Bible in 90 Days
21 ¶ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
22 Son of man, what is that proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, The days [a]are prolonged, and all visions [b]fail?
23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God, I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel: but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
24 For no vision shall be anymore in vain, neither shall there be any flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25 For I am the Lord: I will speak, and that thing that I shall speak, shall come to pass: it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the thing, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.
26 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth, is for [c]many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, All my words shall no longer be delayed, but that thing which I have spoken, shall be done, saith the Lord God.
13 2 The word of the Lord against false prophets, which teach the people the counsels of their own hearts.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of (A)Israel, that prophesy, and say thou unto them, that prophesy out of their [d]own hearts, Hear the word of the Lord.
3 Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the foolish Prophets that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing.
4 O Israel, thy Prophets are like the foxes [e]in the waste places.
5 [f]Ye have not risen up in the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.
6 They have seen vanity, and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith it, and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word of their prophecy.
7 Have ye not seen a vain vision? and have ye not spoken a lying divination? [g]ye say, The Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken.
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have spoken vanity and have seen lies, therefore behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God,
9 And mine hand shall be upon the Prophets that see vanity, and divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the [h]writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
10 And therefore, because they have deceived my people, saying, [i]Peace, and there was no peace: and one built up a [j]wall, and behold, the others daubed it with untempered mortar,
11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: for there shall come a great shower, and I will send hailstones, which shall cause it to fall, and a stormy wind shall break it.
12 Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in my wrath, and a great shower shall be in mine anger, and hailstones in mine indignation to consume it.
14 So I will destroy the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof, and ye shall know, that I am the Lord.
15 Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with [k]untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither the daubers thereof,
16 To wit, the Prophets of Israel, which prophesy upon Jerusalem, and see visions of peace for it, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.
17 Likewise thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart: and prophesy thou against them, and say,
18 Thus saith the Lord God, Woe unto the women that sow [l]pillows under all armholes, and make veils upon the head of everyone that standeth up, to hunt souls: will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye give life to the souls that come unto you?
19 And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of [m]barley, and for pieces of bread to slay the souls of them that should not die, and [n]to give life to the souls that should not live, in lying to my people, that hear your lies?
20 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will have to do with your pillows, wherewith ye hunt the [o]souls to make them to flee, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them to flee.
21 Your veils also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hands to be hunted, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
22 Because with your lies ye have made the heart of the [p]righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life,
23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
14 4 The Lord sendeth false Prophets for the ingratitude of the people. 22 He reserveth a small portion for his Church.
1 Then came certain of the Elders of Israel unto me, and [q]sat before me.
2 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their [r]heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I, being required, answer them?
4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the [s]Prophet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh, according to the multitude [t]of his idols:
5 That [u]I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all departed from me through their idols.
6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Return, and withdraw yourselves, and turn your faces from your idols, and turn your faces from all your abominations.
7 For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which departeth from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a Prophet, for to inquire of him for me, I the Lord will answer him [v]for myself,
8 And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an example and proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
9 And if the Prophet be [w]deceived, when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that Prophet, and I will stretch out mine hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people of Israel.
10 And they shall bear their punishment: the punishment of the Prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that asketh,
11 That the house of [x]Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.
12 ¶ The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, [y]and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and I will destroy man and beast forth of it.
14 Though these three men [z]Noah, Daniel, and Job were among them, they should deliver but their own souls by their [aa]righteousness, saith the Lord God.
15 If I bring noisome beasts into the land and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through, because of beasts,
16 Though these three men were in the midst thereof, As I live, saith the Lord God, they shall save neither sons nor daughters: they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be waste.
17 Or if I bring a sword upon this land, and say, Sword, go through the land, so that I destroy man and beast out of it,
18 Though these three men were in the midst thereof, As I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.
19 Or if I send a pestilence into this land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to destroy out of it man and beast,
20 And though Noah, Daniel and Job were in the midst of it, As I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter: they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
21 For thus saith the Lord God, How much more when I send my (B)four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, even the sword, and famine, and the noisome beast, and pestilence, to destroy man and beast out of it?
