\id EZK - Christian Standard Bible® in English
\ide UTF-8
\rem Copyright © 2017-2020 by Holman Bible Publishers
\rem Language: English
\rem Text update February 2024
\toc3 Ezk
\toc2 Ezekiel
\toc1 Ezekiel
\mt Ezekiel
\c 1
\m
\v 1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, while I was among the exiles by the Chebar Canal,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:15,23; 10:15,20,22\+xt*\f* the heavens were opened~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:1 \ft \+xt Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:21; Jn 1:51; Ac 7:56; 10:11; Rv 4:1; 19:11\+xt*\f* and I saw visions of God.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:1 \ft \+xt Ex 24:10; Nm 12:6; Ezk 8:3; 11:24; 40:2\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 2 On the fifth day of the month~#—~#it was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s exile~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:2 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:8,12,15,17; 25:27,29\+xt*\f*~#—~#
\v 3 the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:3 \ft \+xt Gn 15:1; 1Sm 15:10; 2Sm 7:4; 1Kg 6:11; 21:17; Is 38:4; Jr 1:2; Jnh 1:1; Hg 1:1; Zch 1:1\+xt*\f* directly to the priest Ezekiel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 24:24\+xt*\f* son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:3 \ft \+xt Gn 11:28\+xt*\f* by the Chebar Canal. The \nd Lord\nd*’s hand was on him there.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:3 \ft \+xt 1Kg 18:46; 2Kg 3:15; 1Ch 28:19; Ezk 3:14–22; 37:1; 40:1; Ezr 7:6,28\+xt*\f*
\s1 Vision of the \nd Lord\nd*’s Glory
\m
\v 4 I looked, and there was a whirlwind~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:4 \ft \+xt 2Kg 2:1; Jb 38:1; 40:6; Ps 77:18; Is 66:15; Nah 1:3\+xt*\f* coming from the north, a huge cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:27; 8:2\+xt*\f*
\v 5 The likeness of four living creatures came from it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:14,21; Rv 4:6–8\+xt*\f* and this was their appearance: They looked something like a human,
\v 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings.
\v 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf, sparkling like the gleam of polished bronze.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:7 \ft \+xt Dn 10:6; Rv 1:15\+xt*\f*
\v 8 They had human hands under their wings on their four sides.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:17; 10:11\+xt*\f* All four of them had faces and wings.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:8,21\+xt*\f*
\v 9 Their wings were touching. The creatures did not turn as they moved; each one went straight ahead.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:22\+xt*\f*
\v 10 Their faces looked something like the face of a human,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:10 \ft \+xt Rv 4:7\+xt*\f* and each of the four had the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and the face of an eagle.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:14–21\+xt*\f*
\v 11 That is what their faces were like. Their wings were spread upward; each had two wings touching that of another and two wings covering its body.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:11 \ft \+xt Is 6:2; Ezk 1:23\+xt*\f*
\v 12 Each creature went straight ahead.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:11,22\+xt*\f* Wherever the Spirit~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 1:12 \ft Or \fqa spirit\ft , also in v.~20\f* wanted to go, they went without turning as they moved.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:20\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 13 The likeness of the living creatures was like the appearance of blazing coals of fire or like torches.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:13 \ft \+xt Ps 104:4; Rv 4:5\+xt*\f* Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightning coming out of it.
\v 14 The creatures were darting back and forth~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:14 \ft \+xt Zch 4:10\+xt*\f* like flashes of lightning.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:14 \ft \+xt Mt 24:27; Lk 17:24\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 15 When I looked at the living creatures, there was one wheel on the ground beside each of the four-faced creatures.
\v 16 The appearance of the wheels~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:9–11\+xt*\f* and their craftsmanship was like the gleam of beryl,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:16 \ft \+xt Dn 10:6\+xt*\f* and all four had the same likeness. Their appearance and craftsmanship was like a wheel within a wheel.
\v 17 When they moved, they went in any of the four directions, without turning as they moved.
\v 18 Their four rims were tall and awe-inspiring, completely covered with eyes.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:12; Rv 4:6,8\+xt*\f*
\v 19 When the living creatures moved,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:19–21 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:16–17,19\+xt*\f* the wheels moved beside them, and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels also rose.
\v 20 Wherever the Spirit wanted to go, the creatures went in the direction the Spirit was moving. The wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
\v 21 When the creatures moved, the wheels moved; when the creatures stopped, the wheels stopped; and when the creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose alongside them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
\p
\v 22 Over the heads of the living creatures~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:1\+xt*\f* the likeness of an expanse~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:22 \ft \+xt Gn 1:6–8\+xt*\f* was spread out. It gleamed like awe-inspiring crystal,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:22 \ft \+xt Rv 4:6\+xt*\f*
\v 23 and under the expanse their wings extended one toward another. They each also had two wings covering their bodies.
\v 24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of a huge torrent,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:2; Rv 1:15; 19:6\+xt*\f* like the voice of the Almighty,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:5\+xt*\f* and a sound of tumult like the noise of an army.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:24 \ft \+xt Dn 10:6\+xt*\f* When they stopped, they lowered their wings.
\p
\v 25 A voice came from above the expanse over their heads; when they stopped, they lowered their wings.
\v 26 Something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli was above the expanse over their heads.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:1\+xt*\f* On the throne, high above, was someone who looked like a human.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:26 \ft \+xt Is 6:1; Ezk 24:10\+xt*\f*
\v 27 From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:4; 8:2\+xt*\f* From what seemed to be his waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around him.
\v 28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:28 \ft \+xt Gn 9:13; Rv 4:3; 10:1\+xt*\f* This was the appearance of the likeness of the \nd Lord\nd*’s glory.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:28 \ft \+xt Ex 24:16; Ezk 8:4; 11:22–23; 43:4–5\+xt*\f* When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 1:28 \ft \+xt Gn 17:3; Ezk 3:23; Dn 8:17; Rv 1:17\+xt*\f*
\c 2
\s1 Mission to Rebellious Israel
\m
\v 1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:1 \ft \+xt Dn 10:11\+xt*\f* and I will speak with you.”
\v 2 As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:24; Dn 8:18\+xt*\f* and I listened to the one who was speaking to me.
\v 3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 2:3 \ft Or \fqa Israelites and to\f* the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:18,30\+xt*\f*
\v 4 The descendants are obstinate~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 2:4 \ft Lit \fqa hard of face\f* and hardhearted.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:7\+xt*\f* I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says.’
\v 5 Whether they listen or refuse to listen~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:11,27\+xt*\f*~#—~#for they are a rebellious house~#—~#they will know that a prophet has been among them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:33\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 6 “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them and do not be afraid of their words,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:6 \ft \+xt Jr 1:8,17; Ezk 3:9\+xt*\f* even though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:6 \ft \+xt 2Sm 23:6; Ezk 28:24; Mc 7:4\+xt*\f* Don’t be afraid of their words or discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house.
\v 7 Speak my words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:7 \ft \+xt Jr 1:7,17\+xt*\f* for they are rebellious.
\p
\v 8 “And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:8 \ft \+xt Jr 15:16; Ezk 3:3; Rv 10:9\+xt*\f*
\v 9 So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3\+xt*\f* and there was a written scroll in it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 2:9 \ft \+xt Jr 36:2; Ezk 3:1\+xt*\f*
\v 10 When he unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; words of lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.
\c 3
\m
\v 1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find here. Eat this scroll,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:8–9\+xt*\f* then go and speak to the house of Israel.”
\v 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll.
\v 3 “Son of man,” he said to me, “feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:3 \ft \+xt Jr 15:16\+xt*\f* and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:3 \ft \+xt Ps 19:10; 119:103; Rv 10:9–10\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 4 Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.
\v 5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or a difficult language but to the house of Israel~—
\v 6 not to the many peoples of unintelligible speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:6 \ft \+xt Mt 11:21,23\+xt*\f*
\v 7 But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:7 \ft \+xt Jn 15:20\+xt*\f* For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted.
\v 8 Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:8 \ft \+xt Jr 1:18; 5:3\+xt*\f*
\v 9 I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, though they are a rebellious house.”
\p
\v 10 Next he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully to all my words that I speak to you and take them to heart.
\v 11 Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:5,7\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 12 The Spirit then lifted me up,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3; Ac 8:39\+xt*\f* and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me~#—~#bless the glory of the \nd Lord\nd* in his place!~#—~#
\v 13 with the~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 3:12–13 \ft Some emend to \fqa behind me as the glory of the \+nd Lord\+nd* rose from his place: \fv 13\fv*\fqa the\f* sound of the living creatures’ wings brushing against each other~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:24\+xt*\f* and the sound of the wheels beside them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:15; 10:16–17\+xt*\f* a loud rumbling sound.
\v 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the \nd Lord\nd*’s hand was on me powerfully.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:14 \ft \+xt 2Kg 3:15\+xt*\f*
\v 15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were living by the Chebar Canal, and I sat there among them stunned for seven days.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:15 \ft \+xt Jb 2:13; Ps 137:1\+xt*\f*
\s1 Ezekiel as a Watchman
\m
\v 16 Now at the end of seven days the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:16 \ft \+xt Jr 42:7\+xt*\f*
\v 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:17 \ft \+xt Is 52:8; 56:10; 62:6; Jr 6:17; Ezk 33:7–9\+xt*\f* When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:17 \ft \+xt 2Ch 19:10; Is 58:1\+xt*\f*
\v 18 If I say to the wicked person,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:18–19 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:3,6,8–9\+xt*\f* ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him~#—~#you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life~#—~#that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
\v 19 But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:14,20; Ac 18:6; 1Tm 4:16\+xt*\f*
\v 20 Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:24\+xt*\f* and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:20 \ft \+xt Jr 6:21\+xt*\f* If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
\v 21 But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to your warning, and you will have rescued yourself.”
\p
\v 22 The hand of the \nd Lord\nd* was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:4\+xt*\f* and I will speak with you there.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:22 \ft \+xt Ac 9:6\+xt*\f*
\v 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. The \nd Lord\nd*’s glory was present there,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; Ac 7:55\+xt*\f* like the glory I had seen by the Chebar Canal,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:1\+xt*\f* and I fell facedown.
\v 24 The Spirit entered me and set me on my feet.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:2\+xt*\f* He spoke with me and said, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
\v 25 As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:8\+xt*\f* and bind you with them so you cannot go out among them.
\v 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:26 \ft \+xt Ps 22:15\+xt*\f* and you will be mute~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:26 \ft \+xt Lk 1:20,22\+xt*\f* and unable to be a mediator for~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 3:26 \ft Or \fqa to rebuke\f* them, for they are a rebellious house.
\v 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 3:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 24:27; 33:22\+xt*\f* and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says.’ Let the one who listens, listen, and let the one who refuses, refuse~#—~#for they are a rebellious house.
\c 4
\s1 Jerusalem’s Siege Dramatized
\m
\v 1 “Now you, son of man, take a brick, set it in front of you, and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
\v 2 Then lay siege against it:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:2 \ft \+xt Jr 6:6; Ezk 21:22\+xt*\f* Construct a siege wall, build a ramp, pitch military camps, and place battering rams against it on all sides.
\v 3 Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Face it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign for the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:3 \ft \+xt Is 8:18; 20:3; Ezk 12:6,11; 24:24–27\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 4 “Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 4:4 \ft Or \fqa punishment\f* of the house of Israel on it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.
\v 5 For I have assigned you the years of their iniquity according to the number of days you lie down, 390 days; so you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:5 \ft \+xt Nm 14:34\+xt*\f*
\v 6 When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned you forty days, a day for each year.
\v 7 Face the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
\v 8 Be aware that I will put cords on you so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:25\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 9 “Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side, 390 days.
\v 10 The food you eat each day will weigh eight ounces;~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 4:10 \ft Lit \fqa 20 shekels\f* you will eat it at set times.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 4:10 \ft Lit \fqa from time to time\ft , also in v.~11\f*
\v 11 You will also drink a ration of water, a sixth of a gallon,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 4:11 \ft Lit \fqa hin\f* which you will drink at set times.
\v 12 You will eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight.”
\v 13 The \nd Lord\nd* said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their bread~#—~#ceremonially unclean~#—~#among the nations where I will banish them.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:13 \ft \+xt Dn 1:8; Hs 9:3\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 14 But I said, “Oh, Lord \nd God\nd*, I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:14 \ft \+xt Lv 17:15; 22:8; Ezk 44:31\+xt*\f* And impure meat has never entered my mouth.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:14 \ft \+xt Ac 10:14\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 15 He replied to me, “Look, I will let you use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that.”
\v 16 He said to me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:16 \ft \+xt Lv 26:26; Ezk 5:16; 14:13\+xt*\f* They will anxiously eat food they have weighed out and in dread drink rationed water~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:19\+xt*\f*
\v 17 for lack of bread and water. Everyone will be devastated and waste away because of their iniquity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 4:17 \ft \+xt Lv 26:39; Ezk 24:23; 33:10\+xt*\f*
\c 5
\s1 Ezekiel Dramatizes Jerusalem’s Fall
\m
\v 1 “Now you, son of man, take a sharp sword,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:1 \ft \+xt Lv 21:5; Is 7:20; Ezk 44:20\+xt*\f* use it as you would a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
\v 2 You are to burn a third of it in the city when the days of the siege have ended;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:2–8\+xt*\f* you are to take a third and slash it with the sword all around the city; and you are to scatter a third to the wind, for I will draw a sword to chase after them.
\v 3 But you are to take a few strands from the hair and secure them in the folds of your robe.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:3 \ft \+xt Jr 40:6; 52:16\+xt*\f*
\v 4 Take some more of them, throw them into the fire, and burn them in it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:4 \ft \+xt Jr 44:14\+xt*\f* A fire will spread from it to the whole house of Israel.
\p
\v 5 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I have set this Jerusalem in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.
\v 6 She has rebelled against my ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries that surround her. For her people have rejected my ordinances and have not walked in my statutes.
\p
\v 7 “Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because you have been more insubordinate than the nations around you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:7 \ft \+xt Jr 2:10–11\+xt*\f*~#—~#you have not walked in my statutes or kept my ordinances; you have not even kept the ordinances of the nations around you~#—~#
\v 8 therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: See, I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will execute judgments within you in the sight of the nations.
\v 9 Because of all your detestable practices, I will do to you what I have never done before and what I will never do again.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:9 \ft \+xt Dn 9:12; Am 3:2\+xt*\f*
\v 10 As a result, fathers will eat their sons~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:10 \ft \+xt Lv 26:29; Dt 28:53–57; Jr 19:9\+xt*\f* within Jerusalem,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 5:10 \ft Lit \fqa you\f* and sons will eat their fathers. I will execute judgments against you and scatter all your survivors to every direction of the wind.
\p
\v 11 “Therefore, as I live”~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“I will withdraw and show you no pity, because you have defiled my sanctuary~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:11 \ft \+xt Jr 7:9–11; Ezk 8:5–6,16\+xt*\f* with all your abhorrent acts and detestable practices.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:20; 11:18,21\+xt*\f* Yes, I will not spare you.
\v 12 A third of your people will die by plague and be consumed by famine within you;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:12 \ft \+xt Jr 15:2; 21:9; Ezk 5:17; 6:11–12\+xt*\f* a third will fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter a third to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:12 \ft \+xt Jr 15:2; 43:10–11; 44:27\+xt*\f*
\v 13 When my anger is spent and I have vented my wrath on them, I will be appeased.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:13 \ft \+xt Is 1:24\+xt*\f* Then after I have spent my wrath on them, they will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken in my jealousy.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:5–6; 38:19\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 14 “I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of everyone who passes by.
\v 15 So you~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 5:15 \ft DSS, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; MT reads \fqa she\f* will be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations around you when I execute judgments against you in anger,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:15 \ft \+xt Ps 79:3–10; Ezk 22:4\+xt*\f* wrath, and furious rebukes. I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.
\v 16 When I shoot deadly arrows of famine at them, arrows for destruction that I will send to destroy you, inhabitants of Jerusalem, I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of bread.
\v 17 I will send famine and dangerous animals against you. They will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 5:17 \ft \+xt Lv 26:6; Dt 32:23–25\+xt*\f*
\c 6
\s1 Prophecy against Israel’s Idolatry
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, face the mountains of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:1\+xt*\f* and prophesy against them.
\v 3 You are to say: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord \nd God\nd*! This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:3–4 \ft \+xt Lv 26:30\+xt*\f*
\v 4 Your altars will be desolated and your shrines~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 6:4 \ft Or \fqa incense altars\ft , also in v.~6\f* smashed. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols.
\v 5 I will lay the corpses of the Israelites in front of their idols and scatter your bones around your altars.
\v 6 Wherever you live the cities will be in ruins and the high places will be desolate, so that your altars will lie in ruins and be desecrated,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 6:6 \ft Hb obscure\f* your idols smashed and obliterated, your shrines cut down, and what you have made wiped out.
\v 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\p
\v 8 “Yet I will leave a remnant when you are scattered among the nations, for throughout the countries there will be some of you who will escape the sword.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:8 \ft \+xt Jr 44:14,28; Ezk 7:16\+xt*\f*
\v 9 Then your survivors will remember me among the nations where they are taken captive,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:9 \ft \+xt Dt 4:29\+xt*\f* how I was crushed by their promiscuous hearts that turned away from me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:9 \ft \+xt Ps 78:40\+xt*\f* They will loathe themselves because of the evil things they did,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:43; 36:31\+xt*\f* their detestable actions of every kind.
\v 10 And they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*; I did not threaten to bring this disaster on them without a reason.
\s1 Lament over the Fall of Jerusalem
\m
\v 11 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:14,17; 25:6\+xt*\f* and cry out over all the evil and detestable practices of the house of Israel, who will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:12\+xt*\f*
\v 12 The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 6:12 \ft Or \fqa besieged\f* will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust my wrath on them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13\+xt*\f*
\v 13 You will all know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* when their slain lie among their idols around their altars,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:4–7\+xt*\f* on every high hill,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:13 \ft \+xt Is 57:5–7; Jr 2:20; Ezk 20:28; Hs 4:13\+xt*\f* on all the mountaintops, and under every green tree and every leafy oak~#—~#the places where they offered pleasing aromas to all their idols.
\v 14 I will stretch out my hand against them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 6:14 \ft \+xt Is 5:25\+xt*\f* and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Riblah.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 6:14 \ft Some Hb mss, some LXX mss; other Hb mss read \fqa Diblah\ft ; \+xt 2Kg 23:33; Jr 39:5\+xt*\f* Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\c 7
\s1 Announcement of the End
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to the land of Israel:
\q An end! The end has~come
\q on the four corners of~the~earth.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:2 \ft \+xt Am 8:2,10\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 3 The end is now upon~you;
\q I will send my~anger against~you
\q and judge you according~to your~ways.
\q I will punish you for~all your detestable~practices.
\q1
\v 4 I will not look on~you with~pity or~spare~you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11\+xt*\f*
\q but I will punish you for~your~ways~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:21\+xt*\f*
\q and for your detestable~practices within~you.
\q Then you will know that I~am the~\nd Lord\nd*.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:7,14\+xt*\f*
\b
\p
\v 5 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Look, one disaster after~another is~coming!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:5 \ft \+xt 2Kg 21:12–13\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 6 An end has come; the~end has~come!
\q It has awakened against~you.
\q Look, it is coming!
\q1
\v 7 Doom~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 7:7 \ft Or \fqa A leash\ft ; Hb obscure, also in v.~10\f* has come on~you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:10\+xt*\f*
\q inhabitants of~the~land.
\q The time has come; the~day is~near.
\q There will be panic on~the~mountains
\q and not~celebration.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:7 \ft \+xt Jl 2:1–2; Am 5:18–20; Zph 1:14–15\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 8 I will pour out my~wrath on~you very~soon;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:8,21\+xt*\f*
\q I will exhaust my~anger against~you
\q and judge you according~to~your~ways.
\q I will punish you for~all your detestable~practices.
\q1
\v 9 I will not look on~you with~pity or~spare~you.
\q I will punish you for~your~ways
\q and for your detestable~practices within~you.
\q Then you will~know
\q that it is I, the \nd Lord\nd*, who~strikes.
\b
\q1
\v 10 Here is the day! Here it comes!
\q Doom is on its way.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:7\+xt*\f*
\q The rod has~blossomed;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:10 \ft \+xt Nm 17:8\+xt*\f*
\q arrogance has~bloomed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:10 \ft \+xt Is 10:5; Mt 24:32–33\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 11 Violence has grown into~a~rod of~wickedness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:11 \ft \+xt Ps 73:8; 125:3\+xt*\f*
\q None of them will~remain:
\q none of that crowd,
\q none of their wealth,
\q and none of~the~eminent~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 7:11 \ft Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg read \fqa and no rest\f* among~them.
\b
\q1
\v 12 The time has come; the~day has~arrived.
\q Let the buyer not~rejoice~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:12 \ft \+xt Pr 20:14\+xt*\f*
\q and the seller not~mourn,
\q for wrath is on her~whole~crowd.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:12 \ft \+xt Is 24:2\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 13 The seller will certainly not~return
\q to what was~sold
\q as long as he and~the~buyer remain~alive.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 7:13 \ft Lit \fqa sold, while still in life is their life\f*
\q For the vision concerning her~whole~crowd
\q will not be~revoked,
\q and because~of the~iniquity of~each~one,
\q none will~preserve his life.
\b
\q1
\v 14 They have blown the~trumpet~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:14 \ft \+xt Nm 10:9\+xt*\f*
\q and prepared~everything,
\q but no one goes to~war,
\q for my wrath is on her~whole~crowd.
\q1
\v 15 The sword is on~the~outside;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:15 \ft \+xt Jr 14:18; Ezk 6:11–12\+xt*\f*
\q plague and famine are on~the~inside.
\q Whoever is in the field will~die by~the~sword,
\q and famine and plague will~devour
\q whoever is in~the~city.
\b
\q1
\v 16 The survivors among~them will~escape~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:8; 14:22\+xt*\f*
\q and live on~the~mountains.
\q Like doves of~the~valley,
\q all of them will moan,
\q each over his~own~iniquity.
\q1
\v 17 All their hands will~become~weak,
\q and all their knees will~run with~urine.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 7:17 \ft Lit \fqa knees will go water\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:17 \ft \+xt Is 13:7; Ezk 21:7\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 18 They will put~on~sackcloth,
\q and horror will overwhelm~them.
\q Shame will cover all their~faces,
\q and all their heads will~be~bald.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:18 \ft \+xt Is 15:2–3; Am 8:10\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 19 They will throw their~silver into~the~streets,
\q and their gold will seem~like something~filthy.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:19 \ft \+xt Is 2:20; 30:22\+xt*\f*
\q Their silver and gold will~be~unable to~save~them
\q in the day of~the~\nd Lord\nd*’s~wrath.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:19 \ft \+xt Pr 11:4; Zph 1:18\+xt*\f*
\q They will not satisfy their~appetites
\q or fill their~stomachs,
\q for these were the~stumbling~blocks~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:3\+xt*\f*
\q that brought about~their~iniquity.
\b
\q1
\v 20 He appointed his~beautiful~ornaments for~majesty,
\q but~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 7:20 \ft Or \fqa They turned their beautiful ornaments into objects of pride, and\f* they made their~detestable~images from~them,
\q their abhorrent things.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:20 \ft \+xt Jr 7:30; Ezk 16:17\+xt*\f*
\q Therefore, I have made~these
\q into something~filthy to~them.
\q1
\v 21 I will hand these~things~over
\q to foreigners as~plunder~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:21 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:13\+xt*\f*
\q and to the wicked of~the~earth as~spoil,
\q and they will profane~them.
\q1
\v 22 I will turn my face from~them
\q as they profane my~treasured~place.
\q Violent men will enter~it and~profane~it.
\b
\q1
\v 23 Forge the chain,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:23 \ft \+xt Jr 27:2\+xt*\f*
\q for the land is filled with~crimes of~bloodshed,
\q and the city is filled with~violence.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:17; 9:9\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 24 So I will bring the~most~evil of~nations~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:31; 28:7\+xt*\f*
\q to take possession of~their~houses.
\q I will put an end to~the~pride of~the~strong,
\q and their sacred places will~be~profaned.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:24 \ft \+xt 2Ch 7:20; Ezk 24:21\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 25 Anguish is~coming!
\q They will look for peace, but~there~will~be~none.
\q1
\v 26 Disaster after disaster will~come,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:26 \ft \+xt Is 47:11; Jr 4:20\+xt*\f*
\q and there will be rumor after~rumor.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:7\+xt*\f*
\q Then they will look for a~vision from~a~prophet,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:26 \ft \+xt Jr 21:2; 37:17\+xt*\f*
\q but instruction will~perish from~the~priests
\q and counsel from~the~elders.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:26 \ft \+xt Ps 74:9; Mc 3:6\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 27 The king will~mourn;
\q the prince will be clothed in~grief;
\q and the hands of the people of~the~land will~tremble.
\q I will deal with them according~to their~own~conduct,
\q and I will judge them by~their~own~standards.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 7:27 \ft \+xt Mt 7:2\+xt*\f*
\q Then they will know that I~am the~\nd Lord\nd*.
\c 8
\s1 Visionary Journey to Jerusalem
\m
\v 1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:1; 20:1\+xt*\f* and there the hand of the Lord \nd God\nd* came down on me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:3\+xt*\f*
\v 2 I looked, and there was someone who looked like a man.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 8:2 \ft LXX; MT, Vg read \fqa like fire\f* From what seemed to be his waist down was fire, and from his waist up was something that looked bright,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:27\+xt*\f* like the gleam of amber.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:4,27\+xt*\f*
\v 3 He stretched out what appeared to be a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:1,24; 40:2; 2Co 12:1–4\+xt*\f* to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner gate that faces north, where the offensive statue that provokes jealousy~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:3 \ft \+xt Ex 20:4; Dt 32:16\+xt*\f* was located.
\v 4 I saw the glory of the God of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 9:3\+xt*\f* there, like the vision I had seen in the plain.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; 3:22–23\+xt*\f*
\s1 Pagan Practices in the Temple
\m
\v 5 The \nd Lord\nd* said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” I looked to the north, and there was this offensive statue north of the Altar Gate, at the entrance.
\v 6 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing here~#—~#more detestable acts that the house of Israel is committing~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11; 8:9,17; 23:4–5\+xt*\f*~#—~#so that I must depart from my sanctuary? You will see even more detestable acts.”
\p
\v 7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked there was a hole in the wall.
\v 8 He said to me, “Son of man, dig through the wall.” So I dug through the wall and discovered a doorway.
\v 9 He said to me, “Go in and see the detestable, wicked acts they are committing here.”
\p
\v 10 I went in and looked, and there engraved all around the wall was every kind of abhorrent thing~#—~#crawling creatures and beasts~#—~#as well as all the idols of the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:10 \ft \+xt Ex 20:4; Dt 4:16–18; Rm 1:23\+xt*\f*
\v 11 Seventy elders from the house of Israel were standing before them, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:11 \ft \+xt Nm 11:16,25; Lk 10:1\+xt*\f* standing among them. Each had a firepan in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising up.
\v 12 He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his idol? For they are saying, ‘The \nd Lord\nd* does not see us. The \nd Lord\nd* has abandoned the land.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:12 \ft \+xt Ps 14:1; Is 29:15; Ezk 9:9\+xt*\f*
\v 13 Again he said to me, “You will see even more detestable acts that they are committing.”
