The Prophet Ezekiel

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- Chapter 14 -

(Romans 14:13–23; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

Then the word of Yahweh came to me and said,

“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their own faces. Should I be inquired of at all by them?

Therefore, announce this to them and say to them, ’Lord Yahweh says this: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet-I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols.

I will do this so that I may take back the house of Israel in their hearts that have been driven far from me through their idols.’

Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ’Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations.

For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners staying in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me-I, Yahweh, will answer him myself.

So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

If a prophet is deceived and speaks a message, then I, Yahweh, will deceive that prophet; I will reach out with my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

They will carry their own iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet will be the same as the iniquity of the one who inquires from him.

Because of this, the house of Israel will no longer wander away from following me nor defile themselves any longer through all their transgressions. They will be my people, and I will be their God-this is Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

Four Dire Judgments

Then the word of Yahweh came to me and said,

“Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a sin so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both man and beast from the land;

then even if these three men-Noah, Daniel, and Job-were in the land’s midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness-this is Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

If I send evil beasts through the land and make it barren so that it becomes a wasteland where no man may pass through because of the beasts,

then even if these same three men were in it-as I live, declares Lord Yahweh-they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued, but the land would become a wasteland.

Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Sword, go through the land and cut off both man and beast from it’,

then even if these three men were in the midst of the land-as I live, declares Lord Yahweh-they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued.

Or if I send a plague against this land and pour out my fury against it through bloodshed, in order to cut off both man and beast,

then even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land-as I live, declares Lord Yahweh-they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued by their righteousness.

For Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four punishments-famine, sword, wild animals, and plague-against Jerusalem to cut off both man and beast from her.

Yet, behold! A remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land.

The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!-this is Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

(Romans 14:13–23; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

Then some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face. Should I be inquired of at all by them?

Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him there according to the multitude of his idols,

that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.”’

“Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Return, and turn yourselves from your idols! Turn away your faces from all your abominations.

“‘“For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me, I the LORD will answer him by myself.

I will set my face against that man and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

“‘“If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from among my people Israel.

They will bear their iniquity. The iniquity of the prophet will be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him,

that the house of Israel may no more go astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God,” says the Lord GOD.’”

Four Dire Judgments

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal—

though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD.

“If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it and it is made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals—

though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They only would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.

“Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land, so that I cut off from it man and animal’—

though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only would be delivered themselves.

“Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal—

though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness.”

For the Lord GOD says: “How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword, the famine, the evil animals, and the pestilence—to cut off from it man and animal!

Yet, behold, there will be left a remnant in it that will be carried out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they will come out to you, and you will see their way and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

They will comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; then you will know that I have not done all that I have done in it without cause,” says the Lord GOD.