1:1 In the thirtieth year, ¹  on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles ²  at the Kebar River, ³  the heavens opened ⁴  and I saw a divine vision. ⁵  1:2 (On the fifth day of the month – it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile – 1:3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel ⁶  the son of Buzi, ⁷  at the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. ⁸  The hand ⁹  of the Lord came on him there).

1:4 As I watched, I noticed ¹⁰  a windstorm ¹¹  coming from the north – an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, ¹²  such that bright light ¹³  rimmed it and came from ¹⁴  it like glowing amber ¹⁵  from the middle of a fire. 1:5 In the fire ¹⁶  were what looked like ¹⁷  four living beings. ¹⁸  In their appearance they had human form, ¹⁹  1:6 but each had four faces and four wings. 1:7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves’ feet. They gleamed ²⁰  like polished bronze. 1:8 They had human hands ²¹  under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 1:9 their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went straight ahead. ²² 

1:10 Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left and also the face of an eagle. ²³  1:11 Their wings were spread out above them; each had two wings touching the wings of one of the other beings on either side and two wings covering their bodies. 1:12 Each moved straight ahead ²⁴  – wherever the spirit ²⁵  would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 1:13 In the middle ²⁶  of the living beings was something like ²⁷  burning coals of fire ²⁸  or like torches. It moved back and forth among the living beings. It was bright, and lightning was flashing out of the fire. 1:14 The living beings moved backward and forward as quickly as flashes of lightning. ²⁹ 

1:15 Then I looked, ³⁰  and I saw one wheel ³¹  on the ground ³²  beside each of the four beings. 1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their construction ³³  was like gleaming jasper, ³⁴  and all four wheels looked alike. Their structure was like a wheel within a wheel. ³⁵  1:17 When they moved they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved. 1:18 Their rims were high and awesome, ³⁶  and the rims of all four wheels were full of eyes all around.

1:19 When the living beings moved, the wheels beside them moved; when the living beings rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up too. 1:20 Wherever the spirit ³⁷  would go, they would go, ³⁸  and the wheels would rise up beside them because the spirit ³⁹  of the living being was in the wheel. 1:21 When the living beings moved, the wheels moved, and when they stopped moving, the wheels stopped. ⁴⁰  When they rose up from the ground, the wheels rose up from the ground; the wheels rose up beside them because the spirit of the living being was in the wheel.

1:22 Over the heads of the living beings was something like a platform, ⁴¹  glittering awesomely like ice, ⁴²  stretched out over their heads. 1:23 Under the platform their wings were stretched out, each toward the other. Each of the beings also had two wings covering ⁴³  its body. 1:24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings – it was like the sound of rushing waters, or the voice of the Almighty, ⁴⁴  or the tumult ⁴⁵  of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings.

1:25 Then there was a voice from above the platform over their heads when they stood still. ⁴⁶  1:26 Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man. 1:27 I saw an amber glow ⁴⁷  like a fire enclosed all around ⁴⁸  from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it, 1:28 like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. ⁴⁹  This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the Lord. When I saw ⁵⁰  it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.

2:1 He said to me, “Son of man, ⁵¹  stand on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2:2 As he spoke to me, ⁵²  a wind ⁵³  came into me and stood me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.

2:3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the house ⁵⁴  of Israel, to rebellious nations ⁵⁵  who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted ⁵⁶  against me to this very day. 2:4 The people ⁵⁷  to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, ⁵⁸  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ ⁵⁹  2:5 And as for them, ⁶⁰  whether they listen ⁶¹  or not – for they are a rebellious ⁶²  house ⁶³  – they will know that a prophet has been among them. 2:6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers ⁶⁴  and thorns ⁶⁵  surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, ⁶⁶  for they are a rebellious house! 2:7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious. 2:8 As for you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you: Do not rebel like that rebellious house! Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

2:9 Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll. 2:10 He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front ⁶⁷  and back; ⁶⁸  written on it were laments, mourning, and woe.

3:1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of you ⁶⁹  – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.” 3:2 So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll.

3:3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving to you.” So I ate it, ⁷⁰  and it was sweet like honey in my mouth.

3:4 He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 3:5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech ⁷¹  and difficult language, ⁷²  but ⁷³  to the house of Israel – 3:6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand ⁷⁴  – surely if ⁷⁵  I had sent you to them, they would listen to you! 3:7 But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you, ⁷⁶  because they are not willing to listen to me, ⁷⁷  for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. ⁷⁸ 

3:8 “I have made your face adamant ⁷⁹  to match their faces, and your forehead hard to match their foreheads. 3:9 I have made your forehead harder than flint – like diamond! ⁸⁰  Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you, ⁸¹  for they are a rebellious house.”

3:10 And he said to me, “Son of man, take all my words that I speak to you to heart and listen carefully. 3:11 Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen, ⁸²  and speak to them – say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ whether they pay attention or not.”

3:12 Then a wind lifted me up ⁸³  and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, ⁸⁴  3:13 and the sound of the living beings’ wings brushing against each other, and the sound of the wheels alongside them, a great rumbling sound. 3:14 A wind lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly, ⁸⁵  my spirit full of fury, and the hand of the Lord rested powerfully ⁸⁶  on me. 3:15 I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, ⁸⁷  who lived by the Kebar River. ⁸⁸  I sat dumbfounded among them there, where they were living, for seven days. ⁸⁹ 

3:16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹⁰  3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman ⁹¹  for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me. 3:18 When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,” ⁹²  and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity, ⁹³  but I will hold you accountable for his death. ⁹⁴  3:19 But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will have saved your own life. ⁹⁵ 

3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ⁹⁶  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 3:21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he ⁹⁷  does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”

3:22 The hand ⁹⁸  of the Lord rested on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the valley, ⁹⁹  and I will speak with you there.” 3:23 So I got up and went out to the valley, and the glory of the Lord was standing there, just like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, ¹⁰⁰  and I threw myself face down.

3:24 Then a wind ¹⁰¹  came into me and stood me on my feet. The Lord ¹⁰²  spoke to me and said, “Go shut yourself in your house. 3:25 As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and tie you up with them, so you cannot go out among them. 3:26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to reprove ¹⁰³  them, for they are a rebellious house. 3:27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue ¹⁰⁴  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse, ¹⁰⁵  for they are a rebellious house.

