Bible in 90 Days

The Lord’s Judgment Will Come Soon

²¹ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ²² “Son of man, you have a proverb in the land of Israel. It says, ‘The days go by, and not even one vision comes true.’ ²³ Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “I am going to put an end to this proverb. They will not use that saying in Israel anymore.” ’ Tell them, ‘The days are coming soon when every vision will come true. ²⁴ There will be no more false visions. People will no longer use magic to find out whether good things are going to happen in Israel. ²⁵ I am the Lord. So I will say what I want to. And it will come true when I want it to. In your days I will do everything I say I will. But you people always refuse to obey me,’ announces the Lord and King.”

²⁶ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ²⁷ “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision Ezekiel sees won’t come true for many years. He is prophesying about a time that is a long way off.’

²⁸ “So tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Everything I say will come true. It will happen when I want it to,” announces the Lord and King.’ ”

The Lord Punishes Those Who Pretend to Be True Prophets

13 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “Son of man, prophesy against those who are now prophesying in Israel. What they prophesy comes out of their own minds. Tell them, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message! ³ The Lord and King says, “How terrible it will be for you foolish prophets! You say what your own minds tell you to. Your visions do not come from me. ⁴ Israel, your prophets are like wild dogs that live among broken-down buildings. ⁵ You have not repaired the cracks in the city wall for the people of Israel. So it will not stand firm in the battle on the day I judge you. ⁶ The visions of those prophets are false. They use magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But their magic tricks are lies. They say, ‘The Lord announces.’ But I have not sent them. In spite of that, they expect him to make their words come true. ⁷ You prophets have seen false visions. You have used magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But your magic tricks are lies. So you lied when you said, ‘The Lord announces.’ I did not even speak to you at all.”

⁸ “ ‘The Lord and King says, “I am against you prophets. Your messages are false. Your visions do not come true,” announces the Lord and King. ⁹ “Israel, my power will be against the prophets who see false visions. Their magic tricks are lies. They will not be among the leaders of my people. They will not be listed in the records of Israel. In fact, they will not even enter the land. Then you will know that I am the Lord and King.

¹⁰ “ ‘ “They lead my people away from me. They say, ‘Peace.’ But there isn’t any peace. They are like people who build a weak wall. They try to cover up the weakness by painting the wall white. ¹¹ Tell those who do this that their wall is going to fall. Heavy rains will come. I will send hailstones crashing down. Powerful winds will blow. ¹² The wall will fall down. Then people will ask them, ‘Now where is the paint you covered it with?’ ”

¹³ “ ‘So the Lord and King speaks. He says, “When I am very angry, I will send a powerful wind. Hailstones and heavy rains will come. They will fall with great force. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall you prophets painted over. I will knock it down. The only thing left will be its foundation. When it falls, you will be destroyed along with it. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will pour out all my great anger on the wall. I will also send it against you prophets who painted it. I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone. You who painted it will be gone too. ¹⁶ You prophets of Israel prophesied to Jerusalem. You saw visions of peace for its people. But there wasn’t any peace,’ announces the Lord and King.” ’

¹⁷ “Son of man, turn your attention to the daughters of your people. What they prophesy comes out of their own minds. So prophesy against them. ¹⁸ Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says. “How terrible it will be for you women who sew magic charms to put around your wrists! You make veils of different lengths to put on your heads. You do these things to trap people. You trap my people. But you will also be trapped. ¹⁹ You have treated me as if I were not holy. You did it among my very own people. You did it for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You told lies to my people. They like to listen to lies. You killed those who should have lived. And you spared those who should have died.”

²⁰ “ ‘So the Lord and King says, “I am against your magic charms. You use them to trap people as if they were birds. I will tear them off your arms. I will set free the people you trap like birds. ²¹ I will tear your veils off your heads. I will save my people from your power. They will no longer be under your control. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ²² I had not made godly people sad. But when you told them lies, you made them lose all hope. You advised sinful people not to turn from their evil ways. You did not want them to save their lives. ²³ So you will never see false visions again. You will not use your magic tricks anymore. I will save my people from your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The Lord Judges Those Who Worship Other Gods

14 Some of the elders of Israel came to see me. They sat down with me. ² Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ³ “Son of man, these men have thought about nothing but other gods. They have fallen into the evil trap of worshiping them. Should I let these men ask me for any advice? ⁴ Speak to them. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Suppose any of the Israelites think about other gods. And they fall into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then they go to a prophet to ask for advice. If they do, I myself will tell the prophet to answer them in keeping with their worship of many gods. ⁵ I will win back the hearts of the people of Israel. All of them have deserted me for their other gods.” ’

⁶ “So speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Turn away from your sins! Also turn away from your gods. Give up all the evil things you have done. I hate them.

⁷ “ ‘ “Suppose any of the Israelites or any outsiders who live in Israel separate themselves from me. And they think about other gods. They fall into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then they go to a prophet to ask me for advice. If they do, I myself will tell the prophet to answer them. ⁸ I will turn against them. I will make an example out of them. People will talk about the bad things that happen to them. I will remove them from you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁹ “ ‘ “Suppose that prophet is stirred up to give a prophecy. Then I am the one who has stirred him up. And I will reach out my powerful hand against him. I will destroy him from among my people Israel. ¹⁰ The prophet will be as much to blame as the one who asks him for advice. Both of them will be guilty. ¹¹ Then the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me. And they will not make themselves ‘unclean’ anymore with their many sins. They will be my people. And I will be their God,” ’ announces the Lord and King.”

