Ezekiel 13-21

English Standard Version

False Prophets Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(A)“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those ^(B)who prophesy from their own hearts: ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ ³Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! ⁴Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. ⁵^(C)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^(D)They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the Lord,’ ^(E)when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. ⁷Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, ^(F)whenever you have said, ‘Declares the Lord,’ although I have not spoken?”

⁸Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, ^(G)I am against you, declares the Lord God. ⁹My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, ^(H)nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, ^(I)nor shall they enter the land of Israel. ^(J)And you shall know that I am the Lord God. ¹⁰Precisely because they have misled my people, ^(K)saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, ^(L)these prophets smear it with whitewash,^[a] ¹¹say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! ^(M)There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. ¹²And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ ¹³Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(N)I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, ^(O)and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. ¹⁴And I will break down the wall that you have smeared 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, ^(P)and you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, ¹⁶the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem ^(Q)and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.

¹⁷“And you, son of man, ^(R)set your face against ^(S)the daughters of your people, ^(T)who prophesy out of their own hearts. Prophesy against them ¹⁸and say, Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the women ^(U)who sew magic bands upon all wrists, and ^(V)make veils for the heads of persons of every stature, in ^(W)the hunt for souls! Will you hunt down souls belonging to my people and keep your own souls alive? ¹⁹You have profaned me among my people ^(X)for handfuls of barley ^(Y)and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.

²⁰“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, ^(Z)I am against ^(AA)your magic bands with which you hunt the souls like birds, and I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls whom you hunt go free, the souls like birds. ²¹Your veils also I will tear off and ^(AB)deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand as prey, ^(AC)and you shall know that I am the Lord. ²²^(AD)Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and ^(AE)you have encouraged the wicked, that ^(AF)he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, ²³^(AG)therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

14 Then certain of the ^(AH)elders of Israel came to me ^(AI)and sat before me. ²And the word of the Lord came to me: ³^(AJ)“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set ^(AK)the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. ^(AL)Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? ⁴Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one 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, ^(AM)I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, ⁵^(AN)that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, ^(AO)who are all estranged from me through their idols.

⁶“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^(AP)Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. ⁷For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, ^(AQ)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 consult me through him, ^(AR)I the Lord will answer him myself. ⁸And ^(AS)I will set my face against that man; I ^(AT)will make him a sign and a byword ^(AU)and cut him off from the midst of my people, ^(AV)and you shall know that I am the Lord. ⁹And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, ^(AW)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. ¹⁰And they shall bear their punishment^[b]—the punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike— ¹¹that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, nor ^(AX)defile themselves anymore with all their transgressions, ^(AY)but that they may be my people and I may be their God, declares the Lord God.”

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

¹²And the word of the Lord came to me: ¹³^(AZ)“Son of man, when a land sins against me ^(BA)by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and ^(BB)break its supply^[c] of bread and send famine upon it, and ^(BC)cut off from it man and beast, ¹⁴^(BD)even if these three men, ^(BE)Noah, ^(BF)Daniel, and ^(BG)Job, were in it, ^(BH)they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.

¹⁵^(BI)“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, ^(BJ)and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶even if these three men were in it, ^(BK)as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but ^(BL)the land would be desolate.

¹⁷“Or ^(BM)if I bring a sword upon that land and say, Let a sword pass through the land, ^(BN)and I cut off from it man and beast, ¹⁸^(BO)though these three men were in it, as I live, declares the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered.

¹⁹“Or ^(BP)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, ²⁰even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares 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 ^(BQ)when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, ^(BR)sword, ^(BS)famine, ^(BT)wild beasts, and ^(BU)pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! ²²But behold, ^(BV)some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out; behold, when they come out to you, and ^(BW)you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. ²³They will console you, when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, declares the Lord God.”

Jerusalem, a Useless Vine

15 And the word of the Lord came to me: ²^(BX)“Son of man, how does ^(BY)the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch that is among the trees of the forest? ³Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do people take ^(BZ)a peg from it to hang any vessel on it? ⁴^(CA)Behold, it is given to the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it, and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? ⁵^(CB)Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything! ⁶Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(CC)Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, ^(CD)which I have given to the fire for fuel, so have I given up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ⁷^(CE)And I will set my face against them. Though ^(CF)they escape from the fire, the fire shall yet consume them, ^(CG)and you will know that I am the Lord, ^(CH)when I set my face against them. ⁸^(CI)And I will make the land desolate, because ^(CJ)they have acted faithlessly, declares the Lord God.”

The Lord's Faithless Bride

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me: ²^(CK)“Son of man, ^(CL)make known to Jerusalem her abominations, ³and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an ^(CM)Amorite and your mother a ^(CN)Hittite. ⁴And as for your birth, ^(CO)on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, ^(CP)but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, ^(CQ)on the day that you were born.

⁶“And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing ^(CR)in your blood, I said to you ^(CS)in your blood, ‘Live!’ I said to you ^(CT)in your blood, ‘Live!’ ⁷^(CU)I made you flourish like a plant of the field. And you grew up and became tall ^(CV)and arrived at full adornment. Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown; yet ^(CW)you were naked and bare.

⁸“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and ^(CX)I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you ^(CY)and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, ^(CZ)and you became mine. ⁹Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and ^(DA)anointed you with oil. ¹⁰^(DB)I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.^[d] ¹¹^(DC)And I adorned you with ornaments and ^(DD)put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. ¹²And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. ^(DE)You ate fine flour and honey and oil. ^(DF)You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. ¹⁴And ^(DG)your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God.

