Ezekiel 11; Ezekiel 12

1 A wind lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the LORD's temple. There at the entrance to the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw that two officials of the people, Jaazaniah, Azzur's son, and Pelatiah, Benaiah's son, were with them.

2 He said to me: Human one, these men devise evil plans and give wicked advice in this city.

3 They are the ones who say, "The nearest relatives aren't building houses. The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat."

4 Therefore, prophesy against them, human one, prophesy!

5 The LORD's spirit took hold of me, and he said to me: Say, This is what the LORD God proclaims: So you have said, house of Israel! But I know what you really mean.

6 You continue to commit murder in this city, and you fill its streets with the slain.

7 Therefore, the LORD God proclaims: The city is the cooking pot, and the ones you have slain in it are the meat. But you will be taken out of it.

8 You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you. This is what the LORD God says!

9 I will lead you out of the city, hand you over to foreigners, and execute judgments against you.

10 You will fall by the sword! At Israel's borders I will judge you, and you will know that I am the LORD.

11 The city won't be your cooking pot, and you won't be the meat in it. At Israel's borders, I will judge you.

12 You will know that I am the LORD, whose regulations you didn't observe and whose case laws you didn't follow. Instead, you followed the case laws of the nations around you.

13 While I was prophesying, Benaiah's son Pelatiah dropped dead. I fell on my face, and I wailed and said, "Oh, LORD God! Are you finishing off even the Israelites who are left?"

14 The LORD's word came to me:

15 Human one, when the people living in Jerusalem said, "They've gone far from the LORD, and we've been given the land as an inheritance," they were talking about your family, your nearest relatives, the whole house of Israel, all of it.

16 Therefore, say, The LORD God proclaims: Even though I made them go far away among the nations and caused them to scatter throughout the earth, I've provided some sanctuary for them in the countries to which they've gone.

17 Therefore, say, The LORD God proclaims: I will gather you from the nations, assemble you from the countries where you were scattered, and I will give you Israel's fertile land.

18 They will enter the land, and they will remove from it all its disgusting and detestable things.

19 I will give them a single heart, and I will put a new spirit in them. I will remove the stony hearts from their bodies and give them hearts of flesh

20 so that they may follow my regulations and carefully observe my case laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

21 As for those whose hearts continue to go after their disgusting and detestable things, I will hold them accountable for their ways. This is what the LORD God says!

22 Then the winged creatures raised their wings. The wheels were next to them, and the glory of Israel's God was above them.

23 The LORD's glory ascended from the middle of the city, and it stopped at the mountain east of the city.

24 And a wind lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Chaldea, through a vision with a divine wind. When the vision I had seen left me,

25 I spoke to the exiles about everything the LORD had shown to me.

1 The LORD's word came to me:

2 Human one, you live in a household of rebels. They have eyes to see but they don't see, ears to hear but they don't hear, because they are a household of rebels.

3 But you, human one, prepare a backpack for going into exile. In the daytime while they watch, go into exile; while they watch, go out from your place to another. Even though they are a household of rebels, perhaps they will understand.

4 In the daytime while they watch, carry your backpack as if for exile. At twilight while they watch, go out like those who are led out to exile.

5 While they watch, dig a hole through the wall and take your backpack out through it.

6 While they watch, shoulder your backpack and carry it out in the dark. Cover your face so that you can't see the land, because I'm making you a sign for the house of Israel.

7 So I did as I was commanded. I carried out my backpack like an exile's backpack in the daytime. At night I dug a hole through the wall with my hands. In the darkness, I shouldered my backpack and carried it out while they watched.

8 In the morning, the LORD's word came to me:

9 Human one, has the house of Israel, that household of rebels, asked you, "What are you doing?"

10 Say to them, The LORD God proclaims: This concerns the prince in Jerusalem, along with the entire house of Israel in it.

11 Say: I'm your sign. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into captivity in exile.

12 Their prince will shoulder his backpack at night and go out. They will dig through the wall to lead him out through it, and he will cover his face so that his eyes won't see the land.

13 But I will spread my net over him, catch him in my trap, and bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans. He won't see it, but he will die there.

14 As for all those who are in league with him, I will scatter his helpers and all his troops to the winds and let the sword loose after them.

15 They will know that I am the LORD when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

16 But I will preserve a few of their number from the sword, famine, and plague, so that they may confess all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

17 The LORD's word came to me:

18 Human one, eat your bread in trembling, and drink your water in anxious agitation.

19 Say to the land's people, The LORD God proclaims to those living in Jerusalem regarding Israel's fertile land: As they anxiously eat up their bread and drink up their water in dismay, the land will be emptied of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.

20 The inhabited cities will be laid waste, the land left desolate, and you will know that I am the LORD.

21 The LORD's word came to me:

22 Human one, what is this proverb of your people concerning Israel's fertile land? They say, "The days go by, and every vision vanishes."

23 Therefore, say to them, The LORD God proclaims: I'll put an end to this proverb! It will never again be uttered in Israel. Tell them instead: The days are coming soon for the fulfillment of every vision.

24 Never again will there be any worthless vision or deceptive divination in the house of Israel.

25 I am the LORD! The word that I speak is the word that I will speak! It will happen and be delayed no longer. In your own days, household of rebels, I speak a word and make it happen. This is what the LORD God says!

26 The LORD's word came to me:

27 Human one, the house of Israel is now saying, "The vision that he sees is for distant days; he prophesies about future times."

28 Therefore, say to them, The LORD God proclaims: It will be delayed no longer. Every word of mine that I've spoken is certain, and it will happen. This is what the LORD God says.