Jerusalem Can’t Escape the Lord’s Judgment

¹² A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ¹³ “Son of man, suppose the people in a certain country sin against me. And they are not faithful to me. So I reach out my powerful hand against them. I cut off their food supply. I make them very hungry. I kill them and their animals. ¹⁴ And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that country. Then these three men could save only themselves by doing what is right,” announces the Lord and King.

¹⁵ “Or suppose I send wild animals through that country. And they kill all its children. It becomes a dry and empty desert. No one can pass through it because of the animals. ¹⁶ And suppose these three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. But the land would become a dry and empty desert. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

¹⁷ “Or suppose I send swords to kill the people in that country. And I say, ‘Let swords sweep all through the land.’ And I kill its people and their animals. ¹⁸ And suppose these three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

¹⁹ “Or suppose I send a plague into that land. And I pour out my great anger on it by spilling blood. I kill its people and their animals. ²⁰ And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that land. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They could save only themselves by doing what is right. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

²¹ The Lord and King says, “It will get much worse. I will punish Jerusalem in four horrible ways. There will be war, hunger, wild animals and plague. They will destroy the people and their animals. ²² But some people will be left alive. Some children will be brought out of the city. They will come to you. You will see how they act and the way they live. And you will be comforted in spite of all the trouble I brought on Jerusalem. ²³ You will be comforted when you see how they act and the way they live. Then you will know that I did not do anything there without a reason,” announces the Lord and King.

Jerusalem Is Like a Useless Vine

15 A message from the Lord came to me. Here is what the Lord said. ² “Son of man, how is the wood of a vine different from the wood of any tree in the forest? ³ Can its wood ever be made into anything useful? Can pegs be made from it to hang things on? ⁴ Suppose it is thrown in the fire to be burned. And the fire burns both ends and blackens the middle. Then is the wood useful for anything? ⁵ It was not useful when it was whole. So how can it be made into something useful now? The fire has burned it and blackened it.”

⁶ Here is what the Lord and King says. “Instead of the wood of any tree in the forest, I have given the vine to burn in the fire. I will treat the people who live in Jerusalem the same way. ⁷ I will turn against them. They might have come out of the fire. But the fire will destroy them anyway. I will turn against them. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁸ I will make the land a dry and empty desert. My people have not been faithful to me,” announces the Lord and King.

Jerusalem Is Like an Unfaithful Wife

16 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “Son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem the evil things they have done. I hate those things. ³ Tell them, ‘The Lord and King speaks to Jerusalem. He says, “Your history in the land of Canaan goes back a long way. Your father was an Amorite. Your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ On the day you were born your cord was not cut. You were not washed with water to clean you up. You were not rubbed with salt. And you were not wrapped in large strips of cloth. ⁵ No one took pity on you. No one was concerned enough to do any of these things for you. Instead, you were thrown out into an open field. You were hated on the day you were born.

⁶ “ ‘ “I was passing by. I saw you kicking around in your blood. As you were lying there, I said to you, ‘Live!’ ⁷ I made you grow like a plant in a field. Soon you had grown up. You became a young adult. Your breasts had formed. Your hair had grown. But you were completely naked.

⁸ “ ‘ “Later, I was passing by again. I looked at you. I saw that you were old enough for love. So I married you and took good care of you. I covered your naked body. I made a firm promise to you. I entered into a covenant with you. And you became mine,” announces the Lord and King.

⁹ “ ‘ “I bathed you with water. I washed the blood off you. And I put lotions on you. ¹⁰ I put a beautiful dress on you. I gave you sandals made out of fine leather. I dressed you in fine linen. I covered you with expensive clothes. ¹¹ I decorated you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your arms. I gave you a necklace for your neck. ¹² I put rings on your nose and ears. And I gave you a beautiful crown for your head. ¹³ So you were decorated with gold and silver. Your clothes were made out of fine linen. They were made out of expensive and beautiful cloth. Your food was made out of honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful. You became a queen. ¹⁴ You were so beautiful that your fame spread among the nations. The glory I had given you made your beauty perfect,” announces the Lord and King.

¹⁵ “ ‘ “But you trusted in your beauty. You used your fame to become a prostitute. You offered your body freely to anyone who passed by. In fact, you gave yourself to anyone who wanted you. ¹⁶ You used some of your clothes to make high places colorful. That is where people worshiped other gods. You were a prostitute there. You went to your lover and he took your beauty. ¹⁷ I had given you fine jewelry. It was made out of gold and silver. You used it to make for yourself statues of male gods. You worshiped those gods. You were not faithful to me. ¹⁸ You put your beautiful clothes on them. You offered my oil and incense to them. ¹⁹ You also offered them food. It was made out of olive oil, honey and the finest flour. I had given it to you to eat. You offered it as sweet-smelling incense to them. That is what you did,” announces the Lord and King.

