Bible in 90 Days
Chapter 2
The Judgment of the Lord
1 Behold how the Lord in his anger
has enveloped in darkness the daughter of Zion.
He has hurled down from heaven to earth
the glory of Israel,
without any sign of regard for his footstool
on the day of his anger.
2 Without mercy, the Lord has destroyed
all the dwellings of Jacob.
In his wrath he has torn down
the fortresses of the daughter of Judah.
He has thrown to the ground in dishonor
the kingdom and its rulers.
3 In his fierce anger he broke off
all the strength of Israel.
He withdrew the protection of his right hand
at the approach of the enemy.
He blazed against Jacob like a flaming fire
that consumes everything in its path.
4 Like an enemy he bent his bow,
with his right hand prepared for action.
Like a foe he slew all those
in whom he once took great pride.
He poured forth his fury like fire
over the tent of the daughter of Zion.
5 The Lord has become an enemy;[a]
he has annihilated Israel.
He has destroyed all its palaces
and left all its strongholds in ruins.
For the daughter of Judah
he has multiplied mourning and lamentation.
6 He has laid waste his dwelling like a garden
and destroyed his tabernacle.
The Lord has erased in Zion
every memory of festivals and Sabbaths.
In his fierce anger he has treated with contempt
king and priest alike.
7 The Lord has rejected his altar
and abandoned his sanctuary.
He has delivered the walls of her palaces
into the power of the enemy
who raised a clamor in the house of the Lord
as on a festival day.
8 The Lord was determined to destroy
the walls of the daughter of Zion.
He marked off its boundaries with a measuring line
and did not relent in his purpose.
He caused both wall and rampart to lament;
together they crumbled to the ground.
9 The bars of her gates have been shattered,
and the gates themselves have sunk into the ground.
Her king and her princes are in exile among the Gentiles;
there is no instruction any longer from priests,
and her prophets have not received
any vision from the Lord.[b]
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
sit on the ground in silence.
They have strewn dust on their heads
and wrapped themselves in sackcloth.
The maidens of Jerusalem
bow their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes are exhausted from weeping,
and torment afflicts my innermost being.
My gall is poured out on the earth
because of the destruction of my people,
as children and infants faint
in the streets of the city.
12 They keep crying out to their mothers,
“Where is there bread and something to drink?”
as they faint like the wounded
in the streets of the city,
and breathe their last
in their mothers’ arms.
13 To what can I liken you or compare you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
What can I do to rescue and comfort you,
O virgin daughter of Zion?
Your ruin is as vast as the sea.
Who can heal you?
14 The visions that your prophets revealed to you
were false and worthless.
They did not lay bare your guilt
so that you might reverse your fortunes.
The visions they proclaimed to you
were erroneous and deceptive.[c]
15 All those who pass by
clap their hands at you.
They hiss and wag their heads
at the daughter of Jerusalem,
“Is this the city once described as perfect in beauty,
the joy of the whole world?”
16 All your enemies do not hesitate
to open their mouths against you.
They hiss and gnash their teeth;
they cry out, “We have devoured her!
This is the day we longed for;
at last we have seen it.”
17 The Lord has done what he planned;
he has carried out his threat.
As he decreed from days of old,
he has destroyed without pity.
He has permitted the enemy to rejoice over you
and exalted the strength of your foes.
18 Cry out to the Lord,
O wall of the daughter of Zion.
Let your tears flow like a torrent
both day and night.
Allow yourself no respite;
give your eyes no rest.
19 Arise and cry out during the night
at the beginning of every watch.[d]
Pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.
Lift up your hands to him
for the lives of your children
who are fainting from hunger
at the corner of every street.
20 Look, O Lord, and consider:
whom have you ever treated in this fashion?
Should women eat their little ones,
the children to whom they gave birth?
Should priest and prophet be killed
in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 The young and the old are lying dead
on the ground in the streets.
My young women and my young men
have fallen by the sword.
On the day of your anger you have slain them,
slaughtering them without pity.
22 As if it were for a day of festival,
you summoned my enemies from every side.
On the day of the Lord’s anger
no one escaped and no one survived.
All those whom I bore and reared
my enemy has completely annihilated.
Chapter 3
The Enduring Love of the Lord
1 [e]I am a man who has known affliction
under the rod of God’s wrath.
2 He has led me and forced me to walk
in darkness, not in the light.
3 Against me alone he has turned his hand
again and again, throughout the day.
4 He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away;
he has broken my bones.
5 He has besieged me and enveloped me
with bitterness and hardship.
6 He has forced me to dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
7 He has walled me in so that I cannot escape,
and he weighed me down with heavy chains.
8 Even when I cry out and plead for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
9 He has barred my way with blocks of stones
and obstructed my paths.
10 He has been for me a bear lying in wait
or a lion hiding in ambush.
11 He has led me away and torn me to pieces,
leaving me helpless.
12 He has bent his bow and used me
as the target for his arrows.
13 He has pierced deep within me
with the shafts from his quiver.
14 I have become a laughingstock to my people;
they taunt me in song throughout the day.
15 He has given me my fill of bitter herbs
and sated me with wormwood.
16 He has broken my teeth[f] with gravel
and trampled my face into the dust.
17 My soul is deprived of peace;
I no longer remember what happiness is.
18 Thus I cry out that my glory is gone
as well as everything that I had hoped for from the Lord.
19 The realization of my poverty and homelessness
is wormwood and gall to me.
20 My soul continually reflects on this
and is left downcast within me.
21 However, I will call this to mind
as the reason for my hope:
22 [g]The love of the Lord is never exhausted,
nor do his deeds of mercy ever come to an end.
23 They are renewed every morning;
his faithfulness never ceases.
24 The Lord is my portion, I say to myself;
therefore, I will place my hope in him.
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good to wait in silence
for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man to bear
the yoke from his youth.
28 Let that man sit alone and in silence
when the yoke is laid upon him.
29 Let him bury his head in the dust;
there may still be hope.
30 Let him offer his cheek to those who strike him
and endure their insults.
31 For the rejection by the Lord
will not last forever.
32 Even though he punishes, he will be compassionate
in the abundance of his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly afflict
or cause grief to the children of men.
34 When all the prisoners in a country
are trampled underfoot,
35 when human rights are perverted
in defiance of the Most High,
36 when someone is deprived of justice in the courts—
is the Lord not aware of such evils?
37 Who has only to command and it is done
if the Lord has not given his approval?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that evil and good proceed?
39 Why then should any people complain
about being punished for their sins?
40 Let us examine and test our ways
and return to the Lord.
41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands
to God in heaven.
42 We have sinned and rebelled,
and you have not forgiven us.
43 You have veiled yourself in anger and pursued us,
slaying us without pity.
44 You have wrapped yourself in a cloud
that no prayer can pierce.
45 You have reduced us to filth
and rubbish among the nations.
46 All of our enemies have opened their mouths
in a chorus of jeers against us.
47 Terror and pitfall, devastation and ruin,
have been our lot.
48 My eyes flow with a torrent of tears
because of the destruction of my people.
49 My eyes will flow with unceasing tears,
and there will be no respite
50 until the Lord from heaven
looks down and sees.
51 My eyes are swollen with grief
at the fate of all the daughters of my city.
52 Those who were my enemies without justification
have hunted me down like a bird.
53 They thrust me alive into a pit
and hurled down stones at me.
54 The waters rose above my head,
and I said, “I am lost.”
