Bible in 90 Days
21 Fulfillment of Visions. This word of the Lord then came to me: 22 Son of man, there is a saying that has become fashionable in regard to the land of Israel: “The days drag by, and no visions are ever fulfilled.” 23 Therefore, tell the people: Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and it will never again be spoken in the land of Israel.
Rather, say to them: The days are close at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 There will no longer be any false visions or deceptive divinations within the house of Israel. 25 For I, the Lord, will speak, and what I say will come true without the slightest delay. In your lifetime, O rebellious house, whatever I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.
26 This word of the Lord then came to me: 27 Son of man, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that this man relates is meant to be fulfilled in the far distant future.” 28 Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: The fulfillment of my words will not be delayed any longer. What I have said will be done now. This is the word of the Lord God.”
Chapter 13
Prophecy against False Prophets. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those whose prophesies are formulated in their own minds: Hear the word of the Lord.
3 Thus says the Lord God: Disaster will engulf those foolish prophets who follow thoughts that are fabricated in their own imaginations and have received no visions. 4 Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals foraging among ruins. 5 They have not bothered to reinforce the breaches in the walls of the house of Israel so that it may stand firm in battle on the day of the Lord.
6 The visions they saw were false, and their divinations were baseless. They assert: “Thus says the Lord,” despite the fact that the Lord did not send them, and then they expect their words to be proved true. 7 Have you not seen false visions or uttered lying divinations when you have asserted, “Thus says the Lord,” even though I have not said any such thing?
8 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have spoken untruths and proclaimed false predictions, I have now set myself in opposition to you, says the Lord God. 9 My hand will be raised against those prophets whose visions are baseless and whose divinations are clearly false. They will not be granted any position in the council of my people, nor will their names be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they be permitted to set foot in the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 Because they lead my people astray, crying aloud, “Peace!” when there is no peace, and because, when the people were repairing a flimsy wall, these prophets concealed its flaws by smearing whitewash on it, 11 say to those who covered it with whitewash that it will collapse, for I will cause rain to fall in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down and unleash a wind of gale force. 12 When the wall collapses that you have smeared with whitewash and it falls to the ground so that its foundations will be laid bare, you will be destroyed along with it, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.
13 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I intend to unleash a violent stormwind in my rage, torrential rain in my anger, and hailstones in my fury, 14 and I will shatter the wall that you smeared with whitewash and knock it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. It will fall, and you will perish beneath it. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
15 When I have vented my fury upon the wall and upon those who smeared it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who smeared it— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and envisioned peace for it when there was no peace,” says the Lord God.
17 Prophecy against False Prophetesses. As for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people whose prophecies emerge from their own imaginations. Prophesy against them 18 and say: Thus says the Lord God: Woe to those women who sew magic bands on their wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every height as they strive to ensnare their souls. Will you seek to ensnare the souls of my people and still preserve your own?
19 You have dishonored me in the eyes of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few scraps of bread. By lying to my people who listen to lies, you have caused the death of persons who should not die and kept alive those who should not live.
20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am now determined to move against your magic bands with which you entrap men’s lives. I will rip them from your arms and set free those people whom you have ensnared like birds. 21 I will tear off your veils and rescue my people from your clutches, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
22 Because you have intimidated the righteous with your lies and disheartened them when I had done nothing to cause them to be alarmed, and because you have encouraged the wicked not to abandon their wicked ways and save their lives, 23 therefore, you will never again see false visions or practice divinations. I will rescue my people from your clutches, and then you will know that I am the Lord.
Chapter 14
Idolatry of the Elders. 1 Some of the elders came into my presence and sat down before me.[a] 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 Son of man, these men have reserved a special place in their hearts for their idols and have continued to revere the occasions of sin that led to their downfall. Why should I allow myself to be consulted by them?
4 Therefore, speak to them and declare this: Thus says the Lord God: To all those belonging to the house of Israel who continue to revere their idols in their hearts and fail to remove the stumbling block of their iniquity and then approach a prophet, I, the Lord, will deliver my answer to those who approach me with their multitude of idols. 5 In this way, I will recapture the hearts of the house of Israel, all of those who have been estranged from me through their idols.
6 Therefore, say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For if any members of the house of Israel or any aliens who reside in Israel separate themselves from me, holding the memory of their idols in their hearts and keeping the cause of their iniquity before their eyes, and then approach a prophet to consult me, I, the Lord, will answer them myself. 8 I will set my face against them, and I will make them an example and a byword. I will cut them off from the midst of my people, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.