¹⁵^(DH)“But you trusted in your beauty ^(DI)and played the whore^[e] because of your renown ^(DJ)and lavished your whorings^[f] on any passerby; your beauty^[g] became his. ¹⁶You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore. The like has never been, nor ever shall be.^[h] ¹⁷You also took ^(DK)your beautiful jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given you, and ^(DL)made for yourself images of men, and with them played the whore. ¹⁸And you took your embroidered garments to cover them, ^(DM)and set my oil and my incense before them. ¹⁹^(DN)Also my bread that I gave you—^(DO)I fed you with fine flour and oil and honey—you set before them for ^(DP)a pleasing aroma; and so it was, declares the Lord God. ²⁰^(DQ)And you took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and ^(DR)these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your whorings so small a matter ²¹that you slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering by fire to them? ²²And in all your abominations and your whorings you did not remember ^(DS)the days of your youth, ^(DT)when you were naked and bare, wallowing in your blood.

²³“And after all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! declares the Lord God), ²⁴you built yourself ^(DU)a vaulted chamber and made yourself a lofty place in every square. ²⁵At the head of every street ^(DV)you built your lofty place and made ^(DW)your beauty an abomination, ^(DX)offering yourself^[i] to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. ²⁶^(DY)You also played the whore ^(DZ)with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, ^(EA)multiplying your whoring, ^(EB)to provoke me to anger. ²⁷Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you ^(EC)and diminished your allotted portion ^(ED)and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, ^(EE)the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. ²⁸^(EF)You played the whore also ^(EG)with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. ²⁹You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land ^(EH)of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.

³⁰“How sick is your heart,^[j] declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, ³¹building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, ^(EI)because you scorned payment. ³²Adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband! ³³Men give gifts to all prostitutes, ^(EJ)but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from every side with your whorings. ³⁴So you were different from other women in your whorings. No one solicited you to play the whore, and ^(EK)you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; therefore you were different.

³⁵“Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: ³⁶Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, ^(EL)and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, ³⁷therefore, behold, ^(EM)I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and ^(EN)all those you hated. ^(EO)I will gather them against you from every side ^(EP)and will uncover your nakedness to them, that ^(EQ)they may see all your nakedness. ³⁸^(ER)And I will judge you ^(ES)as women who commit adultery and ^(ET)shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. ³⁹And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your ^(EU)vaulted chamber and break down ^(EV)your lofty places. ^(EW)They shall strip you of your clothes and take ^(EX)your beautiful jewels and leave you ^(EY)naked and bare. ⁴⁰^(EZ)They shall bring up a crowd against you, ^(FA)and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹^(FB)And they shall ^(FC)burn your houses and ^(FD)execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. ^(FE)I will make you stop playing the whore, and ^(FF)you shall also give payment no more. ⁴²^(FG)So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry. ⁴³Because you have not remembered ^(FH)the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, ^(FI)I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord God. Have you not ^(FJ)committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?

⁴⁴“Behold, everyone ^(FK)who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ ⁴⁵You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of ^(FL)your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. ^(FM)Your mother was a Hittite and ^(FN)your father an Amorite. ⁴⁶And ^(FO)your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and ^(FP)your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. ⁴⁷^(FQ)Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time ^(FR)you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. ⁴⁸^(FS)As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister ^(FT)Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, ^(FU)excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. ⁵⁰They were haughty and ^(FV)did an abomination before me. So ^(FW)I removed them, when I saw it. ⁵¹^(FX)Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and ^(FY)have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed. ⁵²^(FZ)Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have intervened on behalf of your sisters. Because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³^(GA)“I will restore their fortunes, both the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes in their midst, ⁵⁴that you may bear your disgrace ^(GB)and be ashamed of all that you have done, ^(GC)becoming a consolation to them. ⁵⁵As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state, ^(GD)and Samaria and her daughters shall return ^(GE)to their former state, ^(GF)and you and your daughters shall return ^(GG)to your former state. ⁵⁶Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth ^(GH)in the day of your pride, ⁵⁷before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you have become ^(GI)an object of reproach for the daughters of Syria^[k] and all those around her, and for ^(GJ)the daughters of the Philistines, ^(GK)those all around who despise you. ⁵⁸^(GL)You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord.

The Lord's Everlasting Covenant

⁵⁹“For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you ^(GM)who have despised the oath in breaking the covenant, ⁶⁰yet ^(GN)I will remember my covenant with you ^(GO)in the days of your youth, ^(GP)and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. ⁶¹^(GQ)Then you will remember your ways ^(GR)and be ashamed when you take ^(GS)your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you ^(GT)as daughters, but not on account of^[l] the covenant with you. ⁶²I will establish my covenant with you, ^(GU)and you shall know that I am the Lord, ⁶³that you may remember and be confounded, and ^(GV)never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God.”

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

17 The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(GW)“Son of man, ^(GX)propound a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; ³say, Thus says the Lord God: ^(GY)A great eagle ^(GZ)with great wings and long pinions, ^(HA)rich in plumage of many colors, came ^(HB)to Lebanon ^(HC)and took the top of the cedar. ⁴He broke off the topmost of its young twigs and carried it to a land of trade and set it in a city of merchants. ⁵Then he took of the seed of the land ^(HD)and planted it in fertile soil.^[m] He placed it beside abundant waters. ^(HE)He set it like a willow twig, ⁶and it sprouted and became a ^(HF)low ^(HG)spreading vine, and its branches turned toward him, and its roots remained where it stood. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out boughs.

⁷^(HH)“And there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage, ^(HI)and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him and shot forth its branches toward him from ^(HJ)the bed where it was planted, that he might water it. ⁸^(HK)It had been planted on good soil by abundant waters, that it might produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.

⁹“Say, Thus says the Lord God: ^(HL)Will it thrive? Will he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit, so that it withers, so that all its fresh sprouting leaves wither? It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it from its roots. ¹⁰Behold, it is planted; will it thrive? ^(HM)Will it not utterly wither when the east wind strikes it—wither away on the bed where it sprouted?”

