Ezekiel 1-21

Easy-to-Read Version

Introduction

1 I am the priest, Ezekiel son of Buzi. I was in exile by the Kebar Canal in Babylonia when the skies opened up, and I saw visions of God. This was on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year.^[a] (This was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. The power of the Lord came over him at that place.)

The Chariot of the Lord—God’s Throne

⁴ I was watching a big storm come in from the north. It was a big cloud with a strong wind, and there was fire flashing from it. Light was shining out all around it. It looked like hot metal^[b] glowing in a fire. ⁵ Inside the cloud, there were four living beings that looked like people. ⁶ But each one of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight. Their feet looked like calves’ feet, and they sparkled like polished brass. ⁸ Under their wings were human arms. There were four living beings. Each living being had four faces and four wings. ⁹ The wings touched each other. The living beings did not turn when they moved. They went in the direction they were looking.

¹⁰ Each living being had four faces. In the front they each had a man’s face. There was a lion’s face on the right side and a bull’s face on the left side. There was an eagle’s face on the back. ¹¹ Their wings were spread out over them. With two of the wings each living being reached out to touch the one near it, and with the other two wings it covered its body. ¹² Each living being went in the direction it was looking. They went wherever the spirit^[c] caused them to go, but they did not turn when they moved. ¹³ That is what the living beings looked like.

Inside the area between the living beings, there was something that looked like burning coals of fire. This fire was like small torches that kept moving around among the living beings. The fire glowed brightly and lightning flashed from it. ¹⁴ The living beings ran back and forth—as fast as lightning.^[d]

^15-16 I was looking at the living beings when I noticed four wheels that touched the ground. There was one wheel by each living being. All the wheels looked the same. The wheels looked as if they were made from a clear, yellow jewel. They looked like there was a wheel inside a wheel. ¹⁷ They could turn to move in any direction. But the living beings did not turn when they moved.^[e]

¹⁸ The rims of the wheels were tall and frightening. There were eyes all over the rims of all four wheels.

¹⁹ The wheels always moved with the living beings. If the living beings went up into the air, the wheels went with them. ²⁰ They went wherever the spirit wanted them to go, and the wheels went with them, because the power that moved the living being was in the wheels. ²¹ So if the living beings moved, the wheels moved. If the living beings stopped, the wheels stopped. If the wheels went into the air, the living beings went with them, because the spirit was in the wheels.

²² There was an amazing thing over the heads of the living beings. It was like a bowl^[f] turned upside down, and the bowl was clear like crystal. ²³ Under this bowl, each living being had wings reaching out to the one next to it. Two wings spread out one way and two wings spread out the other way, covering its body.

²⁴ Then I heard the wings. Every time the living beings moved, their wings made a very loud noise like a lot of water rushing by. They were loud like the Lord All-Powerful. They were as loud as an army or a crowd of people. When the living beings stopped moving, they put their wings down by their side.

²⁵ The living beings stopped moving and lowered their wings. Then there was another loud sound that came from above the bowl over their heads. ²⁶ There was something that looked like a throne on top of the bowl. It was blue like sapphire. There was also something that looked like a man sitting on the throne. ²⁷ I looked at him from his waist up. He looked like hot metal with fire all around him. I looked at him from his waist down. It looked like fire with a glow that was shining all around him. ²⁸ The light shining around him was like a rainbow in a cloud. It was the Glory of the Lord. As soon as I saw that, I fell to the ground. I bowed with my face to the ground, and then I heard a voice speaking to me.

The Lord Speaks to Ezekiel

2 The voice said, “Son of man,^[g] stand up and I will speak with you.”

² Then the Spirit came into me^[h] and lifted me up on my feet, and I listened to the one who spoke to me. ³ He said, “Son of man, I am sending you to speak to the family of Israel. Those people and their ancestors turned against me many times. They have sinned against me many times—and they are still sinning against me today. ⁴ I am sending you to speak to them, but they are very stubborn. They are very hardheaded, but you must speak to them. You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ ⁵ They are people who refuse to obey, so they may not listen to you. But even if they don’t stop sinning, at least they will know that there is a prophet living among them.

⁶ “Son of man, don’t be afraid of the people or what they say. It is true: they will turn against you and try to hurt you. Their words will be sharp like thorns and will sting like scorpions. But don’t be afraid of what they say. They are people who refuse to obey, but don’t be afraid of them. ⁷ You must tell them what I say, whether they listen or not. They are people who usually refuse to listen!

⁸ “Son of man, listen to what I am telling you. Don’t turn against me like those people who refuse to obey. Now open your mouth to receive the words I will give you to speak.”

⁹ Then I saw an arm reach out toward me. It was holding a scroll with words written on it. ¹⁰ It rolled the scroll open in front of me. Words were on the front and on the back of the scroll. There were all kinds of sad songs, sad stories, and warnings.

3 God said to me, “Son of man,^[i] eat what you see. Eat this scroll, and then go tell these things to the family of Israel.”

² So I opened my mouth and he put the scroll into my mouth. ³ Then God said, “Son of man, I am giving you this scroll. Swallow it! Let that scroll fill your body.”

So I ate the scroll. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴ Then God said to me, “Son of man, go to the family of Israel. Speak my words to them. ⁵ I am not sending you to some foreigners you cannot understand. You don’t have to learn another language. I am sending you to the family of Israel. ⁶ I am not sending you to many different countries where people speak languages you cannot understand. If you went to those people and spoke to them, they would listen to you. But you will not have to learn those hard languages. ⁷ No, I am sending you to the family of Israel. Only, these people have hard heads—they are very stubborn! And the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you. They don’t want to listen to me. ⁸ But I will make you just as stubborn as they are, and your head just as hard. ⁹ A diamond is harder than flint rock. In the same way you will be more stubborn than they are, and your head will be harder. Then you will not be afraid of them or those who always turn against me.”

¹⁰ Then God said to me, “Son of man, listen to every word I say to you and remember them. ¹¹ Then go to all of your people in exile and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says ….’ They will not listen, and they will not stop sinning, but you must still tell them my message.”

¹² Then the Spirit^[j] lifted me up, and I heard a voice behind me. It was very loud, like thunder. It said, “Blessed is the Glory of the Lord!” ¹³ Then the wings of the living beings began moving. The wings made a very loud noise as they touched each other, and the wheels in front of them began making a noise as loud as thunder. ¹⁴ The Spirit lifted me and took me away. I was very sad and upset in my spirit, but I felt the Lord’s power in me. ¹⁵ I went to the people of Israel who were forced to live in Tel Aviv^[k] by the Kebar Canal. I sat there among them for seven days, shocked and silent.

The Watchman of Israel

¹⁶ After seven days, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I am making you a watchman for Israel. I will tell you about bad things that will happen to them, and you must warn Israel. ¹⁸ If I say, ‘These evil people will die!’ Then you must warn them. You must tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil. If you don’t warn them, they will die because they sinned. But I will also make you responsible for their death, because you did not go to them and save their lives.

¹⁹ “If you warn them and tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil, but they refuse to listen, they will die because they sinned. But since you warned them, you will have saved your own life.

²⁰ “If good people stop being good and begin to do evil, and I send something that makes them stumble and sin, they will die because they sinned. But since you did not warn them and remind them of the good things they had done, I will make you responsible for their death.

²¹ “But if you warn good people and tell them to stop sinning, and they listen to your warning and stop sinning, they will not die. In that way you will have saved your own life.”

²² The Lord’s power came to me. He said to me, “Get up and go to the valley.^[l] I will speak to you in that place.”

²³ So I got up and went out to the valley. The Glory of the Lord was there—as I had seen it by the Kebar Canal. So I bowed with my face to the ground. ²⁴ But the Spirit came into me and lifted me up on my feet. He said to me, “Go home and lock yourself in your house. ²⁵ Son of man, people will come with ropes and tie you up. They will not let you go out among the people. ²⁶ I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth—you will not be able to talk. So they will not have anyone to teach them that they are doing wrong, because they are always turning against me. ²⁷ But I will talk to you, and then I will allow you to speak. But you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ If a person wants to listen, fine. If a person refuses to listen, fine. But those people always turn against me.