9 If a prophet is led astray into making a prophecy, I, the Lord, shall have been the one who deceived that prophet. I will stretch out my hand against him and eradicate him from the presence of my people Israel. 10 The punishments received by the inquirer and the prophet shall be identical, 11 so that the house of Israel will never again stray from me or defile themselves any longer with all their sins. Thus, they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord God.
12 Individual Responsibility.[b] This word of the Lord came to me: 13 Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it and cut off its supply of food, inflicting famine on it and removing from its midst all of its inhabitants and its animals, 14 even if the three men, Noah, Daniel,[c] and Job were there, they could save no one but themselves by their own righteousness, says the Lord God.
15 If I were to unleash wild animals throughout the land to ravage it, so that it would become a desolate wasteland through which no one could traverse because of the savage beasts, 16 even if those three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would survive.
17 Or if I were to bring the sword down on that country, commanding the sword to pass through the land, isolating it from man and beast, 18 even if those three men were in it, says the Lord God, they would be unable to save either their sons or their daughters; they alone would be saved.
19 Or if I were to inflict a pestilence upon that land and pour out my wrath upon it with blood, destroying all people and animals with it, 20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would save neither son nor daughter; they would only save themselves by their righteousness.
21 Thus says the Lord God: Even if I were to inflict upon Jerusalem my four dreadful scourges—sword, famine, wild animals, and pestilence—to cut off from it both men and animals, 22 even so some survivors will be left in it, both men and women. When they come to you and you observe their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled despite the disaster I have inflicted upon Jerusalem.[d] 23 They will be a source of consolation when you reflect upon their conduct and their deeds, and you will come to realize that it was not without good reason that I have done to it what I did.
Chapter 15[e]
The Useless Vine. 1 This word of the Lord came to me:
2 Son of man, how is the wood of the vine
better than any other wood,
the vine branch from a tree in the forest?
3 Is its wood used to make anything?
Are pegs fashioned from it to hang anything?
4 If it is thrown on the fire for fuel,
and the fire consumes both ends and chars the middle,
is it useful for anything?
5 When it was whole,
it served no purpose.
How much less, when the fire has consumed it
and it is charred,
can it be used for anything?
6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest
that I have thrown on the fire for fuel,
so will I treat the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 I have set my face against them.
Although they escape from the fire,
that fire will still devour them.
And you will know that I am the Lord
when I turn my face against them.
8 I will reduce the entire land into a desolate waste
because they have been unfaithful,
says the Lord God.
Chapter 16[f]
The Unfaithful Wife. 1 This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominable practices. 3 Say to her: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: By origin and birth, you belong to Canaan. Your father was an Amorite and your mother was a Hittite.
4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut. You were neither bathed in water, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling clothes. 5 No one took pity on you or did any of these deeds out of compassion for you. Rather, you were thrown out into an open field, for you were regarded as something loathsome on the day you were born.
6 Then I passed by and saw you kicking helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood, “Live, 7 and grow like a plant of the field.” You grew up and developed and reached the stage of full womanhood. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and exposed.
8 I passed by you again and saw that you were old enough for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore an oath to you and made a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine. 9 Then I bathed you in water, washed away the blood from your body, and anointed you with oil.
10 After this, I clothed you with embroidered gowns and sandals of fine leather, as well as with a linen headband and a silk cloak. 11 I adorned you with jewels: bracelets for your arms, a chain around your neck, 12 a ring in your nose, pendants for your ears, and a beautiful crown for your head.
13 Thus, you were adorned with gold and silver, and your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food. You grew exceedingly beautiful, fit to be a queen. 14 You were renowned among the nations because of your beauty, since it was perfect because of the splendor I had bestowed upon you, says the Lord God.
15 But you became infatuated with your own beauty, and you exploited your renown as you freely offered to play the harlot to every passerby. 16 You used some of your garments to decorate colorful shrines for yourself where you played the harlot. 17 You also took the beautiful gold and silver jewelry that I had given you and made for yourself male images, with which you committed fornication.
18 Furthermore, you took your embroidered clothes to cover these images and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 You also took the food that I had given you—the fine flour, the oil, and the honey with which I fed you—and set it before them as a pleasant odor, says the Lord God.
20 You took the sons and daughters you had borne to me and offered them as sacrifices. Was it not enough that you had become a harlot? 21 You slaughtered my children and immolated them as an offering to your idols. 22 And throughout all your abominations and your harlotries you never gave a thought to your youth when you were naked and bare and kicking helplessly in your own blood.