¹¹Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹²“Say now to ^(HN)the rebellious house, ^(HO)Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them, behold, ^(HP)the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. ¹³^(HQ)And he took one of the royal offspring^[n] ^(HR)and made a covenant with him, ^(HS)putting him under oath (^(HT)the chief men of the land he had taken away), ¹⁴that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. ¹⁵^(HU)But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors ^(HV)to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. ^(HW)Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he ^(HX)break the covenant and yet escape?

¹⁶^(HY)“As I live, declares the Lord God, surely ^(HZ)in the place where the king dwells ^(IA)who made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. ¹⁷^(IB)Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, ^(IC)when mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. ¹⁸He despised the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all these things; he shall not escape. ¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will return it upon his head. ²⁰^(ID)I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon ^(IE)and enter into judgment with him there ^(IF)for the treachery he has committed against me. ²¹And all the pick^[o] of his troops shall fall by the sword, ^(IG)and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that ^(IH)I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

²²Thus says the Lord God: ^(II)“I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. ^(IJ)I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and ^(IK)I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³^(IL)On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. ^(IM)And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. ²⁴And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; ^(IN)I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up ^(IO)the green tree, and make ^(IP)the dry tree flourish. ^(IQ)I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it.”

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

18 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“What do you^[p] mean ^(IR)by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ^(IS)‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge’? ³^(IT)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(IU)this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: ^(IV)the soul who sins shall die.

⁵“If a man is righteous and does ^(IW)what is just and right— ⁶if he ^(IX)does not eat upon the mountains or ^(IY)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, ^(IZ)does not defile his neighbor's wife ^(JA)or approach ^(JB)a woman in her time of menstrual impurity, ⁷^(JC)does not oppress anyone, but ^(JD)restores to the debtor his pledge, ^(JE)commits no robbery, ^(JF)gives his bread to the hungry ^(JG)and covers the naked with a garment, ⁸^(JH)does not lend at interest ^(JI)or take any profit,^[q] withholds his hand from injustice, ^(JJ)executes true justice between man and man, ⁹^(JK)walks in my statutes, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully—he is righteous; ^(JL)he shall surely live, declares the Lord God.

¹⁰“If he fathers a son who is violent, ^(JM)a shedder of blood, who does any of these things ¹¹(though he himself did none of these things), ^(JN)who even eats upon the mountains, ^(JO)defiles his neighbor's wife, ¹²oppresses the poor and needy, ^(JP)commits robbery, ^(JQ)does not restore the pledge, ^(JR)lifts up his eyes to the idols, ^(JS)commits abomination, ¹³^(JT)lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; ^(JU)his blood shall be upon himself.

¹⁴“Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise: ¹⁵he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, does not defile his neighbor's wife, ¹⁶does not oppress anyone, ^(JV)exacts no pledge, ^(JW)commits no robbery, ^(JX)but gives his bread to the hungry ^(JY)and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷withholds his hand from iniquity,^[r] takes no interest or profit, obeys my rules, ^(JZ)and walks in my statutes; he shall not die for his father's iniquity; ^(KA)he shall surely live. ¹⁸As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people, ^(KB)behold, he shall die for his iniquity.

¹⁹“Yet you say, ^(KC)‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done ^(KD)what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, ^(KE)he shall surely live. ²⁰^(KF)The soul who sins shall die. ^(KG)The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. ^(KH)The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, ^(KI)and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

²¹^(KJ)“But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does ^(KK)what is just and right, ^(KL)he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²²^(KM)None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. ²³^(KN)Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? ²⁴^(KO)But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? ^(KP)None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for ^(KQ)the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.

²⁵^(KR)“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? ²⁶^(KS)When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. ²⁷Again, ^(KT)when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. ²⁸Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?

³⁰“Therefore ^(KU)I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. ^(KV)Repent and turn from all your transgressions, ^(KW)lest iniquity be your ruin.^[s] ³¹^(KX)Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and ^(KY)make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ^(KZ)Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³²^(LA)For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; ^(LB)so turn, and live.”

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

19 And you, ^(LC)take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, ²and say:

What was your mother? ^(LD)A lioness!
    Among lions she crouched;
in the midst of young lions
    she reared her cubs.
³And she brought up one of her cubs;
    ^(LE)he became a young lion,
^(LF)and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured men.
⁴The nations heard about him;
    ^(LG)he was caught in their pit,
^(LH)and they brought him with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.
⁵When she saw that she waited in vain,
    that her hope was lost,
^(LI)she took another of her cubs
    and made him a young lion.
⁶He prowled among the lions;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured men,
⁷and seized^[t] their widows.
    He laid waste their cities,
and the land was appalled and all who were in it
    at the sound of his roaring.
⁸^(LJ)Then the nations set against him
    from provinces on every side;
^(LK)they spread their net over him;
    ^(LL)he was taken in their pit.
⁹With hooks ^(LM)they put him in a cage^[u]
    and ^(LN)brought him to the king of Babylon;
    they brought him into custody,
that his voice should no more be heard
    on ^(LO)the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰Your mother was ^(LP)like a vine in a vineyard^[v]
    planted by the water,
^(LQ)fruitful and full of branches
    ^(LR)by reason of abundant water.
¹¹Its strong stems became
    rulers' scepters;
it towered aloft
    among the thick boughs;^[w]
it was seen in its height
    with the mass of its branches.
¹²But the vine was plucked up in fury,
    cast down to the ground;
^(LS)the east wind dried up its fruit;
    they were stripped off and withered.
As for its strong stem,
    fire consumed it.
¹³^(LT)Now it is planted in the wilderness,
    in a dry and thirsty land.
¹⁴^(LU)And fire has gone out from the stem of its shoots,
    has consumed its fruit,
^(LV)so that there remains in it no strong stem,
    no scepter for ruling.

This is ^(LW)a lamentation and has become a lamentation.