55 I called upon your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
56 You heard me plead,
“Do not close your ear to my cry for help!”
57 You came near when I called out to you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
58 O Lord, you have taken up my cause,
and you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the unjust treatment I endure;
grant me justice.
60 You have seen all their vindictiveness,
all their plots against me.
61 You have heard their insults, O Lord;
all their plots against me,
62 the whispers and murmuring of my foes
against me all day long.
63 Whether they sit or stand,
see how I am the object of their taunts.
64 Pay them back for their deeds, O Lord;
punish them as they deserve.
65 Give them hardness of heart
as your curse upon them.
66 Pursue them in anger and destroy them
from under your heavens, O Lord.
Chapter 4
The Punishment of the Prophet and People
1 How the gold has become tarnished,
how the pure gold has lost its luster!
The sacred stones lie scattered
at every street corner.
2 The precious sons of Zion
were formerly worth their weight in gold.
Now they are reckoned as no more valuable
than clay jars fashioned by a potter.
3 Even jackals bare their breasts
and nurse their young.
But the daughters of my people have become
as cruel as ostriches[h] in the desert.
4 The tongue of an infant
sticks to the roof of its mouth in thirst.
Little children beg for bread,
but no one offers them a crumb.
5 Those who once feasted on delicacies
now lie dying in the streets.
Those who once wore purple garments
now grovel in rubbish heaps.
6 The punishment inflicted on my people
has been greater than that of Sodom,
which was overthrown in an instant
without a hand being lifted to help her.
7 Her princes were once brighter than snow
and whiter than milk.
Their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
more precious than sapphire.
8 Now their faces are blacker than soot,
and no one recognizes them in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled tightly over their bones,
as dry as a stick.
9 More blessed were those who died by the sword
than those who died of hunger,
with their limbs wasting away,
deprived of the produce of the field.
10 With their own hands, compassionate women
have boiled their own children;
those offspring became their food
when my people were on the verge of extinction,
11 The Lord let his blazing anger pour forth
and gave full vent to his wrath
as he kindled a fire in Zion
that devoured her foundations.
12 The kings of the earth never believed,
nor did any of the inhabitants of the world,
that any adversary or enemy
could ever penetrate the gates of Jerusalem.
13 That occurred because of the sins of her prophets
and the crimes of her priests
who had shed within her walls
the blood of the righteous.[i]
14 They staggered blindly in the streets,
so defiled with blood
that not one of the people dared
to touch their garments.
15 “Go away! You are unclean!” the people shouted.
“Keep away! Do not touch us!”
Wherever they fled, the people would cry out,
“You cannot stay here any longer!”
16 The Lord himself scattered them;
he no longer watches over them.
He showed no favor to the priests
or kindness to the elders.
17 Continually we strained our eyes,
looking in vain for help.
From our towers we watched endlessly
for a nation that could not save us.
18 Men dogged our steps
so that we were unable to walk in our streets.
Our end drew near; our days were numbered;
our time had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
than eagles in the heavens.
They hounded us over the mountains
and lay in ambush for us in the wilderness.
20 The Lord’s anointed,[j] our breath of life,
was caught in their traps,
he in whose shadow we thought
that we could live in safety among the nations.
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
you will become drunk and strip yourself naked.
22 O daughter of Zion, your punishment is now complete;
he will not prolong your exile.
But, daughter of Edom, he will punish your iniquity,
and he will lay bare your sins.
Chapter 5
The Prophet’s Plea for Mercy
1 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us
look, and see our disgrace.
2 Our inherited lands have been given to strangers,
our homes to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans and fatherless;
our mothers are like widows.
4 We must purchase the water we drink;
we must pay for our own wood.
5 On our necks is the yoke of those who persecute us;
although we are exhausted, we are afforded no rest.
6 We have submitted to Egypt and Assyria
to get enough bread to sustain us.
7 Our ancestors who sinned are no longer alive,
but we bear the burden of their guilt.
8 Slaves have become our rulers;
there is no one to deliver us from their hands.
9 We earn our bread at the peril of our lives
because of the sword in the wilderness.[k]
10 Our skin is blackened as in a furnace
from the scorching heat of famine.
11 Women have been raped in Zion
and virgins in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes have been hung up by their hands;
elders are shown no respect.
13 Young men toil, carrying the millstones;
boys stagger under their loads of wood.
14 The old men no longer assemble at the city gate;[l]
the young men have given up their music.
15 Joy has vanished from our hearts;
our dancing has turned to mourning.
16 The garlands have fallen from our heads;
woe to us, for we have sinned.
17 This is why we are sick at heart;
because of this our eyes have grown dim.
18 Mount Zion lies desolate,
overrun with jackals.
19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;
your throne endures from age to age.
20 Why have you ceased to remember us?
Why have you abandoned us for so long a time?
21 Restore us back to you, O Lord, and we will return.[m]
Renew our days as we had of old,
22 unless you have utterly rejected us
with an anger that is beyond measure.
Introduction[n]
Chapter 1
Meeting in Babylon. 1 Following are the words of the book composed by Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, son of Zedekiah, son of Hasadiah, son of Hilkiah, in Babylon, 2 on the seventh day of the month, during the fifth year after the Chaldeans had captured Jerusalem and destroyed it by fire. 3 Baruch read aloud the text of this book to Jeconiah, son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and to all those who came to hear his words: 4 to the nobles, the princes, the elders, and the entire populace of both exalted and lowly rank—that is, all the people who lived in Babylon by the River Sud.[o]
5 Then they wept and fasted and raised their voices in prayer before the Lord. 6 A collection was made, with all contributing as much money as they could. 7 They sent the proceeds of this collection to Jerusalem, to the high priest Jehoiakim, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, and to the priests and all the people who were with him in Jerusalem. 8 At the same time, on the tenth day of the month Sivan,[p] Baruch took the vessels of the house of the Lord that had been stolen from the temple and returned them to the land of Judah. These were the silver vessels that Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, had ordered to be made, 9 after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had deported Jeconiah from Jerusalem together with the princes, artisans, nobles, and the people, and brought them to Babylon as captives.
10 A Message to Jerusalem. This is the message they sent: “Use this money we are sending you to purchase burnt offerings, sin offerings, and frankincense, and to prepare grain offerings. Offer these on the altar of the Lord, our God, 11 along with prayers for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his son Belshazzar,[q] that their lifetimes may continue as long as the heavens are above the earth. 12 May the Lord give us strength and wisdom as we live under the protection of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and that of his son Belshazzar, and serve them for many years and enjoy their favor.
13 “Pray also to the Lord, our God, for us, for we have sinned against the Lord, our God, and his anger and wrath that we have incurred have not yet been withdrawn from us even to the present day. 14 Finally, we exhort you to read publicly this book we are sending you in the house of the Lord on the festival days and the days of assembly, 15 and to proclaim:
Prayer for the Exiles in Babylon[r]
Confession of Guilt. “Justice is the hallmark of the Lord, our God, and we, the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem, are filled with shame this day, 16 that we, together with our kings and rulers, our priests and prophets, and our ancestors, 17 have sinned against the Lord 18 by refusing to obey him. We have not heeded the commands of the Lord, our God, or obeyed the laws that the Lord enjoined on us.