23 Then, after all your wicked deeds—woe, woe to you! says the Lord God— 24 you built for yourself a platform and erected for yourself a lofty place in every square. 25 At the head of every street, you built your dais and degraded your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in countless acts of harlotry. 26 You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and provoked me to anger with your repeated acts of fornication.
27 Therefore, I stretched out my hand against you, reduced your supply of food, and delivered you into the hands of your enemies, the Philistine women, who were horrified by your lewd behavior. 28 You also played the whore with the Assyrians in your insatiable lust, and even then you were not satisfied. 29 Again and again you continued to play the harlot in Chaldea, the land of merchants, and still you remained unsatisfied.
30 How truly sick you are, says the Lord God, for engaging in the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your platform at every street corner and erecting your lofty dais in every square. Yet you do not truly fulfill the role of a prostitute because you scorn any payment.
32 An adulterous wife welcomes strangers instead of her husband. 33 All prostitutes receive gifts, but you gave gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come from everywhere to receive your favors. 34 Thus in your harlotry, you were different from other such women. No one sought you out for prostitution, and you gave payment instead of receiving it. You are the complete opposite of all other whores.
35 Therefore, you harlot, listen to the word of the Lord. 36 Thus says the Lord God: Because you poured forth your lust and revealed your nakedness in your promiscuous dealings with your lovers, and because you surrendered to them the blood of your children, 37 therefore, I will gather together all your lovers in whom you took pleasure, all those whom you loved and all those whom you disliked. I will gather them from all sides and expose you naked for them to see.
38 I will inflict on you the sentence that is imposed on adulteresses and murderesses and bring down upon you the bloody vengeance of my wrath and jealousy. 39 I will deliver you into their hands, and they will destroy your platforms and tear down your lofty places. They will strip off your clothes, take away your jewels, and leave you stark naked. 40 They will assemble a mob to punish you, stoning you and cutting you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down your houses and execute judgments against you while many women look on. Thus, I shall put an end to your harlotry, and never again will you make payments to your lovers.
42 Once my fury against you has been exhausted, then my jealousy will turn away from you. I will be calm and will no longer be provoked to anger. 43 Because you have never called to mind the days of your youth but enraged me with all of your wicked deeds, I have brought your conduct down upon your head, says the Lord God. For did you not add lewd behavior to all of your other abominable deeds?
44 Everyone who quotes proverbs will use this one in regard to you: “Like mother, like daughter.” 45 You are a true daughter of your mother who loathed her husband and her children, and you are a true sister of your sisters who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46 Your elder sister is Samaria, who lives to the north of you with her daughters, and your younger sister is Sodom, who lives to the south of you with her daughters. 47 You not only followed their ways and imitated their loathsome practices, but within a brief period of time you were more corrupt than they in all of your ways.
48 As I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. 49 The crimes of your sister Sodom were pride, gluttony, and lack of concern for the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and committed abominable deeds in my presence. Therefore, I swept them from my sight, as you have seen.
51 Samaria did not commit half of the sins of which you have been guilty. You have done far more abominable crimes than they did, and you have made your sisters appear to be innocent because of all the abominations that you have committed. 52 Bear the shame of your disgrace, as a result of which you have made possible a more favorable judgment for your sisters. Because your conduct was far more abominable than theirs, they appear to be more upright in comparison with you. Therefore, blush for shame, and bear the disgrace of having made your sisters appear to be righteous.
53 I intend to restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and your own fortunes along with theirs, 54 so that you may bear your own disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done as you offer consolation to them.
55 As for your sisters, when Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former state and Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56 Did you not regard with contempt your sister Sodom in the days of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was revealed? Now you are regarded with contempt by the daughters of Edom and all her neighbors and by the daughters of the Philistines—all these people despise you. 58 You must suffer the consequences of your lewdness and your loathsome abominations, says the Lord.
59 For thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have deserved, you who despised your oath and broke the covenant. 60 However, I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I shall establish with you an everlasting covenant. 61 Then you will recall your former conduct and be ashamed when I take your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger, and give them to you as daughters, even though I am not bound to do so by my covenant with you.
62 Thus I will reestablish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord, 63 and thus remember and be ashamed and be reduced to silence when I forgive you for everything that you have done, says the Lord God.
Chapter 17[g]
Allegory of the Eagles and Vine. 1 This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, propose a riddle and expound this parable to the house of Israel. 3 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle with large wings and long pinions,
rich with multi-colored plumage,
came to Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar tree,
4 and plucked off its topmost shoot.