²⁰ “ ‘ “Then you took your sons and daughters who belonged to me. And you sacrificed them as food to other gods. Wasn’t it enough for you to be a prostitute? ²¹ You killed my children. You sacrificed them to other gods. ²² You did not remember the days when you were young. At that time you were completely naked. You were kicking around in your blood. But now you have done evil things. I hate them. You have worshiped other gods. You have not been faithful to me.

²³ “ ‘ “How terrible it will be for you!” announces the Lord and King. “How terrible for you! You continued to sin against me. ²⁴ Your people built up mounds for themselves in every market. They put little places of worship on them. ²⁵ They set them up at every street corner. Jerusalem, you misused your beauty. You offered your body to anyone who passed by. You did it again and again. ²⁶ You committed shameful acts with the people of Egypt. They were your neighbors who were ready to have sex with you. You offered yourself to them again and again. That made me very angry. ²⁷ So I reached out my powerful hand against you. I made your territory smaller. I handed you over to your Philistine enemies. The people in their towns were shocked by your impure conduct. ²⁸ You also committed shameful acts with the people of Assyria. Nothing ever seemed to satisfy you. You could never get enough. ²⁹ Then you offered yourself to the people of Babylon. But that did not satisfy you either. There are many traders in the land of Babylon.

³⁰ “ ‘ “I am filled with great anger against you,” announces the Lord and King. “Just look at all the things you are doing! You are acting like a prostitute who has no shame at all. ³¹ Your people built up mounds at every street corner. You put little places of worship on them in every market. But you did not really act like a prostitute. That’s because you refused to let your lovers pay you anything.

³² “ ‘ “You unfaithful wife! You would rather be with strangers than with your own husband! ³³ Every prostitute receives gifts. Instead, you give gifts to all your lovers. You offer them money to come to you from everywhere. You want them to sleep with you. You are not faithful to me. ³⁴ As a prostitute, you are the opposite of others. No one runs after you to sleep with you. You are exactly the opposite. You pay them. They do not pay you.” ’ ”

³⁵ You prostitute, listen to the Lord’s message. ³⁶ The Lord and King says, “You poured out your desire on your lovers. You took off your clothing and slept with them. You did it again and again. You worshiped other gods. I hate them. You even sacrificed your children to them. ³⁷ So I am going to gather together all the lovers you found pleasure with. They include those you loved and those you hated. I will gather them against you from everywhere. I will take your clothes off right in front of them. Then they will see you completely naked. ³⁸ I will hand down my sentence against you. You will be punished like women who commit adultery and sacrifice their children to other gods. I am so angry with you. So I will sentence you to death for everything you have done. ³⁹ Then I will hand you over to your lovers. They will tear down those mounds you built. They will destroy the little places of worship you put on them. They will take your clothes off. They will remove your fine jewelry. And they will leave you completely naked. ⁴⁰ They will bring a crowd against you. The crowd will put you to death by throwing stones at you. And they will chop you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹ They will burn down your houses and punish you. Many women will see it. I will not let you be a prostitute anymore. You will no longer pay your lovers. ⁴² Then my great anger against you will die down. My jealous anger will turn away from you. I will be calm. I will not be angry anymore.

⁴³ “You did not remember the days when you were young. The things you did made me very angry. So anything that happens to you will be your own fault,” announces the Lord and King. “You added impure conduct to all the other evil things you did. I hate all those things.

⁴⁴ “All those who use proverbs will use this one about you. They will say, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ ⁴⁵ You are a true daughter of your mother. She hated her husband and children. And you are a true sister of your sisters. They hated their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hittite. Your father was an Amorite. ⁴⁶ Your older sister was Samaria. She lived north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister was Sodom. She lived south of you with her daughters. ⁴⁷ You lived exactly the way they did. You copied their evil practices. I hate those practices. Everything you did was so sinful that you soon became even worse than they were. ⁴⁸ Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. And that is just as sure as I am alive,” announces the Lord and King.

⁴⁹ “Here is the sin your sister Sodom committed. She and her daughters were proud. They ate too much. They were not concerned about others. They did not help those who were poor and in need. ⁵⁰ They were very proud. They did many things that were evil in my eyes. I hated those things. So I got rid of Sodom and her daughters, just as you have seen. ⁵¹ Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You sinned even more than they did. I hate those sins. Compared to what you did, you made your sisters seem godly. ⁵² So you will be dishonored. You have given your sisters an excuse for what they did. Your sins were far worse than theirs. In fact, your sisters appear to be more godly than you. So then, be ashamed. You will be dishonored. You have made them appear to be godly.

⁵³ “I will not only give you back what you had before. I will also do the same thing for Sodom and her daughters. And I will do the same for Samaria and her daughters. ⁵⁴ That will make you feel dishonored. You will be ashamed of everything you have done. You have made them feel better because you sinned more and were punished more than they were. ⁵⁵ Your sisters Sodom and Samaria and their daughters will return to what they were before. And you and your daughters will return to what you were before. ⁵⁶ In the past you would not even mention your sister Sodom. You were proud at that time. ⁵⁷ That was before your sin was uncovered. Now the daughters of Edom make fun of you. So do all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines. Everyone who lives around you hates you. ⁵⁸ You will be punished for your impure conduct. I will also punish you for the other evil things you have done. I hate all those things,” announces the Lord.