Warnings About the Attack of Jerusalem

4 “Son of man,^[m] take a brick and scratch a picture on it. Draw a picture of a city—the city of Jerusalem. ² And then pretend you are an army surrounding the city. Build a dirt wall around the city to help you attack it. Build a dirt road leading up to the city wall. Bring battering rams^[n] and set up army camps around the city. ³ And then take an iron pan and put it between you and the city. It will be like an iron wall separating you and the city. In this way you will show that you are against it. You will surround the city and attack it. This is an example for the family of Israel to show that I will destroy Jerusalem.

⁴ “Then you must lie down on your left side. You must do this thing that shows that you are taking the sins of the people of Israel on yourself. You will carry the guilt for as many days as you lie on your left side. ⁵ You must bear the guilt of Israel for 390 days.^[o] In this way I am telling you how long Israel will be punished; one day equals one year.

⁶ “After that time, you will lie on your right side for 40 days. This time you will bear the guilt of Judah for 40 days. One day equals one year. I am telling you how long Judah must be punished.

⁷ “Now, roll up your sleeve and raise your arm over the brick. Act like you are attacking the city of Jerusalem. Do this to show that you are speaking as my messenger to the people. ⁸ Now look, I am tying ropes on you. You will not be able to roll over from one side to the other until your attack against the city^[p] is finished.

⁹ “You must get some grain to make bread. Get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Mix all these things together in one bowl and grind them to make flour. You will use this flour to make bread. You will eat only this bread during the 390 days that you lie on your side. ¹⁰ You will be allowed to use only 1 cup^[q] of that flour each day to make bread. You will eat that bread from time to time throughout the day. ¹¹ You can drink only 3 cups^[r] of water each day. You can drink it from time to time throughout the day. ¹² You must make your bread each day. You must get dry human dung and burn it. Then you must cook the bread over this burning dung. You must eat this bread in front of the people.” ¹³ Then the Lord said, “This will show that the family of Israel will eat unclean bread in foreign countries and that I am the one who forced them to leave Israel and go to those countries!”

¹⁴ Then I said, “Oh, but Lord God, I have never eaten any unclean food. I have never eaten meat from an animal that died from a disease or from an animal that was killed by a wild animal. I have never eaten unclean meat—not from the time that I was a little baby until now. None of that bad meat ever entered my mouth.”

¹⁵ Then God said to me, “Very well, I will let you use dry cow dung to cook your bread. You don’t have to use dry human dung.”

¹⁶ Then God said to me, “Son of man, I am destroying Jerusalem’s supply of bread. People will have only a little bread to eat. They will be very worried about their food supply, and they will have only a little water to drink. Every time they take a drink, they will feel more afraid. ¹⁷ That is because there will not be enough food and water for everyone. They will be terrified as they watch each other wasting away because of their sins.

People of Jerusalem Scattered

5 “Son of man,^[s] after your famine^[t] you must do this: Take a sharp sword and use it like a barber’s razor. Shave off your hair and beard. Put the hair on a scale and weigh it. Separate it into three equal parts. Put a third of your hair on the brick that has the picture of the city on it. Burn that hair in that ‘city.’ Then use the sword and cut a third of your hair into small pieces all around the outside of the ‘city.’ Next, throw a third of your hair into the air and let the wind blow it away. This will show that I will pull out my sword and chase some of the people into faraway countries. ³ But then you must get a few of those hairs and wrap them up in your robe. ⁴ Take some of those hairs and throw them into the fire. This will show that a fire will start there and burn throughout the whole house of Israel.^[u]”

⁵ Then the Lord God said to me, “The brick is a picture of Jerusalem. I put Jerusalem in the middle of other nations with countries all around her. ⁶ The people rebelled against my commands. They were worse than any of the other nations! They broke more of my laws than any of the people in the countries around them. They refused to listen to my commands. They did not obey my laws.”

⁷ So the Lord God says, “I will do this because you did not obey my laws and commands. You broke more of my laws than the people who lived around you, and you did what even they know is wrong!” ⁸ So the Lord God says, “So now, even I am against you! I will punish you while those other people watch. ⁹ I will do things to you that I have never done before. And I will never do those terrible things again, because you did so many terrible things. ¹⁰ People in Jerusalem will be so hungry that parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their own parents. I will punish you in many ways, and those who are left alive, I will scatter to the winds.”

¹¹ The Lord God says, “Jerusalem, I promise by my life that I will punish you! I promise that I will punish you, because you did terrible things to my Holy Place. You did horrible things that made it dirty. I will punish you. I will not show any mercy or feel sorry for you. ¹² A third of your people will die inside the city from diseases and hunger. Another third will die in battle outside the city. And then I will pull out my sword and chase the last third of your people into faraway countries. ¹³ Only then will I stop being angry with your people. I will know that they have been punished for the bad things they did to me. They will know that I am the Lord and that I spoke to them because of my strong love^[v] for them!”

¹⁴ God said, “Jerusalem, I will destroy you—you will be nothing but a pile of rocks. The people around you will make fun of you. Everyone who walks by will make fun of you. ¹⁵ People around you will make fun of you, but you will also be a lesson for them. They will see that I was angry and punished you. I was very angry and I warned you. I, the Lord, told you what I would do. ¹⁶ I told you I would send you terrible times of hunger. I told you I would send you things that would destroy you. I told you that I would take away your supply of food and that those times of hunger would come again and again. ¹⁷ I told you I would send hunger and wild animals against you that would kill your children. I told you there would be disease and death everywhere in the city. I told you I would bring enemy soldiers to fight against you. I, the Lord, told you all these things would happen!”

Prophecies Against Israel

6 Then the word of the Lord came to me again. ² He said, “Son of man,^[w] turn toward the mountains of Israel and speak against them for me. ³ Tell them this: ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to this message from the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the hills and mountains and to the ravines and valleys: Look! I am bringing the enemy to fight against you. I will destroy your high places. ⁴ Your altars will be broken into pieces. Your incense altars will be smashed, and I will throw down your dead bodies in front of your filthy idols. ⁵ I will put the dead bodies of the people of Israel in front of their filthy idols. I will scatter your bones around your altars. ⁶ Bad things will happen wherever your people live. Their cities will become piles of rock. Their high places will be destroyed so that those places of worship will never be used again. The altars will all be destroyed. People will never worship those filthy idols again. The incense altars will be smashed. Everything you made will be destroyed completely. ⁷ Your people will be killed, and then you will know that I am the Lord!’”

⁸ God said, “But I will let a few of your people escape. They will live in other countries for a short time. I will scatter them and force them to live in other countries. ⁹ Then the survivors will be taken as prisoners. They will be forced to live in other countries, but they will remember me. I broke their spirit.^[x] They will hate themselves for the evil things they did. In the past, they turned away from me and left me. They chased after their filthy idols. They were like a woman leaving her husband and running off with another man. They did many terrible things, ¹⁰ but they will learn that I am the Lord. Then they will know that if I say that I will do something, I will do it! They will know that I caused all the troubles that happened to them.”

¹¹ Then the Lord God said to me, “Clap your hands and stamp your feet. Speak against all the terrible things that the people of Israel have done. Warn them that they will be killed by disease and hunger. Tell them they will be killed in war. ¹² People far away will die from disease. People near this place will be killed with swords, and those who are left in the city will starve to death. Only then will I stop being angry. ¹³ Only then will you know that I am the Lord. You will know this when you see your dead bodies in front of your filthy idols and around their altars. Those bodies will be near every one of your places for worship,^[y] on every high hill and mountain, under every green tree and every oak tree with leaves. You offered your sacrifices everywhere. They were a sweet smell for your filthy idols. ¹⁴ But I will raise my arm over you and punish you and your people, wherever they live! I will destroy your country! It will be completely empty from the desert in the south to Riblah^[z] in the north. Then they will know that I am the Lord!”