\p
\v 14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the \nd Lord\nd*’s house, and I saw women sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
\v 15 And he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see even more detestable acts than these.”
\p
\v 16 So he brought me to the inner court of the \nd Lord\nd*’s house, and there were about twenty-five men at the entrance of the \nd Lord\nd*’s temple, between the portico and the altar,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:16 \ft \+xt Jl 2:17\+xt*\f* with their backs to the \nd Lord\nd*’s temple and their faces turned to the east.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:16 \ft \+xt Jr 2:27; 32:33\+xt*\f* They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:16 \ft \+xt Dt 4:19; 17:3\+xt*\f*
\v 17 And he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it not enough for the house of Judah to commit the detestable acts they are doing here, that they must also fill the land with violence~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:11,23; 9:9\+xt*\f* and repeatedly anger me,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:17 \ft \+xt Jr 7:18–19\+xt*\f* even putting the branch to their nose?~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 8:17 \ft Alt Hb tradition reads \fqa my nose\f*
\v 18 Therefore I will respond with wrath.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13\+xt*\f* I will not show pity or spare them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11\+xt*\f* Though they call loudly in my hearing,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 8:18 \ft \+xt Mc 3:4\+xt*\f* I will not listen to them.”
\c 9
\s1 Vision of Slaughter in Jerusalem
\m
\v 1 Then he called loudly in my hearing, “Come near, executioners of the city, each of you with a destructive weapon in his hand.”
\v 2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:2 \ft \+xt 2Kg 15:35; Jr 20:2\+xt*\f* which faces north, each with a war club in his hand. There was another man among them, clothed in linen,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:2 \ft \+xt Lv 16:4\+xt*\f* carrying writing equipment. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.
\p
\v 3 Then the glory of the God of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:4,18; 11:22–23\+xt*\f* rose from above the cherub where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. He called to the man clothed in linen and carrying writing equipment.
\v 4 “Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the \nd Lord\nd* said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:4 \ft \+xt Rv 7:2–3; 9:4; 14:1\+xt*\f* of the men who sigh and groan~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:4 \ft \+xt Ps 119:53,136; Jr 13:17\+xt*\f* over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
\p
\v 5 He spoke to the others in my hearing: “Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare them!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11\+xt*\f*
\v 6 Slaughter the old men, the young men and women, as well as the children and older women,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:6 \ft \+xt 2Ch 36:17\+xt*\f* but do not come near anyone who has the mark.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:6 \ft \+xt Rv 9:4\+xt*\f* Begin at my sanctuary.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:6 \ft \+xt Jr 25:29\+xt*\f* So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple.
\v 7 Then he said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:20–22\+xt*\f* Go!~” So they went out killing people in the city.
\p
\v 8 While they were killing, I was left alone. And I fell facedown and cried out, “Oh, Lord \nd God\nd*!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:13\+xt*\f* Are you going to destroy the entire remnant of Israel when you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem?~”
\p
\v 9 He answered me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of bloodshed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:9 \ft \+xt 2Kg 21:16\+xt*\f* and the city full of perversity. For they say, ‘The \nd Lord\nd* has abandoned the land;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:12\+xt*\f* he does not see.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:9 \ft \+xt Is 29:15\+xt*\f*
\v 10 But as for me, I will not show pity or spare them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11; 7:4; 8:18\+xt*\f* I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 9:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:21\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 11 Then the man clothed in linen and carrying writing equipment reported back, “I have done all that you commanded me.”
\c 10
\s1 God’s Glory Leaves the Temple
\m
\v 1 Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:22,26\+xt*\f* of the cherubim was something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli.
\v 2 The \nd Lord\nd* spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Go inside the wheelwork beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with blazing coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:13; Rv 8:5\+xt*\f* So he went in as I watched.
\p
\v 3 Now the cherubim were standing to the south of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:3 \ft \+xt 1Kg 8:10–11\+xt*\f* filled the inner court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3,16\+xt*\f*
\v 4 Then the glory of the \nd Lord\nd* rose from above the cherub to the threshold of the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 9:3; 10:18; 11:22–23; 43:2–5; 44:4\+xt*\f* The temple was filled with the cloud,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:4 \ft \+xt Ex 40:34–35; Is 6:1–4; Rv 15:8\+xt*\f* and the court was filled with the brightness of the \nd Lord\nd*’s glory.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; Hg 2:7\+xt*\f*
\v 5 The sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
\p
\v 6 After the \nd Lord\nd* commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from inside the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel.
\v 7 Then the cherub reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took some and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out.
\v 8 The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:8\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 9 I looked, and there were four wheels beside the cherubim,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:15–17\+xt*\f* one wheel beside each cherub. The luster of the wheels was like the gleam of beryl.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:9 \ft \+xt Dn 10:6\+xt*\f*
\v 10 In appearance, all four looked alike, like a wheel within a wheel.
\v 11 When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:17\+xt*\f* without pivoting as they moved. But wherever the head faced, they would go in that direction, without pivoting as they went.
\v 12 Their entire bodies,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:12 \ft \+xt Rv 4:6,8\+xt*\f* including their backs, hands, wings, and the wheels that the four of them had, were full of eyes all around.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:18\+xt*\f*
\v 13 As I listened the wheels were called “the wheelwork.”
\v 14 Each one had four faces:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:6,10; 10:21\+xt*\f* one was the face of a cherub, the second the face of a human, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
\p
\v 15 The cherubim ascended; these were the living creatures I had seen by the Chebar Canal.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:3,5\+xt*\f*
\v 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when they lifted their wings to rise from the earth, even then the wheels did not veer away from them.
\v 17 When the cherubim stopped,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:21\+xt*\f* the wheels stood still, and when they ascended, the wheels ascended with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them.
\p
\v 18 Then the glory of the \nd Lord\nd* moved away from the threshold of the temple~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:4\+xt*\f* and stopped above the cherubim.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:18 \ft \+xt Ps 18:10\+xt*\f*
\v 19 The cherubim lifted their wings and ascended from the earth right before my eyes;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:22\+xt*\f* the wheels were beside them as they went. The glory of the God of Israel was above them, and it stopped at the entrance to the eastern gate of the \nd Lord\nd*’s house.
\p
\v 20 These were the living creatures I had seen~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:5,22,26; 10:15\+xt*\f* beneath the God of Israel by the Chebar Canal,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:1\+xt*\f* and I recognized that they were cherubim.
\v 21 Each had four faces and each had four wings,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:6,8; 10:14; 41:18–19\+xt*\f* with what looked something like human hands under their wings.
\v 22 Their faces looked like the same faces I had seen~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 10:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:10\+xt*\f* by the Chebar Canal. Each creature went straight ahead.
\c 11
\s1 Vision of Israel’s Corrupt Leaders
\m
\v 1 The Spirit then lifted me up~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:12,14; 8:3\+xt*\f* and brought me to the eastern gate of the \nd Lord\nd*’s house, which faces east, and at the gate’s entrance were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
\v 2 The \nd Lord\nd*~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 11:2 \ft Lit \fqa He\f* said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:2 \ft \+xt Gn 6:5; Ps 36:4; Pr 14:2; Mc 2:1\+xt*\f* and give wicked advice in this city.
\v 3 They are saying, ‘Isn’t the time near to build houses?~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 11:3 \ft Or \fqa “The time is not near to build houses.\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:3 \ft \+xt Jr 29:28; Am 3:15; Zph 1:13\+xt*\f* The city is the pot,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:3 \ft \+xt Jr 1:13; Ezk 24:3,6\+xt*\f* and we are the meat.’
\v 4 Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man!~”
\p
\v 5 Then the Spirit of the \nd Lord\nd* came on me, and he told me, “You are to say, ‘This is what the \nd Lord\nd* says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:5 \ft \+xt Jr 17:10; Ezk 2:2\+xt*\f*
\v 6 You have multiplied your slain in this city,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:23; 22:2–6,9,12,27\+xt*\f* filling its streets with them.
\p
\v 7 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: The slain you have put within it are the meat,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 24:3–13; Mc 3:2–3\+xt*\f* and the city is the pot, but I~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 11:7 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa he\f* will take you out of it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:9\+xt*\f*
\v 8 You fear the sword,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:8 \ft \+xt Pr 10:24; Is 66:4\+xt*\f* so I will bring the sword against you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:8 \ft \+xt Jb 3:25; Is 24:17–18\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 9 I will take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners; I will execute judgments against you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:8\+xt*\f*
\v 10 You will fall by the sword,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:10 \ft \+xt Jr 39:6; 52:9–10\+xt*\f* and I will judge you at the border of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:10 \ft \+xt 2Kg 14:25\+xt*\f* Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 11 The city will not be a pot for you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:3,7\+xt*\f* and you will not be the meat within it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,
\v 12 so you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not practiced. Instead, you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:10,14,16\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 13 Now while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:13 \ft \+xt Ac 5:5\+xt*\f* Then I fell facedown and cried out loudly, “Oh, Lord \nd God\nd*!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 9:8\+xt*\f* You are bringing the remnant of Israel to an end!~”
\s1 Promise of Israel’s Restoration
\m
\v 14 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me again:
\v 15 “Son of man, your own relatives, those who have the right to redeem your property,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 11:15 \ft LXX, Syr read \fqa your relatives, your fellow exiles\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 11:15 \ft Or \fqa own brothers, your relatives\f* along with the entire house of Israel~#—~#all of them~#—~#are those to whom the residents of Jerusalem have said, ‘You are far from the \nd Lord\nd*; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
\p
\v 16 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:16 \ft \+xt Is 8:14\+xt*\f* in the countries where they have gone.’
\p
\v 17 “Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will gather you from the peoples~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:34,41–42; 28:25\+xt*\f* and assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’
\p
\v 18 “When they arrive there, they will remove all its~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:23\+xt*\f* abhorrent acts~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:11\+xt*\f* and detestable practices from it.
\v 19 I will give them integrity of~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 11:19 \ft Lit \fqa give them one\f* heart~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:19 \ft \+xt Jr 32:39\+xt*\f* and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:19 \ft \+xt Zch 7:12\+xt*\f* from their bodies~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 11:19 \ft Lit \fqa flesh\f* and give them a heart of flesh,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:19 \ft \+xt Ps 51:10; Jr 31:33; Ezk 36:26; 2Co 3:3\+xt*\f*
\v 20 so that they will follow my statutes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:20 \ft \+xt Ps 105:45; Ezk 36:27\+xt*\f* keep my ordinances, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:28\+xt*\f*
\v 21 But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for abhorrent acts and detestable practices, I will bring their conduct down on their own heads.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 9:10\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\s1 God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem
\m
\v 22 Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:19\+xt*\f* and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
\v 23 The glory of the \nd Lord\nd*~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:4\+xt*\f* rose up from within the city and stopped on the mountain~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:23 \ft \+xt Zch 14:4\+xt*\f* east of the city.~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 11:23 \ft = the Mount of Olives\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:22–23 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:4\+xt*\f*
\v 24 The Spirit lifted me up~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 11:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3\+xt*\f* and brought me to Chaldea and to the exiles in a vision from the Spirit of God. After the vision I had seen left me,
\v 25 I spoke to the exiles about all the things the \nd Lord\nd* had shown me.
\c 12
\s1 Ezekiel Dramatizes the Exile
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious house.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:3,5\+xt*\f* They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:2 \ft \+xt Jr 5:21\+xt*\f* for they are a rebellious house.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:5–8\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 3 “Now you, son of man, get your bags ready for exile and go into exile in their sight during the day. You will go into exile from your place to another place while they watch; perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.
\v 4 During the day, bring out your bags like an exile’s bags while they look on. Then in the evening go out in their sight like those going into exile.
\v 5 As they watch, dig through the wall and take the bags out through it.
\v 6 And while they look on, lift the bags to your shoulder and take them out in the dark; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:3; 24:24\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 7 So I did just as I was commanded. In the daytime I brought out my bags like an exile’s bags. In the evening I dug through the wall by hand; I took them out in the dark, carrying them on my shoulder in their sight.
\p
\v 8 In the morning the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 9 “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, that rebellious house,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:5–8\+xt*\f* asked you, ‘What are you doing?~’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:12; 20:49; 24:19\+xt*\f*
\v 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: This pronouncement concerns the prince~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 12:10 \ft = King Zedekiah\f* in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel living there.’~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 12:10 \ft Lit \fqa Israel among them\f*
\v 11 You are to say, ‘I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to them; they will go into exile,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:11 \ft \+xt Jr 15:2; 52:15,28–30\+xt*\f* into captivity.’
\v 12 The prince who is among~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:12 \ft \+xt 2Kg 25:1–7; Jr 39:4; 52:7\+xt*\f* them will lift his bags to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 12:12 \ft LXX, Syr read \fqa He\f* will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.
\v 13 But I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:13 \ft \+xt Jr 39:7; 52:11\+xt*\f* and he will die there.
\v 14 I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:2; 17:21\+xt*\f* and I will draw a sword to chase after them.
\v 15 They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:7,14\+xt*\f* when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:15; 29:12; 30:23\+xt*\f*
\v 16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:8–9\+xt*\f* famine, and plague, so that among the nations where they go they can tell about all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\s1 Ezekiel Dramatizes Israel’s Anxiety
\m
\v 17 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 18 “Son of man, eat your bread with~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:16\+xt*\f* trembling and drink your water with anxious shaking.
\v 19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 12:19 \ft Lit \fqa its\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 12:19 \ft = Jerusalem’s\f* land will be stripped of everything~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:19 \ft \+xt Zch 7:14\+xt*\f* in it because of the violence of all who live there.
\v 20 The inhabited cities will be destroyed, and the land will become dreadful. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”
\s1 A Deceptive Proverb Stopped
\m
\v 21 Again the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you people have about the land of Israel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:44; 18:2–3\+xt*\f* which goes, ‘The days keep passing by,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:22 \ft \+xt Jr 5:12; Ezk 11:3; 12:27; 2Pt 3:4,9\+xt*\f* and every vision fails’?
\v 23 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will put a stop to this proverb, and they will not use it again in Israel.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:3\+xt*\f* But say to them, ‘The days have arrived,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:23 \ft \+xt Zph 1:14\+xt*\f* as well as the fulfillment of every vision.
\v 24 For there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 13:6,23\+xt*\f* within the house of Israel.
\v 25 But I, the \nd Lord\nd*, will speak whatever message I will speak, and it will be done.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:25 \ft \+xt Is 14:24\+xt*\f* It will no longer be delayed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:25 \ft \+xt Is 7:16\+xt*\f* For in your days, rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\p
\v 26 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 27 “Son of man, notice that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees concerns many years from now;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 12:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:22; Dn 10:14\+xt*\f* he prophesies about distant times.’
\v 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: None of my words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\c 13
\s1 Israel’s False Prophets Condemned
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:25,28\+xt*\f* are prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:2 \ft \+xt Jr 23:16,26\+xt*\f* ‘Hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*!
\v 3 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.
\v 4 Your prophets, Israel, are like jackals among ruins.
\v 5 You did not go up to the gaps~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:5 \ft \+xt Ps 106:23; Ezk 22:30\+xt*\f* or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it might stand in battle on the day of the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 6 They saw false visions and their divinations were a lie.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:28\+xt*\f* They claimed, “This is the \nd Lord\nd*’s declaration,” when the \nd Lord\nd* did not send them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:6 \ft \+xt Jr 14:14; 23:21; 28:15\+xt*\f* yet they wait for the fulfillment of their message.
\v 7 Didn’t you see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you proclaimed, “This is the \nd Lord\nd*’s declaration,” even though I had not spoken?
\p
\v 8 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: You have spoken falsely and had lying visions; that’s why you discover that I am against you. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 9 My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and speak lying divinations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:9 \ft \+xt Jr 20:3–6; 28:15–17\+xt*\f* They will not be present in the council of my people or be recorded in the register of the house of Israel, and they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 10 “~‘Since they have led my people astray by saying, “Peace,”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:10 \ft \+xt Jr 6:14; 8:11; 14:13; Mc 3:5\+xt*\f* when there is no peace, and since when a flimsy wall is being built, they plaster it with whitewash,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:28; Mt 23:27; Ac 23:3\+xt*\f*
\v 11 therefore, tell those plastering it with whitewash that it will fall. Torrential rain will come,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:22; Mt 7:27\+xt*\f* and I will send hailstones plunging~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 13:11 \ft One Hb ms, LXX, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa and you, hailstones, will plunge\f* down, and a whirlwind will be released.
\v 12 When the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, “Where’s the whitewash you plastered on it?~”
\p
\v 13 “~‘So this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will release a whirlwind in my wrath. Torrential rain will come in my anger, and hailstones will fall in destructive fury.
\v 14 I will demolish the wall you plastered with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:14 \ft \+xt 1Co 3:10–15\+xt*\f* The city will fall, and you will be destroyed within it. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 15 After I exhaust my wrath against the wall and against those who plaster it with whitewash, I will say to you, “The wall is no more and neither are those who plastered it~#—~#
\v 16 those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw a vision of peace for her when there was no peace.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:16 \ft \+xt Jr 6:14; 8:11\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’
\p
\v 17 “Now you, son of man, face~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 13:17 \ft Lit \fqa set your face\f* the women among your people who prophesy~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:17 \ft \+xt Jdg 4:4; 2Kg 22:14; Ac 21:9\+xt*\f* out of their own imagination, and prophesy against them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 13:2\+xt*\f*
\v 18 Say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Woe to the women who sew magic bands on the wrist of every hand and who make veils for the heads of people of every size in order to ensnare lives. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own?~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:18 \ft \+xt 2Pt 2:14\+xt*\f*
\v 19 You profane me among my people for handfuls of barley~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:19 \ft \+xt Pr 28:21; Mc 3:5\+xt*\f* and scraps of bread; you put those to death who should not die and spare those who should not live, when you lie to my people, who listen to lies.
\p
\v 20 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am against your magic bands with which you ensnare people like birds, and I will tear them from your arms. I will free the people you have ensnared like birds.
\v 21 I will also tear off your veils and rescue my people from your hands,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:21 \ft \+xt Ps 91:3; 124:7\+xt*\f* so that they will no longer be prey in your hands. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 22 Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (when I intended no distress),~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:22 \ft \+xt Jr 28:15\+xt*\f* and because you have supported~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 13:22 \ft Lit \fqa strengthened the hand of\f* the wicked~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:22 \ft \+xt Jr 23:14\+xt*\f* person so that he does not turn from his evil way to save his life,
\v 23 therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 13:23 \ft \+xt Mc 3:5–6\+xt*\f* I will rescue my people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”
\c 14
\s1 Idolatrous Elders Punished
\m
\v 1 Some of the elders of Israel came~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:1; 20:1\+xt*\f* to me and sat down in front of me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:31–32\+xt*\f*
\v 2 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 3 “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put their sinful stumbling blocks in front of themselves.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:19\+xt*\f* Should I actually let them inquire of me?~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:3,31\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 4 “Therefore, speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart and puts his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet, I, the \nd Lord\nd*, will answer him appropriately.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 14:4 \ft Alt Hb tradition reads \fqa him who comes\f* I will answer him according to his many idols,
\v 5 so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from me because of their idols.’
\p
\v 6 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Repent and turn away~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:6 \ft \+xt 1Sm 7:3; Neh 1:9; Is 2:20; 30:22; 55:6–7; Ezk 18:30\+xt*\f* from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things.
\v 7 For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside in Israel separates himself from me, setting up idols in his heart and putting his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me, I, the \nd Lord\nd*, will answer him myself.
\v 8 I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among my people.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:8 \ft \+xt Is 65:15; Jr 44:11; Ezk 5:15; 15:7\+xt*\f* Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\p
\v 9 “~‘But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, the \nd Lord\nd*, who deceived that prophet.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:9 \ft \+xt Jdg 9:23; 1Sm 16:14; 1Kg 22:23; Jr 20:7; 2Th 2:11\+xt*\f* I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:9 \ft \+xt Jr 6:14–15; 14:15\+xt*\f*
\v 10 They will bear their punishment~#—~#the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as that of the prophet~#—~#
\v 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following me and no longer defile themselves~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:18; 37:23\+xt*\f* with all their transgressions. Then they will be my people and I will be their God.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:28\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 Four Devastating Judgments
\m
\v 12 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 13 “Son of man, suppose a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its supply of bread,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:13 \ft \+xt Lv 26:26; Is 3:1; Ezk 4:16\+xt*\f* to send famine through it, and to wipe out both people and animals from it.
\v 14 Even if these three men~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:14 \ft \+xt Jr 15:1\+xt*\f*~#—~#Noah,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:14 \ft \+xt Gn 6:8\+xt*\f* Daniel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:3; Dn 1:6\+xt*\f* and Job~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:14 \ft \+xt Jb 1:1,5; 42:8–9\+xt*\f*~#—~#were in it, they would rescue only themselves by their righteousness.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 15 “Suppose I allow dangerous animals~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:15 \ft \+xt Lv 26:22; Nm 21:6; 2Kg 17:25; Ezk 5:17\+xt*\f* to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals.
\v 16 Even if these three men were in it, as I live”~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“they could not rescue their sons or daughters. They alone would be rescued, but the land would be desolate.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:16 \ft \+xt Gn 19:29; Ezk 18:20\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 17 “Or suppose I bring a sword~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:17 \ft \+xt Lv 26:25; Ezk 5:12; 21:3–4\+xt*\f* against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through it,’ so that I wipe out both people and animals from it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:13; Zph 1:3\+xt*\f*
\v 18 Even if these three men were in it, as I live”~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“they could not rescue their sons or daughters, but they alone would be rescued.
\p
\v 19 “Or suppose I send a plague into that land~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:19 \ft \+xt 2Sm 24:15; Ezk 38:22\+xt*\f* and pour out my wrath on it with bloodshed to wipe out both people and animals from it.
\v 20 Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live”~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“they could not rescue their son or daughter. They would rescue only themselves by their righteousness.
\p
\v 21 “For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: How much worse will it be when I send my four~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:17; 33:27; Am 4:6–10; Rv 6:8\+xt*\f* devastating judgments against Jerusalem~#—~#sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague~#—~#in order to wipe out both people and animals from it!
\v 22 Even so, there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. Indeed, they will come out to you, and you will observe their conduct and actions.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:8; 12:16; 20:43; 36:20\+xt*\f* Then you will be consoled about the devastation I have brought on Jerusalem, about all I have brought on it.
\v 23 They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done what I did to it.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 14:23 \ft \+xt Jr 22:8–9\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 15
\s1 Parable of the Useless Vine
\m
\v 1 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, how does the wood of the vine,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 15:2 \ft \+xt Ps 80:8–16; Is 5:1–7; Hs 10:1\+xt*\f* that branch among the trees of the forest, compare to any other wood?
\v 3 Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can anyone make a peg from it to hang things on?
\v 4 In fact, it is put into the fire as fuel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 15:4 \ft \+xt Jn 15:6\+xt*\f* The fire devours both of its ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?
\v 5 Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred!~”
\p
\v 6 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says, “Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire as fuel, so I will give up the residents of Jerusalem.
\v 7 I will turn against them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 15:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:8\+xt*\f* They may have escaped from the fire, but it will still consume them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 15:7 \ft \+xt Is 24:18\+xt*\f* And you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* when I turn against them.
\v 8 I will make the land desolate because they have acted unfaithfully.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 16
\s1 Parable of God’s Adulterous Wife
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me again:
\v 2 “Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:2 \ft \+xt Is 58:1; Ezk 20:4; 22:2\+xt*\f*
\v 3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hethite.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:3 \ft \+xt Dt 7:1; Jdg 3:5; 1Kg 9:20–21; Ezk 16:45\+xt*\f*
\v 4 As for your birth, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut on the day you were born,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:4 \ft \+xt Hs 2:3\+xt*\f* and you weren’t washed clean~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:4 \ft Hb obscure\f* with water. You were not rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:4 \ft \+xt Lk 2:12\+xt*\f*
\v 5 No one cared enough about you to do even one of these things out of compassion for you. But you were thrown out into the open field because you were despised on the day you were born.
\p
\v 6 “~‘I passed by you and saw you thrashing around in your blood, and I said to you as you lay in your blood, “Live!~” Yes, I said to you as you lay in your blood, “Live!~”~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 16:6 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr omit \fqa Yes, I said to you as you lay in your blood, “Live!~”\f*
\v 7 I made you thrive~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 16:7 \ft LXX reads \fqa Thrive; I made you\f* like plants of the field.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:7 \ft \+xt Ex 1:7\+xt*\f* You grew up and matured and became very beautiful.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:7 \ft Or \fqa matured and developed the loveliest of ornaments\f* Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, but you were stark naked.
\p
\v 8 “~‘Then I passed by you and saw you, and you were indeed at the age for love. So I spread the edge of my garment over you and covered your nakedness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:8 \ft \+xt Ru 3:9; Jr 2:2\+xt*\f* I pledged myself to you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:8 \ft \+xt Gn 22:16–18\+xt*\f* entered into a covenant with you~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#and you became mine.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:8 \ft \+xt Ex 19:5; 24:7–8\+xt*\f*
\v 9 I washed you with water, rinsed off your blood, and anointed you with oil.
\v 10 I clothed you in embroidered cloth and provided you with fine leather~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:10 \ft Hb obscure\f* sandals. I also wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.
\v 11 I adorned you with jewelry, putting bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck.
\v 12 I put a ring in your nose,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:11–12 \ft \+xt Gn 24:22,47\+xt*\f* earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
\v 13 So you were adorned with gold and silver,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:13 \ft \+xt Dt 32:13–14; Ps 45:13–14\+xt*\f* and your clothing was made of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey, and oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained royalty.
\v 14 Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through my splendor,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:14 \ft \+xt Lm 2:15\+xt*\f* which I had bestowed on you. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 15 “~‘But you trusted in your beauty and acted like a prostitute because of your fame.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:15 \ft \+xt Is 57:8; Jr 2:20\+xt*\f* You lavished your sexual favors on everyone who passed by.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:15 \ft \+xt Pr 7:8–13\+xt*\f* Your beauty became his.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:15 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\v 16 You took some of your clothing and made colorful high places for yourself, and you engaged in prostitution on them. These places should not have been built, and this should never have happened!~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:16 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\v 17 You also took your beautiful jewelry made from the gold and silver I had given you, and you made male images so that you could engage in prostitution with them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:17 \ft \+xt Ex 12:35; 32:2–4\+xt*\f*
\v 18 Then you took your embroidered clothing to cover them and set my oil and incense before them.
\v 19 The food that I gave you~#—~#the fine flour, oil, and honey that I fed you~#—~#you set it before them as a pleasing aroma.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:19 \ft \+xt Hs 2:8\+xt*\f* That is what happened. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 20 “~‘You even took your sons and daughters you bore to me and sacrificed them to these images as food.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:20 \ft \+xt Jr 7:31; 19:5; Ezk 23:37\+xt*\f* Wasn’t your prostitution enough?
\v 21 You slaughtered my children and gave them up when you passed them through the fire~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:21 \ft \+xt Lv 18:21; Dt 18:10; 2Kg 17:17; Ezk 20:31\+xt*\f* to the images.
\v 22 In all your detestable practices and acts of prostitution, you did not remember the days of your youth~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:22 \ft \+xt Jr 2:2\+xt*\f* when you were stark naked and thrashing around in your blood.
