THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL

 

Ezekiel Chapter 14

1 ¶ Then some of the elders of Israel came to me, and sat before me.

2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

3 Son of man, these men cherish idols in their heart, and look favorably on the sin that causes them to fall: should I let them come to me for help?

4 Therefore speak to them, and tell them, The Lord GOD says; Every man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and is bent upon the sin that causes him to stumble, and comes to the prophet; I the LORD will give him an answer in keeping with his many idols;

5 That I may take hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

6 Therefore say to the house of Israel, The Lord GOD says; Repent, and turn away from your idols; and turn your backs on all your abominations.

7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who are staying in Israel, who separates himself from me, and sets up idols in his heart, and puts a sinful stumbling block before his face, and then comes to a prophet to seek help from me; I the LORD will answer him myself:

8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you will know that I am the LORD.

9 And if the prophet is deceived when he has spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10 And they will bear the punishment of their sin: the punishment of the prophet will be the same as the punishment of the one who seeks his help;

11 That the house of Israel may no longer go astray from me, or be polluted by all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, says the Lord GOD.

12 ¶ The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

13 Son of man, when the land sins against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out my hand against it, and will take away its supply of bread, and will send famine upon it, and destroy both man and beast:

14 Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would only deliver their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD.

15 If I were to send wild beasts through the land, and they depopulate it, so that it is desolate, and no man travels through it because of the beasts:

16 Even if those three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would not save their sons or daughters; they alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.

17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and tell it to, Go through the land; so that men and beasts are eliminated from it:

18 Even if those three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would not deliver their sons or daughters, but they alone would be delivered.

19 Or if I send a plague into that land, and pour out my fury on it to kill and destroy both people and animals:

20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would not deliver either son or daughter; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness.

21 For the Lord GOD says; How much worse will it be when I send my four grievous judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, famine, wild beasts, and disease, to cut off man and beast from it?

22 Still, know that a remnant will be left in it who will escape, both sons and daughters: know they will come out to you, and you will see how they live and what they do: and you will be consoled concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23 And when you see how they live and what they do: you will be consoled, and you will know that I have not done all that I have done to it for no reason, says the Lord GOD.