Israel's Continuing Rebellion

20 ^(LX)In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of ^(LY)the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, ^(LZ)and sat before me. ²And the word of the Lord came to me: ³^(MA)“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? ^(MB)As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(MC)I will not be inquired of by you. ⁴^(MD)Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? ^(ME)Let them know the abominations of their fathers, ⁵and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(MF)On the day when I chose Israel, ^(MG)I swore^[x] to the offspring of the house of Jacob, ^(MH)making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; ^(MI)I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. ⁶On that day I swore to them that ^(MJ)I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land ^(MK)flowing with milk and honey, ^(ML)the most glorious of all lands. ⁷And I said to them, ^(MM)‘Cast away the detestable things ^(MN)your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with ^(MO)the idols of Egypt; ^(MP)I am the Lord your God.’ ⁸^(MQ)But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. ^(MR)None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them ^(MS)and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ⁹^(MT)But I acted ^(MU)for the sake of my name, ^(MV)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, ^(MW)in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰^(MX)So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹^(MY)I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, ^(MZ)by which, if a person does them, he shall live. ¹²Moreover, I gave them ^(NA)my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, ^(NB)that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³^(NC)But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. ^(ND)They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; ^(NE)and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

^(NF)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. ¹⁴But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, ^(NG)in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵Moreover, ^(NH)I swore to them in the wilderness ^(NI)that I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land ^(NJ)flowing with milk and honey, ^(NK)the most glorious of all lands, ¹⁶because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; ^(NL)for their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷Nevertheless, ^(NM)my eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or ^(NN)make a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸“And I said to ^(NO)their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk ^(NP)in the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, ^(NQ)nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹^(NR)I am the Lord your God; ^(NS)walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, ²⁰and ^(NT)keep my Sabbaths holy that ^(NU)they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ ²¹^(NV)But the children ^(NW)rebelled against me. ^(NX)They did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

^(NY)“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. ²²^(NZ)But I withheld my hand ^(OA)and acted for the sake of my name, ^(OB)that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³^(OC)Moreover, ^(OD)I swore to them in the wilderness ^(OE)that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, ²⁴because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, ^(OF)and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. ²⁵^(OG)Moreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, ²⁶and I defiled them through ^(OH)their very gifts ^(OI)in their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it ^(OJ)that they might know that I am the Lord.

²⁷“Therefore, ^(OK)son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by ^(OL)dealing treacherously with me. ²⁸For when I had brought them into the land that ^(OM)I swore to give them, then wherever they saw ^(ON)any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented ^(OO)the provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹(I said to them, ^(OP)‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah^[y] to this day.)

³⁰“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^(OQ)Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go ^(OR)whoring after their detestable things? ³¹When you present your gifts and ^(OS)offer up your children in fire,^[z] you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And ^(OT)shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? ^(OU)As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

³²^(OV)“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ^(OW)‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, ^(OX)and worship wood and stone.’

The Lord Will Restore Israel

³³^(OY)“As I live, declares the Lord God, ^(OZ)surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and ^(PA)with wrath poured out I will be king over you. ³⁴^(PB)I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. ³⁵^(PC)And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, ^(PD)and there I will enter into judgment with you ^(PE)face to face. ³⁶^(PF)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 Lord God. ³⁷I will make you ^(PG)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸^(PH)I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. ^(PI)I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, ^(PJ)but they shall not enter the land of Israel. ^(PK)Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: ^(PL)Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; ^(PM)but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.

⁴⁰^(PN)“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there ^(PO)all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. ^(PP)There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. ⁴¹As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when ^(PQ)I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And ^(PR)I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. ⁴²^(PS)And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that ^(PT)I swore to give to your fathers. ⁴³^(PU)And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, ^(PV)and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. ⁴⁴And you shall know that I am the Lord, ^(PW)when I deal with you for my name's sake, ^(PX)not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

⁴⁵^[aa] And the word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶^(PY)“Son of man, ^(PZ)set your face toward the southland;^[ab] ^(QA)preach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. ⁴⁷Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, ^(QB)I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every ^(QC)green tree in you and every ^(QD)dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and ^(QE)all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸^(QF)All flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ⁴⁹Then I said, ^(QG)“Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, ^(QH)‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

21 ^[ac] The word of the Lord came to me: ²^(QI)“Son of man, ^(QJ)set your face toward Jerusalem and ^(QK)preach against the sanctuaries.^[ad] Prophesy against the land of Israel ³and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: ^(QL)Behold, I am against you and will draw ^(QM)my sword from its sheath and ^(QN)will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. ⁴Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. ⁵^(QO)And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn ^(QP)my sword from its sheath; ^(QQ)it shall not be sheathed again.

⁶“As for you, son of man, ^(QR)groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, ^(QS)groan before their eyes. ⁷^(QT)And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news ^(QU)that it is coming. ^(QV)Every heart will melt, and ^(QW)all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and ^(QX)all knees will be weak as water. ^(QY)Behold, it is ^(QZ)coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.

⁸And the word of the Lord came to me: ⁹^(RA)“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:

^(RB)“A sword, a sword is sharpened
and also polished,
¹⁰^(RC)sharpened for slaughter,
^(RD)polished to flash like lightning!

(Or ^(RE)shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, ^(RF)with everything of wood.)^[ae] ¹¹So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished ^(RG)to be given into the hand of the slayer. ¹²^(RH)Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. ^(RI)Strike therefore upon your thigh. ¹³For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise ^(RJ)the rod?”^[af] declares the Lord God.