\p
\v 23 “~‘Then after all your evil~#—~#Woe, woe to you!~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#
\v 24 you built yourself a mound and made yourself an elevated place in every square.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:24 \ft \+xt Jr 11:13\+xt*\f*
\v 25 You built your elevated place at the head of every street~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:25 \ft \+xt Pr 9:14\+xt*\f* and turned your beauty into a detestable thing. You spread your legs to everyone who passed by and increased your prostitution.
\v 26 You engaged in promiscuous acts with Egyptian men, your well-endowed neighbors, and increased your prostitution~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:19–20\+xt*\f* to anger me.
\p
\v 27 “~‘Therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your provisions. I gave you over to the desire of those who hate you, the Philistine women,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:57\+xt*\f* who were embarrassed by your indecent conduct.
\v 28 Then you engaged in prostitution with the Assyrian men because you were not satisfied.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:28 \ft \+xt 2Kg 16:7,10–18; 2Ch 28:16,20–23; Jr 2:18,36\+xt*\f* Even though you did this with them, you were still not satisfied.
\v 29 So you extended your prostitution to Chaldea,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:14–16\+xt*\f* the land of merchants, but you were not even satisfied with this!
\p
\v 30 “~‘How your heart was inflamed with lust~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:30 \ft Or \fqa was sick\f*~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#when you did all these things, the acts of a brazen prostitute,
\v 31 building your mound at the head of every street and making your elevated place in every square. But you were unlike a prostitute because you scorned payment.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:31 \ft \+xt Is 52:3\+xt*\f*
\v 32 You adulterous wife, who receives strangers instead of her husband!
\v 33 Men give gifts to all prostitutes, but you gave gifts to all your lovers. You bribed them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors.
\v 34 So you were the opposite of other women in your acts of prostitution; no one solicited you. When you paid a fee instead of one being paid to you, you were the opposite.
\p
\v 35 “~‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*!
\v 36 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness exposed by your acts of prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols and the blood of your children that you gave to them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:36 \ft \+xt Jr 2:34\+xt*\f*
\v 37 I am therefore going to gather all the lovers you pleased~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:37 \ft \+xt Jr 13:22,26; Ezk 23:9,22\+xt*\f*~#—~#all those you loved as well as all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose your nakedness~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:37 \ft \+xt Is 47:3\+xt*\f* to them so they see you completely naked.
\v 38 I will judge you the way adulteresses and those who shed blood are judged.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:38 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:45\+xt*\f* Then I will bring about the shedding of your blood in jealous wrath.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:38 \ft \+xt Gn 9:6; Ezk 23:25\+xt*\f*
\v 39 I will hand you over to them, and they will demolish your mounds and tear down your elevated places. They will strip off your clothes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:39 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:26; Hs 2:3\+xt*\f* take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you stark naked.
\v 40 They will bring a mob against you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:40 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:47\+xt*\f* to stone you and to cut you to pieces with their swords.
\v 41 They will burn your houses and execute judgments against you in the sight of many women. I will stop you from being a prostitute,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:41 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:48\+xt*\f* and you will never again pay fees for lovers.
\v 42 So I will satisfy my wrath against you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:42 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13; 21:17\+xt*\f* and my jealousy will turn away from you. Then I will be calm and no longer angry.
\v 43 Because you did not remember the days~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:43 \ft \+xt Ps 78:42\+xt*\f* of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will also bring your conduct down on your own head.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:43 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:21; 22:31\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. Haven’t you committed depravity in addition to all your detestable practices?
\p
\v 44 “~‘Look, everyone who uses proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.”
\v 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who despised her husband and children. You are the sister of your sisters,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:45 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:2\+xt*\f* who despised their husbands and children. Your mother was a Hethite and your father an Amorite.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:45 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:31\+xt*\f*
\v 46 Your older sister was Samaria,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:46 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:4,33\+xt*\f* who lived with her daughters to the north of you, and your younger sister was Sodom, who lived with her daughters to the south of you.
\v 47 Didn’t you walk in their ways and do their detestable practices? It was only a short time before all your ways were more corrupt than theirs.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:47 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:6\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 48 “~‘As I live~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#your sister Sodom and her daughters have not behaved as you and your daughters have.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:48 \ft \+xt Mt 10:15; 11:23–24\+xt*\f*
\v 49 Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:49 \ft \+xt Gn 13:10\+xt*\f* and comfortable security, but didn’t support~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:49 \ft Lit \fqa strengthen the hand of\f* the poor and needy.
\v 50 They were haughty and did detestable acts before me, so I removed them when I saw this.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:50 \ft Or\fqa them as you have seen\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:50 \ft \+xt Gn 18:20–21\+xt*\f*
\v 51 But Samaria did not commit even half your sins. You have multiplied your detestable practices beyond theirs and made your sisters appear righteous by all the detestable acts you have committed.
\v 52 You must also bear your disgrace, since you have helped your sisters out.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 16:52 \ft Lit \fqa you have been the advocate for your sisters\f* For they appear more righteous than you because of your sins, which you committed more detestably than they did. So you also, be ashamed and bear your disgrace, since you have made your sisters appear righteous.
\p
\v 53 “~‘I will restore their fortunes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:53 \ft \+xt Is 1:9\+xt*\f* the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and those of Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 16:53 \ft LXX, Vg; MT reads \fqa Samaria and her daughters and the fortunes of\f* your fortunes among them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:53 \ft \+xt Jr 20:16\+xt*\f*
\v 54 so you will bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you did when you comforted them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:54 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:22–23\+xt*\f*
\v 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters will return to their former state. You and your daughters will also return to your former state.
\v 56 Didn’t you treat your sister Sodom as an object of scorn when you were proud,
\v 57 before your wickedness was exposed? It was like the time you were scorned by the daughters of Aram~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 16:57 \ft Some Hb mss, Syr read \fqa Edom\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:57 \ft \+xt 2Kg 16:5–7\+xt*\f* and all those around her, and by the daughters of the Philistines~#—~#those who treated you with contempt from every side.
\v 58 You yourself must bear the consequences of your depravity and detestable practices~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:58 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:49\+xt*\f*~#—~#this is the \nd Lord\nd*’s declaration.
\p
\v 59 “~‘For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will deal with you according to what you have done, since you have despised the oath by breaking the covenant.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:59 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:19\+xt*\f*
\v 60 But I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a permanent covenant with you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:60 \ft \+xt Is 55:3; Jr 32:38–41\+xt*\f*
\v 61 Then you will remember your ways~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:61 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:9\+xt*\f* and be ashamed when you~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 16:61 \ft Some LXX mss, Syr read \fqa I\f* receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant.
\v 62 I will establish my covenant with you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:62 \ft \+xt Hs 2:19–20\+xt*\f* and you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*,
\v 63 so that when I make atonement for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:63 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:31–32\+xt*\f* and never open your mouth again because of your disgrace.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 16:63 \ft \+xt Rm 3:19\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\c 17
\s1 Parable of the Eagles
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, pose a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:49; 24:3\+xt*\f*
\v 3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: A huge eagle with powerful wings,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:3 \ft \+xt Jr 48:40\+xt*\f* long feathers, and full plumage of many colors came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:12\+xt*\f*
\v 4 He plucked off its topmost shoot, brought it to the land of merchants, and set it in a city of traders.
\v 5 Then he took some of the land’s seed and put it in a fertile field;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:5 \ft \+xt Dt 8:7–9\+xt*\f* he set it like a willow,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:5 \ft \+xt Is 44:4\+xt*\f* a plant~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 17:5 \ft Hb obscure\f* by abundant water.
\v 6 It sprouted and became a spreading vine, low in height with its branches turned toward him,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:14\+xt*\f* yet its roots stayed under it. So it became a vine, produced branches, and sent out shoots.
\p
\v 7 “~‘But there was another huge eagle with powerful wings and thick plumage. And this vine bent its roots toward him! It stretched out its branches to him from the plot where it was planted,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 31:4\+xt*\f* so that he might water it.
\v 8 It had been planted in a good field by abundant water in order to produce branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid vine.’
\p
\v 9 “You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Will it flourish? Will he not tear out its roots~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:9 \ft \+xt 2Kg 25:7\+xt*\f* and strip off its fruit so that it shrivels? All its fresh leaves will wither! Great strength and many people will not be needed to pull it from its roots.
\v 10 Even though it is planted, will it flourish? Won’t it wither completely when the east wind strikes it?~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:10 \ft \+xt Gn 41:6; 2Kg 19:26; Ezk 19:12; Hs 13:15; Jnh 4:8\+xt*\f* It will wither on the plot where it sprouted.’~”
\p
\v 11 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 12 “Now say to that rebellious house,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:3–5; 12:9–11\+xt*\f* ‘Don’t you know what these things mean?~’ Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and officials,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:12 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:11–15\+xt*\f* and brought them back with him to Babylon.
\v 13 He took one of the royal family~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:13 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:17\+xt*\f* and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:13 \ft \+xt 2Ch 36:13\+xt*\f* Then he took away the leading men of the land,
\v 14 so that the kingdom would be humble and not exalt itself~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 29:14\+xt*\f* but would keep his covenant in order to endure.
\v 15 However, this king revolted against him~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:15 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:20; 2Ch 36:13\+xt*\f* by sending his ambassadors to Egypt so they might give him horses and a large army.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:15 \ft \+xt Dt 17:16\+xt*\f* Will he flourish? Will the one who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still escape?
\p
\v 16 “~‘As I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#he will die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:13\+xt*\f* whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke.
\v 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and vast company will not help him in battle,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:17 \ft \+xt Jr 37:5,7\+xt*\f* when ramps are built and siege walls constructed to destroy many lives.
\v 18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. He did all these things even though he gave his hand in pledge.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:18 \ft \+xt 1Ch 29:24\+xt*\f* He will not escape!
\p
\v 19 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: As I live, I will bring down on his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke.
\v 20 I will spread my net over him,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:13\+xt*\f* and he will be caught in my snare.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:20 \ft \+xt 2Kg 25:5–6; Jr 39:5\+xt*\f* I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for the treachery he committed against me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:35–36\+xt*\f*
\v 21 All the fugitives~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 17:21 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg read \fqa choice men\f* among his troops will fall by the sword, and those who survive will be scattered to every direction of the wind.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:10\+xt*\f* Then you will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.
\p
\v 22 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q I will take a~sprig
\q from the lofty top of~the~cedar and~plant~it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:22 \ft \+xt Ps 2:6\+xt*\f*
\q I will pluck a~tender~sprig
\q from its topmost~shoots,
\q and I will plant it
\q on a high towering~mountain.
\q1
\v 23 I will plant it on~Israel’s high~mountain~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:40\+xt*\f*
\q so that it may bear~branches, produce~fruit,
\q and become a~majestic~cedar.
\q Birds of every kind will~nest under~it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:23 \ft \+xt Dn 4:12\+xt*\f*
\q taking shelter in~the~shade of~its~branches.
\q1
\v 24 Then all the trees of~the~field will~know
\q that I~am the~\nd Lord\nd*.
\q I bring down the~tall~tree,
\q and make the~low~tree~tall.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:24 \ft \+xt Is 40:4\+xt*\f*
\q I cause the~green~tree to~wither
\q and make the~withered~tree~thrive.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:24 \ft \+xt Am 9:11\+xt*\f*
\q I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have~spoken
\q and I will do~it.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 17:24 \ft \+xt Nm 14:35; Ps 33:9; Is 46:11; 55:11; Ezk 17:24; 22:14; 24:14; 36:36; 37:14\+xt*\f*
\c 18
\s1 Personal Responsibility for Sin
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel:
\qc ‘The fathers eat sour~grapes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:2 \ft \+xt Lm 5:7\+xt*\f*
\qc and the children’s teeth are~set on~edge’?~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:2 \ft \+xt Jr 31:29\+xt*\f*
\m
\v 3 As I live”~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“you will no longer use this proverb in Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:23\+xt*\f*
\v 4 Look, every life belongs to me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:4 \ft \+xt Nm 16:22; 27:16\+xt*\f* The life of the father is like the life of the son~#—~#both belong to me. The person who sins is the one who will die.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:4 \ft \+xt Dt 24:16; Ezk 18:20; Rm 6:23\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 5 “Suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right:
\v 6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 18:6 \ft Lit \fqa the mountains\ft , also in vv.~11,15\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:9\+xt*\f* or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:6 \ft \+xt Ex 20:17–18; Lv 20:10\+xt*\f* or approach a woman during her menstrual impurity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:6 \ft \+xt Lv 18:19–20\+xt*\f*
\v 7 He doesn’t oppress anyone~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:7 \ft \+xt Ex 22:21\+xt*\f* but returns his collateral to the debtor.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:7 \ft \+xt Dt 24:12–13\+xt*\f* He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:7 \ft \+xt Mt 25:35–40\+xt*\f* and covers the naked with clothing.
\v 8 He doesn’t lend at interest or for profit~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:8 \ft \+xt Ex 22:25; Lv 25:35–37\+xt*\f* but keeps his hand from injustice and carries out true justice between men.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:8 \ft \+xt Zch 8:16\+xt*\f*
\v 9 He follows my statutes and keeps my ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:9 \ft \+xt Am 5:4\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 10 “But suppose the man has a violent son, who sheds blood~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:10 \ft \+xt Nm 35:31\+xt*\f* and does any of these things,
\v 11 though the father has done none of them. Indeed, when the son eats at the mountain shrines and defiles his neighbor’s wife,
\v 12 and when he oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, and does not return collateral, and when he looks to the idols, commits detestable acts,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:6,17\+xt*\f*
\v 13 and lends at interest or for profit, will he live? He will not live! Since he has committed all these detestable acts, he will certainly die. His death will be his own fault.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 18:13 \ft Lit \fqa His blood will be on him\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:13 \ft \+xt Lv 20:9,11\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 14 “Now suppose he has a son who sees all the sins his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do likewise.
\v 15 He does not eat at the mountain shrines or look to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor’s wife.
\v 16 He doesn’t oppress anyone, hold collateral, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
\v 17 He keeps his hand from harming the poor, not taking interest or profit on a loan. He practices my ordinances and follows my statutes. Such a person will not die for his father’s iniquity. He will certainly live.
\p
\v 18 “As for his father, he will die for his own iniquity because he practiced fraud, robbed his brother, and did among his people what was not good.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:18\+xt*\f*
\v 19 But you may ask, ‘Why doesn’t the son suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity?~’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:19 \ft \+xt Ex 20:5\+xt*\f* Since the son has done what is just and right, carefully observing all my statutes, he will certainly live.
\v 20 The person who sins is the one who will die.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:4\+xt*\f* A son won’t suffer punishment for the father’s iniquity, and a father won’t suffer punishment for the son’s iniquity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:20 \ft \+xt Dt 24:16; Jn 9:2\+xt*\f* The righteousness of the righteous person will be on him,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:20 \ft \+xt Is 3:10–11\+xt*\f* and the wickedness of the wicked person will be on him.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:20 \ft \+xt Rm 2:6–9\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 21 “But if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:12,19\+xt*\f* keeps all my statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die.
\v 22 None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:16\+xt*\f* He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:22 \ft \+xt Ps 18:20–24\+xt*\f*
\v 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:11\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. “Instead, don’t I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?
\v 24 But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:20; 33:18\+xt*\f* and acts unjustly, committing the same detestable acts that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:24 \ft \+xt 2Pt 2:20\+xt*\f* He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed.
\p
\v 25 “But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:29; 33:17,20\+xt*\f* Now listen, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
\v 26 When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, he will die for this. He will die because of the injustice he has committed.
\v 27 But if a wicked person turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will preserve his life.
\v 28 He will certainly live because he thought it over and turned from all the transgressions he had committed; he will not die.
\v 29 But the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Is it my ways that are unfair, house of Israel? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
\p
\v 30 “Therefore, house of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:30 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:3,8; 33:20\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. “Repent and turn from all your rebellious acts, so they will not become a sinful stumbling block to you.
\v 31 Throw off all the transgressions you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 18:31 \ft \+xt Jr 32:39\+xt*\f* Why should you die, house of Israel?
\v 32 For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. “So repent and live!
\c 19
\s1 A Lament for Israel’s Princes
\m
\v 1 “As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:17; 27:2\+xt*\f*
\v 2 and say:
\q What was your mother? A~lioness!
\q She lay down among~the~lions;
\q she reared her cubs among~the~young~lions.
\q1
\v 3 She brought up one of~her~cubs,
\q and he became a~young~lion.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:3 \ft \+xt 2Kg 23:31–32\+xt*\f*
\q After he learned to~tear~prey,
\q he devoured people.
\q1
\v 4 When the nations heard~about~him,
\q he was caught in~their~pit.
\q Then they led him away with~hooks
\q to the land of~Egypt.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:4–5 \ft \+xt 2Kg 23:34\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 5 When she saw that she waited in~vain,
\q that her hope was~lost,
\q she took another of~her~cubs
\q and made him a~young~lion.
\q1
\v 6 He prowled among~the~lions,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:6 \ft \+xt Jr 22:13–17\+xt*\f*
\q and he became a~young~lion.
\q After he learned to~tear~prey,
\q he devoured people.
\q1
\v 7 He devastated their~strongholds~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 19:7 \ft Tg, Aq; MT reads \fqa knew their widows\f*
\q and destroyed their~cities.
\q The land and everything in~it~shuddered
\q at the sound of~his~roaring.
\q1
\v 8 Then the nations from the~surrounding~provinces
\q set out against him.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:8 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:2,11\+xt*\f*
\q They spread their~net over~him;
\q he was caught in~their~pit.
\q1
\v 9 They put a wooden yoke on~him~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 19:9 \ft Or \fqa put him in a cage\f* with~hooks~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:9 \ft \+xt 2Ch 36:6\+xt*\f*
\q and led him away to~the~king of~Babylon.
\q They brought him into the fortresses
\q so his roar could~no~longer be~heard
\q on the mountains of~Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:2\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 10 Your mother was like~a~vine in~your~vineyard,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 19:10 \ft Some Hb mss; other Hb mss read \fqa blood\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:10 \ft \+xt Ps 80:8–11\+xt*\f*
\q planted by the water;
\q it was fruitful and~full of~branches~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:10 \ft \+xt Dt 8:7–9\+xt*\f*
\q because of abundant~water.
\q1
\v 11 It had strong branches, fit~for the~scepters of~rulers;
\q its height towered among~the~clouds.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 19:11 \ft Or \fqa thick foliage\f*
\q So it was conspicuous for~its~height
\q as well as its~many~branches.
\q1
\v 12 But it was uprooted in~fury,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:12 \ft \+xt Jr 31:28\+xt*\f*
\q thrown to the ground,
\q and the east wind dried~up its~fruit.
\q Its strong branches were torn~off and~dried~up;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:12 \ft \+xt Hs 13:15\+xt*\f*
\q fire consumed them.
\q1
\v 13 Now it is planted in~the~wilderness,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:13 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:12–16; Hs 2:3\+xt*\f*
\q in a dry and~thirsty~land.
\q1
\v 14 Fire has gone out from~its main~branch~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 19:14 \ft Lit \fqa from the branch of its parts\f*
\q and has devoured its~fruit,
\q so that it no longer has a~strong~branch,
\q a scepter for ruling.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 19:14 \ft \+xt Lm 2:5\+xt*\f*
\m This is a lament and should be used as a lament.”
\c 20
\s1 Israel’s Rebellion
\m
\v 1 In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of Israel’s elders came to inquire of the \nd Lord\nd*,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:1,11–12; 14:1\+xt*\f* and they sat down in front of me.
\v 2 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 3 “Son of man, speak with the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Are you coming to inquire of me? As I live, I will not let you inquire of me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:3\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’
\p
\v 4 “Will you pass judgment against them, will you pass judgment, son of man? Explain the detestable practices of their ancestors to them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:2; 22:2\+xt*\f*
\v 5 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore an oath~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:5 \ft Lit \fqa I lifted my hand\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:5 \ft \+xt Ex 6:6–8\+xt*\f* to the descendants of Jacob’s house and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt. I swore to them, saying, “I am the \nd Lord\nd* your God.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:5 \ft \+xt Ex 6:2–3\+xt*\f*
\v 6 On that day I swore~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:6 \ft Lit \fqa lifted my hand\ft , also in vv.~15,23,28,42\f* to them that I would bring them out~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:6 \ft \+xt Jr 32:22\+xt*\f* of the land of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:6 \ft \+xt Ex 3:8\+xt*\f* the most beautiful of all lands.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:6 \ft \+xt Ps 16:6; 48:2; 50:2; Jr 3:19\+xt*\f*
\v 7 I also said to them, “Throw away, each of you, the abhorrent things that you prize,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:7 \ft Lit \fqa things of your eyes\f* and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:7 \ft \+xt Lv 18:3\+xt*\f* I am the \nd Lord\nd* your God.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:7 \ft \+xt Ex 20:2\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 8 “~‘But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. None of them threw away the abhorrent things that they prized,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:8 \ft Lit \fqa things of their eyes\f* and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13; 7:8\+xt*\f* exhausting my anger against them within the land of Egypt.
\v 9 But I acted for the sake of my name,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:21–22\+xt*\f* so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations they were living among, in whose sight I had made myself known to Israel by bringing them out of Egypt.
\p
\v 10 “~‘So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:10 \ft \+xt Ex 13:18,20\+xt*\f*
\v 11 Then I gave them my statutes and explained my ordinances to them~#—~#the person who does them will live by them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:11 \ft \+xt Lv 18:5; Rm 10:5; Gl 3:12\+xt*\f*
\v 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths to serve as a sign between me and them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:12 \ft \+xt Ex 31:13\+xt*\f* so that they would know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* who consecrates them.
\p
\v 13 “~‘But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:13 \ft \+xt Nm 14:11–12,22\+xt*\f* They did not follow my statutes and they rejected my ordinances~#—~#the person who does them will live by them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:13 \ft \+xt Lv 18:5\+xt*\f* They also completely profaned my Sabbaths.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:8; 23:38; 44:24\+xt*\f* So I considered pouring out my wrath on them in the wilderness to put an end to them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:13 \ft \+xt Ex 32:10; Dt 9:8\+xt*\f*
\v 14 But I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
\v 15 However, I swore to them~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:15 \ft \+xt Nm 14:28–30\+xt*\f* in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them~#—~#the most beautiful of all lands, flowing with milk and honey~#—~#
\v 16 because they rejected my ordinances, profaned my Sabbaths, and did not follow my statutes. For their hearts went after their idols.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:21; 14:3–7\+xt*\f*
\v 17 Yet I spared them from destruction and did not bring them to an end in the wilderness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:13\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 18 “~‘Then I said to their children in the wilderness, “Don’t follow the statutes of your fathers, defile yourselves with their idols, or keep their ordinances.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:18 \ft \+xt Mt 15:1–3\+xt*\f*
\v 19 I am the \nd Lord\nd* your God. Follow my statutes, keep my ordinances, and practice them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:19 \ft \+xt Dt 5:32–33\+xt*\f*
\v 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:20 \ft \+xt Jr 17:22\+xt*\f* and they will be a sign between me and you, so you may know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* your God.”
\p
\v 21 “~‘But the children rebelled against me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:21 \ft \+xt Nm 21:5; 25:1–3\+xt*\f* They did not follow my statutes or carefully keep my ordinances~#—~#the person who does them will live by them. They also profaned my Sabbaths. So I considered pouring out my wrath on them and exhausting my anger against them in the wilderness.
\v 22 But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I brought them out.
\v 23 However, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:23 \ft \+xt Lv 26:33\+xt*\f*
\v 24 For they did not practice my ordinances but rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:9\+xt*\f* on their fathers’ idols.
\v 25 I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:25 \ft \+xt Ps 81:12; Rm 1:21–25,28\+xt*\f* they could not live by.
\v 26 When they sacrificed every firstborn in the fire,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:26 \ft Lit \fqa they made every firstborn pass through the fire\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:26 \ft \+xt Lv 18:21\+xt*\f* I defiled them through their gifts in order to devastate them so they would know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:7\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: In this way also your ancestors blasphemed me by~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:27 \ft \+xt Rm 2:24\+xt*\f* committing treachery against me:
\v 28 When I brought them into the land that I swore to give them and they saw any high hill or leafy tree,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:13\+xt*\f* they offered their sacrifices and presented their offensive offerings there. They also sent up their pleasing aromas and poured out their drink offerings there.
\v 29 So I asked them, “What is this high place you are going to?~” And it is still called Bamah~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 20:29 \ft = High Place\f* today.’
\p
\v 30 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Are you defiling yourselves the way your ancestors did,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:30 \ft \+xt Jdg 2:19; Jr 7:26; 16:12\+xt*\f* and prostituting yourselves with their abhorrent things?
\v 31 When you offer your gifts, sacrificing your children in the fire,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 20:31 \ft Lit \fqa gifts, making your children pass through the fire\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:20\+xt*\f* you still continue to defile yourselves with all your idols today. So should I let you inquire of me, house of Israel? As I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#I will not let you inquire of me!
\s1 Israel’s Restoration
\m
\v 32 “~‘When you say, “Let’s be like the nations, like the clans of other countries, serving wood and stone,”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:32 \ft \+xt Dt 4:28; 2Kg 19:18; Rv 9:20\+xt*\f* what you have in mind will never happen.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:32 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:5\+xt*\f*
\v 33 As I live~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#I will reign over you with a strong hand, an outstretched arm,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:33 \ft \+xt Jr 21:5\+xt*\f* and outpoured wrath.
\v 34 I will bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you were scattered,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:34 \ft \+xt Jr 31:8; Ezk 36:24; 37:21\+xt*\f* with a strong hand, an outstretched arm,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:34 \ft \+xt Ex 6:6; Dt 4:34\+xt*\f* and outpoured wrath.
\v 35 I will lead you into the wilderness of the peoples~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:35 \ft \+xt Ezk 19:13\+xt*\f* and enter into judgment with you there face to face.
\v 36 Just as I entered into judgment with your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:36 \ft \+xt Nm 14:21–23,28\+xt*\f* so I will enter into judgment with you. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 37 I will make you pass under the rod~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:37 \ft \+xt Lv 27:32; Jr 33:13\+xt*\f* and will bring you into the bond of the covenant.
\v 38 I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:38 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:17–22\+xt*\f* I will bring them out of the land where they live as foreign residents, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\p
\v 39 “~‘As for you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Go and serve your idols, each of you. But afterward you will surely listen to me, and you will no longer defile my holy name with your gifts and idols.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:39 \ft \+xt Is 1:13–15; Ezk 23:38–39\+xt*\f*
\v 40 For on my holy mountain, Israel’s high mountain~#—~#the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#there the entire house of Israel, all of them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:40 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:22,24\+xt*\f* will serve me in the land. There I will accept them and will require your contributions and choicest gifts,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:40 \ft \+xt Is 60:7; Ezk 43:27\+xt*\f* all your holy offerings.