Disaster Is Coming to Jerusalem

7 Then the word of the Lord came to me. ² He said, “Now, son of man, here is a message from the Lord God. This message is for the land of Israel:

⁵ This is what the Lord God said: “There will be one disaster after another! ⁶ The end is coming, and it will come quickly! ⁷ You people living in Israel, disaster is coming. It is time for punishment. Those are not shouts of joy in the mountains. Those are cries of panic. ⁸ Very soon now, I will show you how angry I am. I will show all of my anger against you. I will punish you for the evil things you did. I will make you pay for all the terrible things you did. ⁹ I will not show you any mercy or feel sorry for you. I am punishing you for the evil things you did. You have done such terrible things. Now, you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “That time of punishment has come like a plant sprouting, budding, and flowering. God has given the signal, the enemy is prepared, and their proud king is ready. ¹¹ This violent man is ready to punish the evil people. There are many people in Israel—but he is not one of them. He is not a person in that crowd. He is not some important leader from them.

¹² “The time of punishment has come. The day is here. Those who buy things will not be happy, and those who sell things will not feel bad about selling them because that terrible punishment will happen to everyone. ¹³ The people who sold their property^[aa] will never go back to it. Even if some people escape alive, they will never go back to their property, because this vision is for the whole crowd. So even if some people escape alive, it will not make everyone feel better.

¹⁴ “They will blow the trumpet to warn the people. The people will get ready for battle, but they will not go out to fight because I will show the whole crowd how angry I am. ¹⁵ The enemy with his sword is outside the city. Disease and hunger is inside the city. If some people go out into the fields, enemy soldiers will kill them. If they stay in the city, hunger and disease will destroy them.

¹⁶ “But some people will escape. The survivors will run to the mountains, but they will not be happy. They will be sad for all their sins. They will cry and make sad noises like doves. ¹⁷ They will be too tired and sad to raise their arms. Their legs will be like water. ¹⁸ They will wear sackcloth and be covered with fear. You will see the shame on every face. They will shave their heads to show their sadness. ¹⁹ They will throw their silver idols into the streets. They will treat their gold statues like dirty rags, because those things will not be able to save them when the Lord shows his anger. Those things were nothing but a trap that caused the people to fall. They will not give food to the people or put food in their bellies.

²⁰ “They used their beautiful jewelry and made an idol. They were proud of that statue. They made their terrible statues. They made those filthy things, so I will throw them away like a dirty rag. ²¹ I will let strangers take them. Those strangers will make fun of them. They will kill some of the people and take others away as prisoners. ²² I will turn my head away from them—I will not look at them. The strangers will ruin my Temple—they will go into the secret parts of that holy building and make it unfit for worship.

²³ “Make chains for the prisoners, because many people will be punished for killing other people. There will be violence every place in the city. ²⁴ I will bring evil people from other nations, and they will get all the houses of the people of Israel. I will stop all you powerful people from being so proud. Those people from other nations will get all your places of worship.

²⁵ “You will shake with fear. You will look for peace, but there will be none. ²⁶ You will hear one sad story after another. You will hear nothing but bad news. You will look for a prophet and ask him for a vision. The priests will have nothing to teach you, and the elders will not have any good advice to give you. ²⁷ Your king will be crying for the people who died. The leaders will wear sackcloth. The common people will be very afraid, because I will pay them back for what they did. I will decide their punishment, and I will punish them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Sinful Things Done at the Temple

8 One day I, Ezekiel, was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting there in front of me. This was on the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of exile.^[ab] Suddenly, the power of the Lord God came on me. ² I saw something that looked like fire, like a man’s body. From the waist down, he was like fire. From the waist up, he was bright and shining like hot metal^[ac] in a fire. ³ Then I saw something that looked like an arm. The arm reached out and grabbed me by the hair on my head. Then the Spirit^[ad] lifted me into the air, and in a vision from God he took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner gate—the gate that is on the north side. The statue that makes God jealous is by that gate. ⁴ But the Glory of the God of Israel was there. The Glory looked just like the vision I saw in the valley by the Kebar Canal.

⁵ God spoke to me. He said, “Son of man,^[ae] look toward the north.” So I looked, and there, north of the Altar Gate by the entrance, was that statue that made God jealous.

⁶ Then God said to me, “Son of man, do you see what terrible things the people of Israel are doing? They built that thing here, right next to my Temple! And if you come with me, you will see even more terrible things!”

⁷ So I went to the entrance to the courtyard, and I saw a hole in the wall. ⁸ God said to me, “Son of man, make a hole in the wall.” So I made a hole in the wall, and there I saw a door.

⁹ Then God said to me, “Go in and look at the terrible, evil things that the people are doing here.” ¹⁰ So I went in and looked. I saw statues of all kinds of reptiles^[af] and animals that you hate to think about. The statues were the filthy idols that the people of Israel worshiped. There were pictures of those animals carved all around on every wall!

¹¹ Then I noticed that Jaazaniah son of Shaphan and the 70 elders of Israel were there with the people worshiping in that place. There they were, right at the front of the people, and each leader had his own incense dish in his hand. The smoke from the burning incense was rising into the air. ¹² Then God said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of Israel do in the dark? Each man has a special room for his own false god. They say to themselves, ‘The Lord cannot see us. The Lord left this country.’” ¹³ Then he said to me, “If you come with me, you will see these men doing even more terrible things!”

¹⁴ Then God led me to the entrance to the Lord’s Temple. This gate was on the north side. I saw women sitting there and crying. They were sad about the false god Tammuz^[ag]!

¹⁵ God said to me, “Son of man, do you see these terrible things? Come with me and you will see things that are even worse than this!” ¹⁶ Then he led me to the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple area. There I saw 25 men bowing down and worshiping. They were at the entrance to the Lord’s Temple between the porch and the altar—but they were facing the wrong way. Their backs were to the Holy Place. They were bowing down to worship the sun!

¹⁷ Then God said, “Son of man, do you see this? The people of Judah think my Temple is so unimportant that they will do these terrible things here in my Temple! This country is filled with violence, and they constantly do things to make me angry. Look, they are wearing rings in their noses to honor the moon as a false god!^{[ah] 18} I will show them my anger! I will not show them any mercy or feel sorry for them! They will shout to me—but I refuse to listen to them!”

God’s Messengers Punish Jerusalem

9 Then God shouted to the leaders in charge of punishing the city. Each leader had his own destructive weapon in his hand.^{[ai] 2} Then I saw six men walking on the road from the upper gate. This gate is on the north side. Each man had his own deadly weapon in his hand. One of the men wore linen clothes.^[aj] He wore a scribe’s pen and ink set^[ak] at his waist. Those men went to the bronze altar in the Temple and stood there. ³ Then the Glory of the God of Israel rose from above the Cherub angels where he had been. Then the Glory went to the door of the Temple and stopped when he was over the threshold. Then he called to the man wearing the linen clothes and the scribe’s pen and ink set.

⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem. Put a mark on the forehead of everyone who feels sad and upset about all the terrible things people are doing in this city.”

^5-6 Then I heard God say to the other men, “I want you to follow the first man. You must kill all those who do not have the mark on their foreheads. It doesn’t matter if they are elders, young men or young women, children or mothers—you must use your weapon and kill everyone who does not have the mark on their forehead. Don’t show any mercy. Don’t feel sorry for anyone. Start here at my Temple.” So they started with the elders in front of the Temple.

⁷ He said to them, “Make this Temple unclean—fill this courtyard with dead bodies! Now go!” So they went and killed the people in the city.

⁸ I stayed there while the men went to kill the people. I bowed with my face to the ground and said, “Oh, Lord God, in showing your anger against Jerusalem, are you killing all the survivors in Israel?”

⁹ He said, “The family of Israel and Judah has committed many terrible sins! People are being murdered everywhere in this country, and the city is filled with crime. That is because the people say to themselves, ‘The Lord has left this country. The Lord cannot see what we are doing.’ ¹⁰ So I will not show any mercy or feel sorry for them. They brought it on themselves. I am only giving them the punishment they deserve!”

¹¹ Then the man wearing linen clothes and a scribe’s pen and ink set spoke up. He said, “I have done what you commanded.”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple

10 Then I looked up at the bowl^[al] over the heads of the Cherub angels. The bowl looked clear blue like sapphire, and there was something that looked like a throne over it. ² Then the one sitting on the throne said to the man dressed in linen clothes,^[am] “Step into the area between the wheels^[an] under the Cherub angels. Take a handful of the burning coals from between the Cherub angels and go throw them over the city of Jerusalem.”