19 “From the day the Lord brought our forefathers out of Egypt until the present time, we have disobeyed the Lord, our God, and paid no heed to his voice. 20 Even today we continue to be afflicted with the evils and the curse pronounced by the Lord through his servant Moses when he led forth our ancestors out of Egypt to bestow upon us a land flowing with milk and honey. 21 We did not listen to the voice of the Lord, our God, as he spoke to us in the admonitions of the prophets whom he sent to us, 22 but instead followed our own wicked inclinations, choosing to serve other gods and to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, our God.
Chapter 2
Punishment of Sin. 1 “Therefore, the Lord carried out the penalty that he threatened to inflict upon us: upon our judges who governed Israel, upon our kings and rulers, and upon the people of Israel and Judah. 2 The evils he permitted to afflict Jerusalem have been of such intensity that they have never been paralleled anywhere under the heavens, as was foretold in the law of Moses: 3 that we would sink to the depravity of eating the flesh of our young sons and daughters. 4 The Lord made us subject to all the kingdoms that surround us. All the nations among which he has scattered us regard us as an object of scorn, and our land is regarded as a wilderness. 5 Instead of being raised up, we have been brought low, because in ignoring his precepts, we have sinned against the Lord, our God.
6 “Justice is the hallmark of the Lord, our God, but we, like our fathers, are the object of shame even today. 7 All of the evils that the Lord threatened to inflict upon us we have experienced, 8 yet we did not entreat the Lord for relief and pledge to renounce the desires of our evil hearts. 9 The Lord did not ignore our misdeeds but inflicted evils upon us in recompense, for the Lord is just in all the works he has commanded us to do. 10 Yet we did not heed the voice of the Lord or obey the precepts that he enjoined upon us.
11 Prayer for Deliverance.“And now, Lord, God of Israel, who delivered your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, with signs and wonders, and with great power and outstretched arm, winning for yourself a great name that is revered even today, 12 we admit that we have sinned by our godless actions and our violation of all your precepts, O Lord, our God. 13 Avert your wrath from us, for only a scant portion of us still remains among the nations where you have scattered us. 14 Pay heed, O Lord, to our prayers and requests. For your own sake deliver us, and enable us to gain the approbation of those who have led us into exile, 15 so that the entire world may acknowledge that you are the Lord, our God, and that Israel and his descendants bear your name.
16 “Look down, O Lord, from your holy dwelling, and keep us in your thoughts. Turn your ear toward us, O Lord, and listen to us. 17 Look upon us, Lord, and see. It is not the dead in Hades, whose spirit no longer dwells in their bodies, who can render praise and vindication to you, O Lord. 18 Rather, it is those who are living and deeply grieved, bent over and frail in their movements, with failing eyesight and hungering soul, who will praise your glory and justice, O Lord.
19 “It is not because of the righteous deeds of our ancestors and our kings that we make bold to approach you with our plea for mercy, O Lord, our God. 20 You have rained down your wrath and anger upon us, as you had announced through your servants the prophets, saying: 21 ‘Thus says the Lord: Bow your shoulders in the service of the king of Babylon, so that you can remain in the land that I gave to your fathers. 22 But if you refuse to heed the Lord’s command to serve the king of Babylon, 23 I will banish from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the shouts of joy and the sounds of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the whole land will be a desolate waste, without a single inhabitant.’
24 “However, we disobeyed your command to serve the king of Babylon, and therefore you carried out the warning you had issued through your servants the prophets, that the bones of our kings and the bones of our ancestors would be uprooted from their burial sites. 25 And indeed, those bones have been exposed to the daytime heat and the nighttime frost. They died in dreadful anguish, as a result of famine and sword and pestilence. 26 Therefore, because of the wickedness of the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah, the house that bears your name you have reduced to its present state.
27 God’s Promises Recalled.“Yet, O Lord, our God, you have treated us with all your goodness and all your mercy, 28 exactly as you promised through your servant Moses, on the day you commanded him to write down your law in the presence of the Israelites when you said: 29 ‘If you do not listen to my voice, this huge and multitudinous people will be reduced to a tiny remnant among the nations where I will scatter them. 30 I well realize that they will not heed me, because they are a stiff-necked people. But in the land of their exile, they will return to themselves 31 and come to realize that I am the Lord, their God. I will give them an obedient heart and attentive ears, 32 and they will praise me in the land of their exile as they invoke my name. 33 Remembering the fate of their ancestors who sinned against the Lord, they will forsake their stubborn obstinacy and their evil deeds.
34 “ ‘Then I will again lead them back to the land that I promised under oath to give to their fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they will rule over it. Their numbers will increase as I ordain; they will not diminish. 35 And I will enter with them into an eternal covenant, that I will be their God and they will be my people. Never again will I banish my people Israel from the land I have given them.’
Chapter 3
1 “Lord Almighty, God of Israel, the anguished soul and the troubled spirit cry out to you. 2 Listen to us, O Lord, and have mercy, for we have sinned against you. 3 While we are perishing forever, you are enthroned forever. 4 Lord Almighty, God of Israel, listen to the prayer of the people of Israel, the children of those who have sinned against you. They have not heeded the voice of the Lord, their God, and therefore, evils continue to befall us. 5 Do not call to mind the iniquity of our fathers, but during this time of calamity, remember instead your power and your name. 6 For you are the Lord, our God, and it is you, O Lord, whom we will praise. 7 To effect this, you have put the fear of you into our hearts so that we will invoke your name. We now praise you in exile, for we have cast away from our hearts all the iniquity of our fathers who sinned against you. 8 Look upon us today in our exile, where you scattered us. We have become a reproach and a curse, to be condemned for all the iniquities of our fathers who turned away from the Lord, our God.”
Praise of Wisdom[s]
9 Pay heed, O Israel, to the commandments that offer life;
lend an ear to obtain prudence.
10 Why is it, O Israel, that you dwell in the land of your enemies,
growing ever older in a foreign country?
Why do you defile yourself with the dead,
11 numbered among those who descend to the netherworld?
12 You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
13 If you had walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelt in peace forever.
14 Learn where there is prudence,
where there is strength,
where there is wisdom,
so that you may also know
where may be found length of days, and life,
where there is light for the eyes, and peace.
15 Who has discovered where wisdom dwells;
who has entered her treasure house?
16 Where now are those who ruled nations,
those who had dominion over the animals of the earth
17 and made sport of the birds of the heavens?
Where are those who amassed hoards of silver and gold
in which people place their trust,
those whose greed knew no limit?
18 Where are those silversmiths expert in their craft
of whose work not a trace remains?
19 They have all vanished, descending into the netherworld,
and others have risen up to take their place.
20 Succeeding generations have seen the light of day
and have come to dwell in the land,
but the way to knowledge they have not learned;
21 they have not discerned her paths or embraced her.
Not even their children have reached her;
indeed, they have strayed far from her way.
22 Wisdom has not been heard of in Canaan,
nor has she been seen in Teman.
23 The descendants of Hagar who seek after worldly wisdom,
the merchants of Midian and Teman,
the storytellers and the searchers for understanding—
these have not discovered the way to wisdom
or even remembered her paths.[t]
24 O Israel, how great is the house of God,
how vast the region of his dominion.
25 It is immense and without bounds,
lofty and immeasurable.
26 There were born the giants,[u] renowned of old,
mighty in stature, skilled in war.
27 Yet these were not the ones chosen by God,
nor did he teach them the way of understanding.
28 They perished because of their lack of prudence;
they perished through their own folly.
29 Who has ever gone up to heaven to get her
and bring her down from the clouds?