4:1 “And you, son of man, take a brick ¹⁰⁶  and set it in front of you. Inscribe ¹⁰⁷  a city on it – Jerusalem. 4:2 Lay siege to it! Build siege works against it. Erect a siege ramp ¹⁰⁸  against it! Post soldiers outside it ¹⁰⁹  and station battering rams around it. 4:3 Then for your part take an iron frying pan ¹¹⁰  and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face toward it. It is to be under siege; you are to besiege it. This is a sign ¹¹¹  for the house of Israel.

4:4 “Also for your part lie on your left side and place the iniquity ¹¹²  of the house of Israel on it. For the number of days you lie on your side you will bear their iniquity. 4:5 I have determined that the number of the years of their iniquity are to be the number of days ¹¹³  for you – 390 days. ¹¹⁴  So bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. ¹¹⁵ 

4:6 “When you have completed these days, then lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah 40 days ¹¹⁶  – I have assigned one day for each year. 4:7 You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it. 4:8 Look here, I will tie you up with ropes, so you cannot turn from one side to the other until you complete the days of your siege. ¹¹⁷ 

4:9 “As for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, ¹¹⁸  put them in a single container, and make food ¹¹⁹  from them for yourself. For the same number of days that you lie on your side – 390 days ¹²⁰  – you will eat it. 4:10 The food you eat will be eight ounces ¹²¹  a day by weight; you must eat it at fixed ¹²²  times. 4:11 And you must drink water by measure, a pint and a half; ¹²³  you must drink it at fixed times. 4:12 And you must eat the food like you would a barley cake. You must bake it in front of them over a fire made with dried human excrement.” ¹²⁴  4:13 And the Lord said, “This is how the people of Israel will eat their unclean food among the nations ¹²⁵  where I will banish them.”

4:14 And I said, “Ah, sovereign Lord, I have never been ceremonially defiled before. I have never eaten a carcass or an animal torn by wild beasts; from my youth up, unclean meat ¹²⁶  has never entered my mouth.”

4:15 So he said to me, “All right then, I will substitute cow’s manure instead of human excrement. You will cook your food over it.”

4:16 Then he said to me, “Son of man, I am about to remove the bread supply ¹²⁷  in Jerusalem. ¹²⁸  They will eat their bread ration anxiously, and they will drink their water ration in terror 4:17 because they will lack bread and water. Each one will be terrified, and they will rot for their iniquity. ¹²⁹ 

5:1 “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor. ¹³⁰  Shave off some of the hair from your head and your beard. ¹³¹  Then take scales and divide up the hair you cut off. 5:2 Burn a third of it in the fire inside the city when the days of your siege are completed. Take a third and slash it with a sword all around the city. Scatter a third to the wind, and I will unleash a sword behind them. 5:3 But take a few strands of hair ¹³²  from those and tie them in the ends of your garment. ¹³³  5:4 Again, take more of them and throw them into the fire, ¹³⁴  and burn them up. From there a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.

5:5 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem; I placed her in the center of the nations with countries all around her. 5:6 Then she defied my regulations and my statutes, becoming more wicked than the nations ¹³⁵  and the countries around her. ¹³⁶  Indeed, they ¹³⁷  have rejected my regulations, and they do not follow my statutes.

5:7 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you are more arrogant ¹³⁸  than the nations around you, ¹³⁹  you have not followed my statutes and have not carried out my regulations. You have not even ¹⁴⁰  carried out the regulations of the nations around you!

5:8 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: I – even I – am against you, ¹⁴¹  and I will execute judgment ¹⁴²  among you while the nations watch. ¹⁴³  5:9 I will do to you what I have never done before and will never do again because of all your abominable practices. ¹⁴⁴  5:10 Therefore fathers will eat their sons within you, Jerusalem, ¹⁴⁵  and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments on you, and I will scatter any survivors ¹⁴⁶  to the winds. ¹⁴⁷ 

5:11 “Therefore, as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, because you defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominable practices, I will withdraw; my eye will not pity you, nor will I spare ¹⁴⁸  you. 5:12 A third of your people will die of plague or be overcome by the famine within you. ¹⁴⁹  A third of your people will fall by the sword surrounding you, ¹⁵⁰  and a third I will scatter to the winds. I will unleash a sword behind them. 5:13 Then my anger will be fully vented; I will exhaust my rage on them, and I will be appeased. ¹⁵¹  Then they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my jealousy ¹⁵²  when I have fully vented my rage against them.

5:14 “I will make you desolate and an object of scorn among the nations around you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. 5:15 You will be ¹⁵³  an object of scorn and taunting, ¹⁵⁴  a prime example of destruction ¹⁵⁵  among the nations around you when I execute judgments against you in anger and raging fury. ¹⁵⁶  I, the Lord, have spoken! 5:16 I will shoot against them deadly, ¹⁵⁷  destructive ¹⁵⁸  arrows of famine, ¹⁵⁹  which I will shoot to destroy you. ¹⁶⁰  I will prolong a famine on you and will remove the bread supply. ¹⁶¹  5:17 I will send famine and wild beasts against you and they will take your children from you. ¹⁶²  Plague and bloodshed will overwhelm you, ¹⁶³  and I will bring a sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

6:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 6:2 “Son of man, turn toward ¹⁶⁴  the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them: 6:3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, ¹⁶⁵  Hear the word of the sovereign Lord! ¹⁶⁶  This is what the sovereign Lord says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am bringing ¹⁶⁷  a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. ¹⁶⁸  6:4 Your altars will be ruined and your incense altars will be broken. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols. ¹⁶⁹  6:5 I will place the corpses of the people of Israel in front of their idols, ¹⁷⁰  and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6:6 In all your dwellings, the cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined so that your altars will be laid waste and ruined, your idols will be shattered and demolished, your incense altars will be broken down, and your works wiped out. ¹⁷¹  6:7 The slain will fall among you and then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁷² 

6:8 “‘But I will spare some of you. Some will escape the sword when you are scattered in foreign lands. ¹⁷³  6:9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are exiled. They will realize ¹⁷⁴  how I was crushed by their unfaithful ¹⁷⁵  heart which turned from me and by their eyes which lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves ¹⁷⁶  because of the evil they have done and because of all their abominable practices. 6:10 They will know that I am the Lord; my threats to bring this catastrophe on them were not empty.’ ¹⁷⁷ 

6:11 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and say, “Ah!” because of all the evil, abominable practices of the house of Israel, for they will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence. ¹⁷⁸  6:12 The one far away will die by pestilence, the one close by will fall by the sword, and whoever is left and has escaped these ¹⁷⁹  will die by famine. I will fully vent my rage against them. 6:13 Then you will know that I am the Lord – when their dead lie among their idols around their altars, on every high hill and all the mountaintops, under every green tree and every leafy oak, ¹⁸⁰  the places where they have offered fragrant incense to all their idols. 6:14 I will stretch out my hand against them ¹⁸¹  and make the land a desolate waste from the wilderness to Riblah, ¹⁸²  in all the places where they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord!”

7:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 7:2 “You, son of man – this is what the sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: An end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land! ¹⁸³  7:3 The end is now upon you, and I will release my anger against you; I will judge ¹⁸⁴  you according to your behavior, ¹⁸⁵  I will hold you accountable for ¹⁸⁶  all your abominable practices. 7:4 My eye will not pity you; I will not spare ¹⁸⁷  you. ¹⁸⁸  For I will hold you responsible for your behavior, ¹⁸⁹  and you will suffer the consequences of your abominable practices. ¹⁹⁰  Then you will know that I am the Lord!

7:5 “This is what the sovereign Lord says: A disaster ¹⁹¹  – a one-of-a-kind ¹⁹²  disaster – is coming! 7:6 An end comes ¹⁹³  – the end comes! ¹⁹⁴  It has awakened against you ¹⁹⁵  – the end is upon you! Look, it is coming! ¹⁹⁶  7:7 Doom is coming upon you who live in the land! The time is coming, the day ¹⁹⁷  is near. There are sounds of tumult, not shouts of joy, on the mountains. ¹⁹⁸  7:8 Soon now I will pour out my rage ¹⁹⁹  on you; I will fully vent my anger against you. I will judge you according to your behavior. I will hold you accountable for all your abominable practices. 7:9 My eye will not pity you; I will not spare ²⁰⁰  you. For your behavior I will hold you accountable, ²⁰¹  and you will suffer the consequences of your abominable practices. Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who is striking you. ²⁰² 

7:10 “Look, the day! Look, it is coming! Doom has gone out! The staff has budded, pride has blossomed! 7:11 Violence ²⁰³  has grown into a staff that supports wickedness. Not one of them will be left ²⁰⁴  – not from their crowd, not from their wealth, not from their prominence. ²⁰⁵  7:12 The time has come; the day has struck! The customer should not rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for divine wrath ²⁰⁶  comes against their whole crowd. 7:13 The customer will no longer pay the seller ²⁰⁷  while both parties are alive, for the vision against their whole crowd ²⁰⁸  will not be revoked. Each person, for his iniquity, ²⁰⁹  will fail to preserve his life.

7:14 “They have blown the trumpet and everyone is ready, but no one goes to battle, because my anger is against their whole crowd. ²¹⁰  7:15 The sword is outside; pestilence and famine are inside the house. Whoever is in the open field will die by the sword, and famine and pestilence will consume everyone in the city. 7:16 Their survivors will escape to the mountains and become like doves of the valleys; all of them will moan – each one for his iniquity. 7:17 All of their hands will hang limp; their knees will be wet with urine. ²¹¹  7:18 They will wear sackcloth, terror will cover them; shame will be on all their faces, and all of their heads will be shaved bald. ²¹²  7:19 They will discard their silver in the streets, and their gold will be treated like filth. ²¹³  Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s fury. ²¹⁴  They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs because their wealth ²¹⁵  was the obstacle leading to their iniquity. ²¹⁶  7:20 They rendered the beauty of his ornaments into pride, ²¹⁷  and with it they made their abominable images – their detestable idols. Therefore I will render it filthy to them. 7:21 I will give it to foreigners as loot, to the world’s wicked ones as plunder, and they will desecrate it. 7:22 I will turn my face away from them and they will desecrate my treasured place. ²¹⁸  Vandals will enter it and desecrate it. ²¹⁹  7:23 (Make the chain, ²²⁰  because the land is full of murder ²²¹  and the city is full of violence.) 7:24 I will bring the most wicked of the nations and they will take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong, and their sanctuaries ²²²  will be desecrated. 7:25 Terror ²²³  is coming! They will seek peace, but find none. 7:26 Disaster after disaster will come, and one rumor after another. They will seek a vision from a prophet; priestly instruction will disappear, along with counsel from the elders. 7:27 The king will mourn and the prince will be clothed with shuddering; the hands of the people of the land will tremble. Based on their behavior I will deal with them, and by their standard of justice ²²⁴  I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord!”

8:1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, ²²⁵  as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of me, the hand ²²⁶  of the sovereign Lord seized me. ²²⁷  8:2 As I watched, I noticed ²²⁸  a form that appeared to be a man. ²²⁹  From his waist downward was something like fire, ²³⁰  and from his waist upward something like a brightness, ²³¹  like an amber glow. ²³²  8:3 He stretched out the form ²³³  of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my head. Then a wind ²³⁴  lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem ²³⁵  by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces north where the statue ²³⁶  which provokes to jealousy was located. 8:4 Then I perceived that the glory of the God of Israel was there, as in the vision I had seen earlier in the valley.

8:5 He said to me, “Son of man, look up toward ²³⁷  the north.” So I looked up toward the north, and I noticed to the north of the altar gate was this statue of jealousy at the entrance.

8:6 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing – the great abominations that the people ²³⁸  of Israel are practicing here, to drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see greater abominations than these!”

8:7 He brought me to the entrance of the court, and as I watched, I noticed a hole in the wall. 8:8 He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and discovered a doorway.

8:9 He said to me, “Go in and see the evil abominations they are practicing here.” 8:10 So I went in and looked. I noticed every figure ²³⁹  of creeping thing and beast – detestable images ²⁴⁰  – and every idol of the house of Israel, engraved on the wall all around. ²⁴¹  8:11 Seventy men from the elders of the house of Israel ²⁴²  (with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them) were standing in front of them, each with a censer in his hand, and fragrant ²⁴³  vapors from a cloud of incense were swirling upward.