⁵⁹ The Lord and King says, “I will punish you in keeping with what you have done. I sealed with a promise the covenant I made with you. You hated that promise. And you broke my covenant. ⁶⁰ But I will remember my covenant with you. I made it with you when you were young. Now I will make a new covenant with you. It will last forever. ⁶¹ Then you will remember how you have lived. You will be ashamed when I give you Samaria and Sodom. Samaria is your older sister. Sodom is your younger one. I will give them and their daughters to you as daughters. That can’t happen based on my old covenant with you. ⁶² So I will make my new covenant with you. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶³ I will pay for all the sins you have committed. Then you will remember what you have done. You will be ashamed of it. Because of your shame, you will never speak against me again,” announces the Lord and King.

Two Eagles and a Vine

17 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “Son of man, tell the people of Israel a story about their kings. Let them know what will happen to them. ³ Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “A great eagle came to the city of ‘Lebanon.’ It had powerful wings and a lot of long feathers. The feathers were colorful and beautiful. The eagle landed in the top of a cedar tree. ⁴ It broke off the highest twig. The eagle carried it away to the land of Babylon. There are many traders in that land. The eagle planted the twig in the city of Babylon.

⁵ “ ‘ “Then it took from the land a seed that had just sprouted. It put it in rich soil near plenty of water. It planted the seed like a willow tree. ⁶ The seed grew into a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward the eagle. And its roots remained under the eagle. So the seed became a vine. It produced branches and put out leaves.

⁷ “ ‘ “But there was another great eagle. It also had powerful wings and a lot of feathers. The vine now sent out its roots toward that eagle. It sent them out from the place where it was planted. And it reached out its branches to the eagle for water. ⁸ The seed had been planted in good soil near plenty of water. Then it could produce branches and bear fruit. It could become a beautiful vine.” ’

⁹ “Ezekiel, tell the Israelites, ‘The Lord and King asks, “Will the vine grow? Won’t it be pulled up by its roots? Won’t all its fruit be stripped off? Won’t it dry up? All its new growth will dry up. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up. ¹⁰ It has been planted, but will it grow? No. It will dry up completely when the east wind strikes it. It will dry up in the place where it grew.” ’ ”

¹¹ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ¹² “These people refuse to obey me. Ask them, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Nebuchadnezzar went to Jerusalem. He was the king of Babylon. He carried off King Jehoiachin and the nobles. He brought them back with him to the city of Babylon. ¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar made a peace treaty with Zedekiah. He was a member of Jerusalem’s royal family. Nebuchadnezzar made him promise he would keep the treaty. He also took away the leading men of the land as prisoners. ¹⁴ He did it to bring down their kingdom. It would not rise again. In fact, it would be able to last only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But Zedekiah turned against him. He sent messengers to Egypt. They went there to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he who does things like that escape? Can he break the peace treaty and still escape?

¹⁶ “ ‘Zedekiah will die in Babylon,’ announces the Lord and King. ‘And that is just as sure as I am alive. He will die in the land of King Nebuchadnezzar, who put him on the throne. Zedekiah didn’t keep his promise to Nebuchadnezzar and broke his treaty. ¹⁷ So Nebuchadnezzar will build ramps against the walls of Jerusalem. He will set up war machines to destroy many lives. Pharaoh will not be able to help Zedekiah during the war. The huge and mighty army of Egypt will not be of any help. ¹⁸ Zedekiah didn’t keep his promise to Nebuchadnezzar and broke his treaty. Zedekiah had made a firm promise to keep it. But he broke it anyway. So he will not escape.

¹⁹ “ ‘The Lord and King says, “Zedekiah didn’t keep the promise he made in my name. He broke the treaty. So I will pay him back. And that is just as sure as I am alive. ²⁰ I will spread out my net to catch him. He will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon. I will judge him there because he was not faithful to me. ²¹ All Zedekiah’s best troops will be killed by swords. Those who are left alive will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I have spoken. I am the Lord.”

²² “ ‘The Lord and King says, “I myself will get a twig from the very top of a cedar tree and plant it. I will break off the highest twig. I will plant it on a very high mountain. ²³ I will plant it on the high mountains of Israel. It will produce branches and bear fruit. It will become a beautiful cedar tree. All kinds of birds will make their nests in it. They will live in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ All the trees in the forest will know that I bring down tall trees. I make short trees grow tall. I dry up green trees. And I make dry trees green.”

“ ‘I have spoken. I will do this. I am the Lord.’ ”

People Will Die Because of Their Own Sins

18 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “You people have a proverb about the land of Israel. What do you mean by it? It says,

³ “You will not use that proverb in Israel anymore,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive. ⁴ Everyone belongs to me. Parents and children alike belong to me. A person will die because of their own sins.

¹⁰ “But suppose he has a mean son who harms other people. The son commits murder. Or he does some other things that are wrong. ¹¹ Suppose he does these things even though his father never did.

Will a man like that live? He will not! He must be put to death. And what happens to him will be his own fault. He did many things I hate.

¹⁴ “But suppose this son has a son of his own. And the son sees all the sins his father commits. He sees them, but he does not do them.