He carried it off to a land of tradesmen
and planted it in a city filled with merchants.
5 Then he took some of the seed of the land
and placed it in fertile soil.
Close to a source of abundant water
he set it like a willow tree.
6 It sprouted and became a vine,
low-lying and spreading forth.
Its branches turned toward him,
but its roots remained firmly in place.
Thus it became a vine, produced branches,
and put forth lofty shoots.
7 But there was another great eagle
with large wings and thick plumage.
From the plot where it had been planted
this vine stretched forth its roots toward him
so that he might water it.
It turned away from the bed where it was planted.
8 In a fertile field by abundant waters,
it was planted so that it might branch forth,
bear fruit, and become a noble vine.
9 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Will such a vine flourish?
Will it not be uprooted
with its fruit stripped off
and its freshly sprouted leaves becoming withered?
No great strength or a mighty army is needed
to pull it up by its roots.
10 If it is transplanted, will it flourish?
Will it not totally shrivel up
as though destroyed by the east wind
on the bed where it was growing?
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 Say now to this rebellious people: Do you not understand what all this means? Say to them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and its princes, and brought them back to Babylon with him. 13 Then he selected a prince of the royal family and made a covenant with him, binding him under oath, and he deported the leading men of the land 14 so that the kingdom would be humble and submissive and be able to survive only by keeping his covenant and obeying him.
15 However, the prince rebelled against him and sent envoys to Egypt with a request for horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and remain unscathed?
16 As I live, says the Lord God, I swear that that man will die in Babylon, in the country of the king who appointed him to rule, whose oath he forsook and whose covenant he broke. 17 Despite Pharaoh’s mighty army and hordes of troops, he will not be able to save him in war, no matter how many ramps are raised up and siege-towers are built to destroy many lives. 18 He has violated the treaty and disregarded the oath by breaking the treaty he had pledged to observe. Since he has done all this, he will not go unpunished.
19 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will bring down upon his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he will be trapped in my snare. I will take him to Babylon and bring him to judgment there for the treasonous acts he has committed against me. 21 All of his most valiant troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 Thus says the Lord:
I myself will break off a tender shoot
from the highest branch of a tall cedar
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the highest mountain in Israel I will plant it
so that it may put forth branches and bear fruit
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind will live beneath it;
in the shelter of its branches
winged creatures of every kind will dwell.
24 All the trees of the countryside will know
that I am the Lord.
I will bring low the tall tree
and raise high the lowly tree.
I cause the green tree to wither
and make the shriveled tree bear fruit.
I, the Lord, have spoken;
so will I do.
Chapter 18[h]
Individual Responsibility. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Why do you insist on repeating this proverb in the land of Israel:
The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and their children’s teeth are set on edge?
3 As I live, says the Lord God, you will no longer repeat this proverb in Israel. 4 Do not forget that all lives are mine. The life of the father and the life of the son are both mine. Only the person who sins shall die.
5 Reflect upon a virtuous man
who does what is lawful and right.
6 He does not eat[i] on the mountains
or lift up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife
or have relations with a woman
during her menstrual period.
7 He does not oppress anyone
but returns his pledge to a debtor.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and his clothes to those who are naked.
8 He does not lend money for profit
or charge interest.
He refrains from evildoing
and judges fairly between a man and his opponent.
9 He obeys my laws
and is careful to observe my ordinances.
Such a man is righteous;
he shall surely live,
says the Lord God.
10 But this man may have a son who is violent and sheds blood, 11 or does any of these other deeds, even though his father has done none of them:
He eats at the mountain shrines
and defiles his neighbor’s wife.
12 He oppresses the poor and the needy,
commits robbery,
and does not return pledges.
He lifts his eyes to idols,
does abominable things,
13 and lends for profit or charges interest.
Will such a man live? He will not. Since he has done all of these detestable acts, he shall surely be put to death, and his blood will be on his own head.
14 But suppose this man has a son who observes all the sins his father has committed, and even though he sees them, he refuses to follow in his footsteps:
15 He does not eat on the mountains
or lift up his eyes
to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor’s wife;
16 he does not oppress anyone
or exact a pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and his clothes to those who are naked.
17 He refrains from evildoing
and accepts no usury or excessive profit.
He obeys my laws
and is careful to observe my ordinances.
This man will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live. 18 But his father will die for his iniquity because he practiced extortion, robbed his brothers, and never did what was good for his people.
