Evil Rulers to Be Judged

1 Moreover, the (A)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 (B)Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and (C)give evil advice in this city, 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. (a)This (D)city is the pot and we are the flesh.’ 4 Therefore, (E)prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “So you think, house of Israel, for (F)I know (b)your (G)thoughts. 6 You have (H)multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with (c)them.” 7 Therefore, thus says the Lord (d)God, “Your (I)slain whom you have laid in the midst of (e)the city are the flesh and this city is the pot; but (f)I will (J)bring you out of it. 8 You have (K)feared a sword; so I will (L)bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God declares. 9 “And I will bring you out of the midst of (g)the city and deliver you into the hands of (M)strangers and (N)execute judgments against you. 10 You will (O)fall by the sword. I will judge you to the (P)border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will (Q)not be a pot for you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, but I will judge you to the border of Israel. 12 Thus you will know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you (R)executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the (S)nations around you.”’”
13 Now it came about as I prophesied, that (T)Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “(U)Alas, Lord God! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”

Promise of Restoration

14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your (h)relatives, (i)your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; this land has been given (V)us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a (W)sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “I will (X)gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they come there, they will (Y)remove all its (Z)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (AA)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within (j)them. And I will take the (AB)heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a (AC)heart of flesh, 20 that they may (AD)walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (AE)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 (k)But as for those whose hearts go after their (AF)detestable things and abominations, I will (AG)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim (AH)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (AI)the glory of the God of Israel (l)hovered over them. 23 The (AJ)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (AK)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (AL)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles (m)in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen (n)(AM)left me. 25 Then I (AN)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

Footnotes:

a. Ezekiel 11:3: ['Or ', This is]
b. Ezekiel 11:5: ['Lit ', what comes up in your spirit]
c. Ezekiel 11:6: ['Lit ', the slain]
d. Ezekiel 11:7: ['Heb ', YHWH, ', usually rendered ', Lord, ', and so throughout the ch']
e. Ezekiel 11:7: ['Lit ', it]
f. Ezekiel 11:7: ['So with Gr; Heb ', he will bring you out]
g. Ezekiel 11:9: ['Lit ', it]
h. Ezekiel 11:15: ['Lit ', brothers]
i. Ezekiel 11:15: ['So with Gr and some ancient versions; Heb ', the men of your redemption]
j. Ezekiel 11:19: ['So with Gr and many mss; Heb ', you]
k. Ezekiel 11:21: ['Lit ', And to the heart of their detestable things and their abomination their heart goes]
l. Ezekiel 11:22: ['Lit ', over them from above]
m. Ezekiel 11:24: ['I.e. Babylonia']
n. Ezekiel 11:24: ['Lit ', went up from]

Cross references:

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