\v 41 When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will demonstrate my holiness through you in the sight of the nations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:41 \ft \+xt Is 5:16; Ezk 28:25; 2Co 6:17\+xt*\f*
\v 42 When I lead you into the land of Israel, the land I swore to give your ancestors, you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:42 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:23; 38:23\+xt*\f*
\v 43 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you have defiled yourself,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:43 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:9; 16:61,63\+xt*\f* and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil things you have done.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:43 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:31\+xt*\f*
\v 44 You will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:44 \ft \+xt Ezk 24:24\+xt*\f* house of Israel, when I have dealt with you for the sake of my name~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:44 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:22\+xt*\f* rather than according to your evil ways and corrupt acts. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 Fire in the South
\m
\v 45 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 46 “Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:46 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:2\+xt*\f*
\v 47 and say to the forest there, ‘Hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*! This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it.
\v 48 Then all humanity will see that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have kindled it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:48 \ft \+xt Jr 21:14\+xt*\f* It will not be extinguished.’~”
\p
\v 49 Then I said, “Oh, Lord \nd God\nd*, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just composing parables?~’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 20:49 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:2\+xt*\f*
\c 21
\s1 God’s Sword of Judgment
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me again:
\v 2 “Son of man, face~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:46\+xt*\f* Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel,
\v 3 and say to it, ‘This is what the \nd Lord\nd* says: I am against you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:8\+xt*\f* I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.
\v 4 Since I will cut off~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:4 \ft Lit \fqa off from you\f* both the righteous and the wicked, my sword will therefore come out of its sheath against all humanity from the south to the north.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:2; 20:47\+xt*\f*
\v 5 So all humanity will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have taken my sword from its sheath~#—~#it will not be sheathed again.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:30\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 6 “But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:6 \ft Lit \fqa insides\ft , or \fqa waist\f* right before their eyes.
\v 7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?~’ then say, ‘Because of the news that is coming.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:26\+xt*\f* Every heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and all knees will run with urine.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:7 \ft Lit \fqa knees will go water\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:17\+xt*\f* Yes, it is coming and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\p
\v 8 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 9 “Son of man, prophesy, ‘This is what the Lord says!~’ You are to proclaim,
\q ‘A sword!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:9 \ft \+xt Dt 32:41\+xt*\f* A sword is~sharpened
\q and also polished.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:9 \ft \+xt Jr 46:4\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 10 It is sharpened for~slaughter,
\q polished to flash like~lightning!
\q Should we rejoice?
\q The scepter of~my~son,
\q the sword despises every~tree.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:10 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\q1
\v 11 The sword is given to~be~polished,
\q to be grasped in~the~hand.
\q It is sharpened, and~it is~polished,
\q to be put in the hand of~the~slayer.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:19\+xt*\f*
\b
\p
\v 12 “Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel! They are given over to the sword with my people. Therefore strike your thigh in grief.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:12 \ft \+xt Jr 31:19\+xt*\f*
\v 13 Surely it will be a trial! And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter will not continue.”~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:13 \ft Hb obscure\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 14 “So you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:14 \ft \+xt Nm 24:10\+xt*\f*
\q Let the sword strike two~times, even~three.
\q It is a sword for~massacre,
\q a sword for great~massacre~—
\q it surrounds~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:14 \ft Or \fqa penetrates\f* them!
\q1
\v 15 I have appointed a sword~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:20\+xt*\f* for~slaughter~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:15 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\q at all their gates,
\q so that their hearts may~melt
\q and many may stumble.
\q Yes! It is ready to~flash like~lightning;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:28\+xt*\f*
\q it is drawn~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:15 \ft Hb obscure\f* for~slaughter.
\q1
\v 16 Slash to the right;
\q turn to the left~—
\q wherever your blade is~directed.
\m
\v 17 I also will clap my hands together, and I will satisfy my wrath.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13\+xt*\f* I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.”
\p
\v 18 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 19 “Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city.
\v 20 Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:20 \ft \+xt Jr 49:2\+xt*\f* and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.
\v 21 For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver.
\v 22 The answer marked~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:22 \ft Lit \fqa The divination for\f* Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:2; 26:9\+xt*\f* give the order to~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:22 \ft Lit \fqa rams, open the mouth in\f* slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.
\v 23 It will seem like false divination to those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:23 \ft Lit \fqa them\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:16,18\+xt*\f* but it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured.
\p
\v 24 “Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions~#—~#since you have done this, you will be captured by them.
\v 25 And you, profane and wicked prince of Israel,~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 21:25 \ft = King Zedekiah\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:25 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:20\+xt*\f* the day has come~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:29\+xt*\f* for your punishment.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:25 \ft Lit \fqa come in the time of the punishment of the end\ft , also in v.~29\f*
\p
\v 26 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Remove the turban, and~take~off the~crown.
\q Things will not remain as~they~are;~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:26 \ft Lit \fqa This not this\f*
\q exalt the lowly and~bring~down the~exalted.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:24; Lk 1:52\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 27 A ruin, a~ruin,
\q I will make it a~ruin!
\q Yet this will not~happen
\q until he comes;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:27 \ft \+xt Jr 23:5–6\+xt*\f*
\q I have given the judgment to~him.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 21:27 \ft Or \fqa comes to whom it rightfully belongs, and I will give it to him\f*
\b
\p
\v 28 “Now you, son of man, prophesy, and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt.’ You are to proclaim,
\q ‘A sword! A sword
\q is drawn for~slaughter,
\q polished to consume,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:28 \ft \+xt Is 31:8; Jr 12:12; 46:10,14\+xt*\f* to~flash like~lightning.
\q1
\v 29 While they offer false~visions~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 13:6–9; 22:28\+xt*\f*
\q and lying divinations about~you,
\q the time has come to~put~you
\q to the necks of~the~profane wicked~ones;
\q the day has~come
\q for final punishment.
\b
\q1
\v 30 “~‘Return it to its~sheath!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:30 \ft \+xt Jr 47:6–7\+xt*\f*
\b
\q “~‘I will judge you~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 21:30 \ft = the Ammonites\f*
\q in the place where~you~were~created,
\q in the land of~your~origin.
\q1
\v 31 I will pour out my~indignation on~you;
\q I will blow the fire of~my~fury on~you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:20–21\+xt*\f*
\q I will hand you over to~brutal~men,
\q skilled at destruction.
\q1
\v 32 You will be fuel for~the~fire.
\q Your blood will be spilled within~the~land.
\q You will not be~remembered,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 21:32 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:10\+xt*\f*
\q for I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have~spoken.’~”
\c 22
\s1 Indictment of Sinful Jerusalem
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “As for you, son of man, will you pass judgment? Will you pass judgment against the city of blood? Then explain all her detestable practices to her.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:2; 20:4\+xt*\f*
\v 3 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: A city that sheds blood~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:6,27; 23:37,45\+xt*\f* within her walls so that her time of judgment has come and who makes idols for herself so that she is defiled!
\v 4 You are guilty of the blood you have shed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:4 \ft \+xt 2Kg 21:16\+xt*\f* and you are defiled from the idols you have made. You have brought your judgment~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 22:4 \fq judgment \ft supplied for clarity\f* days near and have come to your years of punishment.~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 22:4 \fq punishment \ft supplied for clarity\f* Therefore, I have made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.
\v 5 Those who are near and those far away from you will mock you, you infamous one full of turmoil.
\p
\v 6 “~‘Look, every prince of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:6 \ft \+xt Is 1:23\+xt*\f* within you has used his strength to shed blood.
\v 7 Father and mother are treated with contempt,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:7 \ft \+xt Ex 20:12; Lv 20:9; Dt 27:16\+xt*\f* and the resident alien is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:7 \ft \+xt Ex 22:22\+xt*\f*
\v 8 You despise my holy things and profane my Sabbaths.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:8 \ft \+xt Lv 19:30; Ezk 20:13\+xt*\f*
\v 9 There are men within you who slander in order to shed blood.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:9 \ft \+xt Lv 19:16\+xt*\f* People who live in you eat at the mountain shrines;~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 22:9 \ft Lit \fqa the mountains\f* they commit depraved acts within you.
\v 10 Men within you have sexual intercourse with their father’s wife and violate women during their menstrual impurity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:10 \ft \+xt Lv 18:7–8,19\+xt*\f*
\v 11 One man within you commits a detestable act with his neighbor’s wife;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:11 \ft \+xt Ex 20:17; Ezk 18:11\+xt*\f* another defiles his daughter-in-law with depravity; and yet another violates his sister, his father’s daughter.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:11 \ft \+xt Lv 18:9,15; 20:17\+xt*\f*
\v 12 People who live in you accept bribes in order to shed blood.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:12 \ft \+xt Ex 23:8\+xt*\f* You take interest and profit on a loan and brutally extort your neighbors.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:12 \ft \+xt Lv 19:13; 25:36; Dt 23:19\+xt*\f* You have forgotten me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:35\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 13 “~‘Now look, I clap my hands together against the dishonest profit you have made~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:14,17\+xt*\f* and against the blood shed among you.
\v 14 Will your courage endure~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:7\+xt*\f* or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken, and I will act.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:24\+xt*\f*
\v 15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you among the countries;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:15 \ft \+xt Dt 4:27; Ezk 12:15\+xt*\f* I will purge your uncleanness.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 23:27,48\+xt*\f*
\v 16 You~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 22:16 \ft One Hb ms, LXX, Syr, Vg read \fqa I\f* will be profaned in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:16 \ft \+xt Ps 83:18; Ezk 6:7\+xt*\f*
\s1 Jerusalem as God’s Furnace
\m
\v 17 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become merely dross to me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:18 \ft \+xt Ps 119:119; Is 1:22\+xt*\f* All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:18 \ft \+xt Pr 17:3\+xt*\f* they are just dross from silver.
\v 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because all of you have become dross, I am about to gather you into Jerusalem.
\v 20 Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to blow fire~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:20 \ft \+xt Is 1:25\+xt*\f* on them and melt them, so I will gather you in my anger and wrath, put you inside, and melt you.
\v 21 Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of my fury, and you will be melted within the city.
\v 22 As silver is melted inside a furnace, so you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have poured out my wrath on you.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:8,33\+xt*\f*
\s1 Indictment of a Sinful Land
\m
\v 23 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 24:13\+xt*\f* that has not received rain in the day of indignation.’
\v 25 The conspiracy of her prophets~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:25 \ft \+xt Jr 11:9; Hs 6:9\+xt*\f* within her is~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 22:24–25 \ft LXX reads \fqa indignation, \fv 25\fv*\fqa whose princes within her are\f* like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they devour people, seize wealth and valuables, and multiply the widows within her.
\v 26 Her priests do violence to my instruction and profane my holy things.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:26 \ft \+xt 1Sm 2:12–17,22\+xt*\f* They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:26 \ft \+xt Lv 10:10\+xt*\f* They close their eyes to my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
\p
\v 27 “Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives in order to make profit dishonestly.
\v 28 Her prophets plaster for them with whitewash by seeing false visions and lying divinations,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 13:10–15\+xt*\f* saying, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says,’ when the \nd Lord\nd* has not spoken.
\v 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 9:9; 22:7\+xt*\f* They have oppressed the poor and needy and unlawfully exploited the resident alien.
\v 30 I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:30 \ft \+xt Ezk 13:5\+xt*\f* and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:30 \ft \+xt Ex 32:11–14; Ps 106:23\+xt*\f* but I found no one.
\v 31 So I have poured out my indignation on them and consumed them with the fire of my fury. I have brought their conduct down on their own heads.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 22:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:3,8–9; 9:10\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 23
\s1 The Two Immoral Sisters
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me again:
\v 2 “Son of man, there were two women,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:46\+xt*\f* daughters of the same mother,
\v 3 who acted like prostitutes in Egypt,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:3 \ft \+xt Lv 17:7; Jr 3:9\+xt*\f* behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed.
\v 4 The older one was named Oholah,~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 23:4 \ft = Her Tent\f* and her sister was Oholibah.~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 23:4 \ft = My Tent Is in Her\f* They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah represents Samaria and Oholibah represents Jerusalem.
\p
\v 5 “Oholah acted like a prostitute even though she was mine. She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:5 \ft \+xt 2Kg 15:19; 16:7; 17:3; Ezk 16:28; Hs 5:13; 8:9–10\+xt*\f* warriors
\v 6 dressed in blue, governors and prefects, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on steeds.
\v 7 She offered her sexual favors to them; all of them were the elite of Assyria. She defiled herself with all those she lusted after and with all their idols.
\v 8 She didn’t give up her promiscuity that began in Egypt,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:8 \ft \+xt Ex 32:4; 1Kg 12:28; 2Kg 10:29; 17:16\+xt*\f* when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin nipples, and poured out their lust on her.
\v 9 Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:37; 23:22\+xt*\f* the Assyrians she lusted for.
\v 10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.
\p
\v 11 “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, but she was even more depraved in her lust than Oholah, and made her promiscuous acts worse than those of her sister.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:11 \ft \+xt Jr 3:8–11; Ezk 16:51\+xt*\f*
\v 12 She lusted after the Assyrians:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:12 \ft \+xt 2Kg 16:7–20\+xt*\f* governors and prefects, warriors splendidly dressed, horsemen riding on steeds, all of them desirable young men.
\v 13 And I saw that she had defiled herself; both of them had taken the same path.
\v 14 But she increased her promiscuity when she saw male figures carved on the wall,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:10\+xt*\f* images of the Chaldeans, engraved in bright red,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:29\+xt*\f*
\v 15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like officers, a depiction of the Babylonians in Chaldea, their native land.
\v 16 At the sight of them~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:16 \ft Lit \fqa of her eyes\f* she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:16 \ft \+xt Is 57:9\+xt*\f*
\v 17 Then the Babylonians came to her,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:17 \ft \+xt 2Kg 24:17\+xt*\f* to the bed of love, and defiled her with their lust. But after she was defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.
\v 18 When she flaunted her promiscuity and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust just as I turned away from her sister.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:18 \ft \+xt Ps 78:59; 106:40; Jr 12:8\+xt*\f*
\v 19 Yet she multiplied her acts of promiscuity, remembering the days of her youth when she acted like a prostitute in the land of Egypt
\v 20 and lusted after their lovers, whose sexual members~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:20 \ft Lit \fqa whose flesh\f* were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of stallions.
\v 21 So you revisited the depravity of your youth, when the Egyptians caressed your nipples to enjoy your youthful breasts.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:26\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to incite your lovers against you, those you turned away from in disgust. I will bring them against you from every side:
\v 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans; Pekod, Shoa, and Koa;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:23 \ft \+xt Jr 50:21\+xt*\f* and all the Assyrians with them~#—~#desirable young men, all of them governors and prefects, officers and administrators, all of them riding on steeds.
\v 24 They will come against you with an assembly of peoples and with weapons, chariots, and~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 23:24 \ft LXX reads \fqa peoples, from the north, chariots and\ft ; Hb obscure\f* wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with large and small shields and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.
\v 25 When I vent my jealous fury on you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:25 \ft \+xt Ex 34:14; Ezk 5:13; 8:17–18; Zph 1:18\+xt*\f* they will deal with you in wrath. They will cut off your nose and ears, and the rest of you~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:25 \ft Or \fqa and your descendants\f* will fall by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be consumed by fire.
\v 26 They will strip off your clothes and take your beautiful jewelry.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:39\+xt*\f*
\v 27 So I will put an end to your depravity and sexual immorality, which began in the land of Egypt, and you will not look longingly at them or remember Egypt anymore.
\p
\v 28 “For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to hand you over to those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust.
\v 29 They will treat you with hatred, take all you have worked for, and leave you stark naked,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:7,22,39\+xt*\f* so that the shame of your debauchery will be exposed, both your depravity and promiscuity.
\v 30 These things will be done to you because you acted like a prostitute with the nations,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:30 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:9\+xt*\f* defiling yourself with their idols.
\v 31 You have followed the path of your sister, so I will put her cup in your hand.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:31 \ft \+xt 2Kg 21:13; Jr 7:14–15\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 32 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q “You will drink your~sister’s~cup,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:32 \ft \+xt Ps 75:8; Is 51:17; Jr 25:15; Lm 4:21; Hab 2:16; Zch 12:2; Mt 20:22; 26:39; Rv 14:10\+xt*\f*
\q which is deep and~wide.
\q You will be an object of~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:32 \ft Or \fqa It will bring\f*~ridicule and~scorn,
\q for it holds so much.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:32 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:4–5\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 33 You will be filled with~drunkenness and~grief,
\q with a cup of~devastation and~desolation,
\q the cup of your sister~Samaria.
\q1
\v 34 You will drink it and~drain~it;
\q then you will gnaw its~broken~pieces,
\q and tear your~breasts.
\q For I have spoken.”
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\b
\p
\v 35 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: “Because you have forgotten me~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:35 \ft \+xt Is 17:10; Jr 3:21; Ezk 22:12; Hs 8:14; 13:6\+xt*\f* and cast me behind your back,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:35 \ft \+xt 1Kg 14:9; Jr 2:27; 32:33\+xt*\f* you must bear the consequences of your indecency and promiscuity.”
\p
\v 36 Then the \nd Lord\nd* said to me, “Son of man, will you pass judgment against Oholah and Oholibah?~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:36 \ft \+xt Jr 1:10; Ezk 20:4; 22:2\+xt*\f* Then declare their detestable practices to them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:36 \ft \+xt Is 58:1; Ezk 16:2; Mc 3:8\+xt*\f*
\v 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands; they have committed adultery with their idols. And the children they bore to me they have sacrificed in the fire~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:37 \ft Lit \fqa have made pass through the fire\f* as food for the idols.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:37 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:20–21; 20:26,31\+xt*\f*
\v 38 They also did this to me: they defiled my sanctuary~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:38 \ft \+xt 2Kg 21:4,7\+xt*\f* on that same day and profaned my Sabbaths.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:38 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:13\+xt*\f*
\v 39 On the same day they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary to profane it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:39 \ft \+xt Jr 7:9–11\+xt*\f* Yes, that is what they did inside my house.
\p
\v 40 “In addition, they sent for men who came from far away when a messenger was dispatched to them. And look how they came! You bathed, painted your eyes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:40 \ft \+xt 2Kg 9:30; Jr 4:30\+xt*\f* and adorned yourself with jewelry for them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:40 \ft \+xt Is 3:18–23; Ezk 16:13–16\+xt*\f*
\v 41 You sat on a luxurious couch with a table spread before it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:41 \ft \+xt Is 57:7\+xt*\f* on which you had set my incense and oil.
\v 42 The sound of a carefree crowd was there. Drunkards~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:42 \ft Or \fqa Sabeans\f* from the desert were brought in, along with common men. They put bracelets on the women’s hands and beautiful tiaras on their heads.
\v 43 Then I said concerning this woman worn out by adultery: Will they~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:43 \ft Or \fqa They will\f* now have illicit sex with her, even her?
\v 44 Yet they had sex with her as one does with a prostitute. This is how they had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, those depraved women.
\v 45 But righteous men will judge them the way adulteresses~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:45 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:38\+xt*\f* and those who shed blood are judged, for they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.
\p
\v 46 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Summon~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 23:46 \ft Or \fqa I will summon\f* an assembly against them and consign them to terror and plunder.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:46 \ft \+xt Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18\+xt*\f*
\v 47 The assembly will stone them and cut them down with their swords.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:47 \ft \+xt Lv 20:10; Ezk 16:40\+xt*\f* They will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses.
\v 48 So I will put an end to depravity in the land, and all the women will be admonished not to imitate your depraved behavior.
\v 49 They will punish you for your depravity,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 23:49 \ft \+xt Is 59:18; Ezk 7:4,9; 9:10\+xt*\f* and you will bear the consequences for your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Lord \nd God\nd*.”
\c 24
\s1 Parable of the Boiling Pot
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month:
\v 2 “Son of man, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:2 \ft \+xt 2Kg 25:1\+xt*\f*
\v 3 Now speak a parable~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:2; 20:49\+xt*\f* to the rebellious house. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Put the pot~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:3 \ft \+xt Jr 1:13–14; Ezk 11:3,7,11\+xt*\f* on~the~fire~—
\q put it on,
\q and then pour water into~it!
\q1
\v 4 Place the pieces of~meat in~it,
\q every good piece~—
\q thigh and shoulder.
\q Fill it with choice bones.
\q1
\v 5 Take the choicest of~the~flock
\q and also pile up the~fuel~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 24:5 \ft Lit \fqa bones\f* under~it.
\q Bring it to a~boil
\q and cook the bones in~it.
\b
\p
\v 6 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Woe to the city of~bloodshed,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:2–3,27\+xt*\f*
\q the pot that has corrosion inside~it,
\q and its corrosion has~not come~out of~it!
\q Empty it piece by~piece;
\q lots should not be cast for~its~contents.
\q1
\v 7 For the blood she shed~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 24:7 \ft Lit \fqa For her blood\f* is~still within~her.
\q She put it out on~the~bare~rock;
\q she didn’t pour it on~the~ground
\q to cover it with~dust.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:7 \ft \+xt Lv 17:13–14; Dt 12:16,24\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 8 In order to stir~up wrath and~take~vengeance,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:8 \ft \+xt Is 26:21\+xt*\f*
\q I have put her~blood on~the~bare~rock,
\q so that it would not be~covered.
\b
\p
\v 9 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Woe to the city of~bloodshed!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:9 \ft \+xt Hab 2:12\+xt*\f*
\q I myself will make the~pile of~kindling~large.
\q1
\v 10 Pile on the logs and~kindle the~fire!
\q Cook the meat well
\q and mix in~the~spices!~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 24:10 \ft Some Hb mss read \fqa well; remove the broth\ft ; LXX reads \fqa fire so that the meat may be cooked and the broth may be reduced\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 24:10 \ft Or \fqa and stir the broth\f*
\q Let the bones be~burned!
\q1
\v 11 Set the empty pot on~its~coals
\q so that it becomes hot and~its~copper~glows.
\q Then its impurity will~melt inside~it;
\q its corrosion will be~consumed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:15; 23:27\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 12 It has frustrated every~effort;~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 24:12 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\q its thick corrosion will not come~off.
\q Into the fire with~its~corrosion!
\q1
\v 13 Because of the depravity of~your~uncleanness~—
\q since I tried to~purify~you,
\q but you would not be purified from~your~uncleanness~—
\q you will not be pure~again
\q until I have satisfied my~wrath on~you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:13; 8:18\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 14 I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have~spoken.
\q It is coming, and~I~will~do~it!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:24\+xt*\f*
\q I will not refrain, I~will~not show~pity,
\q and I will not~relent.
\q I~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 24:14 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa They\f* will judge~you
\q according to your~ways and~deeds.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:30; 36:19\+xt*\f* This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife: A Sign
\m
\v 15 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 16 “Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:16 \ft \+xt 1Kg 20:6; Pr 5:18; Ec 9:9; Sg 7:10\+xt*\f* away from you with a fatal blow. But you must not lament or weep or let your tears flow.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:16 \ft \+xt Jr 16:5; 22:10\+xt*\f*
\v 17 Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:17 \ft \+xt Lv 21:10–12\+xt*\f* Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.”~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 24:17 \ft Lit \fqa men\ft , also in v.~22\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:17 \ft \+xt Jr 16:7; Hs 9:4\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 18 I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.
\v 19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?~”
\p
\v 20 So I answered them, “The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 21 Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:21 \ft \+xt Jr 6:11; 16:3–4; Ezk 23:25,47\+xt*\f*
\v 22 Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.
\v 23 Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:23 \ft \+xt Jb 27:15; Ps 78:64\+xt*\f* but will waste away~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:23 \ft \+xt Lv 26:39\+xt*\f* because of your iniquities and will groan to one another.
\v 24 Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 4:3; Lk 11:29–30\+xt*\f* You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord \nd God\nd*.’
\p
\v 25 “As for you, son of man, know that on that day I will take from them their stronghold~#—~#their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes, and the longing of their hearts~#—~#as well as their sons and daughters.
\v 26 On that day a fugitive will come to you and report the news.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:21–22\+xt*\f*
\v 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no longer be mute.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 24:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:26–27\+xt*\f* So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\c 25
\ms Prophecies Against the Nations
\s1 Judgment against Ammon
\m
\v 1 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, face the Ammonites and prophesy against them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:2 \ft \+xt Jr 49:1–6\+xt*\f*
\v 3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord \nd God\nd*: This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because you said, “Aha!~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:28; 26:2\+xt*\f* about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was laid waste, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile,
\v 4 therefore I am about to give you to the people of the east as a possession. They will set up their encampments and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk.
\v 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:5 \ft \+xt Jr 49:2; Ezk 21:20\+xt*\f* for camels and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\p
\v 6 “~‘For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because you clapped your hands,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:6 \ft \+xt Jb 27:23; Nah 3:19\+xt*\f* stamped your feet, and rejoiced over the land of Israel with wholehearted contempt,
\v 7 therefore I am about to stretch out my hand against you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:7 \ft \+xt Zph 1:4\+xt*\f* and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and eliminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\s1 Judgment against Moab
\m
\v 8 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because Moab and Seir said,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:8 \ft \+xt Is 15:1; Jr 48:1; Am 2:1–2\+xt*\f* “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.”
\v 9 Therefore I am about to expose Moab’s flank beginning with its~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 25:9 \ft Lit \fqa with the cities, with its\f* frontier cities, the splendor of the land: Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:9 \ft \+xt Jr 48:23\+xt*\f* and Kiriathaim.
\v 10 I will give it along with Ammon to the people of the east as a possession, so that Ammon will not be remembered among the nations.
\v 11 So I will execute judgments against Moab, and they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\s1 Judgment against Edom
\m
\v 12 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:12 \ft \+xt 2Ch 28:17; Ps 137:7; Jr 49:7–22\+xt*\f* and incurred grievous guilt by taking revenge on them,
\v 13 therefore this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off both people and animals from it. I will make it a wasteland; they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan.
\v 14 I will take my vengeance~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:14 \ft \+xt Is 11:14\+xt*\f* on Edom through my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to my anger and wrath. So they will know my vengeance.
\pr This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\s1 Judgment against Philistia
\m
\v 15 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with deep contempt,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:15 \ft \+xt Is 14:29–31\+xt*\f* destroying because of their perpetual hatred,
\v 16 therefore this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:16 \ft \+xt Jr 25:20; 47:1–7\+xt*\f* cutting off the Cherethites and wiping out what remains of the coastal peoples.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 25:16 \ft Lit \fqa the seacoast\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:16 \ft \+xt 1Sm 30:14; Zph 2:5\+xt*\f*
\v 17 I will execute severe vengeance against them with furious rebukes. They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 25:17 \ft \+xt Ps 9:16\+xt*\f* when I take my vengeance on them.’~”
\c 26
\s1 The Downfall of Tyre
\m
\v 1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, because Tyre~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:2 \ft \+xt 2Sm 5:11; Jl 3:4\+xt*\f* said about Jerusalem, ‘Aha!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:3\+xt*\f* The gateway to the peoples is shattered. She has been turned over to me.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 26:2 \ft Or \fqa It has swung open for me\f* I will be filled now that she lies in ruins,’
\v 3 therefore this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: See, I am against you, Tyre!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:3 \ft \+xt Is 23:3; Ezk 26:17; 28:2; Am 1:9; Zch 9:2; Mt 11:22\+xt*\f* I will raise up many nations against you, just as the sea raises its waves.
\v 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and turn her into a bare rock.