19 You may ask, “Why should not the son share the guilt of his father?” If the son has done what is lawful and just, and he has been careful to observe all my laws, he will surely live. 20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son shall not bear the responsibility for his father’s guilt, nor shall a father be charged with the guilt of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man shall be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked man shall be charged against him.
21 However, if the wicked renounce all of the sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is right and just, they shall surely live; they shall not die. 22 None of the crimes that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they shall live because of the righteous deeds that they have done 23 Do I derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? asks the Lord God. Would I not rather rejoice to see them turn away from their wickedness and live?
24 But if the righteous turn away from their virtuous ways to follow the path of evil and do the same kind of abominable deeds that the wicked do, can they do this and live? None of their virtuous deeds will be remembered. Because of their infidelity and the sins they have committed, they shall die.
25 Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unjust.” Now listen, O house of Israel! Is my way unfair? Or, rather, is it not your ways that are unfair? 26 When those who are righteous turn away from their righteousness and turn to evil pursuits, they shall die as a result of the iniquity that they have committed.
27 Similarly, when those who are wicked turn away from the wickedness that they have committed and do what is right and just, they shall save their life. 28 Since they have chosen to renounce all of the evil ways that they have followed, they shall surely live; they shall not die.
29 Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
30 Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one of you according to his ways, says the Lord God. Repent and renounce all your transgressions. Otherwise your iniquity will prove to be your downfall. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions you have committed, and strengthen yourself with a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Repent and live!
Chapter 19[j]
Allegory of the Lions[k]
1 Raise a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2 and say:
What a lioness was your mother
among the lions!
She lay down among the young lions,
rearing her cubs.
3 She raised up one of her cubs;
he grew into a young lion,
and he learned to tear apart his prey;
he devoured men.
4 Then the nations sounded an alarm against him,
and he was caught in their pit.
They dragged him off with hooks
to the land of Egypt.
5 When his mother saw that her hopes were thwarted
and her expectations would not be fulfilled,
she took another of her cubs
and made a young lion of him.
6 He prowled among the lions
and grew into a young lion.
He learned to seize his prey;
he devoured men.
7 He ravaged their strongholds
and laid waste their cities.
The land and all of its inhabitants were terrified
at the sound of his roars.
8 The nations came forth against him
from the surrounding regions.
They spread their net over him,
and he was trapped in their pit.
9 With hooks they dragged him into a cage
and took him away to the king of Babylon.
He was imprisoned, and his roars were no longer heard
on the mountains of Israel.
Allegory of the Vine Branch
10 Your mother was like a vine
planted by the water.
It was fruitful and full of branches
because of the abundant water.
11 Its branches were strong,
suitable for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered in stately height
among the dense foliage.
It was conspicuous for its height
and its many branches.
12 However, it was uprooted in fury
and thrown to the ground.
Its strong branches became withered
and were consumed by fire.
13 Now it has been transplanted to the desert,
to a dry and thirsty land.
14 Fire burst forth from its stem,
devouring its branches and fruit.
It no longer has any strong branch
that could serve as a ruler’s scepter.
This is a lamentation, and it is used for this purpose.
Chapter 20
History of Israel’s Infidelity. 1 In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to consult the Lord and were sitting with me.
2 Then this word of the Lord came to me: 3 Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Have you come to consult me? As I live, I will refuse to be consulted by you, says the Lord God.
4 Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then make clear to them the abominations of their ancestors, 5 and say to them: The Lord says: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to the land of Egypt, declaring: I am the Lord, your God.
6 On that day I swore that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had personally chosen for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the fairest of all lands. 7 And I said to them, “Each one of you must cast away the loathsome things upon which your eyes have feasted and refuse to defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.”
8 However, they rebelled against me and refused to listen to me. Not a single one of them cast aside the loathsome things that seemed so desirable, nor did any of them forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out my wrath on them, and to vent my anger against them in the land of Egypt. 9 However, for the sake of my name I acted in such a way that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, and I promised to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
10 Therefore, I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert. 11 I gave them my laws and made known to them my ordinances according to the observance of which they would live. 12 And I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between me and them so that they would know that I, the Lord, made them holy.
13 However, the house of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They refused to obey my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances whose observance is necessary for life. Furthermore, they profaned my Sabbaths. I then resolved to pour out my fury on them in the desert and destroy them. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose presence I had brought them out.
15 Furthermore, I swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the fairest of all lands, 16 because they rejected my ordinances, they did not observe my statutes, and they desecrated my Sabbaths, for their hearts were devoted to their idols. 17 Nevertheless, I pitied them too much to destroy them, and I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 Then I gave this warning to their children in the desert: Do not follow the statutes of your parents or observe their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. 19 I, the Lord, am your God. You must obey my laws and be careful to observe my ordinances. 20 Keep holy my Sabbaths as a sign between me and you so that you will know that I am the Lord, your God.