22 Yet behold, therein shall be left a [ab]remnant of them that shall be carried away both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way, and their enterprises: and ye shall be comforted, concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.
23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their enterprises: and ye shall know, that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.
15 2 As the unprofitable wood of the vine tree is cast into the fire, so Jerusalem shall be burnt.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, what cometh of the vine tree above all other trees? and of the vine branch, which is among the [ac]trees of the forest?
3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?
4 Behold, it is cast in the fire to be consumed: the fire consumeth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burnt. Is it meet for any work?
5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet for any work, when the fire hath consumed it, and it is burnt?
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, as the vine tree, that is among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire to be consumed, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them: they shall go out from one [ad]fire, and another fire shall consume them: and ye shall know, that I am the Lord, when I set my face against them,
8 And when I make the land waste, because they have greatly offended, saith the Lord God.
16 The Prophet declared the benefits of God toward Jerusalem. 15 Their unkindness. 46 He justifieth the wickedness of other people in comparison of the sins of Jerusalem. 49 The cause of the abominations, into which the Sodomites fell. 60 Mercy is promised to the repentant.
1 Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thine habitation and thy kindred is of the land [ae]of Canaan: thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
4 And in thy nativity when thou wast [af]born, thy navel was not cut: thou wast not washed in water to soften thee: thou wast not salted with salt, nor swaddled in clouts.
5 None eye pitied thee to do any of these unto thee, for to have compassion upon thee, but thou wast cast out in the open field to the contempt of thy person in the day that thou wast born.
6 And when I passed by thee, I saw thee polluted in thine [ag]own blood, and I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Thou shalt live: even when thou wast in thy blood, I said unto thee, Thou shalt live.
7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou hast gotten excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.
8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was as the time of love, and I spread my skirts over thee, and covered [ah]thy filthiness: yea, I swear unto thee, and entered into a covenant with [ai]thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.
9 Then washed I thee with [aj]water: yea, I washed away thy blood from thee, and I [ak]anointed thee with oil.
10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thine hands, and a chain on thy neck.
12 And I put a frontlet upon thy face, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful [al]crown upon thine head.
13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work: thou didst eat fine flour, and honey and oil, and thou wast very beautiful, and thou didst grow up into a kingdom.
14 And thy name was spread among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my [am]beauty which I had set upon thee, saith the Lord God.
15 Now thou didst [an]trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot, because of thy renown, and hast poured out [ao]thy fornications on everyone that passed by, thy desire was to him.
16 And thou didst take thy garments, and deckedst thine high places with divers colors, [ap]and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither hath any done so.
17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels made of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and [aq]madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and my perfume before them.
19 My meat also, which I gave thee, as fine flour, oil and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor: thus it was, saith the Lord God.
20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them, to [ar]be devoured: is this thy whoredom a small matter?
21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through fire for them?
22 And in all thine abominations and whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
23 And beside all thy wickedness (woe, woe unto thee, saith the Lord God)
24 Thou hast also built unto thee an high place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
25 Thou hast built thine high place at every [as]corner of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred: thou hast opened thy feet to everyone that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredom.
26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the [at]Egyptians thy neighbors, which have great members, and hast increased thy whoredom, to provoke me.
27 Behold, therefore I did stretch out mine hand over thee, and will diminish thine ordinary, and deliver thee unto the will of them that hate thee, even to the [au]daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy wicked way.
28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast insatiable: yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication from the land of Canaan unto Chaldea, and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, even the work of a [av]presumptuous whorish woman?
31 In that thou buildest thine high place in the corner of every way, and makest thine high place in every street, and hast not been as an harlot [aw]that despiseth a reward,
32 But as a wife that playeth the harlot, and taketh others for her husband:
33 They give gifts to all other whores, but thou givest gifts unto all thy lovers, and rewardest them that they may come unto thee on every side for thy fornication.
