bag over my shoulder and carried it out into the dark. People watched as I acted out all of this.
8 The word of the Eternal came to me the next morning and told me how to explain the sign to the exiles.
Eternal One: 9 Son of man, haven’t the rebellious people of Israel asked you, “What do you think you are doing?” 10 You have been silent, but now you may answer, “The Eternal Lord says: This message has to do with the prince in Jerusalem and all the rest of Israel still living there.” 11 Tell them that I am an example to you, a living sign. As I have done, so it will be done to the people in Jerusalem. They will be carried off and taken into exile. 12 Not just the people, but the prince himself will put his bag over his shoulder and carry it out in the dark. People will dig a hole in the city wall to help him escape, and he’ll cover his eyes so that he cannot look upon the land he’ll never see again. 13 But I will set a trap for him, and he will be caught in My net. Then I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but the blind prince won’t see any of it. There he will die. 14 I will scatter all of his helpers and troops to the wind, and I will hunt them down with a drawn sword.
Again God calls upon Ezekiel to act out His message. These dramatic actions apply specifically to Zedekiah. After Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in 597 b.c., he deported Judah’s king Jehoiachin and most of the powerful citizens of the city—many of whom are now members of Ezekiel’s audience in exile. Nebuchadnezzar then installed Zedekiah as king to represent Babylonia’s interests and guarantee Judah’s submission. But Zedekiah will rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, who will then flatten Jerusalem in 586 b.c. (a decade after Ezekiel performs this sign-act). During that final siege, Zedekiah will do everything Ezekiel portrays here: he will attempt to escape the starving city, but he will be caught and taken to the Babylonian king. As punishment Nebuchadnezzar will order him to be blinded and taken into captivity. Zedekiah’s fate is a warning to any other who might consider opposing Babylonia’s king.
Eternal One: 15 They will know I am the Eternal when I send them far away and scatter them like chaff among other lands. 16 I will spare a few of them from slaughter, starvation, and disease, so that wherever they are, they will tell the world of all the shocking acts they committed against Me. Then they will know that I am the Eternal One.
17 The word of the Eternal came to me yet again.
Eternal One: 18 Son of man, tremble as you eat your meals. Shake with anxiousness as you drink your water. 19 Tell the people of the land what the Eternal Lord says regarding the people living in Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their meals in fear and drink their water with anxiety, for their land will be pillaged of everything in it because of their own violent acts. 20 Every inhabited town and city will be destroyed, and the land will be deserted. Then you will know I am the Eternal One.
21 The word of the Eternal came to me with another message.
Eternal One: 22 Son of man, what is this saying the people keep repeating in the land of Israel: “The days pass by, and the prophecies never come true”? 23 Tell the people of Israel the Eternal Lord says that this saying will not be quoted for long. I am going to make sure it is never said again in Israel. The time is near when every prophecy will be fulfilled. 24 There won’t be any more false visions or favorable predictions in Israel. 25 I, the Eternal One, will speak, and what I speak will be fulfilled without delay. You rebellious crowd! I will fulfill whatever I say during your lifetime.
So said the Eternal Lord.
26 The word of the Eternal came to me.
Eternal One: 27 Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, “The visions of the prophet are for the distant future; He speaks of events a long way off.” 28 Therefore, tell the people of Israel the Eternal Lord most certainly says that nothing I’ve predicted will wait any longer. Whatever I speak will be fulfilled without delay.
13 The word of the Eternal came to me with two more messages about Jerusalem.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, preach against the false prophets of Israel—the ones making up predictions and visions out of their own imaginations. Tell them to listen to the real word of the Eternal One! 3 The Eternal Lord says woe to those foolish prophets whose message is based on their own spirits and have not had a vision! 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals foraging through the ruins. 5 You have put forth no effort to repair the broken-down defenses or to reinforce the wall around the city so that it will stand strong in battle on the day the Eternal sends His judgment. 6 Their warnings and predictions are all false. They utter only lies. They speak in the name of the Lord, claiming, “the Eternal declares,” but I have not sent them. The funny thing is, they actually expect their predictions to come true. 7 Did you not perceive a false vision and speak an untrue divination when you proclaimed, “The Eternal declares,” although I hadn’t said anything at all?
8 So I say because you have spoken falsely and have seen empty visions, I am against you who prophesy out of your own imaginations. 9 I will set My hand against those who see false visions and lying divinations. These self-proclaimed soothsayers will not be a part of the council of My people or be listed among the people of Israel. They will be forbidden from entering the sacred land of Israel. Then you will know I am the Eternal Lord. 10 It is because these false prophets have lied to My people and led them off course, saying, “Everything is peaceful and fine,” when nothing is peaceful or fine. When the people build a weak and wobbly wall, the false prophets are right behind them, coating it with plaster. 11 Tell these plasterers that your wall is going to fall. Torrential rains will pour down upon your lies, hail will pound your flimsy creation, and mighty winds will knock down your fabricated dreams. 12 And guess what? When your nicely plastered wall collapses, the people will ask you, “Where is your plaster? Didn’t it strengthen the wall?” 13 So I say that in My fury I will release a mighty wind to knock it down. In My anger I will produce hailstorms and torrential rains to destroy it. 14 I will demolish the wall you covered with plaster and level it to the ground so that nothing is left but its foundation. When your wall falls, you will be destroyed. Then you will know I am the Eternal. 15 This is how My wrath will be satisfied against the wall and those who covered it with plaster. Then I will say to you that there is nothing left of the wall or those who plastered it— 16 those fraudulent seers of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem, claiming everything was peaceful and fine when everything was not peaceful or fine.