¹⁴“As for you, ^(RK)son of man, prophesy. ^(RL)Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, ^(RM)yes, three times,^[ag] the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them,

Footnotes

Ezekiel 13:10 Or plaster; also verses 11, 14, 15
Ezekiel 14:10 Or iniquity; three times in this verse
Ezekiel 14:13 Hebrew staff
Ezekiel 16:10 Or with rich fabric
Ezekiel 16:15 Or were unfaithful; also verses 16, 17, 26, 28
Ezekiel 16:15 Or unfaithfulness; also verses 20, 22, 25, 26, 29, 33, 34, 36
Ezekiel 16:15 Hebrew it
Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of this Hebrew sentence is uncertain
Ezekiel 16:25 Hebrew spreading your legs
Ezekiel 16:30 Revocalization yields How I am filled with anger against you
Ezekiel 16:57 Some manuscripts (compare Syriac) of Edom
Ezekiel 16:61 Or not apart from
Ezekiel 17:5 Hebrew in a field of seed
Ezekiel 17:13 Hebrew seed
Ezekiel 17:21 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts all the fugitives
Ezekiel 18:2 The Hebrew for you is plural
Ezekiel 18:8 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor; also verses 13, 17 (compare Leviticus 25:36)
Ezekiel 18:17 Septuagint; Hebrew from the poor
Ezekiel 18:30 Or lest iniquity be your stumbling block
Ezekiel 19:7 Hebrew knew
Ezekiel 19:9 Or in a wooden collar
Ezekiel 19:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts in your blood
Ezekiel 19:11 Or the clouds
Ezekiel 20:5 Hebrew I lifted my hand; twice in this verse; also verses 6, 15, 23, 28, 42
Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place
Ezekiel 20:31 Hebrew and make your children pass through the fire
Ezekiel 20:45 Ch 21:1 in Hebrew
Ezekiel 20:46 Or toward Teman
Ezekiel 21:1 Ch 21:6 in Hebrew
Ezekiel 21:2 Some Hebrew manuscripts, compare Septuagint, Syriac against their sanctuary
Ezekiel 21:10 Probable reading; Hebrew The rod of my son despises everything of wood
Ezekiel 21:13 Or For it is a testing; and what if even the rod despises? It shall not be!
Ezekiel 21:14 Hebrew its third

Ezekiel 13-21

New International Version

False Prophets Condemned

13 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, prophesy against the prophets^(A) of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:^(B) ‘Hear the word of the Lord!^(C) ³This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish^[a] prophets^(D) who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!^(E) ⁴Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins. ⁵You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair^(F) it for the people of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.^(G) ⁶Their visions are false^(H) and their divinations a lie. Even though the Lord has not sent^(I) them, they say, “The Lord declares,” and expect him to fulfill their words.^(J) ⁷Have you not seen false visions^(K) and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The Lord declares,” though I have not spoken?

⁸“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because of your false words and lying visions, I am against you,^(L) declares the Sovereign Lord. ⁹My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying^(M) divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records^(N) of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.^(O)

¹⁰“‘Because they lead my people astray,^(P) saying, “Peace,”^(Q) when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash,^(R) ¹¹therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones^(S) hurtling down,^(T) and violent winds will burst forth.^(U) ¹²When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with?”

¹³“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones^(V) and torrents of rain^(W) will fall with destructive fury.^(X) ¹⁴I will tear down the wall^(Y) you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation^(Z) will be laid bare. When it^[b] falls,^(AA) you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵So I will pour out my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, ¹⁶those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AB)”’

¹⁷“Now, son of man, set your face^(AC) against the daughters^(AD) of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. Prophesy against them^(AE) ¹⁸and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? ¹⁹You have profaned^(AF) me among my people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread.^(AG) By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live.^(AH)

²⁰“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds.^(AI) ²¹I will tear off your veils and save my people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(AJ) ²²Because you disheartened the righteous with your lies,^(AK) when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives,^(AL) ²³therefore you will no longer see false visions^(AM) or practice divination.^(AN) I will save^(AO) my people from your hands. And then you will know that I am the Lord.^(AP)’”

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.^(AQ) ²Then the word of the Lord came to me: ³“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts^(AR) and put wicked stumbling blocks^(AS) before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?^(AT) ⁴Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. ⁵I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted^(AU) me for their idols.’^(AV)

⁶“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent!^(AW) Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!^(AX)

⁷“‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner^(AY) residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block^(AZ) before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire^(BA) of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. ⁸I will set my face against^(BB) them and make them an example^(BC) and a byword.^(BD) I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(BE)

⁹“‘And if the prophet^(BF) is enticed^(BG) to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.^(BH) ¹⁰They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. ¹¹Then the people of Israel will no longer stray^(BI) from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people,^(BJ) and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BK)’”

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

¹²The word of the Lord came to me: ¹³“Son of man, if a country sins^(BL) against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply^(BM) and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals,^(BN) ¹⁴even if these three men—Noah,^(BO) Daniel^[c]^(BP) and Job^(BQ)—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness,^(BR) declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁵“Or if I send wild beasts^(BS) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts,^(BT) ¹⁶as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.^(BU)

¹⁷“Or if I bring a sword^(BV) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals,^(BW) ¹⁸as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

¹⁹“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath^(BX) on it through bloodshed,^(BY) killing its people and their animals,^(BZ) ²⁰as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.^(CA)

²¹“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments^(CB)—sword^(CC) and famine^(CD) and wild beasts and plague^(CE)—to kill its men and their animals!^(CF) ²²Yet there will be some survivors^(CG)—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it.^(CH) They will come to you, and when you see their conduct^(CI) and their actions, you will be consoled^(CJ) regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. ²³You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(CK)”

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

15 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, how is the wood of a vine^(CL) different from that of a branch from any of the trees in the forest? ³Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful?^(CM) Do they make pegs^(CN) from it to hang things on? ⁴And after it is thrown on the fire as fuel and the fire burns both ends and chars the middle, is it then useful for anything?^(CO) ⁵If it was not useful for anything when it was whole, how much less can it be made into something useful when the fire has burned it and it is charred?