\v 5 She will become a place in the sea to spread nets, for I have spoken.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. “She will become plunder for the nations,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:7; 29:19\+xt*\f*
\v 6 and her villages on the mainland will be slaughtered by the sword.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:46,53; 26:8\+xt*\f* Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\p
\v 7 For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: “See, I am about to bring King Nebuchadnezzar~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 26:7 \ft Lit \fqa Nebuchadrezzar\f* of Babylon, king of kings,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:7 \ft \+xt Jr 52:32; Dn 2:37,47\+xt*\f* against Tyre from the north with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a huge assembly of troops.
\v 8 He will slaughter your villages on the mainland with the sword. He will set up siege works,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:22\+xt*\f* build a ramp, and raise a wall of shields against you.
\v 9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his iron tools.
\v 10 His horses will be so numerous that their dust will cover you. When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots.
\v 11 He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:11 \ft \+xt Hab 1:8\+xt*\f* He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.
\v 12 They will take your wealth as spoil and plunder your merchandise.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:3–27\+xt*\f* They will also demolish your walls and tear down your beautiful homes. Then they will throw your stones, timber, and soil into the water.
\v 13 I will put an end to the noise of your songs,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:13 \ft \+xt Is 23:16; 24:8–9; Am 6:5\+xt*\f* and the sound of your lyres will no longer be heard.
\v 14 I will turn you into a bare rock, and you will be a place to spread nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:14 \ft \+xt Is 14:27\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 15 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to Tyre: “Won’t the coasts and islands quake at the sound of your downfall,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:15 \ft \+xt Jr 49:21\+xt*\f* when the wounded groan and slaughter occurs within you?
\v 16 All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:16 \ft \+xt Jnh 3:6\+xt*\f* remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble continually, and be appalled~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:35\+xt*\f* at you.
\v 17 Then they will lament~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:2,32; 28:12\+xt*\f* for you and say of you,
\q ‘How you have perished, city~of~renown,
\q you who were populated from~the~seas!~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 26:17 \ft Some LXX mss read \fqa ‘How you were destroyed from the seas, city of renown!\f*
\q She who was powerful on~the~sea,
\q she and all of her~inhabitants
\q inflicted their terror.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 26:17 \ft Lit \fqa and all her inhabitants who put their terror on all her inhabitants\ft ; Hb obscure\f*
\q1
\v 18 Now the coastlands~tremble~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:15\+xt*\f*
\q on the day of~your~downfall;
\q the islands in~the~sea
\q are alarmed by~your~demise.’~”
\b
\p
\v 19 For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: “When I make you a ruined city like other deserted cities, when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you,
\v 20 then I will bring you down to be with those who descend to the Pit,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:20 \ft \+xt Jb 33:28; Ps 28:1; 30:3; Is 14:15; Ezk 28:8; 31:14; 32:18–30\+xt*\f* to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the underworld~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 26:20 \ft Lit \fqa the lower parts of the earth\f* like~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 26:20 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX; other Hb mss, Syr read \fqa in\f* the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or display your splendor~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 26:20 \ft LXX reads \fqa or appear\f* in the land of the living.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:20 \ft \+xt Jr 33:9; Zch 2:8\+xt*\f*
\v 21 I will make you an object of horror, and you will no longer exist.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 26:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:36; 28:19\+xt*\f* You will be sought but will never be found again.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 27
\s1 The Sinking of Tyre
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Now, son of man, lament for Tyre.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:12; 32:2\+xt*\f*
\v 3 Say to Tyre, who is situated at the entrance of the sea, merchant of the peoples~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:3 \ft \+xt Is 23:2\+xt*\f* to many coasts and islands, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Tyre, you declared,
\q “I am perfect in~beauty.”
\q1
\v 4 Your realm was in~the~heart of~the~sea;
\q your builders perfected your~beauty.
\q1
\v 5 They constructed all~your~planking
\q with pine trees from~Senir.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:5 \ft \+xt Dt 3:9\+xt*\f*
\q They took a cedar from~Lebanon
\q to make a mast for~you.
\q1
\v 6 They made your~oars of~oaks from~Bashan.
\q They made your~deck of~cypress~wood
\q from the coasts of~Cyprus,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:6–7 \ft \+xt Gn 10:4; 1Ch 1:7\+xt*\f*
\q inlaid with ivory.
\q1
\v 7 Your sail was made~of
\q fine embroidered linen from~Egypt,
\q and served as your~banner.
\q Your awning was of~blue and~purple~fabric
\q from the coasts of~Elishah.
\q1
\v 8 The inhabitants of~Sidon and~Arvad~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:8 \ft \+xt Gn 10:18\+xt*\f*
\q were your~rowers.
\q Your wise men were within~you,~Tyre;
\q they were your~captains.
\q1
\v 9 The elders of Gebal and~its wise~men~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:9 \ft \+xt 1Kg 5:18\+xt*\f*
\q were within you, repairing~your~leaks.
\b
\q “~‘All the ships of~the~sea and~their~sailors
\q came to you to~barter for~your~goods.
\q1
\v 10 Men of Persia, Lud, and~Put~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:5; 38:5\+xt*\f*
\q were in your army, serving as~your~warriors.
\q They hung shields and~helmets in~you;
\q they gave you~splendor.
\q1
\v 11 Men of Arvad and~Helech
\q were stationed on~your~walls all~around,
\q and Gammadites were in~your~towers.
\q They hung their shields~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:11 \ft Or \fqa quivers\ft ; Hb obscure\f* all~around your~walls;
\q they perfected your~beauty.
\b
\p
\v 12 “~‘Tarshish~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:12 \ft \+xt Gn 10:4; Ezk 38:13\+xt*\f* was your trading partner because of your abundant wealth of every kind. They exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise.
\v 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:13 \ft \+xt Gn 10:2; Ezk 38:2; 39:1\+xt*\f* were your merchants. They exchanged slaves~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:13 \ft Lit \fqa souls of men\f* and bronze utensils for your goods.
\v 14 Those from Beth-togarmah~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:14 \ft \+xt Gn 10:3; Ezk 38:6\+xt*\f* exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise.
\v 15 Men of Dedan~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 27:15 \ft LXX reads \fqa Rhodes\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:13\+xt*\f* were also your merchants; many coasts and islands were your regular markets. They brought back ivory tusks~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:15 \ft \+xt 1Kg 10:22\+xt*\f* and ebony as your payment.
\v 16 Aram~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 27:16 \ft Some Hb mss, Aq, Syr read \fqa Edom\f* was your trading partner because of your numerous products. They exchanged turquoise,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:16 \ft Hb obscure\f* purple and embroidered cloth, fine linen, coral,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:16 \ft Hb obscure\f* and rubies~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:16 \ft Hb obscure\f* for your merchandise.
\v 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They exchanged wheat from Minnith,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:17 \ft \+xt Jdg 11:33\+xt*\f* meal,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:17 \ft Or \fqa resin\ft ; Hb obscure\f* honey, oil, and balm, for your goods.
\v 18 Damascus was also your trading partner because of your numerous products and your abundant wealth of every kind, trading in wine from Helbon and white wool.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:18 \ft Or \fqa and wool from Zahar\f*
\v 19 Vedan~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:19 \ft Or \fqa Dan\f* and Javan from Uzal~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:19 \ft Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:19 \ft \+xt Gn 10:27\+xt*\f* dealt in your merchandise; wrought iron, cassia,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:19 \ft \+xt Ex 30:24\+xt*\f* and aromatic cane were exchanged for your goods.
\v 20 Dedan~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:13\+xt*\f* was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.
\v 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your business partners, trading with you in lambs, rams, and goats.
\v 22 The merchants of Sheba~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:22 \ft \+xt Gn 10:7; Ezk 38:13\+xt*\f* and Raamah traded with you. For your merchandise they exchanged the best of all spices and all kinds of precious stones as well as gold.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:22 \ft \+xt 1Kg 10:1–2; Rv 18:12\+xt*\f*
\v 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:23 \ft \+xt 2Kg 19:12; Is 37:12\+xt*\f* the merchants of Sheba, Asshur,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:23 \ft \+xt Gn 25:3\+xt*\f* and Chilmad traded with you.
\v 24 They were your merchants in choice garments, cloaks of blue and embroidered materials, and multicolored carpets,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:24 \ft Hb obscure\f* which were bound and secured with cords in your marketplace.
\v 25 Ships of Tarshish~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:25 \ft \+xt 1Kg 10:22; 22:48; Is 2:16\+xt*\f* were the carriers for your goods.
\q “~‘So you became full and~heavily~loaded~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:25 \ft Or \fqa and very glorious\f*
\q in the heart of~the~sea.
\q1
\v 26 Your rowers have brought~you
\q onto the high seas,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:19\+xt*\f*
\q but the east wind has~wrecked~you
\q in the heart of~the~sea.
\q1
\v 27 Your wealth, merchandise, and~goods,
\q your sailors and~captains,
\q those who repair your~leaks,
\q those who barter for~your~goods,
\q and all the warriors on~board,
\q with all the other people within you,
\q sink into the heart of~the~sea
\q on the day of your~downfall.
\b
\q1
\v 28 “~‘The countryside shakes
\q at the sound of~your~sailors’~cries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:10,15\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 29 All the oarsmen
\q disembark from~their~ships.
\q The sailors and all~the~captains of~the~sea
\q stand on the shore.
\q1
\v 30 Because of you, they raise their voices
\q and cry out bitterly.
\q They throw dust on~their~heads;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:30 \ft \+xt Rv 18:17–19\+xt*\f*
\q they roll in~ashes.
\q1
\v 31 They shave their heads because~of~you
\q and wrap themselves in~sackcloth.
\q They weep over~you
\q with deep anguish and~bitter~mourning.
\b
\q1
\v 32 “~‘In their wailing they~lament for~you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:32 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:17\+xt*\f*
\q mourning over~you:
\q “Who was like Tyre,
\q silenced~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:32 \ft Hb obscure\f* in~the~middle of~the~sea?
\q1
\v 33 When your merchandise was~unloaded from~the~seas,
\q you satisfied many~peoples.
\q You enriched the~kings of~the~earth
\q with your abundant~wealth and~goods.
\q1
\v 34 Now you are wrecked by~the~sea
\q in the depths of~the~waters;
\q your goods and~the~people within~you
\q have gone down.
\q1
\v 35 All the inhabitants of~the~coasts and~islands
\q are appalled~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:35 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:15–16\+xt*\f* at~you.
\q Their kings shudder with~fear;
\q their faces are~contorted.
\q1
\v 36 Those who trade among~the~peoples
\q scoff~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 27:36 \ft Lit \fqa hiss\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:36 \ft \+xt 1Kg 9:8; Jr 19:8; Zph 2:15\+xt*\f*~at~you;
\q you have become an~object of~horror
\q and will never exist~again.”~’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 27:36 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:21; 28:19\+xt*\f*
\c 28
\s1 The Fall of Tyre’s Ruler
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Your~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:2 \ft Lit \fqa Because your\f* heart is proud, and you have said, “I am a god;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:2 \ft \+xt Is 14:14; Ac 12:22–23; 2Th 2:4\+xt*\f* I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.” Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god.
\v 3 Yes, you are wiser than Daniel;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:3 \ft \+xt Dn 1:20; 2:20–23,28; 5:11–12\+xt*\f* no secret is hidden from you!
\v 4 By your wisdom and understanding you have acquired wealth for yourself. You have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:33; Zch 9:2–3\+xt*\f*
\v 5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has become proud because of your wealth.
\p
\v 6 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Because you regard your~heart as~that of~a~god,
\q1
\v 7 I am about to bring strangers against~you,
\q ruthless men from~the~nations.
\q They will draw their~swords
\q against your magnificent~wisdom
\q and will pierce your~splendor.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:11; 31:12; 32:12\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 8 They will bring you down to~the~Pit,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:20\+xt*\f*
\q and you will die a~violent~death
\q in the heart of~the~sea.
\q1
\v 9 Will you still say, “I~am~a~god,”
\q in the presence of~those who~slay~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 28:9 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa of the one who kills\f*~you?
\q Yet you will be only a~man, not~a~god,
\q in the hands of those who~kill~you.
\q1
\v 10 You will die the~death of~the~uncircumcised~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 31:18; 32:30\+xt*\f*
\q at the hands of~strangers.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:12\+xt*\f*
\q For I have spoken.
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 A Lament for Tyre’s King
\m
\v 11 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 12 “Son of man, lament~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:2\+xt*\f* for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q You were the~seal~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:12 \ft Or \fqa sealer\f* of~perfection,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:12 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\q full of wisdom and~perfect in~beauty.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:3\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 13 You were in Eden,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:13 \ft \+xt Gn 2:8; Ezk 31:9,16,18; 36:35\+xt*\f* the~garden of~God.
\q Every kind of~precious~stone covered~you:
\q carnelian, topaz, and~diamond,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:13 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\q beryl, onyx, and~jasper,
\q lapis lazuli, turquoise~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:13 \ft Or \fqa malachite\ft , or \fqa garnet\f* and~emerald.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:13 \ft Or \fqa beryl\f*
\q Your mountings and settings were~crafted in~gold;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:13 \ft \+xt Ex 39:10–13\+xt*\f*
\q they were prepared on~the~day you~were~created.
\q1
\v 14 You were an anointed guardian~cherub,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:14 \ft \+xt Ex 25:18–22\+xt*\f*
\q for~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:14 \ft Or \fqa With an anointed guardian cherub\f* I had appointed~you.
\q You were on the~holy~mountain of~God;
\q you walked among the~fiery~stones.
\q1
\v 15 From the day you were~created
\q you were blameless in~your~ways
\q until wickedness was~found in~you.
\q1
\v 16 Through the abundance of~your~trade,
\q you were filled with~violence, and~you~sinned.
\q So I expelled you in~disgrace
\q from the mountain of~God,
\q and banished you, guardian~cherub,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:16 \ft Or \fqa and the guardian cherub banished you\f*
\q from among the~fiery~stones.
\q1
\v 17 Your heart became proud because~of your~beauty;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:2\+xt*\f*
\q For the sake of your~splendor
\q you corrupted your~wisdom.
\q So I threw you down to~the~ground;~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:17 \ft Or \fqa earth\f*
\q I made you a~spectacle before~kings.
\q1
\v 18 You profaned your~sanctuaries
\q by the magnitude of~your~iniquities
\q in your dishonest trade.
\q So I made fire come from~within~you,
\q and it consumed you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 19:14\+xt*\f*
\q I reduced you to ashes on~the~ground
\q in the sight of~everyone watching~you.
\q1
\v 19 All those who know you among~the~peoples
\q are appalled at you.
\q You have become an~object of~horror
\q and will never exist~again.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:21; 27:36\+xt*\f*
\s1 A Prophecy against Sidon
\m
\v 20 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 21 “Son of man, face Sidon~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:21 \ft \+xt Gn 10:19; Is 23:2; Jl 3:4\+xt*\f* and prophesy against it.
\v 22 You are to say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Look! I am against you,~Sidon,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:3; Zch 9:2; Mt 11:22\+xt*\f*
\q and I will display my~glory within~you.
\q They will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*
\q when I execute~judgments against~her~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:19\+xt*\f*
\q and demonstrate my~holiness through~her.
\q1
\v 23 I will send a plague against~her~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:22\+xt*\f*
\q and bloodshed in~her~streets;
\q the slain will fall within~her,
\q while the sword is against~her~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:23 \ft Or \fqa within her by the sword\f* on~every~side.
\q Then they will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*.
\b
\p
\v 24 “~‘The house of Israel will no longer be hurt by~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 28:24 \ft Lit \fqa longer have\f* prickly briers or painful thorns~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:24 \ft \+xt Nm 33:55\+xt*\f* from all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 25 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: When I gather the house of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:25 \ft \+xt Ps 106:47; Ezk 20:41; 34:13\+xt*\f* from the peoples where they are scattered, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.
\v 26 They will live there securely,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:26 \ft \+xt Jr 23:6; Ezk 34:25,28; 38:8\+xt*\f* build houses, and plant vineyards.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:26 \ft \+xt Jr 32:15; Ezk 11:3\+xt*\f* They will live securely when I execute judgments~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 28:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:11\+xt*\f* against all their neighbors who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* their God.’~”
\c 29
\s1 A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin
\m
\v 1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, face Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:2 \ft \+xt Is 19:1–17; Jr 46:2–26; Ezk 30–32\+xt*\f*
\v 3 Speak to him and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king~of~Egypt,
\q the great monster~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 29:3 \ft Or \fqa crocodile\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:3 \ft \+xt Ps 74:13; Is 27:1; Ezk 32:2\+xt*\f* lying in~the~middle of~his~Nile,
\q who says, “My Nile is my~own;
\q I made it for~myself.”
\q1
\v 4 I will put hooks in~your~jaws~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:4 \ft \+xt Jb 41:2; Ezk 38:4\+xt*\f*
\q and make the fish of~your~streams
\q cling to your~scales.
\q I will haul you~up
\q from the middle of~your~Nile,
\q and all the fish of~your~streams
\q will cling to~your~scales.
\q1
\v 5 I will leave you in~the~desert,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:4–6\+xt*\f*
\q you and all the fish of~your~streams.
\q You will fall on the~open~ground
\q and will not be taken~away
\q or gathered for~burial.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:5 \ft \+xt Jr 8:2; 25:33\+xt*\f*
\q I have given you
\q to the wild creatures of~the~earth
\q and the birds of~the~sky as~food.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 39:4\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 6 “~‘Then all the inhabitants of~Egypt
\q will know that I~am the~\nd Lord\nd*,
\q for they~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 29:6 \ft LXX, Syr, Vg read \fqa you\f* have been a~staff made~of~reed
\q to the house of~Israel.
\q1
\v 7 When Israel grasped you by~the~hand,
\q you splintered,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:7 \ft \+xt 2Kg 18:21; Is 36:6\+xt*\f* tearing all their~shoulders;
\q when they leaned on~you,
\q you shattered and made all their~hips~unsteady.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 29:7 \ft LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads \fqa and you caused their hips to stand\f*
\b
\p
\v 8 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to bring a sword~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:17\+xt*\f* against you and cut off both people and animals from you.
\v 9 The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:7–8\+xt*\f* Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*. Because you~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 29:9 \ft LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads \fqa he\f* said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,”
\v 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush.
\v 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:13\+xt*\f* It will be uninhabited for forty years.
\v 12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 29:12 \ft Or \fqa Egypt the most desolate of\f* desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 29:12 \ft Or \fqa be the most desolate of\f* ruined cities~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:7\+xt*\f* for forty years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:15; 30:15,23,26\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 13 “~‘For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were dispersed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:13 \ft \+xt Is 19:22–23\+xt*\f*
\v 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom.
\v 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations.
\v 16 It will never again be an object of trust~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:16 \ft \+xt Is 20:5; 30:1–3; Ezk 17:15\+xt*\f* for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their iniquity of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation
\m
\v 17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:7–12\+xt*\f* Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it.
\v 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:10,24–25; 32:11\+xt*\f* and he will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation.
\v 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for me.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 21 “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:21 \ft \+xt 1Sm 2:10; Ps 92:10; 132:17\+xt*\f* for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 29:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:27; 24:27; 33:22\+xt*\f* among them. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\c 30
\s1 Egypt’s Doom
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Wail,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:2 \ft \+xt Is 13:6; Ezk 21:12; Jl 1:11,13\+xt*\f* “Woe because of that~day!~”
\q1
\v 3 For a day is near;
\q a day belonging to~the~\nd Lord\nd* is~near.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:3 \ft \+xt Jl 2:1; Ob 15\+xt*\f*
\q It will be a~day of~clouds,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:7; 34:12\+xt*\f*
\q a time of doom~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 30:3 \fq of doom \ft supplied for clarity\f* for~the~nations.
\q1
\v 4 A sword will come against~Egypt,
\q and there will be anguish in~Cush
\q when the slain fall in~Egypt,
\q and its wealth is taken~away,
\q and its foundations are~demolished.
\q1
\v 5 Cush, Put, and~Lud,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:5 \ft \+xt Jr 46:9\+xt*\f*
\q and all the various foreign~troops,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:5 \ft Or \fqa all Arabia\f*
\q plus Libya~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:5 \ft Lit \fqa Cub\ft ; Hb obscure\f* and~the~men of~the~covenant~land
\q will fall by the sword along~with~them.
\q1
\v 6 This is what the~\nd Lord\nd*~says:
\q Those who support Egypt will~fall,
\q and its proud strength will~collapse.
\q From Migdol to~Syene
\q they will fall within it by~the~sword.
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\q1
\v 7 They will be~desolate
\q among~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:7 \ft Or \fqa be the most desolate of\f* desolate~lands,
\q and their cities will~lie
\q among ruined~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:7 \ft Or \fqa will be the most ruined of\f* cities.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 29:12\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 8 They will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*
\q when I set fire to~Egypt~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:31\+xt*\f*
\q and all its allies are~shattered.
\m
\v 9 On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:9 \ft \+xt Is 18:1–2\+xt*\f* to terrify confident Cush. Anguish will come over them on the day of Egypt’s doom.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:9 \ft Lit \fqa of Egypt\f* For indeed it is coming.
\p
\v 10 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q I will put an end to~the~hordes~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:10 \ft Or \fqa pomp\ft , or \fqa wealth\ft , also in v.~15\f* of~Egypt
\q by the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of~Babylon.
\q1
\v 11 He along with~his~people,
\q ruthless men from~the~nations,
\q will be brought~in to~destroy the~land.
\q They will draw their~swords against~Egypt
\q and fill the land with~the~slain.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:7; 31:12\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 12 I will make the~streams~dry
\q and sell the land to~evil~men.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:12 \ft \+xt Is 19:4\+xt*\f*
\q I will bring desolation
\q on the land and everything in~it
\q by the hands of~foreigners.
\q I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have~spoken.
\b
\p
\v 13 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q I will destroy the worthless~idols
\q and~put~an~end to the false gods in~Memphis.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:13 \ft \+xt Jr 43:12–13\+xt*\f*
\q There will no longer be
\q a prince from~the~land of~Egypt.
\q And I will instill fear in~that~land.
\q1
\v 14 I will make Pathros~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:14 \ft \+xt Jr 44:1,15; Ezk 29:14\+xt*\f*~desolate,
\q set fire to~Zoan,
\q and execute judgments on~Thebes.
\q1
\v 15 I will pour out my~wrath on~Pelusium,
\q the stronghold of~Egypt,
\q and will wipe out the~hordes of~Thebes.
\q1
\v 16 I will set fire to~Egypt;
\q Pelusium will writhe in~anguish,
\q Thebes will be~breached,
\q and Memphis will face foes in~broad~daylight.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:16 \ft Or \fqa foes daily\f*
\q1
\v 17 The young men of~On~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 30:17 \ft LXX, Vg; MT reads \fqa iniquity\f* and~Pi-beseth
\q will fall by~the~sword,
\q and those cities~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:17 \ft Or \fqa and the women\ft ; lit \fqa and they\f* will~go into~captivity.
\q1
\v 18 The day will be dark~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 30:18 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa will withhold\f* in~Tehaphnehes,
\q when I break the yoke of~Egypt~there
\q and its proud strength
\q comes to an end in~the~city.
\q A cloud~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:12\+xt*\f* will cover~Tehaphnehes,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 30:18 \ft Or \fqa Egypt\f*
\q and its surrounding villages will go into~captivity.
\q1
\v 19 So I will execute judgments against~Egypt,
\q and they will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”
\s1 Pharaoh’s Power Broken
\m
\v 20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:21 \ft \+xt Ps 10:15; 37:17\+xt*\f* of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Look, it has not been bandaged~#—~#no medicine has been applied and no splint put on to bandage it so that it can grow strong enough to handle a sword.
\v 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Look! I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand.
\v 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 29:12\+xt*\f*
\v 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place my sword~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 30:24 \ft \+xt Zph 2:12\+xt*\f* in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man.
\v 25 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall. They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* when I place my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he wields it against the land of Egypt.
\v 26 When I disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them among the countries, they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”
\c 31
\s1 Downfall of Egypt and Assyria
\m
\v 1 In the eleventh year,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:20\+xt*\f* in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes,
\q ‘Who are you like in~your~greatness?
\q1
\v 3 Think of Assyria, a~cedar in~Lebanon,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:3 \ft \+xt Is 10:33–34; Ezk 17:3–4,22; 31:16\+xt*\f*
\q with beautiful branches and~shady~foliage
\q and of lofty height.
\q Its top was among the~clouds.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 31:3 \ft Or \fqa thick foliage\ft , also in vv.~10,14\f*
\q1
\v 4 The waters caused it to~grow;
\q the underground springs made~it~tall,
\q directing their rivers all~around
\q the place where the tree was~planted
\q and sending their~channels
\q to all the trees of~the~field.
\q1
\v 5 Therefore the cedar became~greater in~height
\q than all the trees of~the~field.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:5 \ft \+xt Dn 4:11\+xt*\f*
\q Its branches multiplied,
\q and its boughs grew~long
\q as it spread them~out
\q because of the abundant~water.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:5\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 6 All the birds of~the~sky
\q nested in its branches,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:23; Dn 4:12,21; Mt 13:32\+xt*\f*
\q and all the animals of~the~field
\q gave birth beneath its~boughs;
\q all the great nations lived in~its~shade.
\q1
\v 7 It was beautiful in~its~size,
\q in the length of its~limbs,
\q for its roots extended to~abundant~water.
\q1
\v 8 The cedars in God’s garden could~not eclipse~it;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:8 \ft \+xt Gn 2:8; Is 51:3; Ezk 28:13\+xt*\f*
\q the pine trees couldn’t compare with~its~branches,
\q nor could the plane trees match its~boughs.
\q No tree in the garden of~God
\q could compare with~it in~beauty.
\q1
\v 9 I made it beautiful with~its many~limbs,
\q and all the trees of~Eden,
\q which were in God’s garden, envied~it.
\b
\p
\v 10 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Since it~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 31:10 \ft Syr, Vg; MT, LXX read \fqa you\f* towered high in stature and set its top among the clouds, and it~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 31:10 \ft Lit \fqa its heart\f* grew proud~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:17; Dn 5:20\+xt*\f* on account of its height,
\v 11 I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 30:10–11; Dn 5:18–19\+xt*\f* he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness.
\v 12 Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:7; 32:12\+xt*\f* cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it.
\v 13 All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs.
\v 14 This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 31:14 \ft Or \fqa the descendants of Adam\f* who descend to the Pit.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:20\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 15 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:22–23\+xt*\f* I closed off the underground deep because of it:~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 31:15 \ft Or \fqa I covered it with the underground deep\f* I held back the rivers of the deep, and its abundant water was restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.
\v 16 I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol to be with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:15; 27:28; Hg 2:7\+xt*\f* the choice and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were comforted~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:31\+xt*\f* in the underworld.
\v 17 They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 31:17 \ft LXX, Syr read \fqa offspring\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 31:17 \ft Lit \fqa arm\f* they had lived in its shade among the nations.
\p
\v 18 “~‘Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 31:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:10; 32:19,21\+xt*\f* This is Pharaoh and all his hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\c 32
\s1 A Lament for Pharaoh
\m
\v 1 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, lament~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 19:1; 27:2; 28:12\+xt*\f* for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,
\q ‘You compare yourself to~a~lion of~the~nations,
\q but~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:2 \ft Or \fqa ‘Lion of the nations, you are destroyed;\f* you are like~a~monster~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:2 \ft Or \fqa crocodile\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:2 \ft \+xt Is 27:1\+xt*\f* in~the~seas.