The man walked past me. ³ The Cherub angels were standing in the area south^[ao] of the Temple as the man walked to them. The cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ Then the Glory of the Lord rose up off the Cherub angels near the threshold of the door of the Temple. Then the cloud filled the Temple, and the bright light from the Glory of the Lord filled the whole courtyard. ⁵ The noise from the wings of the Cherub angels could be heard all the way out into the outer courtyard. The sound was very loud—like the thundering voice when God All-Powerful speaks.

⁶ God had given the man dressed in linen clothes a command. He had told him to go into the area between the wheels among the Cherub angels and get some hot coals. So the man went there and stood by the wheel. ⁷ One of the Cherub angels reached out his hand and took some of the hot coals from the area between the Cherub angels. He poured the coals into the man’s hands, and the man left. ⁸ (The Cherub angels had what looked like human arms under their wings.)

⁹ Then I noticed that there were four wheels. There was one wheel by each Cherub angel, and the wheels looked like a clear yellow jewel. ¹⁰ There were four wheels, and they all looked the same. They looked like there was a wheel in a wheel. ¹¹ They could go in any direction when they moved, but the Cherub angels did not turn around when they moved. They went in the direction that the head was looking. They did not turn around when they moved. ¹² There were eyes all over their bodies. There were eyes on their backs, on their arms, on their wings, and on their wheels—on all four wheels! ¹³ These wheels were what I heard called, “the area between the wheels.”

^14-15 Each Cherub angel had four faces. The first was the face of a Cherub,^[ap] the second was the face of a man, the third was a lion’s face, and the fourth was an eagle’s face. (These Cherub angels were the living beings I saw in the vision by the Kebar Canal.^[aq])

Then the Cherub angels rose into the air, ¹⁶ and the wheels rose with them. When the Cherub angels raised their wings and flew into the air, not even the wheels turned around. ¹⁷ If they flew into the air, the wheels went with them. If they stood still, so did the wheels, because the spirit^[ar] of the living being was in them.

¹⁸ Then the Glory of the Lord rose from the threshold of the Temple, moved to the place over the Cherub angels, and stopped there. ¹⁹ Then the Cherub angels raised their wings and flew into the air. I saw them leave. The wheels went with them. Then they stopped at the East Gate of the Lord’s Temple. The Glory of the God of Israel was in the air above them.

²⁰ These were the living beings under the Glory of the God of Israel in the vision at the Kebar Canal, and now I realized that they were Cherub angels. ²¹ Each living being had four faces, four wings, and something that looked like human arms under their wings. ²² The faces of the Cherub angels were the same as the four faces on the living beings in the vision by the Kebar Canal. They all looked straight ahead in the direction they were going.

Prophecies Against the Leaders

11 Then the Spirit^[as] carried me to the East Gate of the Lord’s Temple. This gate faces the east, where the sun comes up. I saw 25 men there at the entrance of this gate. Some of the leaders were among them, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.

² Then God spoke to me and said, “Son of man,^[at] these are the men who make evil plans for this city. They always tell the people to do evil things. ³ These men say, ‘We will be building our houses again very soon. We are as safe in this city as meat in a pot!’ ⁴ So you must speak to the people for me. Son of man, prophesy against the people.”

⁵ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me. He said to me, “Tell them that this is what the Lord said: House of Israel, you are planning big things. But I know what you are thinking. ⁶ You have killed many people in this city. You have filled the streets with dead bodies. ⁷ Now, the Lord God says this: ‘The dead bodies are the meat, and the city is the pot. But someone will come and take you out of this safe pot. ⁸ You are afraid of the sword, but I am bringing the sword against you!’” This is what the Lord God said.

⁹ He also said, “I will take you out of this city and give you to strangers. I will punish you. ¹⁰ You will die by the sword. I will punish you here in Israel, so you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹ Yes, this place will be the cooking pot, and you will be the meat cooking in it. I will punish you here in Israel. ¹² Then you will know that I am the Lord. It was my law that you broke. You did not obey my commands. You decided to live like the nations around you.”

¹³ As soon as I finished speaking for God, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died! I fell to the ground. I bowed with my face touching the ground and said, “Oh, Lord God, you are going to completely destroy all the survivors of Israel!”

Prophecies Against Survivors in Jerusalem

¹⁴ But then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁵ “Son of man, remember your brothers, the family of Israel. They were forced to leave their country, but I will bring them back.^[au] But now, the people living in Jerusalem are saying, ‘Stay far away from the Lord. This land was given to us—it is ours!’

¹⁶ “So tell them this: The Lord God says, ‘It is true, I forced my people to go far away to other nations. I did scatter them among many countries. But I will be their temple for a short time while they are in those other countries. ¹⁷ But you must tell those people that the Lord God will bring them back. I have scattered you among many nations, but I will gather you together and bring you back from those nations. I will give the land of Israel back to you. ¹⁸ When my people come back, they will destroy all the terrible, filthy idols that are here now. ¹⁹ I will bring them together and make them like one person. I will put a new spirit^[av] in them. I will take away that heart of stone, and I will put a real heart in its place. ²⁰ Then they will obey my laws and my commands. They will do the things I tell them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.’”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves Jerusalem

²¹ Then God said, “But now, their hearts belong to those terrible, filthy idols, and I must punish those people for the bad things they have done.” This is what the Lord God said. ²² Then the Cherub angels raised their wings and flew into the air. The wheels went with them. The Glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³ The Glory of the Lord rose into the air and left the city and stopped on the hill east of Jerusalem.^{[aw] 24} Then the Spirit^[ax] lifted me into the air and brought me back to Babylonia. It brought me back to the people who were forced to leave Israel. I saw all this in the vision from God. Then the one I saw in the vision rose into the air and left me. ²⁵ Then I spoke to the people in exile. I told them about everything the Lord showed me.

Ezekiel Leaves Like a Captive

12 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[ay] you live among people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes to see what I have done for them, but they don’t see those things. They have ears to hear what I told them to do, but they don’t hear my commands, because they are a rebellious people. ³ So, son of man, pack some things as if you are leaving on a trip. Pretend that you are a prisoner being taken far away. Do this during the day so that everyone can see you. Even though these people refuse to listen to me, maybe when they see you going away, they will understand what I have been trying to tell them.

⁴ “During the day, take your bags outside so that the people can see you. Then in the evening, pretend you are going away. Act as if you are a prisoner going to a faraway country. ⁵ While the people are watching, make a hole in the wall and go out through that hole in the wall. ⁶ At night, put your bag on your shoulder and leave. Cover your face so that you cannot see where you are going. You must do these things so that the people can see you, because I am using you as an example to the family of Israel.”

⁷ So I did as I was commanded. During the day, I took my bags and acted as if I were going to a faraway country. That evening, I used my hands and made a hole in the wall. During the night, I put my bag on my shoulder and left. I did this so that all the people could see me.

⁸ The next morning, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ⁹ “Son of man, did the people of Israel—those people who always refuse to obey—ask you what you were doing? ¹⁰ Tell them that this is what the Lord God said. This sad message is about the leader of Jerusalem and all the people of Israel who live there. ¹¹ Tell them, ‘I am an example for all of you. What I have done will happen to you.’ You will be forced to go to a faraway country as prisoners. ¹² And your leader will make a hole in the wall and sneak out at night. He will cover his face so that people will not recognize him. His eyes will not be able to see where he is going. ¹³ He will try to escape, but I will catch him! He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylonia—the land of the Chaldeans. But he will not be able to see where he is going.^{[az] 14} I will force the king’s people to live in the foreign countries around Israel, and I will scatter his army to the winds. The enemy soldiers will chase after them. ¹⁵ Then they will know that I am the Lord. They will know that I scattered them among the nations. They will know that I forced them to go to other countries.