8:12 He said to me, “Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? ²⁴⁴  For they think, ‘The Lord does not see us! The Lord has abandoned the land!’” 8:13 He said to me, “You will see them practicing even greater abominations!”

8:14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the Lord’s house. I noticed ²⁴⁵  women sitting there weeping for Tammuz. ²⁴⁶  8:15 He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see even greater abominations than these!”

8:16 Then he brought me to the inner court of the Lord’s house. Right there ²⁴⁷  at the entrance to the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, ²⁴⁸  were about twenty-five ²⁴⁹  men with their backs to the Lord’s temple, ²⁵⁰  facing east – they were worshiping the sun ²⁵¹  toward the east!

8:17 He said to me, “Do you see, son of man? Is it a trivial thing that the house of Judah commits these abominations they are practicing here? For they have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger still further. Look, they are putting the branch to their nose! ²⁵²  8:18 Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare ²⁵³  them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

9:1 Then he shouted in my ears, “Approach, ²⁵⁴  you who are to visit destruction on the city, each with his destructive weapon in his hand!” 9:2 Next, I noticed ²⁵⁵  six men ²⁵⁶  coming from the direction of the upper gate ²⁵⁷  which faces north, each with his war club in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing kit ²⁵⁸  at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.

9:3 Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub where it had rested to the threshold of the temple. ²⁵⁹  He called to the man dressed in linen who had the writing kit at his side. 9:4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem ²⁶⁰  and put a mark ²⁶¹  on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”

9:5 While I listened, he said to the others, ²⁶²  “Go through the city after him and strike people down; do no let your eye pity nor spare ²⁶³  anyone! 9:6 Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women – wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.

9:7 He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city. 9:8 While they were striking them down, I was left alone, and I threw myself face down and cried out, “Ah, sovereign Lord! Will you destroy the entire remnant of Israel when you pour out your fury on Jerusalem?”

9:9 He said to me, “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption, ²⁶⁴  for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’ ²⁶⁵  9:10 But as for me, my eye will not pity them nor will I spare ²⁶⁶  them; I hereby repay them for what they have done.” ²⁶⁷ 

9:11 Next I noticed the man dressed in linen with the writing kit at his side bringing back word: “I have done just as you commanded me.”

10:1 As I watched, I saw ²⁶⁸  on the platform ²⁶⁹  above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them. 10:2 The Lord ²⁷⁰  said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork ²⁷¹  underneath the cherubim. ²⁷²  Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.

10:3 (The cherubim were standing on the south side ²⁷³  of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) 10:4 Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 10:5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God ²⁷⁴  when he speaks.

10:6 When the Lord ²⁷⁵  commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man ²⁷⁶  went in and stood by one of the wheels. ²⁷⁷  10:7 Then one of the cherubim ²⁷⁸  stretched out his hand ²⁷⁹  toward the fire which was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left. 10:8 (The cherubim appeared to have the form ²⁸⁰  of human hands under their wings.)

10:9 As I watched, I noticed ²⁸¹  four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; ²⁸²  the wheels gleamed like jasper. ²⁸³  10:10 As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a wheel within a wheel. ²⁸⁴  10:11 When they ²⁸⁵  moved, they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would follow ²⁸⁶  without turning as they moved, 10:12 along with their entire bodies, ²⁸⁷  their backs, their hands, and their wings. The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around. 10:13 As for their wheels, they were called “the wheelwork” ²⁸⁸  as I listened. 10:14 Each of the cherubim ²⁸⁹  had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, ²⁹⁰  the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle.

10:15 The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings ²⁹¹  I saw at the Kebar River. 10:16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim spread ²⁹²  their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their side. 10:17 When the cherubim ²⁹³  stood still, the wheels ²⁹⁴  stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels ²⁹⁵  rose up with them, for the spirit ²⁹⁶  of the living beings ²⁹⁷  was in the wheels. ²⁹⁸ 

10:18 Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 10:19 The cherubim spread ²⁹⁹  their wings, and they rose up from the earth ³⁰⁰  while I watched (when they went the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord’s temple as the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.

10:20 These were the living creatures ³⁰¹  which I saw at the Kebar River underneath the God of Israel; I knew that they were cherubim. 10:21 Each had four faces; each had four wings and the form of human hands under the wings. 10:22 As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose appearance I had seen at the Kebar River. Each one moved straight ahead.

11:1 A wind ³⁰²  lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s temple that faces the east. There, at the entrance of the gate, I noticed twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the people. ³⁰³  11:2 The Lord ³⁰⁴  said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked advice in this city. 11:3 They say, ³⁰⁵  ‘The time is not near to build houses; ³⁰⁶  the city ³⁰⁷  is a cooking pot ³⁰⁸  and we are the meat in it.’ 11:4 Therefore, prophesy against them! Prophesy, son of man!”

11:5 Then the Spirit of the Lord came ³⁰⁹  upon me and said to me, “Say: This is what the Lord says: ‘This is what you are thinking, ³¹⁰  O house of Israel; I know what goes through your minds. ³¹¹  11:6 You have killed many people in this city; you have filled its streets with corpses.’ 11:7 Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘The corpses you have dumped ³¹²  in the midst of the city ³¹³  are the meat, and this city ³¹⁴  is the cooking pot, but I will take you out of it. ³¹⁵  11:8 You fear the sword, so the sword I will bring against you,’ declares the sovereign Lord. 11:9 ‘But I will take you out of the city. ³¹⁶  And I will hand you over to foreigners. I will execute judgments on you. 11:10 You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 11:11 This city will not be a cooking pot for you, and you will not ³¹⁷  be meat within it; I will judge you at the border of Israel. 11:12 Then you will know that I am the Lord, whose statutes you have not followed and whose regulations you have not carried out. Instead you have behaved according to the regulations of the nations around you!’”

11:13 Now, while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I threw myself face down and cried out with a loud voice, “Alas, sovereign Lord! You are completely wiping out the remnant of Israel!” ³¹⁸ 

11:14 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 11:15 “Son of man, your brothers, ³¹⁹  your relatives, ³²⁰  and the whole house of Israel, all of them are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem ³²¹  have said, ‘They have gone ³²²  far away from the Lord; to us this land has been given as a possession.’

11:16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Although I have removed them far away among the nations and have dispersed them among the countries, I have been a little ³²³  sanctuary for them among the lands where they have gone.’