17 Now, son of man, you must also preach against the women of your people who prophesy out of their own imaginations. Preach against these false prophetesses, 18 and tell them the Eternal Lord says, “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on wrists and make veils of various sizes for heads in order to hunt down souls with their magic. Do you actually think you can entrap the souls of My people for your own purposes without endangering your own lives? 19 You have profaned Me among My people, trading precious souls for a few scraps of barley and bread. Your lies have caused many to die who should not have and many to live who should not have, all because they listened to your lies.”
20 I, the Eternal Lord, have this to say regarding your enchantments: I oppose your magic charms you use to hunt precious souls like birds! I will strip them from your wrists and set the people free. 21 I will tear off your veils and rescue My people from your power; they will no longer fall prey to your hunt. Then you will know I am the Eternal One. 22 Because you have discouraged the innocent and unsuspecting with your lies and deceptions when I left them in peace, and because you have encouraged the wicked instead of showing them the error of their ways so they could live, 23 you will no longer conjure up lying visions or practice divination. For I will save My people from your seductive powers. Then you will know I am the Eternal One.
1 James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, to the twelve tribes of Israel who are spread across the earth: I send you my warmest welcome!
2-4 Don’t run from tests and hardships, brothers and sisters. As difficult as they are, you will ultimately find joy in them; if you embrace them, your faith will blossom under pressure and teach you true patience as you endure. And true patience brought on by endurance will equip you to complete the long journey and cross the finish line—mature, complete, and wanting nothing. 5 If you don’t have all the wisdom needed for this journey, then all you have to do is ask God for it; and God will grant all that you need. He gives lavishly and never scolds you for asking.
Wisdom, as James understands it, is the ability to live life well and make good decisions. Wisdom doesn’t come from old age or hard knocks. Wisdom begins with knowing and depending absolutely on God, who is never stingy when it comes to wisdom for those who seek it. He supplies all the wisdom we need when we ask. But when we try to go it alone—without God—trouble is around the corner.
6 The key is that your request be anchored by your single-minded commitment to God. Those who depend only on their own judgment are like those lost on the seas, carried away by any wave or picked up by any wind. 7 Those adrift on their own wisdom shouldn’t assume the Lord will rescue them or bring them anything. 8 The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.
9 If you are a brother of humble means, celebrate the fact that God has raised you up. 10 If you are rich and seemingly invincible, savor the humble reality that you are a mere mortal who will vanish like a flower that withers in the field. 11 The sun rises with a blazing heat that dries the earth and causes the flower to wither and fall to the ground and its beauty to fade and die. In the same way, the rich will fall and die in the midst of their busy lives.
12 Happy is the person who can hold up under the trials of life. At the right time, he’ll know God’s sweet approval and will be crowned with life. As God has promised, the crown awaits all who love Him.
13 No one who is tempted should ever be confused and say that God is testing him. The One who created us is free from evil and can’t be tempted, so He doesn’t tempt anyone. 14-15 When a person is carried away with desire, lured by lust, and when desire becomes the focus and takes control, it gives birth to sin. When sin becomes fully grown, it produces death.
If you give in to temptation and desire, then sin is born. If you give in to sin long enough, it overpowers you and costs you your life.
16 My dearly loved brothers and sisters, don’t be misled. 17 Every good gift bestowed, every perfect gift received comes to us from above, courtesy of the Father of lights. He is consistent. He won’t change His mind or play tricks in the shadows. 18 We have a special role in His plan. He calls us to life by His message of truth so that we will show the rest of His creatures His goodness and love.
19 Listen, open your ears, harness your desire to speak, and don’t get worked up into a rage so easily, my brothers and sisters. 20 Human anger is a futile exercise that will never produce God’s kind of justice in this world. 21 So walk out on your corrupt liaison with smut and depraved living, and humbly welcome the word of truth that will blossom like the seed of salvation planted in your souls.
22 Put the word into action. If you think hearing is what matters most, you are going to find you have been deceived.
God the Father is the giver of all things and is looking for every opportunity to bless us. But many people have difficulty trusting and receiving good things, even when those things come from God. The problem is that we not only have trouble trusting God’s work in our lives, but we also don’t always respond to God’s voice. People often hear the Scriptures but don’t really listen. People store truths in their brains but never put them to use. For James, the only good religion is religion lived out every day.
23-24 If some fail to do what God requires, it’s as if they forget the word as soon as they hear it. One minute they look in the mirror, and the next they forget who they are and what they look like. 25 However, it is possible to open your eyes and take in the beautiful, perfect truth found in God’s law of liberty and live by it. If you pursue that path and actually do what God has commanded, then you will avoid the many distractions that lead to an amnesia of all true things and you will be blessed.
26 If you put yourself on a pedestal, thinking you have become a role model in all things religious, but you can’t control your mouth, then think again. Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless. 27 Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.