¹⁶ “But I will let a few of the people live. They will not die from the disease, hunger, and war. I will let them live so that they can tell other people about the terrible things they did against me. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Shake With Fear

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁸ “Son of man, you must act as if you are very frightened. You must shake when you eat your food. You must act worried and afraid when you drink your water. ¹⁹ You must say this to the common people: ‘This is what the Lord God says to the people living in Jerusalem and in the other parts of Israel. You will be very worried while you eat your food. You will be terrified while you drink your water, because everything in your country will be destroyed! This will happen because the people living there are so violent. ²⁰ Many people live in your cities now, but those cities will be ruined. Your whole country will be destroyed! Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Disaster Will Come

²¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ²² “Son of man, why do people quote this saying about the land of Israel:

²³ “Tell the people that the Lord God will end that saying. They will not say that about Israel anymore. Now they will quote this saying:

²⁴ “There will not be any more false visions in Israel. There will not be any more magicians telling things that don’t come true. ²⁵ That’s because I am the Lord, and if I say something will happen, it will happen! I will not wait any longer. Those troubles are coming soon—in your own lifetime. Hear me, you people who always refuse to obey! When I say something, I make it happen.” This is what the Lord God said.

²⁶ Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ²⁷ “Son of man, the people of Israel think that the visions I give you are for a time far in the future. They think you are talking about things that will happen many years from now. ²⁸ So you must tell them this: ‘The Lord God says, I will not delay any longer. If I say something will happen, it will happen!’” This is what the Lord God said.

Warnings Against False Prophets

13 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[ba] you must speak to the prophets of Israel for me. They are only saying what they want to say. You must speak to them. Tell them this: ‘Listen to this message from the Lord! ³ This is what the Lord God says. Bad things will happen to you foolish prophets. You are following your own spirits. You are not telling people what you really see in visions.

⁴ “‘Israel, your prophets are false prophets. They are like jackals hunting for food among the ruins of a city. ⁵ You have not put soldiers near the broken walls of the city. You have not built walls to protect the family of Israel. So when the day comes for the Lord to punish you, you will lose the war!

⁶ “‘Your prophets say they have seen visions. They did their magic to see what will happen next. But everything they said would happen is a lie. They claim to speak for the Lord, but the Lord did not send them. And they still think that what they said is what will happen.

⁷ “‘If you prophets saw visions, they were not true. And all you got from your magic was lies! So how can you say that the Lord told you those things? I did not speak to you!’”

⁸ So now, the Lord God really will speak. He says, “You told lies. You saw visions that were not true. So now I am against you!” This is what the Lord God said. ⁹ “I will punish those prophets whose visions are false and who lie about the future. I will remove them from my people. Their names will not be in the list of the family of Israel. They will never again come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord God!

¹⁰ “Again and again those false prophets lied to my people. They said there would be peace, but there is no peace. The people need to fix the walls and prepare for war. But they only slap a thin coat of plaster^[bb] over the broken walls. ¹¹ Tell them that I will send hail and a strong rain. The wind will blow hard, and a tornado will come. Then the wall will fall down. ¹² When the wall falls down, the people will ask the prophets, ‘What happened to the plaster you put on the wall?’” ¹³ The Lord God says, “I am angry and I will send a storm against you. I am angry and I will send a strong rain. I am angry and I will make hail fall from the sky and completely destroy you! ¹⁴ You put plaster on the wall, but I will destroy the whole wall. I will pull it to the ground. The wall will fall on you, and then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ I will finish showing my anger against the wall and those who put plaster on it. Then I will say, ‘There is no wall, and there are no workers to put plaster on it.’

¹⁶ “All these things will happen to the false prophets of Israel. They speak to the people of Jerusalem and say there will be peace, but there is no peace.” This is what the Lord God said.

¹⁷ God said, “Son of man, look at the women prophets in Israel. They say the things they want to say, so you must speak against them for me. You must say this to them: ¹⁸ ‘This is what the Lord God says: Bad things will happen to you women. You sew cloth bracelets for people to wear on their arms. You make special scarves for people to wear on their heads. You say those things have magic powers to control people’s lives. You trap the people only to keep yourselves alive! ¹⁹ You make them think I am not important. You turn them against me for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. You tell lies to my people. They love to listen to lies. You kill those who should live, and you let people live who should die. ²⁰ So this is what the Lord God says to you: You make those cloth bracelets to trap people, but I will set them free. I will tear those bracelets off your arms, and the people will be free from you. They will be like birds flying from a trap. ²¹ And I will tear up those scarves and save my people from your power. They will escape from your trap, and you will know that I am the Lord.

²² “‘You prophets tell lies. Your lies hurt good people—I did not want to hurt them! You support the wicked and encourage them. You don’t tell them to change their lives. You don’t try to save their lives! ²³ So you will not see any more useless visions or do any more magic. I will save my people from your power, and you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Warnings Against Idol Worship

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to me. They sat down to talk with me. ² The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ³ “Son of man,^[bc] these men came to talk to you. But they still have their filthy idols. They kept the things that made them sin. They still worship those statues, so why do they come to me for advice? Should I answer their questions? ⁴ But I will give them an answer. You must tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord God says: If any Israelites come to a prophet and ask me for advice, I myself will answer their questions. I, the Lord, will answer them even if they still have their filthy idols, even if they kept the things that made them sin, and even if they still worship those statues. I will speak to them in spite of all their filthy idols. ⁵ This is because I want to touch their hearts. I want to show them that I love them, even though they left me for their filthy idols.’

⁶ “So tell the family of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Come back to me and leave your filthy idols. Turn away from those terrible, false gods. ⁷ If any Israelites or foreigners who live in Israel come to me for advice, I will give them an answer. I, the Lord, will answer them even if they still have their filthy idols, even if they kept the things that made them sin, and even if they worship those statues. This is the answer I will give them: ⁸ I will turn against them and destroy them. They will be an example to others. People will laugh at them. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord! ⁹ And if a prophet is foolish enough to give his own answer, I, the Lord, will show him how foolish he is! I will use my power against him. I will destroy him and remove him from among my people, Israel. ¹⁰ So both the one who came for advice and the prophet who gave an answer will get the same punishment. ¹¹ Why? So that those prophets will stop leading my people away from me, and my people will stop being filthy with sin. Then they will be my special people, and I will be their God.’” This is what the Lord God said.

Jerusalem Will Be Punished

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹³ “Son of man, I will punish any nation that leaves me and sins against me. I will stop their food supply. I might cause a famine and remove the people and animals from that country. ¹⁴ I would punish that country even if Noah, Daniel, and Job^[bd] lived there. They could save their own lives by their goodness, but they could not save the whole country.” This is what the Lord God said.

¹⁵ “Or I might send wild animals through that country to kill all the people. Then no one would travel through that country because of the wild animals. ¹⁶ If Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there, those three men could save their own lives. But I promise by my own life that they could not save the lives of other people—not even their own sons and daughters! That evil country would be destroyed.” This is what the Lord God said.

¹⁷ “Or I might send an enemy army to fight against that country. The soldiers would destroy that country—I would remove all the people and animals from that country. ¹⁸ If Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there, those three men could save their own lives. But I promise by my own life that they could not save the lives of other people—not even their own sons and daughters! That evil country would be destroyed.” This is what the Lord God said.

¹⁹ “Or I might send a disease against that country. I will pour my anger down on the people. I will remove all the people and animals from that country. ²⁰ If Noah, Daniel, and Job lived there, those three men could save their own lives because they are good men. But I promise by my own life that they could not save the lives of other people—not even their own sons and daughters!” This is what the Lord God said.

²¹ Then the Lord God said, “So think how bad it will be for Jerusalem. I will send all four of those punishments against that city! I will send enemy soldiers, hunger, disease, and wild animals against that city. I will remove all the people and animals from that country. ²² Some of the people will escape from that country. They will bring their sons and daughters and come to you for help. Then you will see how bad those people really are, and you will feel better about all the troubles that I am bringing to Jerusalem. ²³ You will see how they live and all the bad things they do. Then you will know that I had a good reason for punishing them.” This is what the Lord God said.