11:17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather you from the peoples and assemble you from the lands where you have been dispersed, I will give you back the country of Israel.’

11:18 “When they return to it, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 11:19 I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; ³²⁴  I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies ³²⁵  and I will give them tender hearts, ³²⁶  11:20 so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. ³²⁷  11:21 But those whose hearts are devoted to detestable things and abominations, I hereby repay them for what they have done, ³²⁸  says the sovereign Lord.”

11:22 Then the cherubim spread ³²⁹  their wings with their wheels alongside them while the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 11:23 The glory of the Lord rose up from within the city and stopped ³³⁰  over the mountain east of it. 11:24 Then a wind ³³¹  lifted me up and carried me to the exiles in Babylonia, ³³²  in the vision given to me by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me. 11:25 So I told the exiles everything ³³³  the Lord had shown me.

12:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 12:2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house. ³³⁴  They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, ³³⁵  because they are a rebellious house.

12:3 “Therefore, son of man, pack up your belongings as if for exile. During the day, while they are watching, pretend to go into exile. Go from where you live to another place. Perhaps they will understand, ³³⁶  although they are a rebellious house. 12:4 Bring out your belongings packed for exile during the day while they are watching. And go out at evening, while they are watching, as if for exile. 12:5 While they are watching, dig a hole in the wall and carry your belongings out through it. 12:6 While they are watching, raise your baggage onto your shoulder and carry it out in the dark. ³³⁷  You must cover your face so that you cannot see the ground ³³⁸  because I have made you an object lesson ³³⁹  to the house of Israel.”

12:7 So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage ³⁴⁰  on my shoulder while they watched.

12:8 The word of the Lord came to me in the morning: 12:9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 12:10 Say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: The prince will raise this burden in Jerusalem, ³⁴¹  and all the house of Israel within it.’ ³⁴²  12:11 Say, ‘I am an object lesson for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to them; they will go into exile and captivity.’

12:12 “The prince ³⁴³  who is among them will raise his belongings ³⁴⁴  onto his shoulder in darkness, and will go out. He ³⁴⁵  will dig a hole in the wall to leave through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 12:13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans ³⁴⁶  (but he will not see it), ³⁴⁷  and there he will die. ³⁴⁸  12:14 All his retinue – his attendants and his troops – I will scatter to every wind; I will unleash a sword behind them.

12:15 “Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among foreign countries. 12:16 But I will let a small number of them survive the sword, famine, and pestilence, so that they can confess all their abominable practices to the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

12:17 The word of the Lord came to me: 12:18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, ³⁴⁹  and drink your water with anxious shaking. 12:19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in fright, for their land will be stripped bare of all it contains because of the violence of all who live in it. 12:20 The inhabited towns will be left in ruins and the land will be devastated. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

12:21 The word of the Lord came to me: 12:22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel, ‘The days pass slowly, and every vision fails’? 12:23 Therefore tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I hereby end this proverb; they will not recite it in Israel any longer.’ But say to them, ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. ³⁵⁰  12:24 For there will no longer be any false visions or flattering omens amidst the house of Israel. 12:25 For I, the Lord, will speak. Whatever word I speak will be accomplished. It will not be delayed any longer. Indeed in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and accomplish it, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

12:26 The word of the Lord came to me: 12:27 “Take note, son of man, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for distant days; he is prophesying about the far future.’ 12:28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer! The word I speak will come to pass, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

13:1 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 13:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to the prophets who prophesy from their imagination: ³⁵¹  ‘Hear the word of the Lord! 13:3 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit but have seen nothing! 13:4 Your prophets have become like jackals among the ruins, O Israel. 13:5 You have not gone up in the breaks in the wall, nor repaired a wall for the house of Israel that it would stand strong in the battle on the day of the Lord. 13:6 They see delusion and their omens are a lie. ³⁵²  They say, “the Lord declares,” though the Lord has not sent them; ³⁵³  yet they expect their word to be confirmed. ³⁵⁴  13:7 Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say, “the Lord declares,” although I myself never spoke?

13:8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, ³⁵⁵  I am against you, ³⁵⁶  declares the sovereign Lord. 13:9 My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council ³⁵⁷  of my people, nor be written in the registry ³⁵⁸  of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign Lord.

13:10 “‘This is because they have led my people astray saying, “All is well,” ³⁵⁹  when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, ³⁶⁰  they coat it with whitewash. 13:11 Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones ³⁶¹  will fall and a violent wind will break out. ³⁶²  13:12 When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you, “Where is the whitewash you coated it with?”

13:13 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury. 13:14 I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, ³⁶³  and you will know that I am the Lord. 13:15 I will vent my rage against the wall, and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you, “The wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no more – 13:16 those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem ³⁶⁴  and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the sovereign Lord.’

13:17 “As for you, son of man, turn toward ³⁶⁵  the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their imagination. ³⁶⁶  Prophesy against them 13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands ³⁶⁷  on all their wrists ³⁶⁸  and make headbands ³⁶⁹  for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! ³⁷⁰  Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 13:19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people ³⁷¹  who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!

13:20 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Take note ³⁷²  that I am against your wristbands with which you entrap people’s lives ³⁷³  like birds. I will tear them from your arms and will release the people’s lives, which you hunt like birds. 13:21 I will tear off your headbands and rescue my people from your power; ³⁷⁴  they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 13:22 This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life. 13:23 Therefore you will no longer see false visions and practice divination. I will rescue my people from your power, and you ³⁷⁵  will know that I am the Lord.’”

14:1 Then some men from Israel’s elders came to me and sat down in front of me. 14:2 The word of the Lord came to me: 14:3 “Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity ³⁷⁶  right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek ³⁷⁷  me? 14:4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When any one from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry. ³⁷⁸  14:5 I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’

14:6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations. 14:7 For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the foreigner who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally. 14:8 I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword ³⁷⁹  and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

14:9 “‘As for the prophet, if he is made a fool by being deceived into speaking a prophetic word – I, the Lord, have made a fool of ³⁸⁰  that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 14:10 They will bear their punishment; ³⁸¹  the punishment of the one who sought an oracle will be the same as the punishment of the prophet who gave it ³⁸²  14:11 so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their God, ³⁸³  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

14:12 The word of the Lord came to me: 14:13 “Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, ³⁸⁴  cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals. 14:14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, ³⁸⁵  and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the sovereign Lord.