⁶“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. ⁷I will set my face against^(CP) them. Although they have come out of the fire^(CQ), the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord.^(CR) ⁸I will make the land desolate^(CS) because they have been unfaithful,^(CT) declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

16 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, confront^(CU) Jerusalem with her detestable practices^(CV) ³and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry^(CW) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father^(CX) was an Amorite^(CY) and your mother a Hittite.^(CZ) ⁴On the day you were born^(DA) your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. ⁵No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

⁶“‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”^[d]^(DB) ⁷I made you grow^(DC) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.^(DD)

⁸“‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment^(DE) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant^(DF) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.^(DG)

⁹“‘I bathed you with water and washed^(DH) the blood from you and put ointments on you. ¹⁰I clothed you with an embroidered^(DI) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen^(DJ) and covered you with costly garments.^(DK) ¹¹I adorned you with jewelry:^(DL) I put bracelets^(DM) on your arms and a necklace^(DN) around your neck, ¹²and I put a ring on your nose,^(DO) earrings^(DP) on your ears and a beautiful crown^(DQ) on your head.^(DR) ¹³So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes^(DS) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil^(DT) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.^(DU) ¹⁴And your fame^(DV) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,^(DW) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(DX)

¹⁵“‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by^(DY) and your beauty became his.^(DZ) ¹⁶You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places,^(EA) where you carried on your prostitution.^(EB) You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.^[e] ¹⁷You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.^(EC) ¹⁸And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense^(ED) before them. ¹⁹Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(EE)

²⁰“‘And you took your sons and daughters^(EF) whom you bore to me^(EG) and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?^(EH) ²¹You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.^(EI) ²²In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth,^(EJ) when you were naked and bare,^(EK) kicking about in your blood.^(EL)

²³“‘Woe!^(EM) Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, ²⁴you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine^(EN) in every public square.^(EO) ²⁵At every street corner^(EP) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.^(EQ) ²⁶You engaged in prostitution^(ER) with the Egyptians,^(ES) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger^(ET) with your increasing promiscuity.^(EU) ²⁷So I stretched out my hand^(EV) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over^(EW) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,^(EX) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. ²⁸You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians^(EY) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.^(EZ) ²⁹Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,^[f]^(FA) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.^(FB)

³⁰“‘I am filled with fury against you,^[g] declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!^(FC) ³¹When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines^(FD) in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

³²“‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! ³³All prostitutes receive gifts,^(FE) but you give gifts^(FF) to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.^(FG) ³⁴So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

³⁵“‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! ³⁶This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,^(FH) ³⁷therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip^(FI) you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.^(FJ) ³⁸I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood;^(FK) I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.^(FL) ³⁹Then I will deliver you into the hands^(FM) of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.^(FN) ⁴⁰They will bring a mob against you, who will stone^(FO) you and hack you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹They will burn down^(FP) your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women.^(FQ) I will put a stop^(FR) to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. ⁴²Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.^(FS)

⁴³“‘Because you did not remember^(FT) the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down^(FU) on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?^(FV)

⁴⁴“‘Everyone who quotes proverbs^(FW) will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” ⁴⁵You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised^(FX) her husband^(FY) and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.^(FZ) ⁴⁶Your older sister^(GA) was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.^(GB) ⁴⁷You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.^(GC) ⁴⁸As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign^(GD) Lord, your sister Sodom^(GE) and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.^(GF)

⁴⁹“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:^(GG) She and her daughters were arrogant,^(GH) overfed and unconcerned;^(GI) they did not help the poor and needy.^(GJ) ⁵⁰They were haughty^(GK) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.^(GL) ⁵¹Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.^(GM) ⁵²Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous^(GN) than you. So then, be ashamed and bear^(GO) your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³“‘However, I will restore^(GP) the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,^(GQ) ⁵⁴so that you may bear your disgrace^(GR) and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. ⁵⁵And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.^(GS) ⁵⁶You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, ⁵⁷before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned^(GT) by the daughters of Edom^[h]^(GU) and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. ⁵⁸You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.^(GV)

⁵⁹“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.^(GW) ⁶⁰Yet I will remember the covenant^(GX) I made with you in the days of your youth,^(GY) and I will establish an everlasting covenant^(GZ) with you. ⁶¹Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed^(HA) when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters,^(HB) but not on the basis of my covenant with you. ⁶²So I will establish my covenant^(HC) with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(HD) ⁶³Then, when I make atonement^(HE) for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed^(HF) and never again open your mouth^(HG) because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(HH)’”

Two Eagles and a Vine

17 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, set forth an allegory and tell it to the Israelites as a parable.^(HI) ³Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: A great eagle^(HJ) with powerful wings, long feathers and full plumage of varied colors came to Lebanon.^(HK) Taking hold of the top of a cedar, ⁴he broke off^(HL) its topmost shoot and carried it away to a land of merchants, where he planted it in a city of traders.

⁵“‘He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil. He planted it like a willow by abundant water,^(HM) ⁶and it sprouted and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches^(HN) turned toward him, but its roots remained under it. So it became a vine and produced branches and put out leafy boughs.^(HO)

⁷“‘But there was another great eagle with powerful wings and full plumage. The vine now sent out its roots toward him from the plot where it was planted and stretched out its branches to him for water.^(HP) ⁸It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches,^(HQ) bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’

⁹“Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.^(HR) ¹⁰It has been planted,^(HS) but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?^(HT)’”

¹¹Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹²“Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?^(HU)’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles,^(HV) bringing them back with him to Babylon.^(HW) ¹³Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty^(HX) with him, putting him under oath.^(HY) He also carried away the leading men^(HZ) of the land, ¹⁴so that the kingdom would be brought low,^(IA) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵But the king rebelled^(IB) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt^(IC) to get horses and a large army.^(ID) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?^(IE)

¹⁶“‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die^(IF) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.^(IG) ¹⁷Pharaoh^(IH) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps^(II) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.^(IJ) ¹⁸He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge^(IK) and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

¹⁹“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.^(IL) ²⁰I will spread my net^(IM) for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment^(IN) on him there because he was unfaithful^(IO) to me. ²¹All his choice troops will fall by the sword,^(IP) and the survivors^(IQ) will be scattered to the winds.^(IR) Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.^(IS)