Jerusalem, the Vine, Will Be Burned

15 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[be] are the pieces of wood from a grapevine^[bf] any better than the little branches cut from trees in the forest? ³ Can you use that wood from a grapevine to make anything? Can you use that wood to make pegs to hang dishes on? ⁴ People throw that wood into the fire. The ends burn, and the middle is scorched. ⁵ If you cannot make anything from that wood before it is burned, you surely cannot make anything from that wood after it is burned! ⁶ So people throw the pieces of wood from a grapevine into the fire. It is just like wood from any other tree in the forest. In the same way I will throw the people living in Jerusalem into the fire!” This is what the Lord God said. ⁷ “I will punish those people. But some of them will be like the sticks that don’t burn completely. They will be punished, but they will not be destroyed completely. You will see that I punished them, and you will know that I am the Lord! ⁸ I will destroy that country because the people left me to worship false gods.” This is what the Lord God said.

God’s Love for Jerusalem

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem about the terrible things they have done. ³ You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says to Jerusalem: Look at your history. You were born in Canaan. Your father was an Amorite. Your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ Jerusalem, on the day you were born, there was no one to cut your navel cord. No one put salt on you and washed you to make you clean. No one wrapped you in cloth. ⁵ No one felt sorry for you or took care of you. On the day you were born, your parents threw you out into the field, because no one wanted you.

⁶ “‘Then I passed by. I saw you lying there, kicking in the blood. You were covered with blood, but I said, “Please live!” Yes, you were covered with blood, but I said, “Please live!” ⁷ I helped you grow like a plant in the field. You grew and grew. You became a young woman: your periods began, your breasts grew, and your hair began to grow. But you were still bare and naked. ⁸ I looked you over. I saw you were ready for love, so I spread my clothes over you^[bg] and covered your nakedness. I promised to marry you. I made the agreement^[bh] with you, and you became mine.’” This is what the Lord God said.

⁹ “‘I washed you in water. I poured water over you to wash away the blood that was on you, and then I put oil on your skin. ^10 [bi] I gave you a nice dress and soft leather sandals, a linen headband, and a silk scarf. ¹¹ I also gave you some jewelry. I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. ¹² I gave you a nose ring, earrings, and a beautiful crown to wear. ¹³ You were beautiful in your gold and silver jewelry, and your linen, silk, and embroidered material. You ate the best foods. You were very, very beautiful, and you became the queen! ¹⁴ You became famous for your beauty, all because I made you so lovely!’” This is what the Lord God said.

Jerusalem, the Unfaithful Bride

¹⁵ “But you began to trust in your beauty. You used the good name you had and became unfaithful to me. You acted like a prostitute with every man who passed by. You gave yourself to them all! ¹⁶ You took your beautiful clothes and used them to decorate your places for worship.^[bj] And you acted like a prostitute there. You gave yourself to every man who came by! ¹⁷ Then you took your beautiful jewelry that I gave you, and you used the gold and silver to make statues of men, and you had sex with them too! ¹⁸ Then you took the beautiful cloth and made clothes for those statues. You took the perfume and incense I gave you and put it in front of those idols. ¹⁹ I gave you bread, honey, and oil, but you gave that food to your idols. You offered them as a sweet smell to please your false gods. You acted like a prostitute with those false gods!” This is what the Lord God said.

²⁰ “You and I had children together, but you took our children. You killed them and gave them to those false gods! But that is only some of the evil things you did when you were unfaithful to me and went to those false gods. ²¹ You slaughtered^[bk] my sons and then passed them through the fire to those false gods. ²² You left me and did all those terrible things. You never remembered what happened when you were young. You did not remember that you were naked and kicking in blood when I found you.

²³ “After all these evil things, … it will be very bad for you!” The Lord God said all these things. ²⁴ “After all those things, you made a mound for worshiping that false god. You built those places for worshiping false gods on every street corner. ²⁵ You built your mounds at the head of every road. Then you degraded your beauty. You used it to catch every man who walked by. You raised your skirt so that they could see your legs, and you acted like a prostitute with those men. ²⁶ Then you went to Egypt, your neighbor that is always ready for sex. With more and more sexual sin, you made me angry. ²⁷ So I punished you! I took away part of your land. I let your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, do what they wanted to you. Even they were shocked at the evil things you did. ²⁸ Then you went to have sex with Assyria. You could not get enough. You were never satisfied. ²⁹ So you turned to Canaan, and then to Babylonia, and still you were not satisfied. ³⁰ You are so weak. You let all those men cause you to sin. You acted just like a prostitute who wants to be the one in control.” This is what the Lord God said.

³¹ God said, “But you were not exactly like a prostitute. You built your mounds at the head of every road, and you built your places for worship at every street corner. You had sex with all those men, but you did not ask them to pay you the way a prostitute does. ³² You are a woman guilty of adultery. You would rather have sex with strangers than with your own husband. ³³ Most prostitutes force men to pay them for sex, but you gave money to your many lovers. You paid all the men around to come in to have sex with you. ³⁴ You are just the opposite of most prostitutes who force men to pay them, because you pay the men to have sex with you.”

³⁵ Prostitute, listen to the message from the Lord. ³⁶ This is what the Lord God says: “You have spent your money^[bl] and let your lovers and filthy gods see your naked body and have sex with you. You have killed your children and poured out their blood. This was your gift to those false gods. ³⁷ So I am bringing all of your lovers together. I will bring all the men you loved and all the men you hated. I will bring them all together and let them see you naked.^[bm] They will see you completely naked. ³⁸ Then I will punish you. I will punish you as a murderer and a woman who committed the sin of adultery. You will be punished as if by an angry and jealous husband. ³⁹ I will let those lovers have you. They will destroy your mounds. They will burn your places for worship. They will tear off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry. They will leave you bare and naked as you were when I found you. ⁴⁰ They will bring a crowd of people and throw rocks at you to kill you. Then they will cut you into pieces with their swords. ⁴¹ They will burn your house. They will punish you so that all the other women can see. I will stop you from living like a prostitute. I will stop you from paying money to your lovers. ⁴² Then I will stop being angry and jealous. I will calm down. I will not be angry anymore. ⁴³ Why will all these things happen? Because you did not remember what happened when you were young. You did all those bad things and made me angry. So I had to punish you for doing them, but you planned even more terrible things.” This is what the Lord God said.

⁴⁴ “All the people who talk about you will now have one more thing to say. They will say, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ ⁴⁵ You are your mother’s daughter. You don’t care about your husband or your children. You are like your sister. Both of you hated your husband and your children. You are like your parents. Your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite. ⁴⁶ Your older sister was Samaria. She lived to the north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister was Sodom.^[bn] She lived to the south of you with her daughters. ⁴⁷ You did all the terrible things they did, but you also did much worse! ⁴⁸ I am the Lord God. As I live, I swear that your sister Sodom and her daughters never did as many bad things as you and your daughters.

⁴⁹ “Your sister Sodom and her daughters were proud. They had too much to eat and too much time on their hands, and they did not help poor, helpless people. ⁵⁰ Sodom and her daughters became too proud and began to do terrible things in front of me. So I punished them!

⁵¹ “And Samaria did only half as many bad things as you did. You did many more terrible things than Samaria! You have done so many more terrible things than your sisters have done. Sodom and Samaria seem good compared to you. ⁵² So you must bear your shame. You have made your sisters look good compared to you. You have done terrible things, so you should be ashamed.

⁵³ “I destroyed Sodom and the towns around it, and I destroyed Samaria and the towns around it. And I will destroy you too, Jerusalem. But I will build those cities again, and I will rebuild you too. ⁵⁴ I will comfort you. Then you will remember the terrible things you did, and you will be ashamed. ⁵⁵ So you and your sisters will be rebuilt. Sodom and the towns around her, Samaria and the towns around her, and you and the towns around you will all be rebuilt.

⁵⁶ “In the past, you were proud and made fun of your sister Sodom. But you will not do that again. ⁵⁷ You did that before you were punished, before your neighbors started making fun of you. The daughters of Edom^[bo] and Philistia are making fun of you now. ⁵⁸ Now you must suffer for the terrible things you did.” This is what the Lord said.

God Remains Faithful

⁵⁹ This is what the Lord God said: “I will treat you like you treated me! You broke your marriage promise. You did not respect our agreement. ⁶⁰ But I will remember the agreement we made when you were young. I made an agreement with you that will continue forever! ⁶¹ I will bring your sisters to you, and I will make them your daughters. That was not in our agreement, but I will do that for you. Then you will remember the terrible things you did, and you will be ashamed. ⁶² So I will make my agreement with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶³ You will remember me, and you will be so ashamed of the evil things you did that you will not be able to say anything. But I will make you pure, and you will never be ashamed again!” This is what the Lord God said.