\q You thrash about in~your~rivers,
\q churn up the waters with~your~feet,
\q and muddy the~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:2 \ft Lit \fqa their\f*~rivers.
\b
\p
\v 3 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q I will spread my~net over~you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:13\+xt*\f*
\q with an assembly of~many~peoples,
\q and they~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 32:3 \ft LXX, Vg read \fqa I\f* will haul you up in~my~net.
\q1
\v 4 I will abandon you on~the~land
\q and throw you onto~the~open~field.
\q I will cause all~the~birds of~the~sky
\q to settle on~you
\q and let the wild creatures of~the~entire~earth
\q eat their fill of~you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 29:3–5\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 5 I will put your flesh on~the~mountains~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 31:12\+xt*\f*
\q and fill the valleys with~your~carcass.
\q1
\v 6 I will drench the~land
\q with the flow of~your~blood,
\q even to the mountains;
\q the ravines will be filled with~your~gore.
\b
\q1
\v 7 “~‘When I snuff you~out,
\q I will cover the~heavens
\q and darken their~stars.
\q I will cover the~sun with~a~cloud,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:7 \ft \+xt Jl 2:2,31; 3:15; Am 8:9; Mt 24:29; Rv 6:12; 8:12\+xt*\f*
\q and the moon will~not~give its~light.
\q1
\v 8 I will darken all the~shining~lights
\q in the heavens over~you,
\q and will bring darkness on~your~land.
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\b
\q1
\v 9 “~‘I will trouble the~hearts of~many~peoples,
\q when I bring about your~destruction
\q among the~nations,
\q in countries you~have~not~known.
\q1
\v 10 I will cause many peoples to~be~appalled at~you,
\q and their kings will shudder with~fear because~of~you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:35\+xt*\f*
\q when I brandish my sword in~front~of~them.
\q On the day of~your~downfall
\q each of them will~tremble
\q every moment~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:16\+xt*\f* for~his~life.
\b
\p
\v 11 “~‘For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q The sword of~Babylon’s~king
\q will come against~you!
\q1
\v 12 I will make your~hordes~fall
\q by the swords of~warriors,
\q all of them ruthless men from~the~nations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:7; 31:12\+xt*\f*
\q They will ravage Egypt’s~pride,
\q and all its hordes will~be~destroyed.
\q1
\v 13 I will slaughter all its~cattle
\q that are beside many~waters.
\q No human foot will~churn~them~again,
\q and no cattle hooves will~disturb~them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 29:11\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 14 Then I will let their waters~settle
\q and will make their~rivers flow like~oil.
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\q1
\v 15 When I make the~land of~Egypt a~desolation,
\q so that it is emptied of everything in~it,
\q when I strike down all who~live~there,
\q then they will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:15 \ft \+xt Ex 7:5\+xt*\f*
\b
\p
\v 16 “~‘The daughters of the nations will chant that lament.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:16 \ft \+xt 2Sm 1:17; 2Ch 35:25; Jr 9:17; Ezk 26:17\+xt*\f* They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 Egypt in Sheol
\m
\v 17 In the twelfth year,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 32:17 \ft LXX reads \fqa year, in the first month,\f* on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 18 “Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:18 \ft Lit \fqa the lower parts of the earth\ft , also in v.~24\f* to be with those who descend to the Pit:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 26:20\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 19 Who do you surpass in~loveliness?
\q Go down and be laid to~rest with~the~uncircumcised!
\q1
\v 20 They will fall among~those~slain by~the~sword.
\q A sword is~appointed!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 21:15\+xt*\f*
\q They drag her and all her~hordes~away.
\q1
\v 21 Warrior leaders will~speak
\q from the middle of~Sheol
\q about him~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 32:21 \ft Either Pharaoh or Egypt\f* and~his~allies:
\q ‘They have come~down;
\q the uncircumcised lie
\q slain by~the~sword.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:21 \ft \+xt Is 14:9–11; Ezk 31:15–18\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 22 “Assyria is there with her~whole~assembly;
\q her graves are all around~her.
\q All of them are slain, fallen by~the~sword.
\q1
\v 23 Her graves are set in~the~deepest~regions of~the~Pit,
\q and her assembly is all~around her~burial~place.
\q All of them are slain, fallen by~the~sword~—
\q those who once spread~terror
\q in the land of~the~living.
\b
\q1
\v 24 “Elam~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:24 \ft \+xt Gn 10:22\+xt*\f* is there
\q with all her hordes around~her~grave.
\q All of them are slain, fallen by~the~sword~—
\q those who went down to~the~underworld~uncircumcised,
\q who once spread their~terror
\q in the land of~the~living.
\q They bear their~disgrace
\q with those who descend to~the~Pit.
\q1
\v 25 Among the~slain
\q they prepare a~bed for~Elam
\q with all her hordes.
\q Her graves are all around~her.
\q All of them are uncircumcised,
\q slain by the sword,
\q although their terror was~once~spread
\q in the land of~the~living.
\q They bear their~disgrace
\q with those who descend to~the~Pit.
\q They are placed among~the~slain.
\b
\q1
\v 26 “Meshech and Tubal~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:26 \ft Lit \fqa Meshech-tubal\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:26 \ft \+xt Gn 10:2; Ezk 27:13; 38:2–3\+xt*\f* are~there,
\q with all their hordes.
\q Their graves are all around~them.
\q All of them are uncircumcised, slain~by~the~sword,
\q although their terror was once~spread
\q in the land of~the~living.
\q1
\v 27 They do not lie~down
\q with the fallen warriors of~the~uncircumcised,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 32:27 \ft LXX reads \fqa of antiquity\f*
\q who went down to~Sheol
\q with their weapons of~war,
\q whose swords were placed under~their~heads~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 32:27 \ft Or \fqa Do they not .~.~. heads?\f*
\q and~their~shields~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 32:27 \ft Emended; MT reads \fqa iniquities\f*
\q rested on their bones,
\q although the terror of~these~warriors
\q was once in the land of~the~living.
\q1
\v 28 But you will be~shattered
\q and will lie down among~the~uncircumcised,
\q with those slain by~the~sword.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:28 \ft \+xt Is 14:18\+xt*\f*
\b
\q1
\v 29 “Edom~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:12–14\+xt*\f* is there, her~kings and~all her~princes,
\q who, despite their strength, have~been~placed
\q among those slain by~the~sword.
\q They lie down with~the~uncircumcised,
\q with those who descend to~the~Pit.
\q1
\v 30 All the leaders of~the~north~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:30 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:6,15; 39:2\+xt*\f*
\q and all the Sidonians~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:30 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:21–23\+xt*\f* are~there.
\q They went down in shame with~the~slain,
\q despite the terror their~strength~inspired.
\q They lie down uncircumcised
\q with those slain by~the~sword.
\q They bear their~disgrace
\q with those who~descend to~the~Pit.
\b
\q1
\v 31 “Pharaoh will see~them
\q and be comforted~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 32:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 31:16–18\+xt*\f* over~all his~hordes~—
\q Pharaoh and his~whole~army,
\q slain by the sword.”
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\q1
\v 32 “For I will spread my~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 32:32 \ft Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr read \fqa his\f*~terror
\q in the land of~the~living,
\q so Pharaoh and all his~hordes
\q will be laid to rest among~the~uncircumcised,
\q with those slain by~the~sword.”
\qm This~is the~declaration of~the~Lord~\nd God\nd*.
\c 33
\s1 Ezekiel as Israel’s Watchman
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them, ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman.
\v 3 And suppose he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his ram’s horn~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:3 \ft \+xt Nm 10:9\+xt*\f* to warn the people.
\v 4 Then, if anyone hears the sound of the ram’s horn but ignores the warning,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:4 \ft \+xt Zch 1:4\+xt*\f* and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 33:4 \ft Lit \fqa his blood will be on his head\f*
\v 5 Since he heard the sound of the ram’s horn but ignored the warning, his death is his own fault.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 33:5 \ft Lit \fqa his blood will be on him\f* If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.
\v 6 However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the ram’s horn, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
\p
\v 7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:17–19\+xt*\f* When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me.
\v 8 If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:4\+xt*\f* but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood.
\v 9 But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.
\p
\v 10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:10 \ft \+xt Lv 26:39; Ezk 4:17; 24:23\+xt*\f* How then can we survive?~”~’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:11\+xt*\f*
\v 11 Tell them, ‘As I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:23,30–32; Hs 11:8; 1Tm 2:4; 2Pt 3:9\+xt*\f* Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?~’
\p
\v 12 “Now, son of man, say to your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.
\v 13 When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and acts unjustly, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the injustice he has committed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:20; 18:24,26\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 14 “~‘So when I tell the wicked person, “You will surely die,” but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right~#—~#
\v 15 he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:15 \ft \+xt Lv 18:5; Dt 5:33; 1Kg 3:14; Ezk 20:11\+xt*\f* without committing injustice~#—~#he will certainly live; he will not die.
\v 16 None of the sins he committed will be held~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 33:16 \ft Lit \fqa remembered\f* against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:16 \ft \+xt Is 1:18; 43:25; Ezk 18:21–22\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 17 “~‘But your people say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair,”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:25–30\+xt*\f* even though it is their own way that isn’t fair.
\v 18 When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, he will die for it.
\v 19 But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of it.
\v 20 Yet you say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair.” I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.’~”
\s1 The News of Jerusalem’s Fall
\m
\v 21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!~”
\v 22 Now the hand of the \nd Lord\nd* had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:26–27; 24:26–27\+xt*\f*
\s1 Israel’s Continued Rebellion
\m
\v 23 Then the word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 24 “Son of man, those who live in the~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 33:24 \ft Lit \fqa these\f* ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:24 \ft \+xt Is 51:2\+xt*\f* yet he received possession of the land.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:24 \ft \+xt Gn 15:7; 28:4\+xt*\f* But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:2\+xt*\f*
\v 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: You eat meat with blood in it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:25 \ft \+xt Lv 19:26\+xt*\f* you look to your idols, and you shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land?
\v 26 You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?~’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:6,10–11,15\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 27 “Tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 5:12\+xt*\f*
\v 28 I will make the land a desolate waste,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 35:3\+xt*\f* and its proud strength will come to an end.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:24\+xt*\f* The mountains of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:2\+xt*\f* will become desolate, with no one passing through.
\v 29 They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable acts they have committed.’
\p
\v 30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the \nd Lord\nd*!~’
\v 31 So my people come to you in crowds,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 33:31 \ft Lit \fqa you like the coming of a people\f* sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Their mouths go on passionately, but their hearts pursue dishonest profit.
\v 32 Yes, to them you are like a singer of passionate songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don’t obey them.
\v 33 Yet when all this comes true~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 33:33 \ft \+xt Jr 28:9; Ezk 33:29\+xt*\f*~#—~#and it definitely will~#—~#then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
\c 34
\s1 The Shepherds and God’s Flock
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:2 \ft \+xt Jr 23:1\+xt*\f* Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock?
\v 3 You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:3 \ft \+xt Pr 27:23\+xt*\f*
\v 4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:4 \ft \+xt Zch 11:16; Lk 15:4\+xt*\f* Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty.
\v 5 They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:5 \ft \+xt Nm 27:17; 1Kg 22:17; Jr 10:21; 23:2; 50:6; Mt 9:36\+xt*\f* they became food for all the wild animals~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:28\+xt*\f* when they were scattered.
\v 6 My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:6 \ft \+xt 1Pt 2:25\+xt*\f* My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.
\p
\v 7 “~‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 8 As I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock,
\v 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*!
\p
\v 10 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Look, I am against the shepherds.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:10 \ft \+xt Jr 21:13; Ezk 5:8; 13:8\+xt*\f* I will demand my flock from them~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 34:10 \ft Lit \fqa their hand\f* and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.
\p
\v 11 “~‘For this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them.
\v 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:12 \ft \+xt Jr 23:3\+xt*\f* on a day of clouds and total darkness.
\v 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.
\v 14 I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
\v 15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:15 \ft \+xt Ps 23:1–2\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 16 I will seek the lost,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:16 \ft \+xt Ps 119:176; Lk 19:10\+xt*\f* bring back the strays, bandage the injured,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:16 \ft \+xt Ps 147:3; Is 30:26; Hs 6:1\+xt*\f* and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 34:16 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read \fqa watch over\f* the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.
\p
\v 17 “~‘As for you, my flock, the Lord \nd God\nd* says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:17 \ft \+xt Mt 25:31–33\+xt*\f*
\v 18 Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?
\v 19 Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.
\p
\v 20 “~‘Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
\v 21 Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over,
\v 22 I will save my flock. They will no longer be prey, and I will judge between one sheep and another.
\v 23 I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:23 \ft \+xt Ps 78:70–71; Jn 10:11,16\+xt*\f*
\v 24 I, the \nd Lord\nd*, will be their God, and my servant David~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:24 \ft \+xt Jr 30:9; Ezk 37:24\+xt*\f* will be a prince among them. I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken.
\p
\v 25 “~‘I will make a covenant of peace~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:26\+xt*\f* with them and eliminate dangerous creatures~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:25 \ft \+xt Is 11:6–9\+xt*\f* from the land, so that they may live securely~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:26\+xt*\f* in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
\v 26 I will make them and the area around my hill~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:26 \ft \+xt Ps 2:6; 15:1; 133:3; Is 27:13; Jr 31:23\+xt*\f* a blessing: I will send down showers in their season;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:26 \ft \+xt Dt 11:13–14; 28:12\+xt*\f* they will be showers of blessing.
\v 27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:27 \ft \+xt Lv 26:13; Is 52:2–3; Jr 30:8\+xt*\f*
\v 28 They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them.
\v 29 I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 34:29 \ft LXX, Syr read \fqa a plant of peace\f* and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:3,6,15\+xt*\f*
\v 30 Then they will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd* their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:30 \ft \+xt Ex 6:7; Lv 26:12; Dt 29:13; Jr 30:22; 31:33; Ezk 11:20; 36:28; 37:23,27; Zch 8:8; 2Co 6:16; Heb 8:10; Rv 21:3\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 31 You are my flock, the human flock of my pasture, and I am your God. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 34:31 \ft \+xt Ps 100:3; Jr 23:1\+xt*\f*
\c 35
\s1 A Prophecy against Edom
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, face Mount Seir~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:12–14\+xt*\f* and prophesy against it.
\v 3 Say to it, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says:
\q Look! I am against you, Mount~Seir.
\q I will stretch out my~hand against~you
\q and make you a~desolate~waste.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:14\+xt*\f*
\q1
\v 4 I will turn your cities into~ruins,
\q and you will become a~desolation.
\q Then you will know that I~am~the \nd Lord\nd*.
\b
\p
\v 5 “~‘Because you maintained a perpetual hatred~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:5 \ft \+xt Ps 137:7; Ezk 25:15\+xt*\f* and gave the Israelites over to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster, the time of final punishment,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 7:2; 21:25,29\+xt*\f*
\v 6 therefore, as I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:6 \ft \+xt Is 63:2–6; Ezk 16:38; 32:6\+xt*\f*
\v 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 33:28\+xt*\f*
\v 8 I will fill its mountains with the slain;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 31:12; 32:4–5\+xt*\f* those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines.
\v 9 I will make you a perpetual desolation; your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\p
\v 10 “~‘Because you said, “These two nations and two lands will be mine, and we will possess them”~#—~#though the \nd Lord\nd* was there~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:10 \ft \+xt Ps 48:1–3; Ezk 48:35\+xt*\f*~#—~#
\v 11 therefore, as I live~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them. I will make myself known among them~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 35:11 \ft LXX reads \fqa you\f* when I judge you.
\v 12 Then you will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have heard all the blasphemies you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate. They have been given to us to devour!~”
\v 13 You boasted against me~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 35:13 \ft \+xt Jr 48:26,42; Ob 12; Zph 2:8\+xt*\f* with your mouth, and spoke many words against me. I heard it myself!
\p
\v 14 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: While the whole world rejoices, I will make you a desolation.
\v 15 Just as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it became a desolation, I will deal the same way with you: you will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and so will all Edom in its entirety. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’
\c 36
\s1 Restoration of Israel’s Mountains
\m
\v 1 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:2\+xt*\f*
\v 2 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because the enemy has said about you, “Aha!~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 25:3; 26:2\+xt*\f* The ancient heights~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:2 \ft \+xt Dt 32:13\+xt*\f* have become our possession,”~’
\v 3 therefore, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 35:13\+xt*\f*
\v 4 therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord \nd God\nd*. This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become plunder~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:8,28\+xt*\f* and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around.
\p
\v 5 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Certainly in my burning zeal I speak against the rest of the nations and all of Edom,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:5 \ft \+xt Dt 4:24\+xt*\f* who took~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:5 \ft Lit \fqa gave\f* my land as their own possession with wholehearted rejoicing and utter contempt~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 35:10,15\+xt*\f* so that its pastureland became~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:5 \ft Or \fqa contempt, to empty it of\ft ; Hb obscure\f* plunder.
\v 6 Therefore, prophesy concerning Israel’s land, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Look, I speak in my burning zeal~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:6 \ft \+xt Ps 74:10; 123:3–4\+xt*\f* because you have endured the insults of the nations.
\v 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I swear~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:7 \ft Lit \fqa lift up my hand\f* that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:5\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 8 “~‘You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:23\+xt*\f* and bear your fruit for my people Israel, since their arrival is near.
\v 9 Look! I am on your side; I will turn toward you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:9 \ft \+xt Lv 26:9\+xt*\f* and you will be tilled and sown.
\v 10 I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:21–22\+xt*\f* The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.
\v 11 I will fill you with people and animals,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:11 \ft \+xt Jr 33:12\+xt*\f* and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:11 \ft \+xt Is 51:3\+xt*\f*
\v 12 I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:12 \ft \+xt Ob 17\+xt*\f* and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.
\p
\v 13 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Because some are saying to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of children,”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:13 \ft \+xt Nm 13:32\+xt*\f*
\v 14 therefore, you will no longer devour people and deprive your nation of children.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 36:14 \ft Alt Hb tradition reads \fqa and cause your nation to stumble\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 15 I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples anymore;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:29\+xt*\f* you will no longer cause your nation to stumble.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 36:15 \ft Some Hb mss, Tg read \fqa no longer bereave your nation of children\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’~”
\s1 Restoration of Israel’s People
\m
\v 16 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 17 “Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:17 \ft \+xt Jr 2:7\+xt*\f* Their behavior before me was like menstrual impurity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:17 \ft \+xt Lv 15:19\+xt*\f*
\v 18 So I poured out my wrath~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:36; 22:3\+xt*\f* on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols.
\v 19 I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:19 \ft \+xt Dt 28:64; Ezk 22:15\+xt*\f* I judged them according to their conduct and actions.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:19 \ft \+xt Rm 2:6\+xt*\f*
\v 20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:20 \ft \+xt Is 52:5; Rm 2:24\+xt*\f* because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of the \nd Lord\nd*, yet they had to leave his land in exile.’
\v 21 Then I had concern for my holy name,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:21 \ft \+xt Is 48:9; Ezk 20:44\+xt*\f* which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.
\p
\v 22 “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: It is not for your sake that I will act,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:22 \ft \+xt Dt 9:5\+xt*\f* house of Israel, but for my holy name,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:22 \ft \+xt Ps 115:1; Is 43:25; 48:11; Ezk 20:9; Dn 9:18–19\+xt*\f* which you profaned among the nations where you went.
\v 23 I will honor the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations~#—~#the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:41; 38:23; 39:7,25\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 24 “~‘For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:13; 37:21\+xt*\f*
\v 25 I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:25 \ft \+xt Ps 51:7; Heb 9:13,19; 10:22\+xt*\f* I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:25 \ft \+xt Jr 33:8\+xt*\f*
\v 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:31; Jl 2:28\+xt*\f* I will remove your heart of stone~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:26 \ft Lit \fqa stone from your flesh\f* and give you a heart of flesh.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:26 \ft \+xt Dt 30:6; Ezk 11:19; 2Co 3:3\+xt*\f*
\v 27 I will place my Spirit within you~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:14\+xt*\f* and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:27 \ft \+xt Jr 24:7; 31:33; 32:40\+xt*\f*
\v 28 You will live in the land that I gave your ancestors;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:23–25\+xt*\f* you will be my people, and I will be your God.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:30\+xt*\f*
\v 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine on you.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:29–30 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:27,29\+xt*\f*
\v 30 I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.
\p
\v 31 “~‘You will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:61–63\+xt*\f* and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:31 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:9; 20:43\+xt*\f*
\v 32 It is not for your sake that I will act~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:32 \ft \+xt Dt 9:5\+xt*\f*~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!
\p
\v 33 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:33 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:10\+xt*\f*
\v 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by.
\v 35 They will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:35 \ft \+xt Is 51:3; Jl 2:3\+xt*\f* The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and demolished are now fortified and inhabited.”
\v 36 Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have rebuilt what was demolished and have replanted what was desolate. I, the \nd Lord\nd*, have spoken and I will do it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:36 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:24\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 37 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:37 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:3\+xt*\f* I will multiply them in number like a flock.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:37 \ft Lit \fqa flock of people\f*
\v 38 So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as Jerusalem~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 36:38 \ft \+xt 2Ch 35:7–9\+xt*\f* is filled with a flock of sheep for sacrifice~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 36:38 \ft Lit \fqa as the consecrated flock, as the flock of Jerusalem\f* during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”
\c 37
\s1 The Valley of Dry Bones
\m
\v 1 The hand of the \nd Lord\nd* was on me,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:3\+xt*\f* and he brought me out by his Spirit~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3; 11:24\+xt*\f* and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.
\v 2 He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry.
\v 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?~”
\p I replied, “Lord \nd God\nd*, only you know.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:3 \ft \+xt Dt 32:39; 1Sm 2:6\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 4 He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the \nd Lord\nd*!
\v 5 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:5 \ft \+xt Gn 2:7; Ps 104:29–30\+xt*\f*
\v 6 I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:6 \ft \+xt Jl 2:27; 3:17\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
\v 8 As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
\v 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 37:9 \ft Or \fqa wind\ft , or \fqa spirit\ft , also in v.~10\f* prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:9 \ft \+xt Ps 104:30\+xt*\f*
\v 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:10 \ft \+xt Rv 11:11\+xt*\f* and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.
\p
\v 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:10\+xt*\f* Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:11 \ft \+xt Ps 141:7\+xt*\f* and our hope has perished;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:11 \ft \+xt Eph 2:12\+xt*\f* we are cut off.’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:11 \ft \+xt Is 49:14; Lm 3:54\+xt*\f*
\v 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:12 \ft \+xt Is 26:19; 66:14; Hs 13:14; Rm 11:15\+xt*\f* my people, and lead you into the land of Israel.
\v 13 You will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:13 \ft \+xt Jn 5:28–29; 1Co 15:21–22; Rv 20:4–5\+xt*\f*
\v 14 I will put my Spirit in you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:27\+xt*\f* and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*. I have spoken, and I will do it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 17:24\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the \nd Lord\nd*.’~”
\s1 The Reunification of Israel
\m
\v 15 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 16 “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:16 \ft \+xt Nm 17:2–3\+xt*\f* Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph~#—~#the stick of Ephraim~#—~#and all the house of Israel associated with him.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:16 \ft \+xt 2Ch 11:11–17\+xt*\f*
\v 17 Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:17 \ft \+xt Is 11:13; Hs 1:11\+xt*\f*
\v 18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?~’~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:9; 24:19\+xt*\f*~#—~#
\v 19 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in my hand.’
\p
\v 20 “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:3\+xt*\f*
\v 21 tell them, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:24\+xt*\f* I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land.
\v 22 I will make them one nation in the land,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:22 \ft \+xt Jr 3:18\+xt*\f* on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:22 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:23–24\+xt*\f* They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
\v 23 They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:25\+xt*\f* their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:28–29\+xt*\f* I will save them from all their apostasies by which~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 37:23 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Sym; other Hb mss read \fqa their settlements where\f* they sinned,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:23 \ft \+xt Rm 11:26\+xt*\f* and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:38\+xt*\f*
\v 24 My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:23–24; Jn 10:16\+xt*\f* They will follow my ordinances, and keep my statutes and obey them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:27\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 25 “~‘They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:25 \ft \+xt Is 60:21\+xt*\f* where your ancestors lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and my servant David will be their prince forever.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:25 \ft \+xt Jn 12:34\+xt*\f*
\v 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:26 \ft \+xt Is 54:10; Ezk 34:25\+xt*\f* it will be a permanent covenant~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:26 \ft \+xt Is 55:3; Jr 32:40; Ezk 16:60; Heb 13:20\+xt*\f* with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever.
\v 27 My dwelling place will be with them;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:27 \ft \+xt Jn 1:14\+xt*\f* I will be their God, and they will be my people.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:28\+xt*\f*
\v 28 When my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the \nd Lord\nd*, sanctify Israel.’~”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 37:28 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:12\+xt*\f*
\c 38
\s1 The Defeat of Gog
\m
\v 1 The word of the \nd Lord\nd* came to me:
\v 2 “Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Magog,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:2 \ft \+xt Gn 10:2; Ezk 39:1; Rv 20:8\+xt*\f* the chief prince of~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 38:2 \ft Or \fqa the prince of Rosh,\f* Meshech and Tubal.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:13\+xt*\f* Prophesy against him
\v 3 and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
\v 4 I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:4 \ft \+xt 2Kg 19:28; Ezk 29:4\+xt*\f* and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:4 \ft \+xt Dn 11:40\+xt*\f* who are all splendidly dressed, a huge assembly armed with large and small shields, all of them brandishing swords.
\v 5 Persia,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:10\+xt*\f* Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets;
\v 6 Gomer~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:6 \ft \+xt Gn 10:2\+xt*\f* with all its troops; and Beth-togarmah~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:6 \ft \+xt Gn 10:3\+xt*\f* from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops~#—~#many peoples are with you.
\p
\v 7 “~‘Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and your whole assembly that has been mobilized around you; you will be their guard.
\v 8 After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 38:8 \ft Lit \fqa from the sword\f* and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:8–11\+xt*\f* They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them now live securely.
\v 9 You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
\p
\v 10 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
\v 11 You will say, “I will advance against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:11 \ft \+xt Jdg 18:7\+xt*\f* all of them living without walls and without bars or gates”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:11 \ft \+xt Jr 49:31\+xt*\f*~#—~#
\v 12 in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:12 \ft \+xt Is 10:6; Ezk 29:19\+xt*\f* to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world.
\v 13 Sheba~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:22\+xt*\f* and Dedan~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:20\+xt*\f* and the merchants of Tarshish~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 27:12\+xt*\f* with all its rulers~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 38:13 \ft Lit \fqa young lions\ft , or \fqa villages\f* will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you mobilized your assembly to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize plenty of spoil?~”~’
\p
\v 14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:14 \ft \+xt Jr 23:6\+xt*\f* will you not know this
\v 15 and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 39:2\+xt*\f*~#—~#you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses~#—~#a huge assembly, a powerful army?
\v 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against my land so that the nations may know me, when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:22\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 17 “~‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them?
\v 18 Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#my wrath will flare up.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 38:18 \ft Lit \fqa up in my anger\f*
\v 19 I swear in my zeal and fiery wrath:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:6\+xt*\f* On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel.
\v 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before me. The mountains will be demolished, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.
