Judgment on Wicked Counselors
1 Thenthe Spirit lifted me up and brought me tothe East Gate of theLord’s house, which faces eastward; and thereat the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 And He said to me: “Son of man, thesearethe men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,
3 who say, ‘Thetimeisnotnear to build houses;thiscityisthe caldron, and wearethe meat.’
4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man!”
5 Thenthe Spirit of theLordfell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says theLord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; forI know the things that come into your mind.
6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”
7 Therefore thus says the LordGod:“Your slain whom you have laid in its midst, theyarethe meat, and thiscityisthe caldron;but I shall bring you out of the midst of it.
8 You havefeared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you,” says the LordGod.
9 “And I will bring you out of its midst, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, andexecute judgments on you.
10 You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you atthe border of Israel.Then you shall know that IamtheLord.
11 Thiscityshall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel.
12 And you shall know that IamtheLord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor executed My judgments, buthave done according to the customs of the Gentiles whichareall around you.” ’ ”
13 Now it happened, while I was prophesying, thatPelatiah the son of Benaiah died. ThenI fell on my face and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah, LordGod! Will You make a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”
God Will Restore Israel
14 Again the word of theLordcame to me, saying,
15 “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety,arethose about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from theLord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries,yet I shall be a little sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’
17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the LordGod:“I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’
18 And they will go there, and they will take away all itsdetestable things and all its abominations from there.
19 ThenI will give them one heart, and I will puta new spirit within them, and takethe stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh,
20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them;and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
21 Butasforthosewhose hearts follow the desire for their detestable things and their abominations,I will recompense their deeds on their own heads,” says the LordGod.
22 So the cherubimlifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israelwashigh above them.
23 Andthe glory of theLordwent up from the midst of the city and stoodon the mountain,whichison the east side of the city.
24 Thenthe Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.
25 So I spoke to those in captivity of all the things theLordhad shown me.