34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy fornications, neither the like fornication shall be after thee: for in that thou givest a reward and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord.
36 Thus saith the Lord God, Because thy [ax]shame was poured out, and thy filthiness discovered through thy fornications with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thine abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst offer unto them,
37 Behold, therefore I will gather all [ay]thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated: I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy filthiness unto them, that they may see all thy filthiness.
38 And I will judge thee after the manner of them that are [az]harlots, and of them that shed blood, and I will give thee the blood of wrath, and jealousy.
39 I will also give thee into their hands, and they shall destroy thine high place, and shall break down thine high places: they shall strip thee also out of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
41 And they (C)shall burn up thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou shalt give no reward anymore.
42 So will I make my wrath toward thee to rest, and my [ba]jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will cease, and be no more angry.
43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast provoked me with all these things, behold, therefore I also have [bb]brought thy way upon thy head, saith the Lord God: yet hast not thou had consideration of all thine abominations.
44 Behold, all that use proverbs, shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, [bc]so is her daughter.
45 Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that hath cast off her husband and her children, and thou art the sister of thy [bd]sisters, which forsook their husbands and their children: your mother is an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, and her [be]daughters, that dwell at thy left hand, and [bf]thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom, and her daughters.
47 Yet hast thou [bg]not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but as it had been a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
48 As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, neither she nor her daughters, as thou hast done and thy daughters.
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, [bh]pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her, and in her daughters: neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 But they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as pleased me.
51 Neither [bi]hath Samaria committed half of thy sins, but thou hast exceeded them in thine abominations, and hast [bj]justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
52 Therefore thou which hast justified thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins, that thou hast committed more abominable than they which are more righteous than thou art: be thou therefore confounded also, and bear thy shame, seeing that thou hast justified thy sisters.
53 Therefore I will bring again [bk]their captivity, with the captivity of Sodom, and her daughters, and with the captivity of Samaria, and her daughters: even the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them,
54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou hast [bl]comforted them.
55 And thy sister Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state: Samaria also and her daughters shall return to their former state: [bm]when thou and thy daughters shall return to your former state.
56 For thy sister Sodom [bn]was not heard of [bo]by thy report in the day of thy pride,
57 Before thy wickedness was [bp]discovered, as in that same time of the reproach of the daughters of Aram, and of all the daughters of the Philistines round about [bq]her, which despise thee on all sides.
58 Thou hast borne therefore thy wickedness and thine abomination, saith the Lord.
59 For thus saith the Lord God, I might even deal with thee, as thou hast done: when thou didst despise the [br]oath, in breaking the covenant.
60 Nevertheless, I will [bs]remember my covenant made with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will confirm unto thee an everlasting Covenant.
61 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive [bt]thy sisters, both thy elder and thy younger, and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not [bu]by thy covenant.
62 And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord,
63 That thou mayest remember, and be [bv]ashamed, and never open thy mouth anymore: because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee, for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.
17 The parable of the two Eagles.
1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, put forth a parable and speak a proverb unto the house of Israel,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God, The great [bw]eagle with great wings and long wings, and full of feathers, which had diverse colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar,
4 And brake off the top of his twig, and carried it into the land of [bx]merchants, and set it in a city of merchants.
5 He took also of the [by]seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful ground: he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.
6 And it budded up, and was like [bz]a spreading vine of [ca]low stature, whose branches turned toward it, and the roots thereof were under it: so it became a vine, and it brought forth branches, and shot forth buds.
7 There was also [cb]another great Eagle with great wings and many feathers, and behold, this vine did turn her roots toward it, and spread forth her branches toward it, that she might water it by the trenches of her plantation.
8 It was planted in a good soil by great [cc]waters, that it should bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and be an excellent vine.
9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, Shall it prosper? shall [cd]he not pull up the roots thereof, and destroy the fruit thereof, and cause them to dry? all the leaves of her bud shall wither without great power, or many people, to pluck it up by the roots thereof.