He will not die because of his father’s sin. You can be sure he will live. ¹⁸ But his father will die because of his own sin. He got rich by cheating others. He robbed his relatives. He also did what was wrong among his people.

¹⁹ “But you still ask, ‘Is the son guilty along with his father?’ No! The son did what was fair and right. He was careful to obey all my rules. So you can be sure he will live. ²⁰ A person will die because of their own sins. A child will not be guilty because of what their parent did. And a parent will not be guilty because of what their child did. The right things a godly person does will be added to their account. The wrong things a sinful person does will be charged against them.

²¹ “But suppose a sinful person turns away from all the sins they have committed. And they obey all my rules. They do what is fair and right. Then you can be sure they will live. They will not die. ²² None of the sins they have committed will be held against them. Because of the godly things they have done, they will live. ²³ When sinful people die, it does not give me any joy,” announces the Lord and King. “But when they turn away from their sins and live, that makes me very happy.

²⁴ “Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they sin. They do the same evil things a sinful person does. They do things I hate. Then they will not live. I will not remember any of the right things they have done. They have not been faithful to me. They have also committed many other sins. So they are guilty. They will die.

²⁵ “But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. What I do is always fair. What you do is not. ²⁶ Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they sin. Then they will die because of it. They will die because of the sin they have committed. ²⁷ But suppose a sinful person turns away from the evil things they have done. And they do what is fair and right. Then they will save their life. ²⁸ They think about all the evil things they have done. And they turn away from them. So you can be sure they will live. They will not die. ²⁹ But the Israelites still say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ People of Israel, what I do is always fair. What you do is not.

³⁰ “So I will judge you Israelites. I will judge each of you in keeping with what you have done,” announces the Lord and King. “Turn away from your sins! Turn away from all the evil things you have done. Then sin will not bring you down. ³¹ Get rid of all the evil things you have done. Let me give you a new heart and a new spirit. Then you will be faithful to me. Why should you die, people of Israel? ³² When anyone dies, it does not give me any joy,” announces the Lord and King. “So turn away from your sins. Then you will live!

A Song of Sadness About Israel’s Princes

19 “Sing a song of sadness about Israel’s princes. ² Say to Israel,

This is a song of sadness. And that is how it should be used.”

The Lord Judges Sinful Israel

20 It was the seventh year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to ask the Lord for advice. They sat down with me.

² Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Have you come to ask me for advice? I will not let you do that,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive.” ’

⁴ “Are you going to judge them, son of man? Will you judge them? Tell them the evil things done by their people of long ago. I hate those things. ⁵ Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “I chose Israel. On that day I raised my hand and made a promise. I made a promise to the members of Jacob’s family line. I made myself known to them in Egypt. I raised my hand and told them, ‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶ On that day I promised I would bring them out of Egypt. I told them I would take them to a land I had found for them. It had plenty of milk and honey. It was the most beautiful land of all. ⁷ I said to them, ‘Each of you must get rid of the statues of the evil gods you worship. Do not make yourselves “unclean” by worshiping the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’

⁸ “ ‘ “But they refused to obey me. They would not listen to me. They did not get rid of the evil gods they worshiped. And they did not turn away from Egypt’s gods. So I said I would pour out all my great anger on them in Egypt. ⁹ I wanted my name to be honored. So I brought my people out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being treated as if it were not holy. I didn’t want this to happen in front of the nations around my people. I had made myself known to Israel in the sight of those nations. ¹⁰ So I led them out of Egypt. I brought them into the Desert of Sinai. ¹¹ I gave them my rules. I made my laws known to them. The person who obeys them will live by them. ¹² I also told them to observe my Sabbath days. That is the sign of the covenant I made with them. I wanted them to know that I made them holy. I am the Lord.

¹³ “ ‘ “But in the desert the people of Israel refused to obey me. They did not follow my rules. They turned their backs on my laws. The person who obeys them will live by them. They totally misused my Sabbath days. So I said I would pour out my great anger on them. I would destroy them in the desert. ¹⁴ But I wanted my name to be honored. I kept it from being treated as if it were not holy. I did not want that to happen in front of the nations. They had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt. ¹⁵ I also raised my hand and made a promise in the desert. I told my people I would not bring them into the land I had given them. It had plenty of milk and honey. It was the most beautiful land of all. ¹⁶ But they turned their backs on my laws. They did not obey my rules. They misused my Sabbath days. Their hearts were committed to worshiping the statues of their gods. ¹⁷ Then I felt sorry for them. So I did not destroy them. I did not put an end to them in the desert. ¹⁸ I spoke to their children there. I said, ‘Do not follow the rules your parents gave you. Do not obey their laws. Do not make yourselves “unclean” by worshiping their gods. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God. So follow my rules. Be careful to obey my laws. ²⁰ Keep my Sabbath days holy. That is the sign of the covenant I made with you. You will know that I am the Lord your God.’