14:15 “Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals. 14:16 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they would save only their own lives, and the land would become desolate.

14:17 “Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I were to kill both people and animals. 14:18 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own sons or daughters – they would save only their own lives.

14:19 “Or suppose I were to send a plague into that land, and pour out my rage on it with bloodshed, killing both people and animals. 14:20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

14:21 “For this is what the sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments – sword, famine, wild animals, and plague – to Jerusalem ³⁸⁶  to kill both people and animals! 14:22 Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds, you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem – for everything I brought on it. 14:23 They will console you when you see their behavior and their deeds, because you will know that it was not without reason that I have done everything which I have done in it, declares the sovereign Lord.”

15:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 15:2 “Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine? ³⁸⁷  15:3 Can wood be taken from it to make anything useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on? 15:4 No! ³⁸⁸  It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything? 15:5 Indeed! If it was not made into anything useful when it was whole, how much less can it be made into anything when the fire has burned it up and it is charred?

15:6 “Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire – so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem ³⁸⁹  as fuel. ³⁹⁰  15:7 I will set ³⁹¹  my face against them – although they have escaped from the fire, ³⁹²  the fire will still consume them! Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them. 15:8 I will make ³⁹³  the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully, declares the sovereign Lord.”

16:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 16:2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem ³⁹⁴  with her abominable practices 16:3 and say, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. 16:4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water; ³⁹⁵  you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor wrapped with blankets. ³⁹⁶  16:5 No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; ³⁹⁷  you were thrown out into the open field ³⁹⁸  because you were detested on the day you were born.

16:6 “‘I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live!” ³⁹⁹  16:7 I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.

16:8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing ⁴⁰⁰  that you had reached the age for love. ⁴⁰¹  I spread my cloak ⁴⁰²  over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign Lord, and you became mine.

16:9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. 16:10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 16:11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 16:12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. 16:13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. 16:14 Your fame ⁴⁰³  spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign Lord. ⁴⁰⁴ 

16:15 “‘But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty ⁴⁰⁵  became his. 16:16 You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his. ⁴⁰⁶  16:17 You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution ⁴⁰⁷  with them. 16:18 You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them. 16:19 As for my food that I gave you – the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you – you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the sovereign Lord.

16:20 “‘You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them ⁴⁰⁸  as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution not enough, 16:21 you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols. ⁴⁰⁹  16:22 And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.

16:23 “‘After all of your evil – “Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord – 16:24 you built yourself a chamber ⁴¹⁰  and put up a pavilion ⁴¹¹  in every public square. 16:25 At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced ⁴¹²  your beauty when you spread ⁴¹³  your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity. 16:26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, ⁴¹⁴  multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger. 16:27 So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed by your obscene conduct. 16:28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied. 16:29 Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, ⁴¹⁵  but you were not satisfied there either.

16:30 “‘How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign Lord, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute. 16:31 When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment. ⁴¹⁶ 

16:32 “‘Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband! 16:33 All prostitutes receive payment, ⁴¹⁷  but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors! 16:34 You were different from other prostitutes ⁴¹⁸  because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!

16:35 “‘Therefore O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: 16:36 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Because your lust ⁴¹⁹  was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them, 16:37 therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness. ⁴²⁰  16:38 I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. ⁴²¹  I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage. ⁴²²  16:39 I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 16:40 They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords. 16:41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients. ⁴²³  16:42 I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.

16:43 “‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, ⁴²⁴  declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?

16:44 “‘Observe – everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 16:45 You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 16:46 Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north ⁴²⁵  of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south ⁴²⁶  of you, was Sodom ⁴²⁷  with her daughters. 16:47 Have you not copied their behavior ⁴²⁸  and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time ⁴²⁹  you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were! 16:48 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.

16:49 “‘See here – this was the iniquity ⁴³⁰  of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help ⁴³¹  the poor and needy. 16:50 They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them. 16:51 Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. ⁴³²  You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done. 16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. ⁴³³  Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.

16:53 “‘I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters (along with your fortunes among them), 16:54 so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them. 16:55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status. 16:56 In your days of majesty, ⁴³⁴  was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth, 16:57 before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram ⁴³⁵  and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines – those all around you who despise you. 16:58 You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the Lord.

16:59 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant. 16:60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting ⁴³⁶  covenant with you. 16:61 Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you. 16:62 I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. 16:63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent ⁴³⁷  when I make atonement for all you have done, ⁴³⁸  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

17:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 17:2 “Son of man, offer a riddle, ⁴³⁹  and tell a parable to the house of Israel. 17:3 Say to them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: ⁴⁴⁰ 

“‘A great eagle ⁴⁴¹  with broad wings, long feathers, ⁴⁴² 

with full plumage which was multi-hued, ⁴⁴³ 

came to Lebanon ⁴⁴⁴  and took the top of the cedar.

17:4 He plucked off its topmost shoot;

he brought it to a land of merchants

and planted it in a city of traders.

17:5 He took one of the seedlings ⁴⁴⁵  of the land,

placed it in a cultivated plot; ⁴⁴⁶ 

a shoot by abundant water,

like a willow he planted it.

17:6 It sprouted and became a vine,

spreading low to the ground; ⁴⁴⁷ 

its branches turning toward him, ⁴⁴⁸  its roots were under itself. ⁴⁴⁹ 

So it became a vine; it produced shoots and sent out branches.

17:7 “‘There was another great eagle ⁴⁵⁰ 

with broad wings and thick plumage.

Now this vine twisted its roots toward him

and sent its branches toward him

to be watered from the soil where it was planted.

17:8 In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted

to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine.

17:9 “‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘Will it prosper?

Will he not rip out its roots

and cause its fruit to rot ⁴⁵¹  and wither?

All its foliage ⁴⁵²  will wither.

No strong arm or large army

will be needed to pull it out by its roots. ⁴⁵³ 

17:10 Consider! It is planted, but will it prosper?

Will it not wither completely when the east wind blows on it?

Will it not wither in the soil where it sprouted?’”