30 Who has ever traversed the oceans and found her,
and will exchange the finest gold for her?
31 No one knows the way to her,
nor is anyone concerned with the path to her.
32 However, he who knows all things knows her;
by his understanding he has discovered her.
He it is who established the earth for all time
and filled it with four-footed creatures.
33 He who sends forth the light and it takes flight,
summons it and, trembling, it obeys.
34 Before him the stars in their designated places shine and rejoice;
35 he summons them, and they reply, “Here we are,”
and shine with delight for the one who made them.
36 This is our God;
no other can compare to him.
37 He has discerned the entire path to wisdom
and revealed her to Jacob, his servant,
and to Israel, whom he loved.
38 After that, she appeared on earth
and lived with humankind.
Chapter 4
1 She is the book of God’s commandments,
the law that endures forever.
All who adhere to her will live,
but those who forsake her will die.
2 Return, O Jacob, and lay hold of her;
approach the radiance of her light.
3 Do not yield your glory to another
or your privileges to a foreign people.
4 Blessed are we, O Israel,
for what is pleasing to God has been revealed to us.
Prophetic Discourse of Exhortation and Consolation for Jerusalem
The Exile
5 Rouse your courage, my people,
you who keep alive the memory of Israel.
6 You were sold to the nations
but not for the purpose of your destruction.
You were handed over to your enemies
because you provoked God’s indignation.
7 You offended the one who made you
by offering sacrifices to demons and not to God.
8 You turned your back on the Everlasting[v] who nourished you,
and caused sorrow for Jerusalem who reared you.
9 She saw the wrath of God descending upon you,
and she exclaimed:
“Listen, you neighbors of Zion.
God has afflicted me with great sorrow.
10 For I have beheld the exile of my sons and daughters
that the Everlasting has brought upon them.
11 Joyfully I raised them,
but with tears and lamenting I had to watch them depart.
12 Let not one of you rejoice over my fate,
a widow who has lost so many of her own;
I have been left desolate because of the sins of my children
who deviated from the law of God.
13 They refused to obey his statutes,
and did not walk in the ways of God’s commandments
or follow the paths of discipline that his justice required.
14 Let Zion’s neighbors come
to observe the captivity of my sons and daughters
that the Everlasting has inflicted upon them.
15 He caused a faraway nation to war against them,
a ruthless nation speaking a foreign tongue,
that showed neither respect for the aged
nor pity for the young.
16 They have led into exile the widow’s beloved sons
and left her alone, without a solitary surviving daughter.
The Deliverance
17 “How can I possibly be of help to you?
18 The one who afflicted you with these disasters
will deliver you from the power of your enemies.
19 Go, my children, go,
for I have been left desolate.
20 I have removed my robes of peace
and donned sackcloth for prayers of supplication;
throughout my life I will cry out to the Everlasting.
21 “Take courage, my children; call out to God,
and he will deliver you from oppression
and from the hands of your enemies.
22 I place my trust in the Everlasting for your deliverance,
and joy has come to me from the Holy One,
because of the mercy that will soon come to you
from the Everlasting, your Savior.
23 With mourning and laments I watched you depart,
but God will give you back to me with everlasting joy and gladness.
24 For as the neighbors of Zion have witnessed your captivity,
they will soon behold your deliverance by your God,
which will come to you with the great glory and splendor of the Everlasting.
25 “My children, endure with patience the wrath
that has come upon you from God.
Your enemy has persecuted you,
but shortly you will witness his destruction
and trample upon his neck with your foot.
26 My delicate children have had to traverse rocky paths,
taken away like sheep carried off by the enemy.
27 Have courage, my children, and cry out to God;
he who has thus afflicted you will not forget you.
28 As the thought once came to you to go astray from God,
now you must increase your efforts tenfold to seek him.
29 He who afflicted you with these disasters
will bring you everlasting joy with your deliverance.”
Jerusalem Assured of Help
30 Take courage, Jerusalem!
The one who gave you your name will comfort you.
31 Great will be the terror of those who harmed you
and rejoiced over your ill-fortune.
32 Disaster awaits those cities where your children were slaves,
wretched the city that received your offspring.
33 Just as that city rejoiced at your downfall
and was exultant to witness your ruin,
so shall she grieve over her own devastation.
34 I shall despoil her of the multitudes in which she took such joy,
and her insolent pride shall be turned to mourning.
35 Fire from the Everlasting will besiege her for many days,
and demons will inhabit her for a lengthy period of time.
Invitation to Hope
36 Gaze toward the east, Jerusalem,
and behold the joy that is coming to you from God.
37 The children whom you saw depart are returning;
they are returning, gathered together from the east and the west,
at the command of the Holy One,
rejoicing in the glory of God.
Chapter 5
1 Remove your robe of mourning and affliction, O Jerusalem,
and adorn yourself forever with the splendor of the glory of God.
2 Wrap yourself with the cloak of God’s justice,
and place on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting.
3 For God will reveal your splendor to every nation under the heavens;
4 and you will forever be called by God:
“The Peace of Justice and The Glory of Piety.”
5 Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the heights
and look toward the east;
behold your children gathered from the west and the east
at the command of the Holy One,
rejoicing that God has remembered them.
6 They departed from you on foot,
led away by their enemies.
But God will bring them back to you,
borne aloft in glory as though on a royal throne.
7 For God has decreed
that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be leveled
and that the valleys be filled to make level ground,
so that Israel may walk securely in the glory of God.
8 The woods and every type of fragrant tree
have provided shade for Israel at God’s command.
9 For God will lead Israel with joy,
by the light of his glory,
with the mercy and uprightness that come from him.
The Letter of Jeremiah[w]
Chapter 6
1 This is the text of a letter sent by Jeremiah to those who were to be taken as captives to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, in order to deliver to them a message at God’s command:
Duration of the Exile. Because of the sins you have committed before God, you are being deported to Babylon as captives by Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians. 2 Once you have arrived in Babylon, your period of exile will last for many years, up to seven generations. After that I will bring you home from that place in peace. 3 In Babylon you will see people carrying upon their shoulders gods of silver and gold and wood, which inspire fear in the pagans. 4 Be careful not to imitate these pagans or to allow fear of these gods to overwhelm you 5 when you see the heathen crowds before and behind them, worshiping them. Rather, say in your hearts, “Only you, O Lord, are worthy of worship.” 6 For my angel is with you, and he cares for your lives.
Origin of Idols. 7 The tongues of these gods are polished to a smooth finish by artisans, and the idols, themselves, are overlaid with gold and silver. However, they are fraudulent and are unable to utter a word. 8 People take gold as they would for a maiden obsessed with how she adorns herself, 9 and they use it to fashion crowns for the heads of their gods. Yet at times the priests will surreptitiously take the silver and gold from these gods and spend it on themselves; 10 they will even use some of it in payment for services to the temple prostitutes.
They elegantly robe these idols of silver and gold and wood as if they were human; 11 however, even though these gods are arrayed in purple attire, they are unable to protect themselves from the damage caused by corrosion and insects. 12 Their faces must be wiped clean of the thick dust of the temple that settles upon them. 13 [x]Like a ruler of a country, each god holds a scepter, yet none has the power to destroy anyone who offends it. 14 Each has in its right hand a sword and an ax, but none is able to defend itself from war or thievery. Thus it is evident beyond question that these are not gods; so have no fear of them.