²¹ “ ‘ “But their children refused to obey me. They did not follow my rules. They were not careful to keep my laws. The person who obeys them will live by them. They misused my Sabbath days. So I said I would pour out all my great anger on them in the desert. ²² But I kept myself from punishing them at that time. I wanted my name to be honored. So I kept it from being treated as if it were not holy. I did not want that to happen in front of the nations. They had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt. ²³ I also raised my hand and made a promise in the desert. I told my people I would scatter them among the nations. I would send them to other countries. ²⁴ They had not obeyed my laws. They had turned their backs on my rules. They had misused my Sabbath days. They only wanted to worship the statues of their parents’ gods. ²⁵ So I let them follow other rules. Those other rules were not good. I let them have laws they could not live by. ²⁶ I let them become ‘unclean’ by offering sacrifices to other gods. They even sacrificed the first male child born in each family. I wanted to fill them with horror. Then they would know that I am the Lord.” ’

²⁷ “Son of man, speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Your people spoke evil things against me long ago. They were unfaithful to me. ²⁸ But I brought them into the land. I had promised to give the land to them. Then they offered sacrifices that made me very angry. They did it on every high hill and under every green tree. There they brought their sweet-smelling incense. And there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, ‘What is this high place you go to?’ ” ’ ” That high place is called Bamah to this day.

The Lord Makes Israel New Again

³⁰ The Lord said to me, “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says. “Are you going to make yourselves ‘unclean’ the way your people of long ago did? Are you also going to want to worship the statues of their evil gods? ³¹ You make yourselves ‘unclean’ by offering sacrifices to other gods. You even sacrifice your children in the fire. You continue to do these things to this day. People of Israel, should I let you ask me for advice? I will not let you do that,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive.

³² “ ‘ “You say, ‘We want to be like the other nations. We want to be like all the other people in the world. They serve gods made out of wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen. ³³ I will rule over you by reaching out my mighty hand and powerful arm. I will pour my great anger out on you,” announces the Lord and King. “And that is just as sure as I am alive. ³⁴ I will bring you back from the nations. I will gather you together from the countries where you have been scattered. I will reach out my mighty hand and powerful arm. I will pour my great anger out on you. ³⁵ I will send you among the nations. There I will judge you face to face. It will be as if I were judging you in the desert again. ³⁶ Long ago, I judged your people in the desert of Egypt. In the same way, I will judge you,” announces the Lord and King. ³⁷ “I will take note of you as you pass under my shepherd’s stick. I will separate those who obey me from those who do not. And I will give the blessings of the covenant to those of you who obey me. ³⁸ I will get rid of those among you who turn against me. They refuse to obey me. I will bring them out of the land where they are living. But they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “ ‘ “People of Israel, the Lord and King says, ‘Go, every one of you! Serve your gods. But later you will listen to me. You will no longer treat my name as if it were not holy. You will not offer sacrifices to other gods anymore. ⁴⁰ People of Israel, you will all serve me,’ announces the Lord and King. ‘You will serve me on my high and holy mountain in Jerusalem. There I will accept you. I will require your offerings and your finest gifts. I want you to bring them along with all your other holy sacrifices. ⁴¹ I will bring you back from the nations. I will gather you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will accept you as if you were sweet-smelling incense. I will show that I am holy among you. The nations will see it. ⁴² I will bring you into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Long ago I raised my hand and made a promise. I promised to give that land to your people of long ago. ⁴³ There you will remember your conduct. You will think about everything you did that made you “unclean.” And you will hate yourselves because of all the evil things you have done. ⁴⁴ People of Israel, I will deal with you for the honor of my name. I will not deal with you based on your evil conduct and sinful practices. Then you will know that I am the Lord,’ announces the Lord and King.” ’ ”

Ezekiel Prophesies Against the South

⁴⁵ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, turn your attention to Judah in the south. Preach against it. Prophesy against its forests. ⁴⁷ Tell them, ‘Listen to the Lord’s message. The Lord and King says, “I am about to set you on fire. The fire will destroy all your trees. It will burn down green trees and dry trees alike. The blazing flame will not be put out. The faces of everyone from south to north will be burned by it. ⁴⁸ Everyone will see that I started the fire. It will not be put out. I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Lord and King, people are talking about me. They are saying, ‘Isn’t he just telling stories?’ ”

God Uses the Babylonians to Judge Israel

21 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “Son of man, turn your attention to Jerusalem. Preach against the temple. Prophesy against the land of Israel. ³ Tell them, ‘The Lord says, “I am against you. I will pull out my sword. I will remove from you godly people and sinful people alike. ⁴ Because I am going to remove them, my sword will be ready to use. I will strike down everyone from south to north. ⁵ Then all people will know that I have pulled out my sword. I will not put it back. I am the Lord.” ’

⁶ “Groan, son of man! Groan in front of your people. Groan with a broken heart and bitter sorrow. ⁷ They will ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ Then you will say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. The hearts of all the people will melt away in fear. Their hands will not be able to help them. Their spirits will grow weak. And they will be so afraid they’ll wet themselves.’ The news is coming! You can be sure those things will happen,” announces the Lord and King.

⁸ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy. Say, ‘The Lord says,

The people say, “Should we take delight in the scepter of the Lord’s royal son? The sword looks down on every scepter like this.” ¹¹ The Lord says,

¹³ “You can be sure that testing will come. Why does the sword look down on the scepter? Because even the scepter will not continue to rule,” announces the Lord and King.

