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The Vision of Captivity
12 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live in the (A)midst of the (B)rebellious house, who (C)have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. 3 Now as for you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; even go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. (D)Perhaps they will see, though they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you will go out (E)at evening in their sight, as those going into exile. 5 In their sight, dig a hole through the wall and [a]go out through it. 6 In their sight, carry the baggage on your shoulder and bring it out in the dark. You shall (F)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a (G)wondrous sign to the house of Israel.”
7 I (H)did so, as I had been commanded. By day I (I)brought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the morning the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the (J)rebellious house, said to you, ‘(K)What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “This [b](L)oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are [c]in it.”’ 11 Say, ‘I am [d]a (M)wondrous sign to you. As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will (N)go into exile, into captivity.’ 12 The (O)prince who is among them will carry his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. [e]They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 I will also spread My (P)net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will (Q)not see it, though he will die there. 14 And I will (R)scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. 15 So they will (S)know that I am Yahweh when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries. 16 But I will [f]spare a few of them from (T)sword, famine, and pestilence that they may recount all their abominations among the nations where they go, and [g]may (U)know that I am Yahweh.”
17 Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 18 “Son of man, (V)you shall eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. 19 Then you will say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, “They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with desolation because [h]their very soil will be (W)made desolate of its fullness on account of the violence of all who inhabit it. 20 The inhabited (X)cities will be laid waste, and the (Y)land will be a desolation. So you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”
21 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this (Z)proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The (AA)days are long, and every (AB)vision fails’? 23 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But speak to them, “(AC)The days draw near as well as the [i]fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there will no longer be any (AD)worthless vision or flattering divination in the midst of the house of Israel. 25 For I, Yahweh, will speak, and whatever (AE)word I speak will be done. It will no longer be delayed, for in (AF)your days, O (AG)rebellious house, I will speak the word and do it,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”
26 Furthermore, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he beholds is for (AH)many [j]years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be done,”’” declares Lord Yahweh.
Yahweh’s Wrath Against Lying Prophets
13 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the (AI)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own heart, ‘(AJ)Hear the word of Yahweh! 3 Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the (AK)wickedly foolish prophets who are walking after their own spirit and have (AL)seen nothing. 4 O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among waste places. 5 You have not (AM)gone up into the (AN)breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the (AO)day of Yahweh. 6 They behold (AP)worthlessness and lying divination who are saying, ‘Yahweh declares,’ when Yahweh has not sent them; (AQ)yet they wait for the establishing of their word. 7 (AR)Did you not see a worthless vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘Yahweh declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”
8 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Because you have spoken worthlessness and beheld a lie, therefore behold, (AS)I am against you,” declares Lord Yahweh. 9 “So My hand will be against the (AT)prophets who see worthless visions and utter lying divinations. They will not be in the council of My people, (AU)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, [k]that you may know that I am Lord Yahweh. 10 It is definitely because they have (AV)misled My people by saying, ‘(AW)Peace!’ when there is (AX)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; 11 so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash that it will fall. A (AY)flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a stormy wind will break out. 12 Now behold, the wall will fall. Will it then not be said to you, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” 13 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will make a stormy wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and (AZ)hailstones to consume it in wrath. 14 So I will pull down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its (BA)foundation is laid bare; and it will fall, and you will be (BB)consumed in its midst. And you will (BC)know that I am Yahweh. 15 Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall [l]is gone, and its plasterers are gone— 16 the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and who (BD)see visions of peace for her when there is (BE)no peace,’ declares Lord Yahweh.
17 “Now as for you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are (BF)prophesying (BG)from their own heart. Prophesy against them 18 and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on [m]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to (BH)hunt down [n]souls! Will you hunt down My people’s souls, but preserve your own souls? 19 (BI)For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death souls who should not die and to (BJ)keep other souls alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”
20 Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt souls there as [o]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let their souls go, the very souls whom you hunt as [p]birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and (BK)deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am Yahweh. 22 Because you (BL)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have (BM)strengthened the hands of the wicked not to (BN)turn from his evil way and preserve his life, 23 therefore, you women will no longer see (BO)worthless visions or practice divination, and I will (BP)deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will (BQ)know that I am Yahweh.”
Idolatrous Elders Punished
14 Then some (BR)elders of Israel came to me and (BS)sat down before me. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have (BT)set up their idols in their hearts and have (BU)put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be (BV)inquired by them at all? 4 Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I Yahweh will be brought to give him an answer [q]in light of it, [r]in light of the (BW)multitude of his idols, 5 in order to seize the house of Israel by (BX)their heart, those who are [s](BY)estranged from Me through all their idols.”’
6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “[t](BZ)Turn back and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your (CA)abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel or of the (CB)sojourners who sojourn in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, (CC)I, Yahweh, will be brought to answer him in My own person. 8 I will (CD)set My face against that man and make him a (CE)sign and [u]a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am Yahweh.
9 “But if the prophet is enticed to speak a word, it is I, Yahweh, who have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and (CF)destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer (CG)wander from Me and no longer (CH)defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be (CI)My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares Lord Yahweh.”
The Priesthoods of Melchizedek and Christ
7 For this (A)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the (B)Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 (C)to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, (D)without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like (E)the Son of God, he remains a priest continually.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the (F)patriarch, (G)gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And those indeed of (H)the sons of Levi, who receive the priest’s office, have a commandment [a]in the Law to collect [b]a tenth from the people, that is, from their brothers, although these [c]are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one (I)whose genealogy is not traced from them had (J)collected [d]a tenth from Abraham and [e](K)blessed the one who (L)had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, (M)of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
11 (N)Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it (O)the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise (P)according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For (Q)the one concerning whom (R)these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord [f]was (S)descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not according to a law of [g](T)physical requirement, but according to the power of (U)an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed about Him,
“(V)You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
37 Then He brought them out with (A)silver and gold,
And there was none among His tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was (B)glad when they went out,
For the (C)dread of them had fallen upon them.
39 He spread a (D)cloud for a [a]covering,
And (E)fire to give light by night.
40 [b]They (F)asked, and He brought (G)quail,
And He satisfied them with the [c](H)bread of heaven.
41 He opened the [d]rock and (I)water flowed out;
[e]It ran in the dry places like a river.
42 For He (J)remembered His holy word
With Abraham His servant;
43 And He brought His people out with joy,
His chosen ones with a shout of (K)joy.
44 He (L)gave them also the lands of the [f]nations,
That they (M)might take possession of the fruit of the peoples’ labor,
45 So that they might (N)keep His statutes
And observe His laws,
[g]Praise Yah!
3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty,
But the provocation of an ignorant fool is heavier than both of them.
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