15 Impotence of Idols. Just as a pot is of no further use once it is broken, 16 so are these gods enshrined in their temples. Dust raised up from the feet of those who enter fills their eyes. 17 Their courtyards are walled in like those of someone in prison and awaiting execution for an act against the king, so the priests attempt to make the temples secure, reinforcing them with doors and bars and bolts to guard against thievery. 18 The priests light more lamps for the gods than they do for themselves, yet not even one of these can the idols see.
19 The gods are like one of the temple beams, but, it is said, their hearts are eaten away, as insects crawl out of the ground to consume them and their garments without their even being aware of it. 20 Their faces are blackened by the smoke that rises in the temple. 21 Bats and swallows and birds of every species perch on their bodies and heads, and so do cats. 22 All this makes it abundantly clear that they are not gods. Therefore, have no fear of them.
23 Although they are adorned with a layer of gold, these idols will not gleam unless someone wipes off the tarnish. Even when they were being molded they did not feel anything. 24 They were purchased no matter what the cost, yet the breath of life is not in them. 25 Because of their lack of feet, they are borne on the shoulders of others, an indication to all of their true lack of worth. And those who serve them feel a sense of shame, 26 inasmuch as if one of them should fall to the ground, it cannot get up by itself. If anyone sets an idol upright, it cannot move by its own devices, and if it is tipped, it cannot straighten itself on its own.
A gift offered to such idols might as well be offered to the dead. 27 Any sacrifices made to these idols are sold by the priests, who then pocket the proceeds. Likewise, their wives salt and preserve parts of the meat that is offered, but they refuse to offer any share whatsoever to the poor or the helpless. 28 Even women who are menstruating or who have just given birth are permitted to touch these sacrifices. Thus there should not be the slightest doubt that these are not gods; therefore, have no fear of them.
29 How can they be called gods, these idols of silver and gold and wood, when women serve meals to them?[y] 30 And in their temples, the priests sit wearing torn garments, their hair and beards shaved, and their heads uncovered. 31 They shout and shriek in the presence of their gods as others do at a funeral banquet. 32 The priests remove some of the idols’ clothing and use it to clothe their own wives and children.
33 Whether these gods are treated well or badly by someone, they are unable to repay that person in like manner. They can neither enthrone nor depose a king. 34 Similarly they are incapable of bestowing wealth or money. If anyone fails to fulfill a vow made to them, they will never exact it. 35 They will never save anyone from death or deliver the weak from the strong. 36 They cannot restore the sight of the blind nor rescue anyone in trouble. 37 They cannot have pity for the widow nor show concern for the orphan. 38 These wooden statues overlaid with gold and silver are like stones quarried from the mountains, and those who worship them will be put to shame. 39 How then can anyone consider them to be gods or call them gods?
40 Even the Chaldeans[z] themselves betray their lack of respect for them, for when they see someone who is incapable of speech, they lead the mute into the temple and ask Bel to give that person the power of speech, as though Bel were able to understand. 41 However, they are unable to reflect on their foolish practice and abandon these gods, for they lack all sense of perception. 42 Meanwhile women, with cords around their waists, burn bran for incense. 43 And whenever one of these has been solicited by a passer-by and lain with him, she taunts her neighbor who was not chosen because of a lesser degree of attractiveness and who has not had her cord broken. 44 Everything that has to do with these gods is fraudulent. How then can anyone consider them to be gods or call them so?
45 Nature of Idols. Idols are fashioned by carpenters and goldsmiths, and they can be nothing more than what their artisans wish them to be. 46 Even those who produce them cannot last long. 47 How, then, can the things made by them be gods? They have bequeathed nothing but frauds and dishonor to their descendants. 48 When war or a disaster befalls them, the priests consult among themselves where they can hide with their gods. 49 How, then, can anyone fail to realize that these are not gods when they are unable to save themselves from war or disaster?
50 Since they are composed of nothing but wood that has been overlaid with gold and silver, they eventually will be recognized for the frauds that they are. It will be crystal-clear to every nation and king that they are not gods but have been created by human hands, and that they do not possess the slightest degree of divine power.
51 Who can fail to realize that they are not gods? 52 They cannot appoint a king to rule over a country or supply people with rain. 53 They cannot regulate their own affairs or remedy an injustice, because they have no power. 54 They are like crows fluttering between heaven and earth. When fire breaks out in a temple that houses these wooden gods overlaid with gold and silver, the priests will dash for safety, but they themselves will be consumed in the flames like timbers. 55 They cannot offer any resistance to a king or enemy forces. 56 How, then, can anyone assert or still believe that they are gods?
Absolute Uselessness of Idols. These idols of wood overlaid with gold and silver are not able to prevent being plundered by thieves and bandits. 57 Anyone of a mind to do so will strip them of their gold and silver and run off, also, with the robes in which they were garbed, and they are powerless to help themselves. 58 It is far better to be a king who displays his courage or a household utensil of use to its owner than these false gods; better even the door of a house that safeguards whatever is within than these false gods; better even a wooden pillar in a palace than these false gods.
59 The sun and the moon and the stars shine brightly in obedience to the purpose they are assigned. 60 Flashes of lightning are seen over a large area, and the wind likewise blows throughout the land. 61 When God issues a command to the clouds to pass over the whole earth, they obey, 62 and fire that is sent from above to consume mountains and forests does what it has been ordered. However, these idols cannot be compared with these forces of nature, either in beauty or in power. 63 Therefore, you cannot consider them to be gods or call them such, since they are powerless to pronounce judgment or to be of help to anyone. 64 Therefore, realizing that they are not gods, do not fear them.
65 These idols cannot curse or bless kings, 66 nor can they offer the nations any signs in the heavens or shine like the sun or provide light like the moon. 67 Wild beasts are more blessed, for they can save themselves by fleeing to a place of safety. 68 In no respect is there the slightest evidence that they are gods; therefore, do not fear them. 69 These wooden idols, overlaid with silver and gold, provide no greater protection than does a scarecrow in a field of cucumbers. 70 Like a thornbush in a garden upon which every species of bird perches, or like a corpse thrown out into the darkness, are these wooden gods overlaid with gold and silver. 71 The purple and the linen rotting on their backs give clear evidence that they are not gods. In the end they will be eaten away and bring dishonor to their country. 72 Far more fortunate, then, is the upright person who has no idols, for such a one will never incur dishonor.
Call of the Prophet[aa]
Chapter 1
The Vision of Four Living Creatures.[ab] 1 [ac]In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Chebar, the heavens opened, and I saw divine visions. 2 On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— 3 the word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar. There the hand of the Lord was upon him.
4 [ad]As I looked, I beheld a stormy wind coming from the north: an immense cloud with flashing fire and a brilliant light surrounding it. In the middle of the fire there was something that looked like gleaming amber.[ae] 5 Within it, there seemed to be four living creatures with human forms.[af] 6 Each had four faces; each had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and they had hooves like those of a calf, sparkling with a gleam like that of burnished bronze.
8 Below their wings, they had human hands on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. 9 They touched one another with their wings. They did not turn as they moved; each of them moved straight ahead.
10 As for their faces, each of the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle. 11 Their wings were spread upward. Each creature had one wing touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the Spirit wished them to go, they would do so; they never turned as they moved.
13 In the middle of the living creatures was what appeared to be burning coals of fire, like torches darting to and fro between the living creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning issued forth from the fire. 14 The living creatures kept disappearing and reappearing like flashes of lightning.
