| 1 | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2 | "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not; |
| 3 | for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight; you shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. |
| 4 | You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile; and you shall go forth yourself at evening in their sight, as men do who must go into exile. |
| 5 | Dig through the wall in their sight, and go out through it. |
| 6 | In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark; you shall cover your face, that you may not see the land; for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel." |
| 7 | And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands; I went forth in the dark, carrying my outfit upon my shoulder in their sight. |
| 8 | In the morning the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 9 | "Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, `What are you doing?' |
| 10 | Say to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.' |
| 11 | Say, `I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity.' |
| 12 | And the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder in the dark, and shall go forth; he shall dig through the wall and go out through it; he shall cover his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes. |
| 13 | And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chalde'ans, yet he shall not see it; and he shall die there. |
| 14 | And I will scatter toward every wind all who are round about him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will unsheathe the sword after them. |
| 15 | And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries. |
| 16 | But I will let a few of them escape from the sword, from famine and pestilence, that they may confess all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the LORD." |
| 17 | Moreover the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 18 | "Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with fearfulness; |
| 19 | and say of the people of the land, Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread with fearfulness, and drink water in dismay, because their land will be stripped of all it contains, on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. |
| 20 | And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the LORD." |
| 21 | And the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 22 | "Son of man, what is this proverb that you have about the land of Israel, saying, `The days grow long, and every vision comes to nought'? |
| 23 | Tell them therefore, `Thus says the Lord GOD: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.' But say to them, The days are at hand, and the fulfilment of every vision. |
| 24 | For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. |
| 25 | But I the LORD will speak the word which I will speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, says the Lord GOD." |
| 26 | Again the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 27 | "Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, `The vision that he sees is for many days hence, and he prophesies of times far off.' |
| 28 | Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word which I speak will be performed, says the Lord GOD." |
| 1 | The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 2 | "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, prophesy and say to those who prophesy out of their own minds: `Hear the word of the LORD!' |
| 3 | Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! |
| 4 | Your prophets have been like foxes among ruins, O Israel. |
| 5 | You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the LORD. |
| 6 | They have spoken falsehood and divined a lie; they say, `Says the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfil their word. |
| 7 | Have you not seen a delusive vision, and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, `Says the LORD,' although I have not spoken?" |
| 8 | Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Because you have uttered delusions and seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord GOD. |
| 9 | My hand will be against the prophets who see delusive visions and who give lying divinations; they shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. |
| 10 | Because, yea, because they have misled my people, saying, `Peace,' when there is no peace; and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets daub it with whitewash; |
| 11 | say to those who daub it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, great hailstones will fall, and a stormy wind break out; |
| 12 | and when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, `Where is the daubing with which you daubed it?' |
| 13 | Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath; and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to destroy it. |
| 14 | And I will break down the wall that you have daubed with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare; when it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it; and you shall know that I am the LORD. |
| 15 | Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall, and upon those who have daubed it with whitewash; and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who daubed it, |
| 16 | the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, says the Lord GOD. |
| 17 | "And you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own minds; prophesy against them |
| 18 | and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the women who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people, and keep other souls alive for your profit? |
| 19 | You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death persons who should not die and keeping alive persons who should not live, by your lies to my people, who listen to lies. |
| 20 | "Wherefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against your magic bands with which you hunt the souls, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls that you hunt go free like birds. |
| 21 | Your veils also I will tear off, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey; and you shall know that I am the LORD. |
| 22 | Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not disheartened him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way to save his life; |
| 23 | therefore you shall no more see delusive visions nor practice divination; I will deliver my people out of your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD." |
| 1 | Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me; and sat before me. |
| 2 | And the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 3 | "Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces; should I let myself be inquired of at all by them? |
| 4 | Therefore speak to them, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself because of the multitude of his idols, |
| 5 | that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols. |
| 6 | "Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. |
| 7 | For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to inquire for himself of me, I the LORD will answer him myself; |
| 8 | and I will set my face against that man, I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am the LORD. |
| 9 | And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. |
| 10 | And they shall bear their punishment -- the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike -- |
| 11 | that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, nor defile themselves any more with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people and I may be their God, says the Lord GOD." |
| 12 | And the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 13 | "Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it, and break its staff of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, |
| 14 | even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD. |
| 15 | If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts; |
| 16 | even if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate. |
| 17 | Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Let a sword go through the land; and I cut off from it man and beast; |
| 18 | though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered. |
| 19 | Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast; |
| 20 | even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. |
| 21 | "For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four sore acts of judgment, sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! |
| 22 | Yet, if there should be left in it any survivors to lead out sons and daughters, when they come forth to you, and you see their ways and their doings, you will be consoled for the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. |
| 23 | They will console you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord GOD." |