10 Behold, it was planted: but shall it prosper? shall it not be dried up, and wither? [ce]when the East wind shall touch it, it shall wither in the trenches, where it grew.
11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
12 Say now to this rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, behold, the king of Babel is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken [cf]the king thereof and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babel,
13 And hath taken one of the King’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken [cg]an oath of him: he hath also taken the princes of the land,
14 That the kingdom might be in subjection, and not lift itself up, but keep their covenant, and stand to it.
15 But he rebelled against him, and sent his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses, and much people: shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
16 As I live, saith the Lord God, he shall die in the midst of Babel, in the place of the king that had made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant made with him, he brake.
17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty host, and great multitude of people, maintain him in the war, when they have cast up mounts, and built ramparts to destroy many persons.
18 For he hath despised the oath, and broken the covenant (yet lo, he had given [ch]his hand) because he hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, As I live, I will surely bring mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, upon his own head.
20 (D)And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my net, and I will bring him to Babel, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he hath committed against me.
21 And all that flee from him with all his host, shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all the winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.
22 Thus saith the Lord God, I will also take off the top[ci]of this high cedar, and will set it, and cut off the [cj]top of the tender plant thereof, and I will plant it upon an high mountain and great.
23 Even in the high mountain of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be an excellent cedar, and under it shall remain all birds, and every [ck]fowl shall dwell in the shadow of the branches thereof.
24 And all the [cl]trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, and exalted the low tree: that I have dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken it, and have done it.
18 2 He showeth that every man shall bear his own sin. 21 To him that amendeth, salvation is promised. 24 Death is prophesied to the righteous, which turneth back from the right way.
1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,
2 What mean ye that ye speak this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, [cm]The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall use this proverb no more in Israel.
4 Behold, all souls are mine, both the soul of the father, and also the soul of the son are mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,
6 And hath not eaten [cn]upon the mountains, neither hath lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath (E)defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath [co]lain with a (F)menstruous woman,
7 Neither hath oppressed any, but hath restored the pledge to his debtor: he that hath spoiled none by violence, (G)but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
8 And hath not given forth upon (H)usury, neither hath taken any increase, but hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, and hath executed true judgment between man and man,
9 And hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments to deal truly, he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
10 ¶ If he beget a son, that is a [cp]thief, or a shedder of blood, if he do anyone of these things,
11 Though he do not all these things, but either hath eaten upon the mountains, or defiled his neighbor’s wife,
12 Or hath oppressed the poor and needy, or hath spoiled by violence, or hath not restored the pledge, or hath lifted up his eyes unto the idols, or hath committed abomination,
13 Or hath given forth upon usury, or hath taken increase, shall he live? he shall not live: seeing he hath done all these abominations, [cq]he shall die the death, and his blood shall be upon him.
14 ¶ But if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins, which he hath done, and feareth, neither doeth such like,
15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor hath defiled his neighbor’s wife,
16 Neither hath oppressed any, nor hath withheld the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,
17 Neither hath withdrawn his hand from the afflicted, nor received usury nor increase, but hath executed my judgments, and hath walked in my statutes, he shall not die in the iniquity of his father, but he shall surely live.
18 His father, because he cruelly oppressed and spoiled his brother by violence, and hath not done good among his people, lo, even he dieth in his iniquity.
19 Yet say ye, Wherefore shall not the son bear the iniquity of the father? because the son hath executed judgment and justice, and hath kept all my statutes, and done them, he shall surely live.
20 (I)The same soul that sinneth, shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son, but the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
21 But if the wicked will return from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my [cr]statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, and shall not die.
22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be [cs]mentioned unto him, but in his [ct]righteousness that he hath done, he shall live.
23 [cu]Have I any desire that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God? [cv]or shall he not live, if he return from his ways?
24 But if the righteous turn away from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and do according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? all his [cw]righteousness that he hath done, shall not be mentioned: but in his transgression that he hath committed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not [cx]equal: hear now, O house of Israel. Is not my way equal? or are not your ways unequal?