17:11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 17:12 “Say to the rebellious house of Israel: ⁴⁵⁴  ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ ⁴⁵⁵  Say: ‘See here, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem ⁴⁵⁶  and took her king and her officials prisoner and brought them to himself in Babylon. 17:13 He took one from the royal family, ⁴⁵⁷  made a treaty with him, and put him under oath. ⁴⁵⁸  He then took the leaders of the land 17:14 so it would be a lowly kingdom which could not rise on its own but must keep its treaty with him in order to stand. 17:15 But this one from Israel’s royal family ⁴⁵⁹  rebelled against the king of Babylon ⁴⁶⁰  by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?

17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, surely in the city ⁴⁶¹  of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – in the middle of Babylon he will die! 17:17 Pharaoh with his great army and mighty horde will not help ⁴⁶²  him in battle, when siege ramps are erected and siege-walls are built to kill many people. 17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note ⁴⁶³  – he gave his promise ⁴⁶⁴  and did all these things – he will not escape!

17:19 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will certainly repay him ⁴⁶⁵  for despising my oath and breaking my covenant! 17:20 I will throw my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there because of the unfaithfulness he committed against me. 17:21 All the choice men ⁴⁶⁶  among his troops will die ⁴⁶⁷  by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!

17:22 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will take a sprig ⁴⁶⁸  from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. ⁴⁶⁹ 

I will pluck from the top one of its tender twigs;

I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain.

17:23 I will plant it on a high mountain of Israel,

and it will raise branches and produce fruit and become a beautiful cedar.

Every bird will live under it;

Every winged creature will live in the shade of its branches.

17:24 All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord.

I make the high tree low; I raise up the low tree.

I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout.

I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!’”

18:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 18:2 “What do you mean by quoting this proverb concerning the land of Israel,

“‘The fathers eat sour grapes

And the children’s teeth become numb?’ ⁴⁷⁰ 

18:3 “As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, ⁴⁷¹  you will not quote this proverb in Israel anymore! 18:4 Indeed! All lives are mine – the life of the father as well as the life of the son is mine. The one ⁴⁷²  who sins will die.

18:5 “Suppose a man is righteous. He practices what is just and right, 18:6 does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains ⁴⁷³  or pray to the idols ⁴⁷⁴  of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not have sexual relations with a ⁴⁷⁵  woman during her period, 18:7 does not oppress anyone, but gives the debtor back whatever was given in pledge, ⁴⁷⁶  does not commit robbery, ⁴⁷⁷  but gives his bread to the hungry and clothes the naked, 18:8 does not engage in usury or charge interest, ⁴⁷⁸  but refrains ⁴⁷⁹  from wrongdoing, promotes true justice ⁴⁸⁰  between men, 18:9 and follows my statutes and observes my regulations by carrying them out. ⁴⁸¹  That man ⁴⁸²  is righteous; he will certainly live, ⁴⁸³  declares the sovereign Lord.

18:10 “Suppose such a man has ⁴⁸⁴  a violent son who sheds blood and does any of these things ⁴⁸⁵  mentioned previously 18:11 (though the father did not do any of them). ⁴⁸⁶  He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, ⁴⁸⁷  defiles his neighbor’s wife, 18:12 oppresses the poor and the needy, ⁴⁸⁸  commits robbery, does not give back what was given in pledge, prays to ⁴⁸⁹  idols, performs abominable acts, 18:13 engages in usury and charges interest. Will he live? He will not! Because he has done all these abominable deeds he will certainly die. ⁴⁹⁰  He will bear the responsibility for his own death. ⁴⁹¹ 

18:14 “But suppose he in turn has a son who notices all the sins his father commits, considers them, and does not follow his father’s example. ⁴⁹²  18:15 He does not eat pagan sacrifices on the mountains, does not pray to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, 18:16 does not oppress anyone or keep what has been given in pledge, does not commit robbery, gives his food to the hungry, and clothes the naked, 18:17 refrains from wrongdoing, ⁴⁹³  does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s iniquity; ⁴⁹⁴  he will surely live. 18:18 As for his father, because he practices extortion, robs his brother, and does what is not good among his people, he will die for his iniquity.

18:19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not suffer ⁴⁹⁵  for his father’s iniquity?’ When the son does what is just and right, and observes all my statutes and carries them out, he will surely live. 18:20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer ⁴⁹⁶  for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer ⁴⁹⁷  for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. ⁴⁹⁸ 

18:21 “But if the wicked person turns from all the sin he has committed and observes all my statutes and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 18:22 None of the sins he has committed will be held ⁴⁹⁹  against him; because of the righteousness he has done, he will live. 18:23 Do I actually delight in the death of the wicked, declares the sovereign Lord? Do I not prefer that he turn from his wicked conduct and live?

18:24 “But if a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing according to all the abominable practices the wicked carry out, will he live? All his righteous acts will not be remembered; because of the unfaithful acts he has done and the sin he has committed, he will die. ⁵⁰⁰ 

18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The Lord’s conduct ⁵⁰¹  is unjust!’ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my conduct unjust? Is it not your conduct that is unjust? 18:26 When a righteous person turns back from his righteousness and practices wrongdoing, he will die for it; ⁵⁰²  because of the wrongdoing he has done, he will die. 18:27 When a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life. 18:28 Because he considered ⁵⁰³  and turned from all the sins he had done, he will surely live; he will not die. 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s conduct is unjust!’ Is my conduct unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your conduct that is unjust?

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ⁵⁰⁴  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ⁵⁰⁵  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ⁵⁰⁶  18:31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ⁵⁰⁷  Why should you die, O house of Israel? 18:32 For I take no delight in the death of anyone, ⁵⁰⁸  declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

19:1 “And you, sing ⁵⁰⁹  a lament for the princes of Israel, 19:2 and say:

“‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions!

She lay among young lions; ⁵¹⁰  she reared her cubs.

19:3 She reared one of her cubs; he became a young lion.

He learned to tear prey; he devoured people. ⁵¹¹ 

19:4 The nations heard about him; he was trapped in their pit.

They brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. ⁵¹² 

19:5 “‘When she realized that she waited in vain, her hope was lost.

She took another of her cubs ⁵¹³  and made him a young lion.

19:6 He walked about among the lions; he became a young lion.

He learned to tear prey; he devoured people.

19:7 He broke down ⁵¹⁴  their strongholds ⁵¹⁵  and devastated their cities.

The land and everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring.

19:8 The nations – the surrounding regions – attacked him.

They threw their net over him; he was caught in their pit.