15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each of the four living creatures. 16 As for the appearance and the structure of the wheels, they all held the appearance of sparkling chrysolites, and all four of them looked alike; they were so constructed that each wheel appeared to have another wheel inside it. 17 They could move in any of the four directions they faced, without veering as they moved.
18 The four of them had rims that were awesome in their size, and those rims were filled with eyes all around. 19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose with them. 20 They moved in whatever direction the Spirit wished to go, and the wheels rose with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, the wheels also moved. When the creatures stood still, the wheels also stood still. When the creatures left the ground, the wheels also left the ground, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Over the heads of the living creatures, there was what appeared to be a firmament, glittering like crystal and spread out over their heads. 23 Beneath the firmament, their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another, and each of the creatures had two wings covering its body. 24 I also heard the sound of their wings, like the roar of mighty waters, like the thunder of the Almighty. When they moved, the sound was like the noise emanating from an armed camp. And when they stood still, they lowered their wings.[ag]
25 And there came a voice from above the dome over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. 26 Above the dome over their heads there was something like a sapphire in the form of a throne, and seated high above the likeness of a throne there was a form with the appearance of a man.
27 Upward from what resembled his waist I beheld what looked like fire that gave forth a brilliant light all around. 28 The radiance of the encircling light was like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day.
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I beheld it, I prostrated myself on the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me.
Chapter 2
The Vison of the Scroll. 1 He said to me: Stand up, son of man.[ah] I wish to speak with you. 2 As he spoke to me, a Spirit entered into me and stood me on my feet, and I listened to him speaking.
3 He said to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 Because they are obstinate and stubborn, I am sending you to them. You shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” 5 Whether they listen to you or whether in their rebelliousness they refuse to listen, they will know that there is a prophet among them.
6 But as for you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or of what they say, even though they resist and reject you and you find yourself sitting on scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or be alarmed by their looks, for they are a rebellious tribe. 7 You will deliver my words to them whether they listen or whether in their rebelliousness, they refuse to listen. 8 But as for you, son of man, listen to what I say to you and do not be rebellious like that rebellious tribe. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give you.
9 I saw a hand stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll. 10 He unrolled it in front of me. It had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words, of lamentation and dirges and woe.
Chapter 3
1 He said to me: Son of man, eat what is in front of you. Eat this scroll, and then go forth to speak to the house of Israel. 2 Therefore, I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me: Son of man, eat this scroll that I have given you, and eat your fill. Then I consumed it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.
4 He then said to me: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and deliver my message to them. 5 For you are not being sent to a people that speaks a difficult and barbaric language, but to the house of Israel. 6 I am not sending you to great nations, whose speech you would not be able to comprehend, although they would listen to what you had to say.
7 However, the house of Israel will not listen to you because it would not listen to me. The whole house of Israel is defiant and obstinate in heart. 8 But I will make you as defiant and obstinate as they are. 9 I will make your resolve as hard as a diamond. I have made your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not fear them, or be concerned about their appearance, for they are a rebellious house.
10 He went on: Listen carefully, son of man, to all my words. Receive them into your heart and hear them with your ears. 11 Then go to your countrymen in exile and say to them, “Thus says the Lord,” whether they listen or refuse to listen.
12 Then a Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of loud rumbling as the glory of the Lord rose from its place: 13 the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, a fierce rumbling sound. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and carried me away, and I departed in bitterness and anger, as the hand of the Lord rested heavily upon me. 15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib[ai] who lived by the River Chebar, and for seven days I sat among them in a state of consternation.
16 The Prophet as Sentry. At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them my warning. 18 If I say to a wicked man, “You will surely die,” and you fail to warn him about this or do not advise him to cease his wicked conduct and thereby save his life, the wicked man will die because of his iniquity, but I will hold you responsible for his death. 19 But if you have warned him and he continues to persist in his evil ways, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved your life.
20 Again, if a virtuous man ceases to be virtuous and does wrong, and I set a trap for him, he will die because you failed to warn him. He will die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds will no longer be remembered. However, I will hold you responsible for his death because you did not warn him. 21 However, if you have warned an upright man not to sin and he does not sin, then he will have saved his life because he heeded your warning, and you will have saved your life.
22 Ezekiel Struck Dumb.[aj]While I was there, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he said to me: Rise up, go out into the valley, and there I will speak to you. 23 I arose, and when went out to the valley, the glory of the Lord was there, like the glory I had seen by the River Chebar, and I fell prostrate on the ground.
24 Then a Spirit entered into me and raised me to my feet, and he spoke with me and said: Go forth and shut yourself up in your house. 25 You will be tied and bound with ropes, O son of man, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to your palate so that you will become dumb and be unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious people. 27 But when I have spoken to you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, “This is what the Lord God said.” If anyone wishes to listen, he may listen. If anyone refuses to listen, he may refuse. For they are a rebellious house.
Before the Siege of Jerusalem
Chapter 4
Symbols of Siege and Exile. 1 As for you, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it in front of you. Draw on it a city, Jerusalem.[ak] 2 Portray it under siege, erect towers against it, pitch camps, and set up battering rams all around it. 3 Then take an iron griddle and place it as though it were an iron wall between you and the city. Keep your gaze fixed upon the city; it will be in a state of siege, and you will be the besieger. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.[al]
4 [am]Then lie on your left side while I place the guilt of the house of Israel upon you. You will bear their guilt for the number of days that you lie on your side. 5 Allowing one day for every year of their guilt, I ordain that you bear Israel’s punishment for three hundred and ninety days.
6 When you have completed these days, you shall lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah for forty days: one day for each year I have allotted you. 7 Then fix your gaze on the siege of Jerusalem, and with bared arm you shall prophesy against it. 8 I will tie you with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.
9 [an]Then take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them all into the same pot and make bread for yourself. You are to eat it for as many days as you lie upon your side—three hundred and ninety days. 10 The food that you shall eat shall weigh twenty shekels a day, and you are to eat it at fixed times. 11 You are also to measure out and drink the same amount of water each day at fixed times—one-sixth of a hin. 12 The food that you eat shall be in the form of a barley cake. Bake it in the sight of the people with human dung as fuel.
13 The Lord then said: Thus will the Israelites be forced to eat defiled food among the nations to which I will banish them. 14 “Lord God,” I protested, “from my youth until this very day I have never defiled myself. I have never eaten an animal that died a natural death or was torn to pieces by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.” 15 He replied: Very well. I will permit you to use cow dung instead of human dung to prepare your bread.[ao]
16 Then he said to me: Son of man, I intend to reduce greatly the supply of food in Jerusalem. The people will ration anxiously the bread they eat and sip carefully the measure of water they are allotted each day. 17 Because of the scarcity of bread and water, they will be overwhelmed with fear and waste away because of their iniquity.
Chapter 5
1 Son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard. Then take scales and divide the hair you have cut off. 2 When the days of the siege come to an end, burn one-third of the hair inside the city. Take another third and cut it up with the sword throughout the city. Scatter the last third to the wind while I pursue it with the sword. 3 In addition, take a few of these hairs and conceal them in a fold of your robe. 4 From these, however, take some and cast them into the fire and burn them completely. A fire will spread from there against the entire house of Israel.
5 Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem, which I have established in the midst of the nations and surrounded with foreign countries. 6 But she has rebelled against my ordinances and my statutes more wickedly than all the nations and the countries around her, rejecting my ordinances and refusing to obey my laws.