26 For when a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, he shall even die for the same, he shall even die for his iniquity that he hath done.
27 Again, when the wicked turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, and shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? or are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, saith the Lord God: return therefore, and cause others to turn away from all your transgressions: so iniquity shall not be your destruction.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed and make [cy]you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I desire not the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: cause therefore one another to return, and live ye.
19 1 The captivity of the kings of Judah signified by the lion’s whelps and by the lion. 10 The prosperity of the city of Jerusalem that is past, and the misery thereof that is present.
1 Thou also take up a lamentation for the [cz]princes of Israel,
2 And say, Wherefore lay thy [da]mother as a lioness among the lions? she nourished her young ones among the lion’s whelps,
3 And she brought up one of her whelps, and it became a lion, and it learned to catch the prey, and it devoured men.
4 The [db]nations also heard of him, and he was taken in their nets, and they brought him in chains unto the land of Egypt.
5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, she took another of her [dc]whelps, and made him a lion.
6 Which went among the lions, and became a lion, and learned to catch the prey, and he devoured [dd]men.
7 And he knew their widows, and he destroyed their cities, and the land was wasted, and all that was therein by the noise of his roaring.
8 Then the [de]nations set against him on every side of the countries, and laid their nets for him: so he was taken in their pit.
9 And they put him in prison and in chains, and brought him to the king of Babel, and they put him in holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 Thy [df]mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she brought forth fruit and branches by the abundant waters,
11 And she had strong rods for the scepters of them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.
12 But she was plucked up in wrath: she was cast down to the ground, and the [dg]East wind dried up her fruit: her branches were broken and withered: as for the rod of her strength, the fire consumed it.
13 And now she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty ground.
14 And fire is gone out [dh]of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a scepter to rule: this is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.
20 3 The Lord denieth that he will answer them when they pray, because of their wickedness. 33 He promiseth that his people shall return from captivity. 46 By the forest that should be burnt, is signified the burning of Jerusalem.
1 And in the [di]seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, came certain of the Elders of Israel to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak unto the Elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye come to inquire of me? as I live, saith the Lord God, when I am asked, I will not answer you.
4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man? wilt thou judge them? cause [dj]them to understand the abominations of their fathers,
5 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when I chose Israel, and [dk]lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lift up mine hand unto them, and said, I am the Lord your God,
6 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had provided for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is pleasant among all lands,
7 Then said I unto them, Let every man cast away the abominations of his eyes, [dl]and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: for I am the Lord your God.
8 But they rebelled against me, and would not hear me: for none cast away the abominations of [dm]their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 But I had respect to my [dn]Name, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, and in whose sight I made myself known unto them in bringing them forth of the land of Egypt.
10 Now I carried them out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.
11 And I gave them my statutes, and declared my judgments unto them, (J)which if a man do, he shall live in them.
12 Moreover I gave them also my (K)Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord, that sanctify them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they cast away my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them, and my Sabbaths have they greatly polluted: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them (L)in the wilderness to consume them,
14 But I had respect to my name, that it should not be polluted before the [do]heathen in whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet nevertheless, I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land, which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which was pleasant above all lands,
16 Because they cast away my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but have polluted my [dp]Sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.
17 Nevertheless, mine eye spared them, that I would not destroy them, neither would I consume them in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the ordinances of your [dq]fathers, neither observe their manners, nor defile yourselves with their idols.
19 I am the Lord your God: walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments and do them,
20 And sanctify my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.
21 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, nor kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall live in them, but they polluted my Sabbaths: then I thought to pour out mine indignation upon them, and to accomplish my wrath against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless, I withdrew mine hand and had respect to my Name, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.
23 Yet I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries,
24 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had cast away my statutes, and had polluted my Sabbaths, and their eyes were after [dr]their fathers’ idols.