¹⁸ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ¹⁹ “Son of man, mark out on a map two roads for the sword to take. The sword belongs to the king of Babylon. Both roads start from the same country. Put up a sign where the road turns off to the city of Rabbah. ²⁰ Mark out one road for the sword to take against Rabbah in Ammon. Mark out another against Judah and the walls of Jerusalem. ²¹ The king of Babylon will stop at the place where the two roads meet. He will look for a special sign. He will cast lots by pulling arrows out of a bag. He will ask his gods for advice. And he will look carefully at the liver of a sheep. ²² His right hand will pull out the arrow for Jerusalem. There he will get huge logs ready to knock down its gates. He will give the command to kill its people. He will sound the battle cry. He will build a ramp up to the city wall. He will bring in his war machines. ²³ The decision to attack Jerusalem will seem like the wrong advice to those who made a treaty with Nebuchadnezzar. But he will remind them that they are guilty. And he will take them away as prisoners.”

²⁴ So the Lord and King says, “You people have reminded everyone of how guilty you are. You have done it by refusing to obey me or any other authority. Everything you do clearly shows how sinful you are. So you will be taken away as prisoners.”

²⁵ King Zedekiah, your day has come. You are an unholy and evil prince in Israel. The day for you to be punished is here. ²⁶ The Lord and King says, “Take off your turban. Remove your crown. Things will not be as they were in the past. Those who are considered not important will be honored. And those who are honored will be considered not important. ²⁷ Jerusalem will fall. I will destroy it. It will not be rebuilt until the true king comes. After all, the kingdom belongs to him. I will give it to him.

²⁸ “Son of man, prophesy. Say, ‘The Lord and King speaks about the Ammonites. He also talks about the way they laugh because of Jerusalem’s fall. He says,

The Lord Judges Jerusalem for Its Sins

22 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,

² “Son of man, are you going to judge Jerusalem? Will you judge this city that has so many murderers in it? Then tell its people they have done many evil things. I hate those things. ³ Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “Your city brings death on itself. You spill blood inside its walls. You make yourselves ‘unclean’ by making statues of gods. ⁴ You are guilty of spilling blood. Your statues have made you ‘unclean.’ You have brought your days to a close. The end of your years has come. So the nations will make fun of you. All the countries will laugh at you. ⁵ Those who are near you will tell jokes about you. So will those who are far away. Trouble fills the streets of your sinful city.

⁶ “ ‘ “The princes of Israel are in your city. All of them use their power to spill blood. ⁷ They have made fun of fathers and mothers alike. They have crushed outsiders. They have treated badly the children whose fathers have died. They have done the same thing to widows. ⁸ You have looked down on the holy things that were set apart to me. You have misused my Sabbath days. ⁹ You have spread lies about others so you can spill someone’s blood. You eat at the mountain temples. You commit impure acts. ¹⁰ You bring shame on your fathers by having sex with their wives. You have sex with women during their monthly period. That is when they are ‘unclean.’ ¹¹ One of you has sex with another man’s wife. I hate that sin. Another brings shame on his daughter-in-law by having sex with her. Still another has sex with his sister, even though she is his own father’s daughter. ¹² You accept money from people who want special favors. You do this to spill someone’s blood. You charge interest to poor people when you lend them money. You make money from them. You get rich by cheating your neighbors. And you have forgotten me,” announces the Lord and King.

¹³ “ ‘ “I will clap my hands because I am so angry. You got rich by cheating others. You spilled blood inside the walls of your city. ¹⁴ Will you be brave on the day I deal with you? Will you be strong at that time? I have spoken. I will do this. I am the Lord. ¹⁵ I will scatter you among the nations. I will send you to other countries. I will put an end to your ‘uncleanness.’ ¹⁶ You will be ‘unclean’ in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

¹⁷ A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ¹⁸ “Son of man, the people of Israel have become like scum to me. All of them are like the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are only the scum that is removed from silver.” ¹⁹ So the Lord and King says, “People of Israel, all of you have become like scum. So I will gather you together in Jerusalem. ²⁰ People put silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into a furnace. They melt it with a blazing fire. In the same way, I will gather you. I will pour out my burning anger on you. I will put you inside the city and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you together. My burning anger will blaze out at you. And you will be melted inside Jerusalem. ²² Silver is melted in a furnace. And you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I have poured out my burning anger on you. I am the Lord.”

²³ Another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ²⁴ “Son of man, speak to the land. Tell it, ‘You have not been washed clean with rain. That’s because I am angry with you.’ ²⁵ Ezekiel, the princes of the land are like a roaring lion that tears its food apart. They eat people up. They take treasures and other valuable things. They cause many women in the land to become widows. ²⁶ Its priests break my law. They treat things set apart to me as if they were not holy. They treat holy and common things as if they were the same. They teach that there is no difference between things that are ‘clean’ and things that are not. They refuse to keep my Sabbath days. So they treat me as if I were not holy. ²⁷ The officials in the land are like wolves that tear their food apart. They spill blood and kill people to get rich. ²⁸ The prophets cover up these acts for them. The visions of these prophets are false. They use magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But their magic tricks are lies. They say, ‘The Lord and King says.’ But I have not spoken to them. ²⁹ The people of the land get rich by cheating others. They steal. They crush those who are poor and in need. They treat outsiders badly. They refuse to be fair to them.