²²“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot^(IT) from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.^(IU) ²³On the mountain heights^(IV) of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit^(IW) and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.^(IX) ²⁴All the trees of the forest^(IY) will know that I the Lord bring down^(IZ) the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.^(JA)

“‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.^(JB)’”

The One Who Sins Will Die

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

“‘The parents eat sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?^(JC)

³“As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you will no longer quote this proverb^(JD) in Israel. ⁴For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins^(JE) is the one who will die.^(JF)

⁵“Suppose there is a righteous man
    who does what is just and right.
⁶He does not eat at the mountain^(JG) shrines
    or look to the idols^(JH) of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
    or have sexual relations with a woman during her period.^(JI)
⁷He does not oppress^(JJ) anyone,
    but returns what he took in pledge^(JK) for a loan.
He does not commit robbery^(JL)
    but gives his food to the hungry^(JM)
    and provides clothing for the naked.^(JN)
⁸He does not lend to them at interest
    or take a profit from them.^(JO)
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
    and judges fairly^(JP) between two parties.
⁹He follows my decrees^(JQ)
    and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;^(JR)
    he will surely live,^(JS)
declares the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁰“Suppose he has a violent son, who sheds blood^(JT) or does any of these other things^[i] ¹¹(though the father has done none of them):

“He eats at the mountain shrines.^(JU)
He defiles his neighbor’s wife.
¹²He oppresses the poor^(JV) and needy.
He commits robbery.
He does not return what he took in pledge.^(JW)
He looks to the idols.
He does detestable things.^(JX)
¹³He lends at interest and takes a profit.^(JY)

Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.^(JZ)

¹⁴“But suppose this son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things:^(KA)

¹⁵“He does not eat at the mountain shrines^(KB)
    or look to the idols^(KC) of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
¹⁶He does not oppress anyone
    or require a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
    but gives his food to the hungry^(KD)
    and provides clothing for the naked.^(KE)
¹⁷He withholds his hand from mistreating the poor
    and takes no interest or profit from them.
He keeps my laws^(KF) and follows my decrees.

He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. ¹⁸But his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was wrong among his people.

¹⁹“Yet you ask, ‘Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?’ Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he will surely live.^(KG) ²⁰The one who sins is the one who will die.^(KH) The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.^(KI)

²¹“But if^(KJ) a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees^(KK) and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.^(KL) ²²None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live.^(KM) ²³Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased^(KN) when they turn from their ways and live?^(KO)

²⁴“But if a righteous person turns^(KP) from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness^(KQ) they are guilty of and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.^(KR)

²⁵“Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’^(KS) Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust?^(KT) Is it not your ways that are unjust? ²⁶If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. ²⁷But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life.^(KU) ²⁸Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.^(KV) ²⁹Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

³⁰“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent!^(KW) Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.^(KX) ³¹Rid^(KY) yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart^(KZ) and a new spirit. Why^(LA) will you die, people of Israel?^(LB) ³²For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent^(LC) and live!^(LD)

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament^(LE) concerning the princes^(LF) of Israel ²and say:

“‘What a lioness^(LG) was your mother
    among the lions!
She lay down among them
    and reared her cubs.^(LH)
³She brought up one of her cubs,
    and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
    and he became a man-eater.
⁴The nations heard about him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks^(LI)
    to the land of Egypt.^(LJ)

⁵“‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
    her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs^(LK)
    and made him a strong lion.^(LL)
⁶He prowled among the lions,
    for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
    and he became a man-eater.^(LM)
⁷He broke down^[j] their strongholds
    and devastated^(LN) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
    were terrified by his roaring.
⁸Then the nations^(LO) came against him,
    those from regions round about.
They spread their net^(LP) for him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.^(LQ)
⁹With hooks^(LR) they pulled him into a cage
    and brought him to the king of Babylon.^(LS)
They put him in prison,
    so his roar^(LT) was heard no longer
    on the mountains of Israel.^(LU)

¹⁰“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard^[k]^(LV)
    planted by the water;^(LW)
it was fruitful and full of branches
    because of abundant water.^(LX)
¹¹Its branches were strong,
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
    above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
    and for its many branches.^(LY)
¹²But it was uprooted^(LZ) in fury
    and thrown to the ground.
The east wind^(MA) made it shrivel,
    it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
    and fire consumed them.^(MB)
¹³Now it is planted in the desert,^(MC)
    in a dry and thirsty land.^(MD)
¹⁴Fire spread from one of its main^[l] branches
    and consumed^(ME) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.’^(MF)

“This is a lament^(MG) and is to be used as a lament.”

Rebellious Israel Purged

20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire^(MH) of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.^(MI)

²Then the word of the Lord came to me: ³“Son of man, speak to the elders^(MJ) of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire^(MK) of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(ML)’

⁴“Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors^(MM) ⁵and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose^(MN) Israel, I swore with uplifted hand^(MO) to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.^(MP)” ⁶On that day I swore^(MQ) to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,^(MR) the most beautiful of all lands.^(MS) ⁷And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images^(MT) you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols^(MU) of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.^(MV)”

⁸“‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me;^(MW) they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.^(MX) So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.^(MY) ⁹But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt.^(MZ) I did it to keep my name from being profaned^(NA) in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. ¹⁰Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.^(NB) ¹¹I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.^(NC) ¹²Also I gave them my Sabbaths^(ND) as a sign^(NE) between us,^(NF) so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.^(NG)