21 However, the children rebelled against me. They did not observe my statutes or keep my ordinances, even though observance of them would lead to life. Moreover, they profaned my Sabbaths. Then I again resolved to pour forth my wrath against them and vent my anger on them in the wilderness. 22 But I restrained my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose presence I had brought them out.
23 Nevertheless, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them over the earth, 24 because they had rejected my laws and profaned my Sabbaths and had regard only for the idols of their ancestors. 25 Furthermore, I imposed on them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could never live. 26 I also defiled them through their offerings, making them sacrifice their firstborn son, in order to fill them with revulsion. Thus they would know that I am the Lord.
27 Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them: Thus says the Lord God: In this way also your ancestors blasphemed me by dealing treacherously with me. 28 For when I had brought them into the land I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and made offerings that aroused my anger; there they sent up offerings of pleasing odors, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 I then said to them, “What is this high place to which you go?” And ever since it has been called Bamah.
30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their loathsome gods? 31 When you offer your gifts and burn your children as sacrifices, you defile yourselves with all your idols even to this day. Shall I allow myself to be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord God, I swear that I will not allow myself to be consulted by you.
32 When you say to yourselves, “We shall become like the nations and peoples of foreign lands, worshiping wood and stone,” you are making plans for something that will never occur. 33 As I live, says the Lord God, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with my wrath poured out, I shall reign over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you have been dispersed with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with my wrath poured out.
35 Then I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will bring you to judgment face to face. 36 As I judged your ancestors in the Desert[l] of Egypt, so will I judge you, says the Lord God. 37 I will make you pass under the staff and bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out those of you who revolt and rebel against me. I will bring them out of the land where they reside as aliens, but they will not set foot on the soil of Israel. Thus, you will know that I am the Lord.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Continue, each one of you, to serve your idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me. But later on you will listen to me and never again profane my name with your gifts and your idols. 40 For on my holy mountain, on the mountain heights of Israel, there in the land the entire house of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your presents and your choicest offerings and all your consecrated gifts. 41 I will accept you as a pleasing odor when I bring you back from the peoples and gather you out of the countries to which you have been scattered. Through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of all the nations.
42 You shall know that I am the Lord when I bring you back to the land of Israel, to the country that I swore to give to your ancestors. 43 There you will remember your past conduct and all the deeds by which you have defiled yourselves. Then you will loathe yourselves for all the wickedness you have committed. 44 You will know that I am the Lord when I deal with you thus for your name’s sake, and not as your wicked behavior and corrupt deeds deserve, O house of Israel, says the Lord God.
45 The word of the Lord came to me: 46 Son of man, turn your face to the south. Preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land of the Negeb. 47 Say to the forest of the Negeb: Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God: I am about to kindle a fire in you, and it will burn up every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and from south to north every face shall be scorched by it. 48 All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it, and it will not be extinguished. 49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, they are always saying of me, ‘He only speaks in riddles.’ ”
Chapter 21[m]
The Unsheathed Sword. 1 Then the word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, turn your face in the direction of Jerusalem; preach against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel. 3 Say to the land of Israel: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am coming against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the upright and the wicked.
4 Because I will cut off from you both the upright and the wicked, my sword shall be unsheathed against everyone from south to north, 5 and all people will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword from its sheath, and it will never again be sheathed.
Symbols of the City’s Fall. 6 As for you, son of man, groan. With a breaking heart grieve bitterly as they look on. 7 And when they ask you why you are groaning, you shall reply: Because of the news that is about to come. Every heart will melt and every hand will become feeble; every spirit will grow faint and all knees will turn to water. Behold, it is coming now. It will surely take place, says the Lord God.
Song of the Sword. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 Prophesy, son of man, and say: Thus says the Lord:
A sword, a sword has been sharpened;
it has also been burnished.
10 It is sharpened for slaughter,
burnished to flash like lightning.
11 The sword has been polished to be wielded
and to be placed in the slayer’s hand.
12 Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it will be wielded against my people.
All of Israel’s princes
will fall by the sword.
And so slap your thigh, my people,
13 for the sword has been tested.
And why should it not be so,
says the Lord God,
since you have spurned the rod?
14 As for you, son of man, prophesy,
and strike your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for killing,
a sword for great slaughter,
that threatens their enemies on every side.