25 Wherefore I gave [ds]them also statutes that were not good, and judgments, wherein they should not live.
26 And I polluted them in their own [dt]gifts in that they caused to pass by the fire all that first openeth the womb, that I might destroy them, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, though they had before grievously transgressed against me.
28 [du]For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented their offering of provocation: there also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof was called [dv]Bamah unto this day.
30 Wherefore, say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye not polluted [dw]after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye not whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when you offer your gifts, and make your sons to pass through the fire, you pollute yourselves with all your idols unto this day: shall I answer you when I am asked, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord God, [dx]I will not answer you when I am asked.
32 Neither shall that be done that cometh into your mind: for ye say, we will be as the heathen, and as the families of the countries, and serve wood, and [dy]stone.
33 As I live, saith the Lord God, I will surely rule you with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and in my wrath poured out,
34 And will bring you from the people, and will gather you out of the countries, wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and in my wrath poured out,
35 And I will bring you into the [dz]wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
38 And I will [ea]choose out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them out of the land where they dwell, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, [eb]Go you, and serve everyone his idol, seeing that ye will not obey me, and pollute mine holy Name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.
40 For in mine holy mountain, even in the high mountain of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, and all in the land serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.
41 I will accept your sweet savor, when I bring you from the people, and gather you out of the countries, wherein ye have been scattered, that I may be sanctified in you before the heathen.
42 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the land for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your works, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye [ec]shall judge yourselves worthy to be cut off, for all your evils, that ye have committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have respect unto you for my Name’s sake, and not after your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt works, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
45 ¶ Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
46 Son of man, Set thy face toward the way of Teman, and drop thy word toward [ed]the South, and prophesy toward the forest of the field of the South,
47 And say to the forest of the South, Hear the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour all the [ee]green wood in thee, and all the dry wood: the continual flame shall not be quenched, and every face from the South to the North shall be burnt therein.
48 And all flesh shall see, that I the Lord have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched. Then said I, Ah Lord God, they say of me, Doth not he speak [ef]parables?
21 3 He threateneth the sword and destruction to Jerusalem. 25 He showeth the fall of king Zedekiah. 29 He is commanded to prophesy the destruction of the children of Ammon. 30 The Lord threateneth to destroy Nebuchadnezzar.
1 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, [eg]and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
3 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I come against thee, and will draw my sword out of his sheath, and cut off from thee both the [eh]righteous and the wicked.
4 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee both the righteous and wicked, therefore shall my sword go out of his sheath against all flesh from the South to the [ei]North,
5 That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn my sword out of his sheath, and it shall not return anymore.
6 Mourn therefore thou son of man, as in the pain of thy [ej]reins, and mourn bitterly before them.
7 And if they say unto thee, Wherefore mournest thou? Then answer, Because [ek]of the bruit: for it cometh, and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be weak, and all minds shall faint, and all knees shall fall away as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be done, saith the Lord God.
8 ¶ Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord God, say, A sword, a sword both sharp and furbished.
10 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter, and it is furbished that it may [el]glitter: how shall we rejoice? for it contemneth the [em]rod of my son, as [en]all other trees.
11 And he hath given it to be furbished, that he may handle it: this sword is sharp, and is furbished that he may give it into the hand of the [eo]slayer.
12 Cry and howl, son of man: for this shall come to my people, and it shall come unto all the princes of Israel: the terrors of the sword shall be upon my people, [ep]smite therefore upon thy thigh.
13 For it is a trial, [eq]and what shall this be, if the sword contemn even the rod? It shall be no more, saith the Lord God.
14 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy and smite [er]hand to hand, and let the sword be doubled: let the sword that hath killed, return the third time: it is the sword of the great slaughter entering into their privy chambers.
15 I have brought the fear of the sword into all their gates to make their heart to faint, and to multiply their ruins. Ah, it is made bright, and it is dressed for the slaughter.
