Evil Rulers to Be Judged

1Now the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the LORD’S house which faced eastward. And behold, there were twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2Then He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise wrongdoing and give evil advice in this city, 3who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. [a]This city is the pot and we are the meat.’ 4Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man!”

5Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘This is what the LORD says: “This is how you think, house of Israel, for I know [b]your thoughts. 6You have multiplied your slain in this city, and filled its streets with [c]them.” 7Therefore, this is what the Lord [d]GOD says: “Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of [e]the city are the meat and this city is the pot; but [f]I will bring you out of it. 8You have feared a sword; so I will bring a sword upon you,” the Lord GOD declares. 9“And I will bring you out of the midst of [g]the city, and hand you over to strangers, and execute judgments against you. 10You will fall by the sword. I will judge you to the border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the LORD. 11This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be meat in the midst of it; I will judge you to the border of Israel. 12So you will know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes, nor have you executed My ordinances, but you have acted in accordance with the ordinances of the nations around you.”’”

13Now it came about, as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, and said, “Oh, Lord GOD! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete destruction?”

Promise of Restoration

14Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 15“Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, [h]your fellow exiles, and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Keep far from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ 16Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [i]them. And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20so that they may walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. 21[j]But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will [k]bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.

22Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [l]hovered over them. 23The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to [m]Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen [n]left me. 25And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.

[a] 3 Or This is
[b] 5 Lit what comes up in your spirit
[c] 6 Lit the slain
[d] 7 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LORD, and so throughout the ch
[e] 7 Lit it
[f] 7 As in LXX; MT he will bring you out
[g] 9 Lit it
[h] 15 As in LXX and some ancient versions; MT the men of your redemption
[i] 19 As in LXX and many mss; MT you
[j] 21 Lit And to the heart of their detestable things and their abominations their heart goes
[k] 21 Lit give...conduct on
[l] 22 Lit over them from above
[m] 24 I.e., Babylonia
[n] 24 Lit went up from