\v 21 I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#and every man’s sword will be against his brother.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 14:17\+xt*\f*
\v 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:22 \ft \+xt Rv 16:18–21\+xt*\f*
\v 23 I will display my greatness and holiness, and I will reveal myself in the sight of many nations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 38:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:28\+xt*\f* Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.’
\c 39
\s1 The Disposal of Gog
\m
\v 1 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 39:1 \ft Or \fqa Gog, prince of Rosh,\f* Meshech and Tubal.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:2–3\+xt*\f*
\v 2 I will turn you around, drive you on,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 38:4\+xt*\f* and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel.
\v 3 Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.
\v 4 You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals.
\v 5 You will fall on the open field,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 32:4\+xt*\f* for I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 6 “~‘I will send fire against Magog~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:6 \ft \+xt Am 1:4,7,10\+xt*\f* and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*.
\v 7 So I will make my holy name known among my people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd*, the Holy One in Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:20–23\+xt*\f*
\v 8 Yes, it is coming, and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*. This is the day I have spoken about.
\p
\v 9 “~‘Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons~#—~#the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires.
\v 10 They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:10 \ft \+xt Is 14:2; 33:1\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 11 “~‘Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel~#—~#the Travelers’ Valley~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 39:11 \ft Hb obscure\f* east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called Hordes of Gog~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 39:11 \ft = Hamon-gog, also in v.~15\f* Valley.
\v 12 The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:12 \ft \+xt Dt 21:23\+xt*\f*
\v 13 All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:13 \ft \+xt Jr 33:9; Zph 3:19–20\+xt*\f* on the day I display my glory.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:22\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 14 “~‘They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 39:14 \ft Or \fqa basis, some to pass through the land, and with them some to bury those\f* who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months.
\v 15 When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in Hordes of Gog Valley.
\v 16 There will even be a city named Hamonah~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 39:16 \ft In Hb, \fqa Hamonah \ft is related to the word “horde.”\f* there. So they will cleanse the land.’
\p
\v 17 “Son of man, this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals, ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:17 \ft \+xt Rv 19:17–18\+xt*\f* you will eat flesh and drink blood.
\v 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan.
\v 19 You will eat fat until you are satisfied~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:19 \ft \+xt Rv 19:21\+xt*\f* and drink blood until you are drunk, at my sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you.
\v 20 At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors. This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.’
\s1 Israel’s Restoration to God
\m
\v 21 “I will display my glory among the nations,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:23; 38:16,23\+xt*\f* and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them.
\v 22 From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* their God.
\v 23 And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:23 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:18–20,23\+xt*\f* Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword.
\v 24 I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid my face from them.
\p
\v 25 “So this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:25 \ft \+xt Is 27:12–13; Jr 33:7; Ezk 34:13\+xt*\f* and have compassion on the whole house of Israel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:25 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:10; 37:21–22; Hs 1:11\+xt*\f* and I will be jealous for my holy name.
\v 26 They will feel remorse for~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 39:26 \ft Some emend to \fqa will forget\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 39:26 \ft Lit \fqa will bear\f* their disgrace~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:53–54,63\+xt*\f* and all the unfaithfulness they committed against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten them.
\v 27 When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of many nations.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:41; 38:23\+xt*\f*
\v 28 They will know that I am the \nd Lord\nd* their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 39:28 \ft Lit \fqa behind there any longer\f*
\v 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 39:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 36:27; 37:14; Jl 2:28\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 40
\s1 The New Temple
\m
\v 1 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:1 \ft \+xt 2Kg 25:1–7; Jr 39:1–9; 52:4–11; Ezk 33:21\+xt*\f* on that very day the \nd Lord\nd*’s hand was on me,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:3; 3:14,22; 37:1\+xt*\f* and he brought me there.
\v 2 In visions of God~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:1; 8:3; Dn 7:1,7\+xt*\f* he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:2 \ft \+xt Is 2:2–3; Ezk 17:23; 20:40; 37:22; Mc 4:1; Rv 21:10\+xt*\f* On its southern slope was a structure resembling a city.
\v 3 He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:7; Dn 10:6; Rv 1:15\+xt*\f* with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 47:3; Zch 2:1–2; Rv 11:1; 21:15\+xt*\f* He was standing by the city gate.
\v 4 He spoke to me: “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:1,3,6,8; 44:5\+xt*\f* and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:10\+xt*\f*
\s1 The Wall and Outer Gates
\m
\v 5 Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:5 \ft \+xt Is 26:1; Ezk 42:20\+xt*\f* The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inches;~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 40:5 \ft = a long cubit\f* each unit was the standard length plus three inches.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:5 \ft Lit \fqa six cubits by the cubit and a handbreadth\f* He measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was 10~1/2 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:5 \ft Lit \fqa was one rod\ft , also in v.~7\f* and its height was the same.
\v 6 Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:1\+xt*\f* He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10~1/2 feet deep~#—~#one threshold was 10~1/2 feet deep.
\v 7 Each recess was 10~1/2 feet long and 10~1/2 feet deep, and there was a space of 8~3/4 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:7 \ft Lit \fqa five cubits\ft , also in v.~30\f* between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was 10~1/2 feet.
\v 8 Next he measured the gate’s portico;
\v 9 it~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:8–9 \ft Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa gate facing the temple side; it was one rod. \fv 9\fv*\fqa Then he measured the gate’s portico; it\f* was 14 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:9 \ft Lit \fqa eight cubits\f* and its jambs were 3~1/2 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:9 \ft Lit \fqa two cubits\f* The gate’s portico was on the temple side.
\p
\v 10 There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the jambs on either side also had the same measurements.
\v 11 Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17~1/2 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:11 \ft Lit \fqa 10 cubits\f* while the width~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:11 \ft Lit \fqa length\f* of the gate was 22~3/4 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:11 \ft Lit \fqa 13 cubits\f*
\v 12 There was a barrier of 21 inches~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:12 \ft Lit \fqa one cubit\ft , also in v.~42\f* in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:12 \ft Lit \fqa six cubits\f* square.
\v 13 Then he measured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43~3/4 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:13 \ft Lit \fqa 25 cubits\ft , also in vv.~21,~25,~29,~33,~36\f* The openings of the recesses faced each other.
\v 14 Next, he measured the porch~#—~#105 feet.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:14 \ft MT adds \fqa To the jamb of the court, the gate was all around\ft ; Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:14 \ft Lit \fqa 60 cubits\f*
\v 15 The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87~1/2 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:15 \ft Lit \fqa 50 cubits\ft , also in vv.~21,~25,~29,~33,~36\f*
\v 16 The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:16 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:4; Ezk 41:16,26\+xt*\f* The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:16 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:29,32,35; 2Ch 3:5; Ezk 41:18–20,25–26\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 17 Then he brought me into the outer court,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:5; 42:1; 46:21; Rv 11:2\+xt*\f* and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:17 \ft \+xt 2Kg 23:11; 1Ch 9:26; 23:28; 2Ch 31:11\+xt*\f* Thirty chambers faced the pavement,
\v 18 which flanked the courtyard’s gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement.
\v 19 Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:19 \ft Lit \fqa 100 cubits\ft , also in vv.~23,27,47\f* This was the east; next the north is described.
\p
\v 20 He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width.
\v 21 Its three recesses on each side, its jambs, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87~1/2 feet long and 43~3/4 feet wide.
\v 22 Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them.
\v 23 The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.
\p
\v 24 He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and portico; they had the same measurements as the others.
\v 25 Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87~1/2 feet long and 43~3/4 feet wide.
\v 26 Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side.
\v 27 The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.
\s1 The Inner Gates
\m
\v 28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others.
\v 29 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87~1/2 feet long and 43~3/4 feet wide.
\v 30 (There were porticoes all around, 43~3/4 feet long and 8~3/4 feet wide.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:30 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX omit v. 30\f*)
\v 31 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.
\p
\v 32 Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others.
\v 33 Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87~1/2 feet long and 43~3/4 feet wide.
\v 34 Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.
\p
\v 35 Then he brought me to the north gate.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:35 \ft \+xt Ezk 47:2\+xt*\f* When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others,
\v 36 as did its recesses, jambs, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87~1/2 feet long and 43~3/4 feet wide.
\v 37 Its portico~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:37 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa jambs\f* faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.
\s1 Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices
\m
\v 38 There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:38 \ft Text emended; MT reads \fqa door was by the jambs, at the gates\f* The burnt offering was to be washed there.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:38 \ft \+xt 2Ch 4:6\+xt*\f*
\v 39 Inside the gate’s portico there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:39 \ft \+xt Lv 1:3–4; 4:2–3\+xt*\f* and guilt offering.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:39 \ft \+xt Lv 5:1–6\+xt*\f*
\v 40 Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico.
\v 41 So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done.
\v 42 There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:42 \ft \+xt Ex 20:25\+xt*\f* each 31~1/2 inches~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:42 \ft Lit \fqa one and a half cubits\f* long, 31~1/2 inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them.
\v 43 There were three-inch~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:43 \ft Lit \fqa one handbreadth\f* hooks~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:43 \ft Or \fqa ledges\f* fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.
\s1 Rooms for Singers and Priests
\m
\v 44 Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers:~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:44 \ft LXX reads \fqa were two chambers\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:44 \ft \+xt 1Ch 6:31–32; 16:41–43; 25:1–7\+xt*\f* one~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:44 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa singers, which was\f* beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:44 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa east\f* gate, facing north.
\v 45 Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:45 \ft \+xt 1Ch 9:23; Ps 134:1\+xt*\f*
\v 46 The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:46 \ft \+xt 1Kg 2:35\+xt*\f* the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the \nd Lord\nd* to serve him.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:46 \ft \+xt Lv 6:12–13; Ezk 43:19; 44:15\+xt*\f*
\v 47 Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:47 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:13–17\+xt*\f* was in front of the temple.
\p
\v 48 Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were 8~3/4 feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24~1/2 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:48 \ft Lit \fqa 14 cubits\f* and the side walls of the gate were~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:48 \ft LXX; MT omits \fqa 24~\ft 1\fqa /\ft 2\fqa feet, and the side walls of the gate were\f* 5~1/4 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:48 \ft Lit \fqa three cubits\f* wide on each side.
\v 49 The portico was 35 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft Lit \fqa 20 cubits\f* across and 21~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa 19~\ft 1\fqa /\ft 4\f* feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft Lit \fqa 12 cubits\f* deep, and 10 steps led~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft MT reads \fqa and it was on steps that they would go\f* up to it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:3\+xt*\f* There were pillars by the jambs, one on each side.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 40:49 \ft \+xt 1Kg 7:15–22; 2Ch 3:17; Jr 52:17–23; Rv 3:12\+xt*\f*
\c 41
\s1 Inside the Temple
\m
\v 1 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the jambs;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:2–3,17\+xt*\f* on each side the width of the jamb was 10~1/2 feet.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 41:1 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa jambs; they were 10~\ft 1\fqa /\ft 2\fqa feet wide on each side~#—~#the width of the tabernacle\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:1 \ft Lit \fqa six cubits\ft , also in vv.~3,5\f*
\v 2 The width of the entrance was 17~1/2 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:2 \ft Lit \fqa 10 cubits\f* and the side walls of the entrance were 8~3/4 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:2 \ft Lit \fqa five cubits\ft , also in vv.~9,11,12\f* wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:2 \ft Lit \fqa 40 cubits\f* and the width, 35 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:2 \ft Lit \fqa 20 cubits\ft , also in vv.~4,10\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:2 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:2,17\+xt*\f*
\v 3 He went inside the next room and measured the jambs at the entrance;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:16\+xt*\f* they were 3~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:3 \ft Lit \fqa two cubits\ft , also in v.~22\f* wide. The entrance was 10~1/2 feet wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 41:3 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa width of the entrance\f* was 12~1/4 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:3 \ft Lit \fqa seven cubits\f*
\v 4 He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:4 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:20\+xt*\f* And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:4 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:16\+xt*\f*
\s1 Outside the Temple
\m
\v 5 Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10~1/2 feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:5 \ft Lit \fqa four cubits\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:5 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:5–10\+xt*\f*
\v 6 The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:6 \ft Lit \fqa another three and thirty times\f* There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:6 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:6\+xt*\f*
\v 7 The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:7 \ft Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:7 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:8\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 8 I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10~1/2 feet high.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:8 \ft Lit \fqa a full rod of six cubits of a joint\ft ; Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:5\+xt*\f*
\v 9 The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8~3/4 feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple
\v 10 and the outer chambers was 35 feet wide all around the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:17\+xt*\f*
\v 11 The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8~3/4 feet wide all around.
\p
\v 12 Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:12 \ft Lit \fqa 70 cubits\f* wide. The wall of the building was 8~3/4 feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157~1/2 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:12 \ft Lit \fqa 90 cubits\f*
\p
\v 13 Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:13 \ft Lit \fqa 100 cubits\f* long.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:47\+xt*\f* In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long.
\v 14 The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet.
\v 15 Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:15 \ft Or \fqa ledges\f* on each side;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:3,5\+xt*\f* it was 175 feet.
\s1 Interior Wooden Structures
\m The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court~#—~#
\v 16 the thresholds, the beveled windows,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:16 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:4; Ezk 40:16,25\+xt*\f* and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold~#—~#were overlaid with wood on all sides.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:16 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:15\+xt*\f* They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered),
\v 17 reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern
\v 18 carved with cherubim and palm trees.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:18 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:29\+xt*\f* There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:18 \ft \+xt 2Ch 3:5; Ezk 40:16\+xt*\f* Each cherub had two faces:
\v 19 a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:10; 10:14\+xt*\f* and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides.
\v 20 Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.
\p
\v 21 The doorposts of the great hall were square,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:21 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:33; Ezk 40:9,14,16; 41:1\+xt*\f* and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance.
\v 22 The altar was~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:21–22 \ft Or \fqa and in front of the sanctuary was something that looked like \fv 22\fv*\fqa an altar\f* made of wood, 5~1/4 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:22 \ft Lit \fqa three cubits\f* high and 3~1/2 feet long.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 41:22 \ft LXX reads \fqa long and 3~\ft 1\fqa /\ft 2\fqa feet wide\f* It had corners, and its length~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 41:22 \ft LXX reads \fqa base\f* and sides were of wood.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:22 \ft \+xt Ex 30:1–3; 1Kg 6:20; Rv 8:3\+xt*\f* The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the \nd Lord\nd*.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:22 \ft \+xt Ex 25:23,30; Lv 24:6; Ezk 23:41; 44:16; Mal 1:7,12\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 23 The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:23 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:31–35\+xt*\f*
\v 24 and each of the doors had two swinging panels.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:24 \ft \+xt 1Kg 6:34\+xt*\f* There were two panels for one door and two for the other.
\v 25 Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:25 \ft Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:25 \ft \+xt 1Kg 7:6\+xt*\f* outside, in front of the portico.
\v 26 There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 41:26 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:16\+xt*\f* on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 41:26 \ft Hb obscure\f*
\c 42
\s1 The Priests’ Chambers
\m
\v 1 Then the man led me out by way of the north gate into the outer court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:17,28,48; 41:1\+xt*\f* He brought me to the group of chambers opposite the temple yard and opposite the building~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:12; 42:10,13\+xt*\f* to the north.
\v 2 Along the length of the chambers, which was 175 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:2 \ft Lit \fqa 100 cubits\ft , also in vv.~4,8\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:13\+xt*\f* there was an entrance on the north; the width was 87~1/2 feet.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:2 \ft Lit \fqa 50 cubits\ft , also in v.~7\f*
\v 3 Opposite the 35 foot space~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:3 \ft Lit \fqa 20 cubits\f* belonging to the inner court and opposite the paved surface~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:17\+xt*\f* belonging to the outer court, the structure rose gallery by gallery~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:15–16\+xt*\f* in three tiers.
\v 4 In front of the chambers was a walkway toward the inside,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 46:19\+xt*\f* 17~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:4 \ft Lit \fqa 10 cubits\f* wide and 175 feet long,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 42:4 \ft LXX, Syr; MT reads \fqa wide, a way of one cubit\f* and their entrances were on the north.
\v 5 The upper chambers were narrower because the galleries took away more space from them than from the lower and middle stories of the building.
\v 6 For they were arranged in three stories and had no pillars like the pillars of the courts;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:6\+xt*\f* therefore the upper chambers were set back from the ground more than the lower and middle stories.
\v 7 A wall on the outside ran in front of the chambers, parallel to them, toward the outer court; it was 87~1/2 feet long.
\v 8 For the chambers on the outer court were 87~1/2 feet long, while those facing the great hall were 175 feet long.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:13–14\+xt*\f*
\v 9 At the base of these chambers there was an entryway on the east side as one enters them from the outer court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:5; 46:19\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 10 In the thickness of the wall of the court toward the south,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 42:10 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa east\f* there were chambers facing the temple yard~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:1\+xt*\f* and the western building,
\v 11 with a passageway in front of them, just like the chambers that faced north.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:4\+xt*\f* Their length and width, as well as all their exits, measurements, and entrances, were identical.
\v 12 The entrance at the beginning of the passageway, the way in front of the corresponding~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:12 \ft Or \fqa protective\ft ; Hb obscure\f* wall as one enters on the east side, was similar to the entrances of the chambers that were on the south side.
\p
\v 13 Then the man said to me, “The northern and southern chambers that face the courtyard are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the \nd Lord\nd* will eat~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:13 \ft \+xt Lv 10:3; Dt 21:5; Ezk 40:46\+xt*\f* the most holy offerings.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:13 \ft \+xt Ex 29:31; Lv 7:6; 10:13–14,17\+xt*\f* There they will deposit the most holy offerings~#—~#the grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings~#—~#for the place is holy.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:13 \ft \+xt Lv 6:25,29; 14:13; Nm 18:9–10\+xt*\f*
\v 14 Once the priests have entered, they are not to go out from the holy area to the outer court until they have removed the clothes they minister in, for these are holy.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:14 \ft \+xt Ex 29:4–9; Lv 8:7,13; Is 61:10; Zch 3:4–5\+xt*\f* They are to put on other clothes before they approach the public area.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:14 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:19\+xt*\f*
\s1 Outside Dimensions of the Temple Complex
\m
\v 15 When he finished measuring inside the temple complex, he led me out by way of the gate that faced east and measured all around the complex.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:6; 43:1\+xt*\f*
\li
\v 16 He measured the east side with a measuring rod;
\li1 it was 875 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:16 \ft Lit \fqa 500 in rods\ft , also in vv.~17,18,19\f* by the measuring rod.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 42:16 \ft Lit \fqa rod all around\ft , also in vv.~17,18,19\f*
\li1
\v 17 He~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 42:17 \ft LXX reads \fqa Then he turned to the north and\f* measured the north side;
\li1 it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.
\li1
\v 18 He~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 42:18 \ft LXX reads \fqa Then he turned to the south and\f* measured the south side;
\li1 it was 875 feet by the measuring rod.
\li1
\v 19 Then he turned to the west side
\li1 and measured 875 feet by the measuring rod.
\m
\v 20 He measured the temple complex on all four sides. It had a wall all around it,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:20 \ft \+xt Is 60:18; Ezk 40:5; Zch 2:5\+xt*\f* 875 feet long and 875 feet~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:2; Rv 21:16\+xt*\f* wide, to separate the holy from the common.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 42:20 \ft \+xt Ezk 22:26; 44:23; 48:15\+xt*\f*
\c 43
\s1 Return of the \nd Lord\nd*’s Glory
\m
\v 1 He led me to the gate,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:19; 40:6; 42:15; 44:1\+xt*\f* the one that faces east,
\v 2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:2 \ft \+xt Is 6:3; Ezk 1:28; 3:23; 10:18–19\+xt*\f* coming from the east.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:22–23\+xt*\f* His voice sounded like the roar of a huge torrent,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:24; Rv 1:15\+xt*\f* and the earth shone with his glory.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; 10:4; Rv 18:1\+xt*\f*
\v 3 The vision I saw~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:4–28\+xt*\f* was like the one I had seen when he~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 43:3 \ft Some Hb mss, Theod, Vg; other Hb mss, LXX, Syr read \fqa I\f* came to destroy the city,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:3 \ft \+xt Jr 1:10; Ezk 9:1\+xt*\f* and like the ones I had seen by the Chebar Canal.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:3\+xt*\f* I fell facedown.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; 3:23\+xt*\f*
\v 4 The glory of the \nd Lord\nd* entered the temple by way of the gate that faced east.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:19\+xt*\f*
\v 5 Then the Spirit lifted me up~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 3:14; 2Co 12:2–4\+xt*\f* and brought me to the inner court, and the glory of the \nd Lord\nd* filled the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 10:4\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:26\+xt*\f*
\v 7 He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft \+xt Ps 47:8\+xt*\f* where I will dwell among the Israelites forever.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:26–28\+xt*\f* The house of Israel and their kings will no longer defile my holy name by their religious prostitution and by the corpses~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft Or \fqa monuments\ft , also in v.~9\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft \+xt Lv 26:30; Ezk 6:5,13\+xt*\f* of their kings at their high places.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft Some Hb mss, Theod, Tg read \fqa their death\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 6:3–5\+xt*\f*
\v 8 Whenever they placed their threshold next to my threshold and their doorposts beside my doorposts, with only a wall between me and them, they were defiling my holy name by the detestable acts they committed.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 8:3\+xt*\f* So I destroyed them in my anger.
\v 9 Now let them remove their prostitution and the corpses~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 18:30\+xt*\f* of their kings far from me, and I will dwell among them forever.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 37:26–28\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 10 “As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:4\+xt*\f* so that they may be ashamed of their iniquities.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 16:61–63\+xt*\f* Let them measure its pattern,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:10 \ft \+xt Ezk 28:12\+xt*\f*
\v 11 and they will be ashamed of all that they have done. Reveal~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 43:10–11 \ft LXX, Vg; MT reads \fqa pattern. \fv 11\fv*\fqa And if they are ashamed .~.~. done, reveal\f* the design of the temple to them~#—~#its layout with its exits and entrances~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:5\+xt*\f*~#—~#its complete design along with all its statutes, design specifications, and laws. Write it down in their sight~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 12:3\+xt*\f* so that they may observe its complete design and all its statutes and may carry them out.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 11:20\+xt*\f*
\v 12 This is the law of the temple: All its surrounding territory on top of the mountain~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:12 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:2\+xt*\f* will be especially holy. Yes, this is the law of the temple.
\s1 The Altar
\m
\v 13 “These are the measurements of the altar~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft \+xt Ex 27:1–8; 2Ch 4:1\+xt*\f* in units of length (each unit being the standard length plus three inches):~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft Lit \fqa in cubits (a cubit being a cubit plus a handbreadth)\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:5\+xt*\f* The gutter is 21 inches~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft Lit \fqa one cubit\ft , also in vv.~14,17\f* deep and 21 inches wide, with a rim of nine inches~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft Lit \fqa one span\f* around its edge. This is the base~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 43:13 \ft LXX reads \fqa height\f* of the altar.
\v 14 The distance from the gutter on the ground to the lower ledge is 3~1/2 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:14 \ft Lit \fqa two cubits\f* and the width of the ledge is 21 inches. There are 7 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:14 \ft Lit \fqa four cubits\ft , also in v.~15\f* from the small ledge to the large ledge, whose width is also 21 inches.
\v 15 The altar hearth~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:15 \ft Hb obscure\f* is 7 feet high, and four horns~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:15 \ft \+xt Ex 27:2; Lv 9:9; 1Kg 1:50; Ps 118:27\+xt*\f* project upward from the hearth.
\v 16 The hearth is square, 21 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:16 \ft Lit \fqa 12 cubits\f* long by 21 feet wide.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:16 \ft \+xt Ex 27:1\+xt*\f*
\v 17 The ledge is 24~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:17 \ft Lit \fqa 14 cubits\f* long by 24~1/2 feet wide, with four equal sides.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:17 \ft \+xt Ex 20:26\+xt*\f* The rim all around it is 10~1/2 inches,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:17 \ft Lit \fqa one-half cubit\f* and its gutter is 21 inches all around it. The altar’s steps face east.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:17 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:6\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 18 Then he said to me, “Son of man,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:1\+xt*\f* this is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: These are the statutes for the altar on the day it is constructed, so that burnt offerings~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:18 \ft \+xt Ex 40:29\+xt*\f* may be sacrificed on it and blood may be splattered on it:~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:18 \ft \+xt Lv 1:5,11; Heb 9:21–22\+xt*\f*
\v 19 You are to give a bull from the herd~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:19 \ft \+xt Lv 4:3\+xt*\f* as a sin offering~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:19; Heb 7:27\+xt*\f* to the Levitical priests who are from the offspring of Zadok,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:19 \ft \+xt 1Kg 2:35; Ezk 40:46\+xt*\f* who approach me in order to serve me.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:19 \ft \+xt Nm 16:5\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 20 “You are to take some of its blood and apply it to the four horns~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:20 \ft \+xt Lv 8:15; 9:9\+xt*\f* of the altar, the four corners of the ledge, and all around the rim. In this way you will purify the altar and make atonement for it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:20 \ft \+xt Lv 16:19\+xt*\f*
\v 21 Then you are to take away the bull for the sin offering, and it must be burned outside the sanctuary in the place appointed for the temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:21 \ft \+xt Ex 29:14; Lv 4:12; Heb 13:11\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 22 “On the second day you are to present an unblemished male goat as a sin offering. They will purify the altar just as they did with the bull.
\v 23 When you have finished the purification, you are to present a young, unblemished bull~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:23 \ft \+xt Ex 29:1,10; Ezk 45:18\+xt*\f* and an unblemished ram from the flock.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:23 \ft \+xt Ex 29:1\+xt*\f*
\v 24 You are to present them before the \nd Lord\nd*; the priests will throw salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:24 \ft \+xt Lv 2:13; Nm 18:19; Mk 9:49–50; Col 4:6\+xt*\f*
\v 25 You will offer a goat for a sin offering each day for seven days.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:25 \ft \+xt Ex 29:35–37; Lv 8:33\+xt*\f* A young bull and a ram from the flock, both unblemished, are also to be offered.
\v 26 For seven days the priests are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it. In this way they will consecrate it~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 43:26 \ft Lit \fqa will fill its hands\f*
\v 27 and complete the days of purification. Then on the eighth day~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:27 \ft \+xt Lv 9:1\+xt*\f* and afterward, the priests will offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar, and I will accept you.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 43:27 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:40\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 44
\s1 The Prince’s Privilege
\m
\v 1 The man then brought me back toward the sanctuary’s outer gate that faced east, and it was closed.
\v 2 The \nd Lord\nd* said to me, “This gate will remain closed. It will not be opened, and no one will enter through it, because the \nd Lord\nd*, the God of Israel, has entered through it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:2–4\+xt*\f* Therefore it will remain closed.
\v 3 The prince himself will sit in the gate to eat a meal before the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:3 \ft \+xt Gn 31:54; Ex 24:9–11\+xt*\f* He is to enter by way of the portico~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 46:2,8–10\+xt*\f* of the gate and go out the same way.”