7 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have been more rebellious than the nations that surround you and have not followed my statutes or respected my ordinances and have not even observed the laws of the nations that surround you, 8 therefore, thus says the Lord God: I too am coming against you, and I will execute my judgments on you for all the nations to see. 9 And because of all your abominable offenses, I will inflict punishment on you that I have never done before and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Those of you who are parents will eat your children, and children will eat their parents. I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to the winds.
11 Therefore, as I live, says the Lord God, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all of your detestable and vile abominations, I will destroy you. I will not take pity on you or spare you. 12 One-third of you will die of pestilence or perish because of famine, one-third will fall by the sword outside your walls, and one-third I will scatter to the four winds and pursue them with the sword.
13 Then, once my anger has abated and I have vented my wrath against them, they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in my jealousy. 14 I will make you a desolate waste and the object of mockery among the nations that surround you, a fate clearly evident to all those who pass by. 15 You will be an object of mockery and abuse, a frightening warning to the nations that surround you, when I execute my judgment on you in anger and fury and dreadful punishments. I, the Lord, have spoken.
16 When I loose my deadly arrows of famine against you, arrows of destruction which I will send forth to destroy you, and when I afflict you with one famine after another and cut off your supply of food, 17 I will afflict you with even more intense famine and wild beasts, and you will be left childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Chapter 6
Against the Mountains of Israel. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, turn your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. 3 Say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I am going to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will be demolished and your incense stands will be shattered, and I will throw down your slain in front of your idols.
5 I will lay the corpses of the people of Israel in front of their idols, and I will scatter their bones all around your altars. 6 Wherever you live, your towns will be destroyed and your high places will be laid waste, your idols will be shattered and destroyed, your incense stands will be smashed, and all of the idols you have made will be obliterated. 7 As the slain will fall in your midst, you will know that I am the Lord.
8 However, among the nations I will spare some of you who will manage to escape the sword and be scattered throughout foreign lands. 9 Those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where you were carried away as captives—how I crushed their adulterous hearts for having deserted me and by their wanton eyes for lusting after idols. Then they will loathe themselves for all the evils that they have done with their abominable practices. 10 And they will know that I, the Lord, was not uttering a vain warning when I threatened to inflict this disaster upon them.
11 Thus says the Lord God: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and cry, “Alas!” because of all the loathsome abominations of the house of Israel, for which the people will fall by the sword, famine, and pestilence. 12 Those who are far off will die of pestilence; those who are near will fall by the sword; any who survive and are spared will die of famine. Thus, I will exhaust my wrath upon them.
13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their slain lie among the idols around their altars, on every high hill, on every mountaintop, under every green tree, and under every leafy oak, wherever they offered sweet-smelling sacrifices to any of their idols. 14 I will stretch out my hand against them and reduce every place where they have settled to a desolate waste, from the desert to Riblah.[ap] Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Chapter 7
The End Is Near. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel:
It is finished. The end is coming
upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now the end is upon you.
I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct,
and punish you for all your loathsome deeds.
4 I will not look upon you with pity
or be merciful to you.
I will punish you for your evil conduct
and for your abominable practices.
Then you will know
that I am the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God:
Disasters are coming, one after another.
6 The end is coming; it is coming upon you.
Behold its approach!
7 Your doom is coming upon you,
O inhabitant of the land.
The time is coming, the day is near—
a time of panic and not of rejoicing.
8 Soon I will pour out my wrath upon you
and vent my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
and punish you for your abominable deeds.
9 I will not look upon you with mercy,
nor will I have pity on you.
I will repay you for your conduct
and for the abominations in your midst.
Then you will know
that it is I, the Lord, who strike.
10 Now is the day of the Lord.
Behold, the end is at hand.
The scepter has blossomed;
insolence is at its peak.
11 Violence has now become the means
to punish wickedness.
None of the people will be left,
nor their wealth nor anything of value.
12 The time has come; the day is near.
Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn,
for fury engulfs the entire populace.
13 The seller will not be able to recover what he has sold as long as he lives. Neither party will be willing to cancel out the transaction.
14 They have sounded the trumpet
and made everything ready,
but no one goes to battle,
my wrath falls upon all alike.
15 The sword is outside;
pestilence and famine are within.
Those in the country will die by the sword;
those in the city will be devoured
by famine and pestilence.
16 If any manage to survive,
they will escape to the mountains
like doves of the valleys.
There I will slaughter them all,
each one for his iniquity.
17 All their hands will be limp,
and all their knees will turn to water.
18 They will put on sackcloth,
their entire body trembling.
Shame shall be on all their faces,
and their heads will be shaved.
19 They shall fling their silver into the streets,
and their gold shall be considered as refuse.
Their silver and gold will not be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.
They will not be able to satisfy their hunger
or to fill their bellies,
for wealth was the reason for their iniquity.
20 They used to take pride
in their beautiful jewelry
from which they would fashion
vile, abominable images.
Therefore, I will regard their jewelry
as nothing more than filth.
21 I will hand it all over to foreigners as plunder
and as booty to the wicked of the earth,
and they will defile it.
22 I will turn my face away from them
while they profane my treasured land;
the violent shall enter and defile it.
23 Prepare chains,
because the land is full of bloodshed
and the city is filled with violence.
24 I will bring in the cruelest of the nations
to seize their houses.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong,
and their sanctuaries will be profaned.
25 When terror comes, they will seek peace,
but there will be none.
26 There will be disaster after disaster
and rumor upon rumor.
Prophets will be pestered endlessly for a vision;
priests will fail to offer guidance,
and the elders will provide no counsel.
27 The king will go into mourning;
the prince will be enveloped in despair;
the hands of the common people will tremble.
I will deal with them as their conduct deserves,
and I will judge them in accordance with their judgments.
Thus they will know that I am the Lord.
Chapter 8
Idolatry in the Temple.[aq] 1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, as I was sitting in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting beside me, suddenly the hand of the Lord fell upon me there.
2 As I looked, I beheld a figure that had the form of a man. From the area of his waist downward, he appeared to be like fire, and upward from his waist, he seemed to have a brilliance like gleaming amber. 3 He stretched forth what appeared to be a hand and grasped me by a lock of my hair. A Spirit then lifted me up between earth and heaven, and in divine visions he brought me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner north gate, where stood the idol that arouses one to jealousy.[ar] 4 The glory of the God of Israel was present before me, like the vision I had seen in the valley.
5 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” I raised my eyes toward the north, and there, north of the temple gate, a statue of jealousy stood at the entrance. 6 He asked, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Behold the loathsome abominations that the house of Israel is engaging in here in their determination to drive me out of my sanctuary. And you will see still greater abominations.”
7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the court, where I perceived a hole in the wall. 8 He then ordered, “Son of man, dig through the wall.” After I dug through the wall, I beheld a door. 9 He said to me, “Enter and behold the vile abominations in which they are engaged there.”
10 I entered and looked around. Upon the wall were depicted the carved figures of every kind of creeping thing and loathsome animals and all the idols of the house of Israel.[as] 11 Before them stood seventy of the elders of the house of Israel, including Jaazaniah, the son of Shaphan. Each of them held a censer in his hand, and all the fragrance of the incense ascended upward.
12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each one at the shrine of his own idol? They think that the Lord has forsaken the land and that he does not see them.” 13 He also said to me, “You will see even greater abominations practiced by them.”
14 Next he took me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, where women were sitting, weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then he said to me, “Son of man, do you see this? You will see even greater abominations than these.”