16 Get thee [es]alone: go to the right hand, or get thyself to the left hand, whithersoever thy face turneth.
17 I will also smite mine hands together, and will cause my wrath to cease. I the Lord have said it.
18 ¶ The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,
19 Also thou son of man, appoint thee [et]two ways, that the sword of the King of Babel may come: both twain shall come out of one land, and choose a place, and choose it in the corner of the way of the city.
20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and [eu]to Judah in Jerusalem the strong city.
21 And the King of Babel stood at the [ev]parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, consulting by divination, and made his arrows bright: he consulted with idols, and looked in [ew]the liver.
22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem to appoint captains to open their mouth in the slaughter, and to lift up their voice with shouting, to lay engines of war against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fortress.
23 And it shall be unto them [ex]as a false divination in their sight for the oaths made unto them: [ey]but he will call to remembrance their iniquity, to the intent they should be taken.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered in discovering your rebellion, that in all your works your sins might appear: because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
25 And thou [ez]Prince of Israel polluted, and wicked, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end,
26 Thus saith the Lord God, I will take away the [fa]diadem, and take off the crown: this shall be no more the same: I will exalt the humble, and will abase him that is high.
27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more until he [fb]come, whose right it is, and I will give it him.
28 ¶ And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemy: say thou, I say, The sword, the sword is drawn forth and furbished to the slaughter, to consume, because of the glittering,
29 While they see [fc]vanity unto thee, and prophesied a lie unto thee to bring thee upon the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end.
30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, even in the land of thine habitation.
31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, and will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of beastly men, and skillful to destroy.
32 Thou shalt be in the fire to be devoured: thy blood shall be in the midst of the land, and thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the Lord have spoken it.
22 1 Jerusalem is reproved for cruelty. 25 Of the wicked doctrine of the false prophets and priests, and of their unsatiable covetousness. 26 The tyranny of rulers. 29 The wickedness of the people.
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Now thou son of man, wilt thou [fd]judge, wilt thou judge this bloody city? wilt thou show her all her abominations?
3 Then say, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her [fe]time may come, and maketh idols against [ff]herself, to pollute herself.
4 Thou hast offended in thy blood, that thou hast shed, and hast polluted thyself in thine idols, which thou hast made, and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come unto thy term: therefore have I made thee a reproach to the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
5 Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art vile in [fg]name and sore in affliction.
6 Behold, the princes of Israel everyone in thee was ready to his power, to shed blood.
7 In thee have they despised father and mother: in the midst of thee [fh]have they oppressed the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.
8 Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast polluted my Sabbaths.
9 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: in thee are they that eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit abomination.
10 (M)In thee have they discovered their fathers’ shame: in thee have they vexed her that was polluted in her flowers.
11 And everyone (N)hath committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, and everyone hath wickedly defiled his daughter-in-law, and in thee hath every man forced his own sister, even his father’s daughter.
12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood: thou hast taken usury and the increase, and thou hast defrauded thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.
13 Behold, therefore I have [fi]smitten mine hands upon thy covetousness, that thou hast used, and upon the blood, which hath been in the midst of thee.
14 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands [fj]be strong, in the days that I shall have to do with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.
15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will cause thy [fk]filthiness to cease from thee.
16 And thou shalt take thine [fl]inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
17 ¶ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18 Son of man, the house of Israel is unto me as [fm]dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace: they are even the dross of silver.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye are all as dross, behold, therefore I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem.
20 As they gather silver and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it to melt it, so will I gather you in mine anger and in my wrath, and will put you there [fn]and melt you.
21 I will gather you, I say, and blow the fire of my wrath upon you, and you shall be melted in the midst thereof.
22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof, and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you.
23 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land, that is unclean, [fo]and not rained upon in the day of wrath.
25 There is a conspiracy [fp]of her prophets in the midst thereof like a roaring lion, ravening the prey: they have devoured souls: they have taken the riches and precious things: they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.
26 Her Priests have broken my Law, and have defiled mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither discerned between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their [fq]eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
27 Her princes in (O)the midst thereof are like wolves, ravening the prey to shed blood, and to destroy souls for their own covetous lucre.