\p
\v 4 Then the man brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple. I looked, and the glory of the \nd Lord\nd* filled his temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:4 \ft \+xt Is 6:3; Ezk 3:23; 43:5\+xt*\f* And I fell facedown.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 1:28; 43:3\+xt*\f*
\v 5 The \nd Lord\nd* said to me, “Son of man, pay attention;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:5 \ft \+xt Dt 32:46; Ezk 40:4\+xt*\f* look with your eyes and listen with your ears to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the \nd Lord\nd*’s temple.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:5 \ft \+xt Dt 12:32; Ezk 43:10–11\+xt*\f* Take careful note of the entrance of the temple along with all the exits of the sanctuary.
\s1 The Levites’ Duties and Privileges
\m
\v 6 “Say to the rebellious people,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 2:5–7; 3:9\+xt*\f* the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: I have had enough~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:9; 1Pt 4:3\+xt*\f* of all your detestable practices, house of Israel.
\v 7 When you brought in foreigners,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:7 \ft \+xt Lv 22:25\+xt*\f* uncircumcised in both heart and flesh,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:7 \ft \+xt Lv 26:41; Dt 10:16; Jr 4:4; 9:26\+xt*\f* to occupy my sanctuary, you defiled my temple while you offered my food~#—~#the fat and the blood. You~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 44:7 \ft LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads \fqa They\f* broke my covenant by all your detestable practices.
\v 8 You have not kept charge of my holy things~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:8 \ft \+xt Lv 22:2; Nm 18:7\+xt*\f* but have appointed others to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.’
\p
\v 9 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, may enter my sanctuary, not even a foreigner who is among the Israelites.
\v 10 Surely the Levites who wandered away from me when Israel went astray, and who strayed from me after their idols,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:10 \ft \+xt 2Kg 23:8–9\+xt*\f* will bear the consequences of their iniquity.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:10 \ft \+xt Nm 18:23\+xt*\f*
\v 11 Yet they will occupy my sanctuary, serving as guards at the temple gates~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:11 \ft \+xt 1Ch 26:1–19\+xt*\f* and ministering at the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:11 \ft \+xt 2Ch 29:34; 30:17\+xt*\f* and other sacrifices for the people and will stand before them to serve them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:11 \ft \+xt Nm 16:9\+xt*\f*
\v 12 Because they ministered to the house of Israel before their idols and became a sinful stumbling block to them, therefore I swore an oath~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 44:12 \ft Lit \fqa I lifted my hand\f* against them”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:12 \ft \+xt Ps 106:26\+xt*\f*~#—~#this is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*~#—~#“that they would bear the consequences of their iniquity.
\v 13 They must not approach me to serve me as priests~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:13 \ft \+xt 2Kg 23:9\+xt*\f* or come near any of my holy things or the most holy things. They will bear their disgrace and the consequences of the detestable acts they committed.
\v 14 Yet I will make them responsible for the duties of the temple~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:14 \ft \+xt Nm 18:4; 1Ch 23:28–32\+xt*\f*~#—~#for all its work and everything done in it.
\s1 The Priests’ Duties and Privileges
\m
\v 15 “But the Levitical priests descended from Zadok,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:46\+xt*\f* who kept charge of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, will approach me to serve me. They will stand before me to offer me fat and blood.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 16 “They are the ones who may enter my sanctuary~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:16 \ft \+xt Nm 18:5,7–8\+xt*\f* and approach my table to serve me.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:16 \ft \+xt Ezk 41:22\+xt*\f* They will keep my mandate.
\v 17 When they enter the gates of the inner court they are to wear linen garments;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:17 \ft \+xt Ex 28:42–43; 39:27–29\+xt*\f* they must not have on them anything made of wool when they minister at the gates of the inner court and within it.
\v 18 They are to wear linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments around their waists.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:18 \ft \+xt Ex 28:40\+xt*\f* They are not to put on anything that makes them sweat.
\v 19 Before they go out to the outer court,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 44:19 \ft Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg; other Hb mss read \fqa court, to the outer court\f* to the people, they must take off the clothes they have been ministering in, leave them in the holy chambers, and dress in other clothes~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:14\+xt*\f* so that they do not transmit holiness to the people through their clothes.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:19 \ft \+xt Lv 6:27\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 20 “They may not shave their heads~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:20 \ft \+xt Lv 21:5\+xt*\f* or let their hair grow long,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:20 \ft \+xt Nm 6:5\+xt*\f* but are to carefully trim their hair.
\v 21 No priest may drink wine before he enters the inner court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:21 \ft \+xt Lv 10:9\+xt*\f*
\v 22 He is not to marry a widow or a divorced woman, but may marry only a virgin from the offspring of the house of Israel,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:22 \ft \+xt Lv 21:7,13–14\+xt*\f* or a widow who is the widow of a priest.
\v 23 They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and explain to them the difference between the clean and the unclean.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:23 \ft \+xt Lv 10:10; Ezk 22:26\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 24 “In a dispute, they will officiate as judges and decide the case according to my ordinances.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:24 \ft \+xt Dt 17:8–9; 2Ch 19:8\+xt*\f* They are to observe my laws and statutes regarding all my appointed festivals, and keep my Sabbaths holy.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:24 \ft \+xt Ezk 20:20; 22:26\+xt*\f*
\v 25 A priest may not come near a dead person so that he becomes defiled.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:25 \ft \+xt Lv 21:1–4\+xt*\f* However, he may defile himself for a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother, or an unmarried sister.
\v 26 After he is cleansed, he is to count off seven days for himself.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:26 \ft \+xt Nm 19:11–19\+xt*\f*
\v 27 On the day he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:27 \ft \+xt Lv 5:3,6\+xt*\f* to minister in the sanctuary, he is to present his sin offering.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\p
\v 28 “This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:28 \ft \+xt Nm 18:20; Dt 18:2; Jos 13:33\+xt*\f* You are to give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
\v 29 They will eat the grain offering, the sin offering,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:29 \ft \+xt Nm 18:9,14; Jos 13:14\+xt*\f* and the guilt offering. Everything in Israel that is permanently dedicated to the \nd Lord\nd* will belong to them.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:29 \ft \+xt Lv 27:21,28\+xt*\f*
\v 30 The best of all the firstfruits of every kind and contribution of every kind from all your gifts will belong to the priests.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:30 \ft \+xt Nm 18:8–13; Neh 10:35–37\+xt*\f* You are to give your first batch of dough to the priest~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:30 \ft \+xt Nm 15:20–21\+xt*\f* so that a blessing may rest on your homes.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:30 \ft \+xt Mal 3:10\+xt*\f*
\v 31 The priests may not eat any bird or animal that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 44:31 \ft \+xt Lv 22:8\+xt*\f*
\c 45
\s1 The Sacred Portion of the Land
\m
\v 1 “When you divide the land by lot as an inheritance,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 47:21; 48:29\+xt*\f* set aside a donation to the \nd Lord\nd*, a holy portion of the land,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:1 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:8–9\+xt*\f* 8~1/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:1 \ft Lit \fqa 25,000 cubits\ft , also in vv.~3,5,6\f* long and 6~2/3 miles~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 45:1 \ft LXX reads \fqa 20,000 cubits\ft ; MT reads \fqa 10,000 cubits\f* wide. This entire region will be holy.
\v 2 In this area there will be a square section~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:2 \ft Lit \fqa square all around\f* for the sanctuary, 875 by 875 feet,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:2 \ft Lit \fqa 500 by 500 cubits\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:2 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:20\+xt*\f* with 87~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:2 \ft Lit \fqa 50 cubits\f* of open space all around it.
\v 3 From this holy portion,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:3 \ft Lit \fqa this measured portion\f* you will measure off an area 8~1/3 miles long and 3~1/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:3 \ft Lit \fqa 10,000 cubits\ft , also in v.~5\f* wide, in which the sanctuary, the most holy place,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:12\+xt*\f* will stand.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:3 \ft Lit \fqa be\f*
\v 4 It will be a holy area of the land to be used by the priests who minister in the sanctuary, who approach to serve the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:10–11\+xt*\f* It will be a place for their houses, as well as a holy area for the sanctuary.
\v 5 There will be another area 8~1/3 miles long and 3~1/3 miles wide for the Levites who minister in the temple;~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:5 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:13\+xt*\f* it will be their possession for towns to live in.~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 45:5 \ft LXX; MT, Syr, Tg, Vg read \fqa possession~#—~#20 chambers\f*
\p
\v 6 “As the property of the city, set aside an area 1~2/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:6 \ft Lit \fqa 5,000 cubits\f* wide and 8~1/3 miles long, adjacent to the holy donation of land.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:6 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:15–18\+xt*\f* It will be for the whole house of Israel.
\v 7 And the prince will have the area on each side of the holy donation of land and the city’s property, adjacent to the holy donation and the city’s property, stretching to the west on the west side and to the east on the east side.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:7 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:21\+xt*\f* Its length will correspond to one of the tribal portions from the western boundary to the eastern boundary.
\v 8 This will be his land as a possession in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 19:7; 22:27\+xt*\f* but give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.
\p
\v 9 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: You have gone too far,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:9 \ft Lit \fqa Enough of you\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:9 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:6\+xt*\f* princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:9 \ft \+xt Jr 22:3\+xt*\f* Put an end to your evictions of my people.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 10 “You are to have honest scales, an honest dry measure,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:10 \ft Lit \fqa an honest ephah\f* and an honest liquid measure.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:10 \ft Lit \fqa and an honest bath\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:10 \ft \+xt Lv 19:36; Dt 25:15\+xt*\f*
\v 11 The dry measure~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:11 \ft Lit \fqa The ephah\f* and the liquid measure~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:11 \ft Lit \fqa the bath\f* will be uniform, with the liquid measure containing 5~1/2 gallons~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:11 \ft Lit \fqa one-tenth of a homer\f* and the dry measure holding half a bushel.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:11 \ft Lit \fqa one-tenth of a homer\f* Their measurement will be a tenth of the standard larger capacity measure.~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:11 \ft Lit \fqa be based on the homer\f*
\v 12 The shekel~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 45:12 \ft A shekel is about two-fifths of an ounce of silver\f* will weigh twenty gerahs.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:12 \ft \+xt Ex 30:13; Lv 27:25\+xt*\f* Your mina will equal sixty shekels.
\s1 The People’s Contribution to the Sacrifices
\m
\v 13 “This is the contribution you are to offer: Three quarts~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:13 \ft Lit \fqa One-sixth of an ephah\f* from six bushels~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:13 \ft Lit \fqa a homer\f* of wheat and~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 45:13 \ft LXX, Vg; MT reads \fqa and you are to give\f* three quarts from six bushels of barley.
\v 14 The quota of oil in liquid measures~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:14 \ft Lit \fqa oil, the bath, the oil\f* will be one percent of every~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:14 \ft Lit \fqa be a tenth of the bath from the\f* cor. The cor equals ten liquid measures or one standard larger capacity measure,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:14 \ft Lit \fqa 10 baths, a homer\f* since ten liquid measures equal one standard larger capacity measure.
\v 15 And the quota from the flock is one animal out of every two hundred from the well-watered pastures of Israel. These are for the grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings, to make atonement for the people.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:15 \ft \+xt Lv 1:4; 6:30\+xt*\f* This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\v 16 “All the people of the land must take part in this contribution for the prince in Israel.
\v 17 Then the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings for the festivals, New Moons, and Sabbaths~#—~#for all the appointed times of the house of Israel~#—~#will be the prince’s responsibility. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and fellowship offerings to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
\p
\v 18 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you are to take a young, unblemished bull and purify the sanctuary.
\v 19 The priest is to take some of the blood from the sin offering and apply it to the temple doorposts, the four corners of the altar’s ledge, and the doorposts of the gate of the inner court.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 43:20\+xt*\f*
\v 20 You are to do the same thing on the seventh day of the month for everyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:20 \ft \+xt Lv 4:2; 5:17\+xt*\f* In this way you will make atonement for the temple.
\p
\v 21 “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you are to celebrate the Passover, a festival of seven days during which unleavened bread will be eaten.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:21 \ft \+xt Ex 12:18; Lv 23:4–8; Nm 28:16–17; Dt 16:1\+xt*\f*
\v 22 On that day the prince will provide a bull as a sin offering on behalf of himself and all the people of the land.
\v 23 During the seven days of the festival, he will provide seven bulls and seven rams without blemish as a burnt offering to the \nd Lord\nd* on each of the seven days, along with a male goat each day for a sin offering.
\v 24 He will also provide a grain offering of half a bushel~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:24 \ft Lit \fqa an ephah\f* per bull and half a bushel per ram, along with a gallon~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 45:24 \ft Lit \fqa a hin\f* of oil for every half bushel.
\v 25 At the festival that begins on the fifteenth day of the seventh month,~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 45:25 \ft = the Festival of Shelters\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 45:25 \ft \+xt Lv 23:33–43; Dt 16:13–15\+xt*\f* he will provide the same things for seven days~#—~#the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and oil.
\c 46
\s1 Sacrifices at Appointed Times
\m
\v 1 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: The gate of the inner court that faces east is to be closed during the six days of work, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:1 \ft \+xt Ex 20:9–10\+xt*\f* and opened on the day of the New Moon.
\v 2 The prince should enter from the outside by way of the gate’s portico and stand at the gate’s doorpost while the priests sacrifice his burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He will bow in worship at the gate’s threshold and then depart, but the gate is not to be closed until evening.
\v 3 The people of the land will also bow in worship before the \nd Lord\nd* at the entrance of that gate on the Sabbaths and New Moons.
\p
\v 4 “The burnt offering that the prince presents to the \nd Lord\nd*~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:4 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:17\+xt*\f* on the Sabbath day is to be six unblemished lambs~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:4 \ft \+xt Nm 28:9\+xt*\f* and an unblemished ram.
\v 5 The grain offering will be half a bushel~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:5 \ft Lit \fqa an ephah\ft , also in vv.~7,11\f* with the ram,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:5 \ft \+xt Nm 28:12; Ezk 45:24\+xt*\f* and the grain offering with the lambs will be whatever he wants to give, as well as a gallon~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:5 \ft Lit \fqa a hin\ft , also in vv.~7,11\f* of oil for every half bushel.
\v 6 On the day of the New Moon, the burnt offering is to be a young, unblemished bull, as well as six lambs and a ram without blemish.
\v 7 He will provide a grain offering of half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he can afford with the lambs, together with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.
\v 8 When the prince enters,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:8 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:3\+xt*\f* he is to go in by way of the gate’s portico and go out the same way.
\p
\v 9 “When the people of the land come before the \nd Lord\nd* at the appointed times,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:9 \ft Or \fqa the festivals\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:9 \ft \+xt Ex 23:14–17\+xt*\f* whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship is to go out by way of the south gate, and whoever enters by way of the south gate is to go out by way of the north gate. No one may return through the gate by which he entered, but is to go out by the opposite gate.
\v 10 When the people enter, the prince will enter with them, and when they leave, he will leave.
\v 11 At the festivals and appointed times, the grain offering will be half a bushel with the bull, half a bushel with the ram, and whatever he wants to give with the lambs, along with a gallon of oil for every half bushel.
\p
\v 12 “When the prince makes a freewill offering, whether a burnt offering or a fellowship offering as a freewill offering to the \nd Lord\nd*,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:12 \ft \+xt Lv 23:38\+xt*\f* the gate that faces east is to be opened for him. He is to offer his burnt offering or fellowship offering just as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate is to be closed after he leaves.
\p
\v 13 “You are to offer an unblemished year-old male lamb as a daily burnt offering to the \nd Lord\nd*; you will offer it every morning.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:13 \ft \+xt Ex 29:38\+xt*\f*
\v 14 You are also to prepare a grain offering every morning along with it: three quarts,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:14 \ft Lit \fqa one-sixth of an ephah\f* with one-third of a gallon~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:14 \ft Lit \fqa one-third of a hin\f* of oil to moisten the fine flour~#—~#a grain offering to the \nd Lord\nd*. This is a permanent statute to be observed regularly.
\v 15 They will offer the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil every morning as a regular burnt offering.
\s1 Transfer of Royal Lands
\m
\v 16 “This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: If the prince gives a gift to each of his sons as their inheritance, it will belong to his sons. It will become their property by inheritance.
\v 17 But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:17 \ft \+xt Lv 25:10\+xt*\f* when it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it is theirs.
\v 18 The prince must not take any of the people’s inheritance, evicting them from their property.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:18 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:8–9\+xt*\f* He is to provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of my people will be displaced from his own property.”
\s1 The Temple Kitchens
\m
\v 19 Then he brought me through the entrance~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 42:9\+xt*\f* that was at the side of the gate, into the priests’ holy chambers, which faced north. I saw a place there at the far western end.
\v 20 He said to me, “This is the place where the priests will boil the guilt offering and the sin offering,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:20 \ft \+xt 2Ch 35:13; Ezk 44:29\+xt*\f* and where they will bake the grain offering,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 46:20 \ft \+xt Lv 2:4–7\+xt*\f* so that they do not bring them into the outer court and transmit holiness to the people.”
\v 21 Next he brought me into the outer court and led me past its four corners. There was a separate court in each of its corners.
\v 22 In the four corners of the outer court there were enclosed~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:22 \ft Hb obscure\f* courts, 70 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:22 \ft Lit \fqa 40 cubits\f* long by 52~1/2 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:22 \ft Lit \fqa 30 cubits\f* wide. All four corner areas had the same dimensions.
\v 23 There was a stone wall~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 46:23 \ft Or \fqa a row\f* around the inside of them, around the four of them, with ovens built at the base of the walls on all sides.
\v 24 He said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple will cook the people’s sacrifices.”
\c 47
\s1 The Life-Giving River
\m
\v 1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:1 \ft \+xt Ps 46:4; Zch 14:8; Rv 22:1\+xt*\f*
\v 2 Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side.
\v 3 As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:3 \ft \+xt Ezk 40:3\+xt*\f* he measured off a third of a mile~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 47:3 \ft Lit \fqa 1,000 cubits\ft , also in vv.~4,5\f* and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles.
\v 4 Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist.
\v 5 Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.
\p
\v 6 He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?~” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.
\v 7 When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:7 \ft \+xt Rv 22:2\+xt*\f*
\v 8 He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 47:8 \ft Or \fqa enters the sea, being brought out to the sea\ft ; Hb obscure\f*\sup ,\sup*\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 47:8 \ft = the Dead Sea\f* the water of the sea becomes fresh.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:8 \ft \+xt Ex 15:26; 2Kg 2:21\+xt*\f*
\v 9 Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 47:9 \ft LXX, Vg; MT reads \fqa the two rivers flow\f* and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes.
\v 10 Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 47:10 \ft Two springs near the Dead Sea\f* These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:10 \ft \+xt Nm 34:3; Ezk 48:28\+xt*\f*
\v 11 Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt.
\v 12 All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:12 \ft \+xt Ps 1:3\+xt*\f* Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for eating and their leaves for healing.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:12 \ft \+xt Rv 22:2\+xt*\f*
\s1 The Borders of the Land
\m
\v 13 This is what the Lord \nd God\nd* says: “This is~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 47:13 \ft Tg, Vg; Syr reads \fqa The valley of\f* the border you will use to divide the land~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:13 \ft \+xt Nm 34:2–12\+xt*\f* as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two shares.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:13 \ft \+xt Gn 48:15–16\+xt*\f*
\v 14 You will inherit it in equal portions, since I swore~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 47:14 \ft Lit \fqa lifted my hand\f* to give it to your ancestors.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:14 \ft \+xt Dt 1:8; Ezk 20:6\+xt*\f* So this land will fall to you as an inheritance.
\p
\v 15 This is to be the border of the land:
\pi On the north side~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:15 \ft \+xt Nm 34:7–9; Ezk 48:1\+xt*\f* it will extend from the Mediterranean Sea by way of Hethlon and Lebo-hamath to Zedad,~\f + \cat (I)\cat* \fr 47:15 \ft LXX; MT reads \fqa and Lebo to Zedad, Hamath\ft ; Ezk 48:1\f*
\v 16 Berothah, and Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), as far as Hazer-hatticon, which is on the border of Hauran.
\v 17 So the border will run from the sea to Hazar-enon at the border~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:17 \ft \+xt Nm 34:9\+xt*\f* of Damascus, with the territory of Hamath to the north. This will be the northern side.
\b
\pi
\v 18 On the east side it will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel; you will measure from the northern border to the eastern sea.~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 47:18 \ft = the Dead Sea\f* This will be the eastern side.
\b
\pi
\v 19 On the south side it will run from Tamar to the Waters of Meribath-kadesh,~\f + \cat (III)\cat* \fr 47:19 \ft = Kadesh-barnea\f* and on to the Brook of Egypt~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:19 \ft \+xt Nm 34:5; 1Kg 8:65; Is 27:12\+xt*\f* as far as the Mediterranean Sea.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 48:28\+xt*\f* This will be the southern side.
\b
\pi
\v 20 On the west side the Mediterranean Sea will be the border, from the southern border up to a point opposite Lebo-hamath. This will be the western side.
\b
\p
\v 21 “You are to divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:1\+xt*\f*
\v 22 You will allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens residing among you,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 47:22 \ft \+xt Ac 11:18; 15:9; Eph 2:12–14; 3:6; Col 3:11\+xt*\f* who have fathered children among you. You will treat them~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 47:22 \ft Lit \fqa They will be to you\f* like native-born Israelites; along with you, they will be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
\v 23 In whatever tribe the alien resides, you will assign his inheritance there.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\c 48
\s1 The Tribal Allotments
\m
\v 1 “Now these are the names of the tribes:
\li1 From the northern end, along the road of Hethlon, to Lebo-hamath as far as Hazar-enon, at the northern border of Damascus, alongside Hamath and extending from the eastern side to the sea, will be Dan~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 2 Next to the territory of Dan, from the east side to the west, will be Asher~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 3 Next to the territory of Asher, from the east side to the west, will be Naphtali~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 4 Next to the territory of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, will be Manasseh~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 5 Next to the territory of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, will be Ephraim~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 6 Next to the territory of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, will be Reuben~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 7 Next to the territory of Reuben, from the east side to the west, will be Judah~#—~#one portion.
\b
\p
\v 8 “Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west, will be the portion you donate to the \nd Lord\nd*, 8~1/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:8 \ft Lit \fqa 25,000 cubits\ft , also in vv.~9,~10,~13,~15,~20,~21\f* wide, and as long as one of the tribal portions from the east side to the west.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:8–9 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:1–5\+xt*\f* The sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
\p
\v 9 “The special portion you donate to the \nd Lord\nd* will be 8~1/3 miles long and 3~1/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:9 \ft Lit \fqa 10,000 cubits\ft , also in vv.~10,13,18\f* wide.
\v 10 This holy donation will be set apart for the priests alone. It will be 8~1/3 miles long on the northern side, 3~1/3 miles wide on the western side, 3~1/3 miles wide on the eastern side, and 8~1/3 miles long on the southern side. The \nd Lord\nd*’s sanctuary will be in the middle of it.
\v 11 It is for the consecrated priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept my charge~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:11 \ft \+xt Ezk 44:10,15\+xt*\f* and did not go astray as the Levites did when the Israelites went astray.
\v 12 It will be a special donation for them out of the holy donation of the land, a most holy place adjacent to the territory of the Levites.
\p
\v 13 “Next to the territory of the priests, the Levites will have an area 8~1/3 miles long and 3~1/3 miles wide. The total length will be 8~1/3 miles and the width 3~1/3 miles.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:13 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:1\+xt*\f*
\v 14 They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this choice part of the land, for it is holy to the \nd Lord\nd*.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:14 \ft \+xt Lv 25:34; 27:28\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 15 “The remaining area, 1~2/3 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:15 \ft Lit \fqa 5,000 cubits\f* wide and 8~1/3 miles long, will be for common use by the city,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:15 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:6\+xt*\f* for both residential and open space. The city will be in the middle of it.
\v 16 These are the city’s measurements:
\li1 1~1/2 miles~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:16 \ft Lit \fqa 4,500 cubits\ft , also in vv.~30,32,33,34\f* on the north side;
\li1 1~1/2 miles on the south side;
\li1 1~1/2 miles on the east side;
\li1 and 1~1/2 miles on the west side.
\m
\v 17 The city’s open space will extend:
\li1 425 feet~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:17 \ft Lit \fqa 250 cubits\f* to the north,
\li1 425 feet to the south,
\li1 425 feet to the east,
\li1 and 425 feet to the west.
\b
\p
\v 18 “The remainder of the length alongside the holy donation will be 3~1/3 miles to the east and 3~1/3 miles to the west. It will run alongside the holy donation. Its produce will be food for the workers of the city.
\v 19 The city’s workers from all the tribes of Israel will cultivate it.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:19 \ft \+xt Ezk 45:6\+xt*\f*
\v 20 The entire donation will be 8~1/3 miles by 8~1/3 miles; you are to set apart the holy donation along with the city property as a square area.
\p
\v 21 “The remaining area on both sides of the holy donation and the city property will belong to the prince.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:21 \ft \+xt Ezk 34:24; 45:7\+xt*\f* He will own the land adjacent to the tribal portions, next to the 8~1/3 miles of the donation as far as the eastern border and~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:21 \ft Lit \fqa border, and to the west,\f* next to the 8~1/3 miles of the donation as far as the western border. The holy donation and the sanctuary of the temple will be in the middle of it.
\v 22 Except for the Levitical property and the city property in the middle of the area belonging to the prince, the area between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin will belong to the prince.~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:22 \ft \+xt Jos 18:21–28\+xt*\f*
\p
\v 23 “As for the rest of the tribes:
\li1 From the east side to the west, will be Benjamin~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 24 Next to the territory of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, will be Simeon~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 25 Next to the territory of Simeon, from the east side to the west, will be Issachar~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 26 Next to the territory of Issachar, from the east side to the west, will be Zebulun~#—~#one portion.
\li1
\v 27 Next to the territory of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, will be Gad~#—~#one portion.
\m
\v 28 Next to the territory of Gad toward the south side, the border will run from Tamar to the Waters~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:28 \ft \+xt 2Ch 20:2\+xt*\f* of Meribath-kadesh, to the Brook of Egypt, and out to the Mediterranean Sea.
\v 29 This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to Israel’s tribes,~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:29 \ft \+xt Ezk 47:13–20\+xt*\f* and these will be their portions.” This is the declaration of the Lord \nd God\nd*.
\s1 The New City
\m
\v 30 “These are the exits of the city:
\li1 On the north side, which measures 1~1/2 miles,
\v 31 there will be three gates facing north, the gates of the city being named for the tribes of Israel: one, the gate of Reuben; one, the gate of Judah; and one, the gate of Levi.
\li1
\v 32 On the east side, which is 1~1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Joseph; one, the gate of Benjamin; and one, the gate of Dan.
\li1
\v 33 On the south side, which measures 1~1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Simeon; one, the gate of Issachar; and one, the gate of Zebulun.
\li1
\v 34 On the west side, which is 1~1/2 miles, there will be three gates: one, the gate of Gad; one, the gate of Asher; and one, the gate of Naphtali.
\m
\v 35 The perimeter of the city will be six miles,~\f + \cat (II)\cat* \fr 48:35 \ft Lit \fqa 18,000 cubits\f* and the name of the city from that day on will be The \nd Lord\nd* Is There.”~\f + \cat (IV)\cat* \fr 48:35 \ft \+xt Is 12:6; 14:32; 24:23; Jr 3:17; 8:19; 14:9; Ezk 35:10; Jl 3:21; Zch 2:10; Rv 21:3; 22:3\+xt*\f*
\m