16 He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. There, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, prostrating themselves toward the east before the rising sun.
17 Then he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it not bad enough for the house of Judah to do the loathsome things they have done here? They have filled the land with violence and provoked me to anger time after time. Observe how they put the branch to their nose.[at] 18 Therefore, I will turn against them in fury. I will not pity them or spare them. No matter how loudly they may cry out to me, I will not listen to them.”
Chapter 9[au]
Punishment of the Idolaters. 1 Then he shouted loudly for me to hear: “The scourges of the city are drawing near, each brandishing his weapon of destruction.” 2 Thereupon, I saw six men approaching from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each one with a weapon for slaughter in his hand. Among them was a man clothed in linen,[av] with the necessary paraphernalia for writing in his hand. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 The glory of the God of Israel had risen above the cherubim upon which it rested to the threshold of the temple. Then he called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing case at his side, 4 and he said to him: “Go throughout the city, throughout Jerusalem, and mark[aw] with a cross the foreheads of all those who grieve and lament over all the abominable practices that run rampant throughout its boundaries.”
5 To the others I heard him say: “Follow him throughout the city and kill, without looking upon them with pity or showing them any mercy. 6 Cut down old men, young men and maidens, small children and women, but touch no one who is marked on the forehead with a cross. Begin at my sanctuary.” And so they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. 7 Then he said to them: “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with the slain.” Then they went forth and killed their way through the city.
8 While they continued with their mission of slaying, I was left alone. Throwing myself on the ground, I cried out, “Ah, Lord God, will you annihilate all that is left of Israel by pouring out your wrath on Jerusalem?” 9 He answered: “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is filled with bloodshed and the city is filled with perversity. They believe that the Lord has forsaken the land and that he does not see. 10 However, I will not look upon them with pity or show them any mercy. I will bring down their deeds upon their heads.”
11 Then the man clothed in linen and carrying the writing case reported, “I have done as you commanded me.”
Chapter 10
God’s Glory Leaves the Temple. 1 Then I looked and observed that above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim there was what appeared to be a sapphire in the shape of a throne. 2 The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go within the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill both of your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” As I looked on, the man entered.
3 The cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple as the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the entire court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God when he speaks.
6 When the Lord had commanded the man dressed in linen to take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim, the man entered and stood by one of the wheels. 7 Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand to the fire in their midst, took up some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and then went outside. 8 The cherubim seemed to have under their wings what appeared to be a human hand.
9 As I looked on, I saw that there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub, and the wheels had the appearance of sparkling chrysolite. 10 As for their appearance, all four seemed to be identical, something like a wheel within a wheel.
11 When the cherubim moved, they went in any of the four directions without veering from their course. In whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without swerving as they moved. 12 Their entire bodies—their backs, their hands, and their wings—were filled with eyes, as were their wheels.
13 As for the wheels, I heard them called “the wheelworks.” 14 Each one had four faces. The first face was that of a cherub, the second was that of a human, the third was that of a lion, and the fourth was that of an eagle.
15 The cherubim rose up—the identical living creatures that I had seen by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the ground, the wheels at their side did not veer. 17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18 [ax]Then the glory of the Lord came forth from the threshold of the temple and paused above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings, and I beheld them as they rose from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They halted at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was with them.
20 These were the living creatures that I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, and underneath their wings were what appeared to be human hands. 22 Their faces were identical to those I had seen by the River Chebar. Each one moved straight ahead.
Chapter 11
Punishment of the Rulers. 1 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the temple of the Lord that faces eastward. There at the entrance to the gate twenty-five men were standing. Among them I saw Jaazaniah, the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil deeds and offering wicked counsel in this city. 3 They say, ‘The time has not yet come to build houses. This city is the cooking pot and we are the meat.’ 4 Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and he instructed me to say: Thus says the Lord. This is what you are saying to yourselves, house of Israel, and I am well aware of what you are plotting. 6 You have killed many in this city and filled its streets with the slain.
7 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Those in the city whom you have slain are the meat, and the city is the pot, but I shall remove you from it.[ay] 8 You are in dread of the sword, and I fully intend to bring the sword upon you, says the Lord God.
9 I will drive you from the city and hand you over to foreigners, and inflict punishments upon you. 10 You will fall by the sword, and I will pass judgment upon you at the border of Israel. You will know that I am the Lord.
11 This city shall not be a cooking pot for you, nor shall you be the meat inside it. I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the Lord whose statutes you have not obeyed and whose judgments you have not followed. Rather you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.
13 [az]While I was prophesying, Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, fell dead. I threw myself on the ground and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord God, do you intend to wipe out completely the remnant of Israel?”
14 Restoration of the People in Exile. Then the word of the Lord was addressed to me: 15 Son of man, it is about your brothers and your kinsmen and the entire house of Israel that the inhabitants of Israel have said, “They have strayed far from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our possession.”
16 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: Although I removed them far away among the nations and scattered them over the earth, I have nevertheless been a sanctuary to them for a time in the countries where they settled.
17 Therefore say: Thus says the Lord God: I will gather you from the nations and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
18 When they return there, they will purge it of all its vile and abominable practices. 19 I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh.
20 Thus, they will live according to my statutes and observe and obey my ordinances. Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 21 However, those whose hearts are determined to continue their vile and abominable practices I will force to answer for all they have done. Thus says the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim lifted their wings, with the wheels beside them and the glory of the God of Israel above them, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord rose from the center of the city and halted on the mountain to the east of it. 24 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. After the vision I had seen faded, 25 I told the exiles everything that the Lord had revealed to me.
Chapter 12
Acts Symbolic of the Exile.[ba] 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes with which to see, but they do not see, and they have ears with which to hear, but they do not hear, for they are rebellious by their very nature.
3 Therefore, son of man, while they observe you, pack up your belongings and set off from your home into exile during the day. Perhaps this will cause them to understand that they are a rebellious people. 4 Bring out your belongings during the day as they are watching, and in the evening, again as they watch, go forth like one who has been driven into exile.
5 Then, as they continue to observe you, dig a hole in the wall and make your way through it. 6 In their presence, lift your pack onto your shoulder and set out into the darkness. Cover your face so that you may not see the land, for I have established you as a sign for the house of Israel.
7 I did exactly what I had been commanded. In the daytime I brought out my belongings that had been packed for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. While they looked on, I set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden.
8 On the following morning, this word of the Lord was addressed to me: 9 Son of man, did the house of Israel, that rebellious people, not even ask you what you were doing? 10 Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the entire house of Israel living within its territory. 11 Tell them: I am a sign for you. As I have done, so will it be done to them. As captives they will go into exile. 12 Their prince who is among them will shoulder his pack in the darkness and go out through a hole that he has dug in the wall. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.
13 However, I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will take him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, where he will die without ever seeing it. 14 As for his retinue, his attendants, and all his troops, I will scatter them to the four winds and pursue them with the sword.
15 Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout foreign countries. 16 However, I will allow a few of them to escape the sword, famine, and pestilence so that they may relate all of their abominable practices to the nations where they have been exiled. Thus they will know that I am the Lord.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 Son of man, tremble as you eat your bread, and shake with anxiety as you drink your water, 19 and you are to say to the people of that land: Thus says the Lord about those who live in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread in fearfulness and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything within it because of the violence of all those who live there. 20 The inhabited cities will lie in ruins, and the land will be a desolate waste. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.