Old/New Testament
Chapter 11
Punishment of the Rulers. 1 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the temple of the Lord that faces eastward. There at the entrance to the gate twenty-five men were standing. Among them I saw Jaazaniah, the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil deeds and offering wicked counsel in this city. 3 They say, ‘The time has not yet come to build houses. This city is the cooking pot and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he instructed me to say: Thus says the Lord. This is what you are saying to yourselves, house of Israel, and I am well aware of what you are plotting. 6 You have killed many in this city and filled its streets with the slain.
7 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Those in the city whom you have slain are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I shall remove you from it.[a] 8 You are in dread of the sword, and I fully intend to bring the sword upon you, says the Lord God.
9 I will drive you from the city and hand you over to foreigners, and inflict punishments upon you. 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will pass judgment upon you at the border of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord.
11 This city shall not be a cooking pot for you, nor shall you be the meat inside it. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the Lord whose statutes you have not obeyed and whose judgments you have not followed. Rather you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.
13 [b]While I was prophesying, Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, fell dead. I threw myself on the ground and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord God, do you intend to wipe out completely the remnant of Israel?”
14 Restoration of the People in Exile. Then the word of the Lord was addressed to me: 15 Son of man, it is about your brothers and your kinsmen and the entire house of Israel that the inhabitants of Israel have said, “They have strayed far from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our possession.”
16 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Although I removed them far away among the nations and scattered them over the earth, I have nevertheless been a sanctuary to them for a time in the countries where they settled.
17 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the nations and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 When they return there, they will purge it of all its vile and abominable practices. 19 I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh.
20 Thus, they will live according to my statutes and observe and obey my ordinances. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 However, those whose hearts are determined to continue their vile and abominable practices I will force to answer for all they have done. Thus says the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim lifted their wings, with the wheels beside them and the glory of the God of Israel above them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord rose from the center of the city and halted on the mountain to the east of it. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. After the vision I had seen faded, 25 I told the exiles everything that the Lord had revealed to me.
Chapter 12
Acts Symbolic of the Exile.[c] 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes with which to see, but they do not see, and they have ears with which to hear, but they do not hear, for they are rebellious by their very nature.
3 Therefore, son of man, while they observe you, pack up your belongings and set off from your home into exile during the day. Perhaps this will cause them to understand that they are a rebellious people. 4 Bring out your belongings during the day as they are watching, and in the evening, again as they watch, go forth like one who has been driven into exile.
5 Then, as they continue to observe you, dig a hole in the wall and make your way through it. 6 In their presence, lift your pack onto your shoulder and set out into the darkness. Cover your face so that you may not see the land, for I have established you as a sign for the house of Israel.
7 I did exactly what I had been commanded. In the daytime I brought out my belongings that had been packed for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. While they looked on, I set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden.
8 On the following morning, this word of the Lord was addressed to me: 9 Son of man, did the house of Israel, that rebellious people, not even ask you what you were doing? 10 Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the entire house of Israel living within its territory. 11 Tell them: I am a sign for you. As I have done, so will it be done to them. As captives they will go into exile. 12 Their prince who is among them will shoulder his pack in the darkness and go out through a hole that he has dug in the wall. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.
13 However, I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will take him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, where he will die without ever seeing it. 14 As for his retinue, his attendants, and all his troops, I will scatter them to the four winds and pursue them with the sword.
15 Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout foreign countries. 16 However, I will allow a few of them to escape the sword, famine, and pestilence so that they may relate all of their abominable practices to the nations where they have been exiled. Thus they will know that I am the Lord.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 Son of man, tremble as you eat your bread, and shake with anxiety as you drink your water, 19 and you are to say to the people of that land: Thus says the Lord about those who live in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread in fearfulness and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything within it because of the violence of all those who live there. 20 The inhabited cities will lie in ruins, and the land will be a desolate waste. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.
21 Fulfillment of Visions. This word of the Lord then came to me: 22 Son of man, there is a saying that has become fashionable in regard to the land of Israel: “The days drag by, and no visions are ever fulfilled.” 23 Therefore, tell the people: Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and it will never again be spoken in the land of Israel.
Rather, say to them: The days are close at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 There will no longer be any false visions or deceptive divinations within the house of Israel. 25 For I, the Lord, will speak, and what I say will come true without the slightest delay. In your lifetime, O rebellious house, whatever I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.
26 This word of the Lord then came to me: 27 Son of man, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that this man relates is meant to be fulfilled in the far distant future.” 28 Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: The fulfillment of my words will not be delayed any longer. What I have said will be done now. This is the word of the Lord God.”