The Eagle and the Vine

17 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[bp] I have a story with a hidden meaning for you to tell the family of Israel. ³ Tell them that this is what the Lord God says:

King Zedekiah Punished

¹¹ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹² “Explain this story to the people of Israel who always turn against me. Tell them this: The first eagle is the king of Babylonia. He came to Jerusalem and took away the king and other leaders. He brought them to Babylonia. ¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar made an agreement with a man from the king’s family. Nebuchadnezzar forced that man to make a promise. So this man promised to be loyal to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar made this man the new king of Judah. Then he took all the powerful men away from Judah. ¹⁴ So Judah became a weak kingdom that could not turn against King Nebuchadnezzar. The people were forced to keep the agreement Nebuchadnezzar made with the new king of Judah. ¹⁵ But this new king tried to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar anyway! He sent messengers to Egypt to ask for help. The new king asked for many horses and soldiers. Now, do you think the new king of Judah will succeed? Do you think the new king will have enough power to break the agreement and escape punishment?”

¹⁶ The Lord God says, “By my life, I swear that this new king will die in Babylonia! Nebuchadnezzar made this man the new king of Judah, but he broke his promise with Nebuchadnezzar. This new king ignored that agreement. ¹⁷ The king of Egypt will not be able to save the king of Judah. He might send many soldiers, but Egypt’s great power will not save Judah. Nebuchadnezzar’s army will build dirt roads and dirt walls to capture the city. Many people will die. ¹⁸ But the king of Judah will not escape, because he ignored his agreement. He broke his promise to Nebuchadnezzar.” ¹⁹ The Lord God makes this promise: “By my life, I swear that I will punish the king of Judah, because he ignored my warnings and broke our agreement. ²⁰ I will set my trap, and he will be caught in it. Then I will bring him to Babylon, and I will punish him there. I will punish him because he turned against me, ²¹ and I will destroy his army. I will destroy his best soldiers and scatter them to the wind. Then you will know that I am the Lord and that I told you these things.”

²² This is what the Lord God says:

True Justice

18 The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Why do you people say this proverb:

³ But the Lord God says, “By my life, I swear that people in Israel will not think this proverb is true anymore! ⁴ I will treat everyone, child and parent, just the same. The one who sins is the one who will die!

⁵ “A person who is good will live! He is fair and does what is right. ⁶ He doesn’t go to the mountains to share food offered to idols. He doesn’t pray to those filthy idols in Israel. He doesn’t commit adultery with his neighbor’s wife or with a woman during her period. ⁷ He doesn’t take advantage of others. If someone borrows money from him, he might take something of value before he gives the money. But when that person pays him back, he returns what he took. He gives food to the hungry and clothes to people who need them. ⁸ If someone wants to borrow money from him, he lends the money and doesn’t charge interest on the loan. He refuses to be crooked. He is always fair with everyone. People can trust him. ⁹ He obeys my laws and studies my rules so that he can learn to be fair and dependable. He is good, so he will live.” This is what the Lord God said.

¹⁰ “But someone like that might have a son who does not do any of these good things. The son steals things and kills people. ¹¹ He does things his father never did. He goes to the mountains and eats foods offered to false gods. He commits the sin of adultery with his neighbor’s wife. ¹² He mistreats poor, helpless people. He takes advantage of them. When a debt is paid,^[br] he does not give back what he took from them. He prays to filthy idols and does other terrible things. ¹³ He lends money to people who need it, but he forces them to pay interest on the loan. The evil son will not be allowed to live. He will be put to death because he did such terrible things, and he will be responsible for his own death.

¹⁴ “Now, that evil son might also have a son. But this son sees the bad things his father did, and he refuses to live as his father did. He treats people fairly. ¹⁵ He does not go to the mountains and eat foods offered to false gods. He does not pray to filthy idols in Israel. He does not commit the sin of adultery with his neighbor’s wife. ¹⁶ He does not take advantage of people. If someone borrows money from him, the good son takes something of value and then gives the other person the money. When that person pays him back, the good son gives back what he took. The good son gives food to hungry people, and he gives clothes to those who need them. ¹⁷ He helps the poor. If people want to borrow money, the good son lends them the money, and he does not charge interest on the loan. He obeys my laws and follows them. He will not be put to death for his father’s sins. The good son will live. ¹⁸ The father hurts people and steals things. He never does anything good for my people! He will die because of his own sins.

¹⁹ “You might ask, ‘Why will the son not be punished for his father’s sins?’ The reason is that the son was fair and did good things. He very carefully obeyed my laws, so he will live. ²⁰ The one who sins is the one who will be put to death. A son will not be punished for his father’s sins, and a father will not be punished for his son’s sins. A good man’s goodness belongs to him alone, and a bad man’s evil belongs to him alone.

²¹ “Now, if evil people change their lives, they will live and not die. They might stop doing all the bad things they did and begin to carefully obey all my laws. They might become fair and good. ²² God will not remember all the bad things they did. He will remember only their goodness, so they will live!”

²³ The Lord God says, “I don’t want evil people to die. I want them to change their lives so that they can live!

²⁴ “Now, maybe good people might stop being good. They might change their lives and begin to do all the terrible things that evil people have done in the past. (The evil people changed, so they can live.) So if those good people change and become bad, God will not remember all the good things they did. He will remember that they turned against him and began to sin. So they will die because of their sin.

²⁵ “You people might say, ‘The Lord isn’t fair!’ But listen, family of Israel. I am fair. You are the ones who are not fair! ²⁶ If good people change and become evil, they must die for the bad things they do. ²⁷ And if evil people change and become good and fair, they will save their lives. They will live! ²⁸ They saw how wicked they were and came back to me. They stopped doing the evil things they did in the past. So they will live! They will not die!”

²⁹ The people of Israel said, “That’s not fair! The Lord isn’t fair!”

“I am fair! You are the ones who are not fair! ³⁰ Why? Because, family of Israel, I will judge each of you only for what you do!” This is what the Lord God said. “So come back to me! Stop committing those crimes and do away with those things that cause you to sin! ³¹ Throw away all the terrible idols with which you committed your crimes! Change your heart and spirit. People of Israel, why should you do things that will cost you your life? ³² I don’t want to kill you! Please come back and live!” This is what the Lord God said.

A Sad Song About Israel

19 The Lord said to me, “You must sing this sad song about the leaders of Israel:

This was a sad song about death, and it was sung as a sad song about death.”

Israel Turned Away From God

20 One day some of the elders of Israel came to me to ask the Lord for advice. This was on the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of exile.^[bs] The elders sat down in front of me.

² Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ³ “Son of man,^[bt] speak to the elders of Israel. Tell them ‘This is what the Lord God says: Have you come to ask me what you should do? I, the Lord God, tell you that, as surely as I live, I will not listen to you.’ ⁴ Should you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? You must tell them about the terrible things their fathers have done. ⁵ You must tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day I chose Israel, I raised my hand to Jacob’s family and made a promise to them in Egypt. When I let them know who I was, I raised my hand and said, “I am the Lord your God.” ⁶ On that day I promised to take you out of Egypt and lead you to the land I was giving to you. That was a good land filled with many good things.^[bu] It was the most beautiful of all countries!

⁷ “‘I told the family of Israel to throw away their horrible idols. I told them not to become filthy with those filthy statues from Egypt. I said, “I am the Lord your God.” ⁸ But they turned against me and refused to listen to me. They did not throw away their horrible idols. They did not leave their filthy statues in Egypt. So I decided to destroy them in Egypt—to let them feel the full force of my anger. ⁹ But I did not destroy them. I had already told the Egyptians that I would bring my people out of Egypt. I did not want to ruin my good name, so I did not destroy Israel in front of those other people. ¹⁰ I brought the family of Israel out of Egypt. I led them into the desert. ¹¹ Then I gave them my laws and told them all my rules. All those who obey them will live. ¹² I also told them about all the special days of rest, which were a special sign between us. They showed that I am the Lord and that I was making them special to me.