19:9 They put him in a collar with hooks; ⁵¹⁶ 

they brought him to the king of Babylon;

they brought him to prison ⁵¹⁷ 

so that his voice would not be heard

any longer on the mountains of Israel.

19:10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, ⁵¹⁸  planted by water.

It was fruitful and full of branches because it was well-watered.

19:11 Its boughs were strong, fit ⁵¹⁹  for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the clouds.

It stood out because of its height and its many branches. ⁵²⁰ 

19:12 But it was plucked up in anger; it was thrown down to the ground.

The east wind ⁵²¹  dried up its fruit;

its strong branches broke off and withered –

a fire consumed them.

19:13 Now it is planted in the wilderness,

in a dry and thirsty land. ⁵²² 

19:14 A fire has gone out from its branch; it has consumed its shoot and its fruit. ⁵²³ 

No strong branch was left in it, nor a scepter to rule.’

This is a lament song, and has become a lament song.”

20:1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, ⁵²⁴  some of the elders ⁵²⁵  of Israel came to seek ⁵²⁶  the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. 20:2 The word of the Lord came to me: 20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, ⁵²⁷  declares the sovereign Lord.’ 20:4 “Are you willing to pronounce judgment? ⁵²⁸  Are you willing to pronounce judgment, son of man? Then confront them with the abominable practices of their fathers, 20:5 and say to them:

“‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose Israel I swore ⁵²⁹  to the descendants ⁵³⁰  of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore ⁵³¹  to them, “I am the Lord your God.” 20:6 On that day I swore ⁵³²  to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land which I had picked out ⁵³³  for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, ⁵³⁴  the most beautiful of all lands. 20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, ⁵³⁵  and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” 20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, ⁵³⁶  nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out ⁵³⁷  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 20:9 I acted for the sake of my reputation, ⁵³⁸  so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, ⁵³⁹  before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ⁵⁴⁰ 

20:10 “‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them to the wilderness. 20:11 I gave them my statutes ⁵⁴¹  and revealed my regulations to them. The one ⁵⁴²  who carries ⁵⁴³  them out will live by them! ⁵⁴⁴  20:12 I also gave them my Sabbaths ⁵⁴⁵  as a reminder of our relationship, ⁵⁴⁶  so that they would know that I, the Lord, sanctify them. ⁵⁴⁷  20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out ⁵⁴⁸  my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. ⁵⁴⁹  20:14 I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:15 I also swore ⁵⁵⁰  to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them to the land I had given them – a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. 20:16 I did this ⁵⁵¹  because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. ⁵⁵²  20:17 Yet I had pity on ⁵⁵³  them and did not destroy them, so I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

20:18 “‘But I said to their children ⁵⁵⁴  in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, ⁵⁵⁵  nor defile yourselves with their idols. 20:19 I am the Lord your God; follow my statutes, observe my regulations, and carry them out. 20:20 Treat my Sabbaths as holy ⁵⁵⁶  and they will be a reminder of our relationship, ⁵⁵⁷  and then you will know that I am the Lord your God.” 20:21 “‘But the children ⁵⁵⁸  rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys ⁵⁵⁹  them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out ⁵⁶⁰  my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness. 20:22 But I refrained from doing so, ⁵⁶¹  and acted instead for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 20:23 I also swore ⁵⁶²  to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ⁵⁶³  20:24 I did this ⁵⁶⁴  because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on ⁵⁶⁵  their fathers’ idols. 20:25 I also gave ⁵⁶⁶  them decrees ⁵⁶⁷  which were not good and regulations by which they could not live. 20:26 I declared them to be defiled because of their sacrifices ⁵⁶⁸  – they caused all their first born to pass through the fire ⁵⁶⁹  – so that I would devastate them, so that they will know that I am the Lord.’ ⁵⁷⁰ 

20:27 “Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In this way too your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. 20:28 I brought them to the land which I swore ⁵⁷¹  to give them, but whenever they saw any high hill or leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented the offerings that provoke me to anger. They offered their soothing aroma there and poured out their drink offerings. 20:29 So I said to them, What is this high place you go to?’” (So it is called “High Place” ⁵⁷²  to this day.)

20:30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers ⁵⁷³  and engage in prostitution with detestable idols? 20:31 When you present your sacrifices ⁵⁷⁴  – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, ⁵⁷⁵  O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! ⁵⁷⁶ 

20:32 “‘What you plan ⁵⁷⁷  will never happen. You say, “We will be ⁵⁷⁸  like the nations, like the clans of the lands, who serve gods of wood and stone.” ⁵⁷⁹  20:33 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm, ⁵⁸⁰  and with an outpouring of rage, I will be king over you. 20:34 I will bring you out from the nations, and will gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm and with an outpouring of rage! 20:35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 20:36 Just as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the sovereign Lord. 20:37 I will make you pass under ⁵⁸¹  the shepherd’s staff, ⁵⁸²  and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 20:38 I will eliminate from among you the rebels and those who revolt ⁵⁸³  against me. I will bring them out from the land where they have been residing, but they will not come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, ⁵⁸⁴  if you will not listen to me. ⁵⁸⁵  But my holy name will not be profaned ⁵⁸⁶  again by your sacrifices ⁵⁸⁷  and your idols. 20:40 For there on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord, all the house of Israel will serve me, all of them ⁵⁸⁸  in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will seek your contributions and your choice gifts, with all your holy things. 20:41 When I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, I will accept you along with your soothing aroma. I will display my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 20:42 Then you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land I swore ⁵⁸⁹  to give to your fathers. 20:43 And there you will remember your conduct ⁵⁹⁰  and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves ⁵⁹¹  because of all the evil deeds you have done. 20:44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.’”

20:45 ⁵⁹²  The word of the Lord came to me: 20:46 “Son of man, turn toward ⁵⁹³  the south, ⁵⁹⁴  and speak out against the south. ⁵⁹⁵  Prophesy against the open scrub ⁵⁹⁶  land of the Negev, 20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, ⁵⁹⁷  I am about to start a fire in you, ⁵⁹⁸  and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it. 20:48 And everyone ⁵⁹⁹  will see that I, the Lord, have burned it; it will not be extinguished.’”

20:49 Then I said, “O sovereign Lord! They are saying of me, ‘Does he not simply speak in eloquent figures of speech?’”