15 Therefore, make their hearts melt
and cause many to fall.
I have posted at the gates
the sword for slaughter.
The great sword of slaughter
will flash like lightning.
16 Be prepared on the right,
be ready on the left—
wherever your sword is needed.
17 I, too, will strike my hands together
and satisfy my fury.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
18 The King of Babylon at the Crossroads. The following word of the Lord was addressed to me: 19 Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Both roads shall begin from the same land. Then put up a signpost for the place where the roads diverge. 20 Indicate the route which the sword should take for Rabbah of the Ammonites, and the one for Judah and the fortress of Jerusalem.
21 For the king of Babylon will stand at the fork where the two roads divide to seek an omen. He will shake the arrows, consult the household gods, and inspect the liver. 22 Into his right hand the arrow marked Jerusalem will fall. Here, then, he will issue the command for slaughter, sound the battle cry, post battering rams at the gates, cast up siege-ramps, and build siege-towers. 23 The inhabitants who have sworn allegiance[n] to him will believe that this is a false omen, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
24 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because your open rebellion has caused us to remember your guilt, in that you have paraded your misdeeds and flaunted your sins in all your deeds, you shall be taken into captivity.
25 As for you,
O vile and wicked ruler of Israel,
the day of your doom is approaching,
the time of your final punishment.
26 Thus says the Lord:
Remove your diadem; take off your crown;
everything is destined to be changed.
The lowly will be exalted
and the exalted will be brought low.
27 A ruin! A ruin!
I will make it all a ruin
until the rightful ruler comes.
28 The Ammonites’ Punishment. As for you, son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord in regard to the Ammonites and their insults:
A sword, a sword, drawn for slaughter,
burnished to consume and to flash like lightning.
29 In spite of false visions about you
as well as lying divinations,
that sword will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain—
those whose day has come,
the hour of final punishment.
30 Return it to its sheath.
I will judge you
in the place where you were created,
in the land of your origin.
31 I will pour forth my wrath upon you
with the fire of my blazing anger.
I will hand you over to barbarous men
who are skilled in the art of destruction.
32 You will serve as fuel for the fire,
and your blood shall flow throughout the land.
You shall remember no more,
for I, the Lord, have spoken.
Chapter 22
The Sins of Jerusalem. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, are you ready to judge? Will you judge this city renowned for its bloodshed and confront her with all of her abominable deeds?
3 Say to her: Thus says the Lord: Woe to the city that sheds blood within itself. You thus hasten your doom, having made idols and thereby defiling yourself. 4 You have incurred guilt by the blood that you have shed, and you have become defiled by the gods that you have fashioned. Thus, you have shortened your lifespan; the end of your years are at hand. This is why you are now regarded by the nations as a disgrace. You have become a laughingstock to all foreign lands. 5 Those who are near you and those who are far off shall mock you because you have become infamous for your great perversity.
6 The princes of Israel who dwell in your land are there only for the purpose of shedding blood. 7 The fathers and the mothers within your borders are treated with contempt. The resident aliens are forced to endure extortion. Orphans and widows are oppressed. 8 You have spurned what is holy to me, and you have profaned my Sabbaths.
9 In you are those whose slander incites to bloodshed; in you are those who eat[o] on the mountains and revel in their lewdness. 10 In you are men who have exposed the nakedness of their fathers and who violate women during their menstrual periods. 11 In you are men who engage in abominable practices with their neighbors’ wives and lewdly defile their daughters-in-law. Still others among you ravish their sisters, the daughters of their fathers. 12 In you are those who take bribes to shed blood. Others lend for profit and charge interest. Still others profit from extortion against their neighbors. You have forgotten about me, says the Lord God.
13 I will strike my hands together because of the unjust profits you have made and the unending bloodshed in your midst. 14 Will your courage endure and your hands remain strong in the days when I will deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I intend to act. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you throughout foreign countries, and I will thereby purge you of your filthiness. 16 When I shall be profaned through you in the sight of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross in my eyes; all of them are nothing more than copper and tin, iron and lead, that have become dross in the midst of a furnace.
19 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because all of you have become dross, I will gather you together inside Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin and smelts it in a blazing furnace, so I will gather you in my furious wrath and cause you to be melted down. 21 When I have assembled you, I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted down within the city. 22 As silver is smelted in a furnace, so shall you be melted down within the city, and you will know that I, the Lord, have poured forth my wrath upon you.