³⁰ “I looked for someone among them who would stand up for Jerusalem. I tried to find someone who would pray to me for the land. Then I would not have to destroy it. But I could not find anyone who would pray for it. ³¹ So I will pour out my anger on its people. I will destroy them because of my great anger against them. And anything that happens to them will be their own fault,” announces the Lord and King.

Samaria and Jerusalem Are Like Two Impure Sisters

23 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ² “Son of man, once there were two women. They had the same mother. ³ They became prostitutes in Egypt. They have been unfaithful to me since they were young. In that land they allowed their breasts to be touched. They permitted their virgin breasts to be kissed. ⁴ The older sister was named Oholah. The younger one was Oholibah. They belonged to me. Sons and daughters were born to them. Oholah stands for Samaria. And Oholibah stands for Jerusalem.

⁵ “Oholah was unfaithful to me even while she still belonged to me. She longed for her Assyrian lovers. They included soldiers ⁶ who wore blue uniforms. They also included governors and commanders. All of them were young and handsome. They rode horses. ⁷ She gave herself as a prostitute to all Assyria’s finest warriors. She made herself impure with the statues of the gods of everyone she longed for. ⁸ She started being a prostitute in Egypt. And she never stopped. When she was young, men had sex with her. They kissed her virgin breasts. They used up all their sinful desires on her.

⁹ “So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers. She longed for them. ¹⁰ They stripped her naked. They took away her sons and daughters. And they killed her with their swords. Other women laughed when that happened. I was the one who had punished her.

¹¹ “Her sister Oholibah saw it. But her evil desire for sexual sin was worse than her sister’s. ¹² She too longed for the men of Assyria. They included governors and commanders. They included soldiers who wore fancy uniforms. They also included men who rode horses. All of them were young and handsome. ¹³ I saw that she too made herself impure. So both sisters did the same evil things.

¹⁴ “But Oholibah went even further with her sexual sins. She saw pictures of men drawn on a wall. They were figures of Babylonians drawn in red. ¹⁵ They had belts around their waists. They wore flowing turbans on their heads. All of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers. They were from the land of the Chaldeans. ¹⁶ As soon as she saw the pictures, she longed for the men. So she sent messengers to them in Babylon. ¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her. They went to bed with her. They had sex with her. They made her impure when they had sex with her. After they did it, she became sick of them. So she turned away from them. ¹⁸ She acted like a prostitute who had no shame at all. She openly showed her naked body. I became sick of what she was doing. So I turned away from her. I had also turned away from her sister. ¹⁹ But Oholibah offered her body to her lovers again and again. She remembered the days when she was a young prostitute in Egypt. ²⁰ There she had longed for her lovers. Their private parts seemed as big as those of donkeys. And their flow of semen appeared to be as much as that of horses. ²¹ So you wanted to return to the days when you were young. You longed for the time when you first became impure in Egypt. That was when you allowed your breasts to be kissed. And you permitted your young breasts to be touched.”

²² So the Lord and King says, “Oholibah, I will stir up your lovers against you. You became sick of them. You turned away from them. But I will bring them against you from every side. ²³ They include the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans. They include the men from Pekod, Shoa and Koa. They also include all the Assyrians. They are young and handsome. Some of them are governors and commanders. Others are chariot officers. Still others are very high officials. All of them ride horses. ²⁴ So a huge army will come against you with weapons, chariots and wagons. They will take up positions against you on every side. They will carry large and small shields. They will wear helmets. I will turn you over to them to be punished. They will punish you in their own way. ²⁵ I will pour out my jealous anger on you. And the army’s anger will burn against you. They will cut off your noses and ears. Some of you who are left will be killed by swords. They will take away your sons and daughters. Others of you who are left will be burned up. ²⁶ The army will also strip off your clothes. They will take your fine jewelry away from you. ²⁷ You became an impure prostitute in Egypt. But I will put a stop to all of that. You will no longer want to do any of it. You will not remember Egypt anymore.”

²⁸ The Lord and King says, “I am about to hand you over to people you hate. You became sick of them. You turned away from them. ²⁹ They will punish you because they hate you so much. They will take away from you everything you have worked for. They will leave you completely naked. Then everyone will see that you are a prostitute who has no shame at all. You were impure. You offered your body to your lovers again and again. ³⁰ That is why you will be punished. You longed for lovers in other nations. You made yourself impure by worshiping their gods. ³¹ You did the same things your sister Oholah did. So I will put her cup in your hand. It is filled with the wine of my anger.”

³² The Lord and King says to Oholibah,

I have spoken,” announces the Lord and King.

³⁵ So the Lord and King says, “You have forgotten me. You have turned your back on me. You have been impure. You have acted like a prostitute. So I will punish you.”

³⁶ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, are you going to judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then tell them they have done many evil things. I hate those things. ³⁷ They have committed adultery. Their hands are covered with the blood of the people they have murdered. They have worshiped other gods. They have not been faithful to me. They have even sacrificed their children as food to other gods. Those children belonged to me. ³⁸ Here are some other things the sisters have done to me. They have made my temple ‘unclean.’ They have misused my Sabbath days. ³⁹ They have sacrificed their children to their gods. On that same day they entered my temple and made it ‘unclean.’ That is what they have done in my house.