¹³ “‘But the family of Israel turned against me in the desert. They did not follow my laws. They refused to obey my rules—even though people who obey my laws live because of them. They treated my special days of rest as if they were not important. They worked on those days many times. I decided to destroy them in the desert—to let them feel the full force of my anger. ¹⁴ But I did not destroy them. The other nations saw me bring Israel out of Egypt. I did not want to ruin my good name, so I did not destroy Israel in front of those other people. ¹⁵ I made another promise to those people in the desert. I promised that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them. That was a good land filled with many good things. It was the most beautiful of all countries!

¹⁶ “‘The people of Israel refused to obey my rules or to follow my laws. They treated my days of rest as if they were not important. They did all these things because their hearts belonged to their filthy idols. ¹⁷ But I felt sorry for them, so I did not destroy them. I did not completely destroy them in the desert. ¹⁸ I spoke to their children and told them, “Don’t be like your parents. Don’t make yourselves filthy with their filthy idols. Don’t follow their laws or obey their commands. ¹⁹ I am the Lord. I am your God. Obey my laws and keep my commands. Do the things I tell you. ²⁰ Show that my days of rest are important to you. Remember, they are a special sign between us. I am the Lord, and these days show you that I am your God.”

²¹ “‘But the children turned against me and did not obey my laws. They did not keep my commands—even though people who obey my laws live because of them. They treated my special days of rest as though they were not important. So I decided to destroy them completely in the desert—to let them feel the full force of my anger. ²² But I stopped myself. The other nations saw me bring Israel out of Egypt. I did not want to ruin my good name, so I did not destroy Israel in front of those other people. ²³ So I made another promise to those people in the desert. I promised to scatter them among the nations, to send them to many different countries.

²⁴ “‘The people of Israel did not obey my commands. They refused to obey my laws. They treated my special days of rest as though they were not important, and they worshiped the filthy idols of their fathers. ²⁵ So I gave them laws that were not good. I gave them commands that would not bring life. ²⁶ I let them make themselves filthy with their gifts. They even began to sacrifice their own firstborn children. In this way I would destroy them. Then they would know that I am the Lord.’ ²⁷ So now, son of man, speak to the family of Israel. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: The people of Israel said bad things about me and made evil plans against me. ²⁸ But I still brought them to the land I promised to give them. They saw all the hills and green trees, so they went to all those places to worship. They took their sacrifices and anger offerings^[bv] to all those places. They offered their sacrifices that made a sweet smell, and they offered their drink offerings at those places. ²⁹ I asked the people of Israel why they were going to the high places. But that high place is still there today.^[bw]’

³⁰ “Since Israel did those things, speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: You people have made yourselves filthy by doing the things your ancestors did. You have acted like a prostitute. You have left me to be with the horrible gods your ancestors worshiped. ³¹ You are giving the same kind of gifts. You are putting your children in the fire as a gift to your false gods. You are still making yourself filthy with these filthy idols today! Do you really think that I should let you come to me and ask me for advice? I am the Lord God. By my life, I swear that I will not answer your questions or give you advice! ³² You keep saying you want to be like the other nations. You live like the people in other nations. You serve pieces of wood and stone idols!’”

³³ The Lord God says, “By my life, I swear that I will rule over you as king. But I will raise my powerful arm and punish you. I will show my anger against you! ³⁴ I will bring you out of these other nations. I scattered you among these nations, but I will gather you together and bring you back from these countries. But I will raise my powerful arm and punish you. I will show my anger against you! ³⁵ I will lead you into a desert as I did before, but this will be a place where other nations live. We will stand face to face, and I will judge you. ³⁶ I will judge you as I judged your ancestors in the desert near Egypt.” This is what the Lord God said.

³⁷ “I will judge you guilty and punish you according to the agreement. ³⁸ I will remove all those who turned against me and sinned against me. I will remove them from your homeland. They will never again come to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

³⁹ Now, family of Israel, this is what the Lord God says: “Whoever wants to worship their filthy idols, let them go and worship them. But later, don’t think you will get any advice from me. You will not ruin my name anymore—not when you continue to give your gifts to your filthy idols!”

⁴⁰ The Lord God says, “People must come to my holy mountain—the high mountain in Israel—to serve me! The whole family of Israel will be on their land; they will be there in their country. There you can come to ask me for advice, and you must come there to bring me your offerings. You must bring the first part of your crops to me there. You must bring all your holy gifts to me in that place. ⁴¹ Then I will be pleased with the sweet smell of your sacrifices. That will happen when I bring you back. I scattered you among many nations, but I will gather you together and make you my special people again. And all the nations will see it. ⁴² Then you will know that I am the Lord. You will know this when I bring you back to the land of Israel, the land I promised to give to your ancestors. ⁴³ In that country you will remember all the evil things you did that made you filthy, and you will be ashamed. ⁴⁴ Family of Israel, you did many evil things, and you should be destroyed because of them. But to protect my good name, I will not give you the punishment you really deserve. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” This is what the Lord God said.

⁴⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, look toward the Negev, the southern part of Judah. Speak against the Negev Forest.^{[bx] 47} Say to the Negev Forest, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God said: Look, I am ready to start a fire in your forest. The fire will destroy every green tree and every dry tree. The flame that burns will not be put out. All the land from south to north will be burned by the fire. ⁴⁸ Then all people will see that I, the Lord, have started the fire. The fire will not be put out!’”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Oh, Lord God! If I say this, the people will say that I am only telling them stories.”

Babylon, the Sword

21 So the word of the Lord came to me again. He said, ² “Son of man,^[by] look toward Jerusalem and speak against their holy places. Speak against the land of Israel for me. ³ Say to the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord said: I am against you! I will pull my sword from its sheath. I will remove all people from you—the good and the evil. ⁴ I will cut off both good people and evil people from you. I will pull my sword from its sheath and use it against all people from south to north. ⁵ Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. They will know that I have pulled my sword from its sheath. My sword will not go back into its sheath again until it is finished.’

⁶ “Son of man, make sad sounds like a sad person with a broken heart. Make these sad sounds in front of the people. ⁷ Then they will ask you, ‘Why are you making these sad sounds?’ Then you must say, ‘Because of the sad news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear. All hands will become weak. Every spirit will become weak. All knees will be like water.’ Look, that bad news is coming. These things will happen!” This is what the Lord God said.

The Sword Is Ready

⁸ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ⁹ “Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, ‘This is what the Lord says:

¹² “‘Son of man, shout out and scream because the sword will be used against my people and all the rulers of Israel. They wanted war—so they will be with my people when the sword comes. So slap your thigh to show your sadness, ¹³ because it is not just a test. You refused to be punished with the wooden stick, so what else should I use to punish you? A sword?’” This is what the Lord God said.

Jerusalem Punished

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁹ “Son of man, draw two roads that the sword of the king of Babylon can use to come to Israel. Both roads will come from the same country. Then draw a sign at the head of the road to the city. ²⁰ Use the sign to show which road the sword will use. One road leads to the Ammonite city of Rabbah. The other road leads to Judah, to the protected city, Jerusalem. ²¹ The king of Babylon has come to where the two roads separate. He uses magic to learn which way to go: He shakes his arrows, he asks his family idols, and he looks at the liver^[bz] from an animal he has killed.

²² “The signs tell him to take the road on his right, the road leading to Jerusalem, where he will use battering rams.^[ca] The signs tell him to give the command for his soldiers to begin the killing. They will shout the battle cry and set the battering rams against the gates. They will build a wall of dirt around the city and a dirt road leading up to the walls. They will build wooden towers to attack the city. ²³ But the people in Jerusalem will think this is all a big mistake. They will not believe that this could happen, because they had made a peace agreement with Babylon’s king. But the king will remind them that they are guilty of breaking that agreement, and he will take them captive.”

²⁴ This is what the Lord God says: “You have done many evil things. Your sins are very clear. You forced me to remember that you are guilty, so the enemy will catch you in his hand. ²⁵ And you, evil leader of Israel, you will be killed. Your time of punishment has come! The end is here!”

²⁶ This is what the Lord God says: “Take off the turban! Take off the crown! The time has come to change. The important leaders will be brought low, and those who are not important now will become important leaders.