¹³“‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled^(NH) against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws^(NI)—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths.^(NJ) So I said I would pour out my wrath^(NK) on them and destroy^(NL) them in the wilderness.^(NM) ¹⁴But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned^(NN) in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.^(NO) ¹⁵Also with uplifted hand I swore^(NP) to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands^(NQ)— ¹⁶because they rejected my laws^(NR) and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts^(NS) were devoted to their idols.^(NT) ¹⁷Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy^(NU) them or put an end to them in the wilderness. ¹⁸I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents^(NV) or keep their laws or defile yourselves^(NW) with their idols. ¹⁹I am the Lord your God;^(NX) follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.^(NY) ²⁰Keep my Sabbaths^(NZ) holy, that they may be a sign^(OA) between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.^(OB)”

²¹“‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws,^(OC) of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger^(OD) against them in the wilderness.^(OE) ²²But I withheld^(OF) my hand, and for the sake of my name^(OG) I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter^(OH) them through the countries, ²⁴because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees^(OI) and desecrated my Sabbaths,^(OJ) and their eyes lusted after^(OK) their parents’ idols.^(OL) ²⁵So I gave^(OM) them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;^(ON) ²⁶I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice^(OO) of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.^(OP)’

²⁷“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors^(OQ) blasphemed^(OR) me by being unfaithful to me:^(OS) ²⁸When I brought them into the land^(OT) I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.^(OU) ²⁹Then I said to them: What is this high place^(OV) you go to?’” (It is called Bamah^[m] to this day.)

Rebellious Israel Renewed

³⁰“Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves^(OW) the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?^(OX) ³¹When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children^(OY) in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.^(OZ)

³²“‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. ³³As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm^(PA) and with outpoured wrath.^(PB) ³⁴I will bring you from the nations^(PC) and gather^(PD) you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand^(PE) and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.^(PF) ³⁵I will bring you into the wilderness^(PG) of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment^(PH) upon you. ³⁶As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(PI) ³⁷I will take note of you as you pass under my rod,^(PJ) and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.^(PK) ³⁸I will purge^(PL) you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(PM)

³⁹“‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols,^(PN) every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name^(PO) with your gifts and idols.^(PP) ⁴⁰For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel,^(PQ) declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings^(PR) and your choice gifts,^[n] along with all your holy sacrifices.^(PS) ⁴¹I will accept you as fragrant incense^(PT) when I bring you out from the nations and gather^(PU) you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy^(PV) through you in the sight of the nations.^(PW) ⁴²Then you will know that I am the Lord,^(PX) when I bring you into the land of Israel,^(PY) the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.^(PZ) ⁴³There you will remember your conduct^(QA) and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves^(QB) for all the evil you have done.^(QC) ⁴⁴You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake^(QD) and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(QE)’”

Prophecy Against the South

⁴⁵The word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶“Son of man, set your face toward^(QF) the south; preach against the south and prophesy against^(QG) the forest of the southland.^(QH) ⁴⁷Say to the southern forest:^(QI) ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume^(QJ) all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north^(QK) will be scorched by it.^(QL) ⁴⁸Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.^(QM)’”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Sovereign Lord,^(QN) they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?^(QO)’”^[o]

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

21 ^[p]The word of the Lord came to me:^(QP) ²“Son of man, set your face against^(QQ) Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.^(QR) Prophesy against^(QS) the land of Israel ³and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.^(QT) I will draw my sword^(QU) from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.^(QV) ⁴Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword^(QW) will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.^(QX) ⁵Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword^(QY) from its sheath; it will not return^(QZ) again.’^(RA)

⁶“Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.^(RB) ⁷And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?^(RC)’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear^(RD) and every hand go limp;^(RE) every spirit will become faint^(RF) and every leg will be wet with urine.’^(RG) It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

⁸The word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished—
¹⁰sharpened for the slaughter,^(RH)
polished to flash like lightning!

“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.^(RI)

¹¹“‘The sword is appointed to be polished,^(RJ)
    to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
    made ready for the hand of the slayer.
¹²Cry out and wail, son of man,
    for it is against my people;
    it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
    along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.^(RK)

¹³“‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’

¹⁴“So then, son of man, prophesy
    and strike your hands^(RL) together.
Let the sword strike twice,
    even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter—
    a sword for great slaughter,
    closing in on them from every side.^(RM)

Footnotes

Ezekiel 13:3 Or wicked
Ezekiel 13:14 Or the city
Ezekiel 14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20
Ezekiel 16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea
Ezekiel 16:30 Or How feverish is your heart,
Ezekiel 16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram
Ezekiel 18:10 Or things to a brother
Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its
Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place.
Ezekiel 20:40 Or and the gifts of your firstfruits
Ezekiel 20:49 In Hebrew texts 20:45-49 is numbered 21:1-5.
Ezekiel 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-32 is numbered 21:6-37.

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Ezekiel 13-21

English Standard Version

False Prophets Condemned

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

Jerusalem, a Useless Vine

The Lord's Faithless Bride

The Lord's Everlasting Covenant

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

Israel's Continuing Rebellion

The Lord Will Restore Israel

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

Footnotes

Cross references

Ezekiel 13-21

New International Version

False Prophets Condemned

Idolaters Condemned

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

Two Eagles and a Vine

The One Who Sins Will Die

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

Rebellious Israel Purged

Rebellious Israel Renewed

Prophecy Against the South

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Ezekiel 13-21 English Standard Version

False Prophets Condemned

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

Jerusalem Will Not Be Spared

Jerusalem, a Useless Vine

The Lord's Faithless Bride

The Lord's Everlasting Covenant

Parable of Two Eagles and a Vine

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

A Lament for the Princes of Israel

Israel's Continuing Rebellion

The Lord Will Restore Israel

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

Footnotes

Cross references

Ezekiel 13-21 New International Version

False Prophets Condemned

Idolaters Condemned

Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable

Jerusalem as a Useless Vine

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

Two Eagles and a Vine

The One Who Sins Will Die

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

Rebellious Israel Purged

Rebellious Israel Renewed

Prophecy Against the South

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Ezekiel 13-21

English Standard Version

Ezekiel 13-21

New International Version