Idolatrous Elders Condemned

1Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. 2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 3“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put in front of their faces the stumbling block of their wrongdoing. Should I let Myself be consulted by them at all? 4Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord [a]GOD says: “Anyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will let Myself answer him in [b]the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, 5in order to take hold of [c]the hearts of the house of Israel who have [d]turned away from Me due to all their idols.”’

6“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: “Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who reside in Israel, who deserts Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts in front of his face the stumbling block of his wrongdoing, and then comes to the prophet to request something of Me for himself, I the LORD will let Myself answer him Myself. 8I will set My face against that person and make him a sign and [e]a proverb, and I will eliminate him from among My people. So you will know that I am the LORD.

9“But if the prophet is persuaded so that he speaks a word, it is I, the LORD, who have persuaded that prophet; and I will stretch out My hand against him and eliminate him from among My people Israel. 10And they will bear the punishment for their wrongdoing; as the wrongdoing of the inquirer is, so the wrongdoing of the prophet will be, 11in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their offenses. So they will be My people, and I shall be their God,”’ declares the Lord GOD.”

The City Will Not Be Spared

12Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 13“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out My hand against it, [f]destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and eliminate from it both human and animal life, 14even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only save themselves,” declares the Lord GOD. 15“If I were to cause vicious animals to pass through the land and they [g]depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the animals, 16though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the country would be desolate. 17Or if I were to bring a sword on that country and say, ‘A sword is to pass through the country,’ and I eliminated human and animal life from it, 18even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “they could not save either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be saved. 19Or if I were to send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath on it in blood to eliminate man and animal from it, 20even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “they could not save either their son or their daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.”

21For this is what the Lord GOD says: “How much more when I send My four [h]severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, vicious animals, and plague to eliminate human and animal life from it! 22Yet, behold, [i]survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come out to you, and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the disaster which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. 23Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done without reason whatever I did [j]to it,” declares the Lord GOD.