28 And her [fr]prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanities, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord had not spoken.
29 The people of the land have violently oppressed by spoiling and robbing, and have vexed the poor and the needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger against right.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should [fs]make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, and consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own ways have I rendered upon their heads, saith the Lord God.
23 Of the Idolatry of Samaria and Jerusalem, under the names of Oholah and Oholibah.
1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one [ft]mother.
3 And they committed fornication in [fu]Egypt, they committed fornication in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of [fv]them were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters: thus were their names: Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.
5 And Oholah played the harlot [fw]when [fx]she was mine, and she was set on fire with her lovers, to wit, with the Assyrians her neighbors,
6 Which were clothed with blue silk, both captains and princes they were all pleasant young men, and horsemen riding upon horses.
7 Thus she committed her whoredom with them, even with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she doted, and defiled herself with all their idols.
8 Neither left she her fornications, learned of the Egyptians: for in her youth they [fy]lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.
9 Wherefore I delivered her into the hands of her lovers, even into the hands of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.
10 These discovered her shame: they took away her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword, and she had an evil name among women: for [fz]they had executed judgment upon her.
11 And when her sister Oholibah saw this, she marred herself with inordinate love more than she, and with her fornications more than her sister with her fornications.
12 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbors, both captains and princes clothed with divers suits, horsemen riding upon horses: they were all pleasant young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled, and that they were both after one sort,
14 And that she increased her fornications: for when she saw men [ga]painted upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans painted with vermilion,
15 And girded with girdles upon their loins, and with dyed attire upon their heads (looking all like princes after the manner of the Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their nativity)
16 As soon, I say, as she saw them, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them, into Chaldea.
17 Now when the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, they defiled her with their fornication, and she was polluted with them, and her lust departed from them.
18 So she discovered her fornication, and disclosed her shame: then mine heart forsook her, like as mine heart had forsaken her sister.
19 Yet she increased her whoredom more, and called to remembrance the days of her youth wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she doted upon their servants whose members are as the members of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thou calledst to remembrance the wickedness of thy youth, when thy teats were bruised by the Egyptians: therefore the paps of thy youth are thus.
22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thine heart is departed, and I will bring them against thee on every side,
23 To wit, the Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, [gb]Pekod, and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: they were all pleasant young men, captains and princes: all they were valiant and renowned, riding upon horses.
24 Even these shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with a multitude of people, which shall set against thee buckler and shield, and helmet round about, and [gc]I will leave the punishment unto them, and they shall judge thee according to their [gd]judgments.
25 And I will lay mine indignation upon thee, and they shall deal cruelly with thee: they shall cut off thy [ge]nose and thine ears, and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall carry away thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.
26 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.
27 Thus will I make thy wickedness to cease from thee, and thy fornication out of the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt anymore.
28 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them, whom thou hatest, even into the hands of them from whom thine heart is departed.
29 And they shall handle thee despitefully, and shall take away all thy [gf]labor, and shall leave thee naked and bare, and the shame of thy fornications [gg]shall be discovered, both thy wickedness, and thy whoredom.
30 I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.
31 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister: therefore will I give her [gh]cup into thine hand.
32 Thus saith the Lord God, Thou shalt drink of thy sister’s cup, deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision, because it containeth much.
33 Thou shalt be filled with [gi]drunkenness and sorrow, even with the cup of destruction, and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.
34 Thou shalt even drink it, and wring it out to the dregs, and thou shalt break the shards thereof, and tear thine own breasts: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
35 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore thou shalt also bear thy wickedness and thy whoredom.
36 ¶ The Lord said moreover unto me, Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? and wilt thou declare to them their abominations?
37 For they have played the whores, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bore unto me, to pass by the fire to be their [gj]meat.
38 Moreover, thus have they done unto me: they have defiled my Sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my Sabbaths.
39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, they came the same day into my Sanctuary to defile it: and lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house.
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