Ezekiel 11

Evil in High Places

1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.

1And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of YHWH, facing eastward. And behold, at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw in their midst Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

2And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.

2And He said to me: “Son of man, these are the men devising iniquity and counseling evil counsel in this city,

3They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’

3those saying, ‘It is not near for building houses? She is the pot, and we are the meat!’

4Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!”

4Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

5And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.

5And fell upon me the Spirit of YHWH, and He said to me, “Say, thus says YHWH: Thus you have said, O house of Israel—and the things coming upon your spirit I know.

6You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.

6You have multiplied your slain in this city, and its streets you have filled with the slain.

7Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.

7Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: Your slain that you have set in its midst, they are the flesh, and she is the pot; and you will be brought out from her midst.

8You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.

8The sword you have feared, and the sword I will bring upon you, a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

9I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.

9And I will bring you out from her midst, and I will give you into the hands of strangers, and I will execute judgments against you.

10You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

10By the sword you will fall, and at the border of Israel I will judge you. And you will know that I am YHWH.

11The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel.

11She will not be a pot for you, nor will you be in her midst as meat; at the border of Israel I will judge you,

12Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”

12and you will know that I am YHWH. For in My statutes you have not walked, and My ordinances you have not done, and according to the ordinances of the nations that are around you you have done.”

A Promise of Restoration

13Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”

13And it came to pass in my prophesying that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. And I fell on my face and cried out in a great voice, and said: “Ah, Lord YHWH! Are You going to make to a complete end of the remnant of Israel?”

14Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

14And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:

15“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

15“Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, the men of your kindred, and all the house of Israel—all of it, are those whom those dwelling in Jerusalem have said to them, ‘Get far away from YHWH; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

16Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’

16Therefore say, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Although I have set them far away among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the lands, I have been for them for a little while a sanctuary in the lands to which they have gone there.’

17Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’

17Therefore say, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘And I will gather you from the peoples, and will assemble you from the lands to which you have been scattered in them, and I will give to you the land of Israel.’

18When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.

18And they will go there, and they will turn aside all her detestable things and all her abominations from her.

19And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,

19And I will give to them a single heart, and I will give a new spirit within them; and I will turn away the heart of stone from their flesh, and I will give to them a heart of flesh,

20so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.

20so that they may walk in My statutes and they may keep My ordinances and may do them; and they will be unto Me for a people, and I will be unto them God.

21But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

21And to those whose heart their detestable things and whose heart their abominations is going after, their deeds I will recompense upon their own heads! An utterance of the Lord YHWH.”

God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

22Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

22And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them from above.

23And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.

23And the glory of YHWH went up from the midst of the city, and it stood on the mountain that is on the east of the city.

24And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,

24And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to Chaldea, to the captivity, in a vision by the Spirit of God; and went up from me the vision that I had seen.

25I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

25And I spoke to the captivity all the words of YHWH that He had shown to me.