23 This word of the Lord came to me: 24 Son of man, say to the land: You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained upon in the day of my anger. 25 Your princes have been like a roaring lion tearing apart its prey. They have devoured people, absconded with their wealth and precious treasures, and caused many women within it to become widows.
26 Your priests have violated my law and made profane my holy things. They have failed to make any distinction between the sacred and the profane, nor have they taught the difference between the clean and the unclean. They have completely ignored my Sabbaths, and I have been profaned in their midst. 27 Your priests are like wolves tearing apart their prey, shedding blood, and killing people in the pursuit of dishonest gain. 28 Your prophets whitewash their deeds by revealing false visions and offering lying prophecies asserting that the Lord God has spoken when the Lord has not spoken. 29 Meanwhile the people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and forced resident aliens to submit to injustice.
30 I searched among my people for someone who could build a barricade and stand before me in the breach to keep me from destroying the land, but I found no one. 31 Therefore, I poured forth my fury upon them and consumed them with my fiery wrath. I have brought down their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God.
Chapter 23[p]
The Sins of Two Sisters. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, there once were two women, the daughters of the same mother. 3 Even as young girls they became prostitutes in Egypt. There the Egyptians caressed their bosoms and fondled their virginal breasts. 4 The older was named Oholah,[q] and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5 Oholah became a whore even though she belonged to me. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians— 6 warriors dressed in purple, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men and skilled horsemen. 7 She offered herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians, and she defiled herself with the idols of all those for whom she lusted. 8 Nor did she discontinue the harlotry she had begun in Egypt, where men had slept with her as a young girl, fondling her virginal breasts and pouring out their lust upon her.
9 Therefore, I abandoned her to her lovers, the Assyrians, for whom she had lusted. 10 They stripped her naked, and after they took away her sons and her daughters, they slew her with the sword. She became a byword among women for the justice that was inflicted upon her.
11 Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than her sister, and she surpassed her in harlotry. 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors arrayed in full armor, skilled horsemen, all of them handsome young men. 13 Then I realized that she, too, had been defiled. Both she and her sister had traveled the same path.
14 However, this younger sister went even further in her harlotry. When she saw male figures carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, 15 with belts around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like Babylonian officers, natives of Chaldea; 16 as soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers[r] to them in Chaldea. 17 Then the Babylonians came to her, shared her bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. And after she had defiled herself with them, she turned away from them in disgust.
18 After she had flaunted her harlotry so openly and her nakedness was revealed, I turned from her in disgust as I had withdrawn from her sister. 19 Yet she became even more promiscuous, remembering the days of her youth when she had played the whore in Egypt 20 and lusted for her lecherous paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys and whose ejaculations were like those of stallions.
21 You longed for the lewdness of your youth when the Egyptians fondled your bosom and caressed your breasts. 22 Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God: I will now stir up against you your lovers from whom you turned away in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, the men of Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, officers and warriors, and all of them mounted on horses. 24 They shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of people, and they will position themselves against you on every side with bucklers, shields, and helmets. I shall authorize them to pass judgment upon you, and they will judge you according to their own ordinances.
25 I will direct my jealous wrath against you so that they will vent their fury against you. They will cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors will perish by the sword. They will seize your sons and your daughters, and what remains of your family will be consumed by fire.[s] 26 They shall also strip off your clothes and rob you of your jewels. 27 Thus, I will put an end to the debauchery and lewdness you instituted in Egypt. You will not look back in fond remembrance on the wicked acts you committed or think of Egypt ever again.
28 For thus says the Lord God: I intend to hand you over to those whom you hate, to those whom you regard with disgust. 29 They shall treat you with hatred and seize all the fruit of your labors and leave you stark naked. Your lewdness and your promiscuity 30 have brought this upon you because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.
31 Because you have followed in the path of your sister, I will place her cup into your hand. 32 Thus says the Lord God:
You shall drink your sister’s cup,
a cup both wide and deep.
You shall be scorned and mocked
since it holds so much.
33 You shall be filled with drunkenness and sorrow
from this cup of ruin and devastation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall drink from it and completely drain it;
then you shall dash it to pieces
and tear out your breasts.
Thus I have spoken, says the Lord God.
35 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and your harlotry.
36 Then the Lord said to me: Son of man, are you willing to pass judgment on Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront them with their abominable deeds. 37 For they have committed adultery, and their hands are stained with blood. They have committed adultery with their idols and offered to them as food the children whom they bore to me.
38 Furthermore, they have also done this to me: At that same time, they defiled my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 For when they had slaughtered my children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary on the same day to desecrate it. That is what they did in my house.
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