Chapter 13
Prophecy against False Prophets. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those whose prophesies are formulated in their own minds: Hear the word of the Lord.
3 Thus says the Lord God: Disaster will engulf those foolish prophets who follow thoughts that are fabricated in their own imaginations and have received no visions. 4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals foraging among ruins. 5 They have not bothered to reinforce the breaches in the walls of the house of Israel so that it may stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord.
6 The visions they saw were false, and their divinations were baseless. They assert: “Thus says the Lord,” despite the fact that the Lord did not send them, and then they expect their words to be proved true. 7 Have you not seen false visions or uttered lying divinations when you have asserted, “Thus says the Lord,” even though I have not said any such thing?
8 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken untruths and proclaimed false predictions, I have now set myself in opposition to you, says the Lord God. 9 My hand will be raised against those prophets whose visions are baseless and whose divinations are clearly false. They will not be granted any position in the council of my people, nor will their names be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they be permitted to set foot in the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 Because they lead my people astray, crying aloud, “Peace!” when there is no peace, and because, when the people were repairing a flimsy wall, these prophets concealed its flaws by smearing whitewash on it, 11 say to those who covered it with whitewash that it will collapse, for I will cause rain to fall in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down and unleash a wind of gale force. 12 When the wall collapses that you have smeared with whitewash and it falls to the ground so that its foundations will be laid bare, you will be destroyed along with it, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.
13 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I intend to unleash a violent stormwind in my rage, torrential rain in my anger, and hailstones in my fury, 14 and I will shatter the wall that you smeared with whitewash and knock it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. It will fall, and you will perish beneath it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
15 When I have vented my fury upon the wall and upon those who smeared it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who smeared it— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and envisioned peace for it when there was no peace,” says the Lord God.
17 Prophecy against False Prophetesses. As for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people whose prophecies emerge from their own imaginations. Prophesy against them 18 and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to those women who sew magic bands on their wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every height as they strive to ensnare their souls. Will you seek to ensnare the souls of my people and still preserve your own?
19 You have dishonored me in the eyes of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. By lying to my people who listen to lies, you have caused the death of persons who should not die and kept alive those who should not live.
20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am now determined to move against your magic bands with which you entrap men’s lives. I will rip them from your arms and set free those people whom you have ensnared like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and rescue my people from your clutches, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
22 Because you have intimidated the righteous with your lies and disheartened them when I had done nothing to cause them to be alarmed, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to abandon their wicked ways and save their lives, 23 therefore, you will never again see false visions or practice divinations. I will rescue my people from your clutches, and then you will know that I am the Lord.
Salutation
Chapter 1
Greeting.[a] 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: greetings.
Exhortation To Practice Patience
Trials—the Test of a Faith in Progress.[b] 2 My brethren, consider it a cause of great joy whenever you endure various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith will develop perseverance. 4 And let perseverance complete its work so that you may become perfect and complete, and not be deficient in any respect.
A Believer’s Prayer.[c] 5 If someone among you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he is to ask with faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. 7 A man like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is of two minds and inconsistent in everything he does.
Rich and Poor.[d] 9 The brother who is in modest circumstances should take pride in being raised up. 10 Likewise, the one who is rich should glory in being brought low, for he will disappear like a flower of the field. 11 Once the sun comes up with its scorching rays and withers the grass, its flower droops and its beauty vanishes. So too the rich man will fade away in the midst of his affairs.
12 Trials and Temptations. Blessed is the man who perseveres when he is tempted, for when he has been proven, he will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.[e]
13 [f]While experiencing temptation, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 Rather, temptation occurs when someone is attracted and seduced by his own desire. 15 Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it reaches full growth, gives birth to death.
16 Light and Life.[g] Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good act of giving and every perfect gift are from above, coming down from the Father of all light. With him there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 18 By his own choice he gave us birth through the way of truth so that we may be a kind of firstfruits of all his creation.
Exhortation To Practice Faith
19 Living by God’s Word.[h] Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, rid yourselves of everything sordid and of every wicked excess, and welcome in all humility the word that is implanted in you and is able to save your souls.
22 Be doers of the word and not just hearers who only deceive themselves. 23 For anyone who listens to the word and fails to do it is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror. 24 After seeing his reflection, he goes off and immediately forgets what he looked like. 25 However, the one who looks intently at the perfect law of freedom and perseveres—not forgetting what he has heard but putting it into practice—will be blessed in everything he does.
26 If anyone thinks that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and undefiled is this: to come to the aid of orphans and widows in their hardships and to keep oneself untarnished by the world.
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