1 T hen came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

Then some leaders of Israel came and sat down in front of me.

2 Y ahweh’s word came to me, saying,

And the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

3 S on 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?

“Son of man, these men have taken false gods into their hearts. They have put in front of their faces the sin which is the cause of their fall. Should I let Myself be asked questions by them at all?

4 T herefore speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: 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, and comes to the prophet; I Yahweh will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;

So speak to them and tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “Every man of Israel who has given his heart to false gods and lets them lead him into sin and then comes to the man of God, I the Lord will answer him, the answer that his many false gods should get,

5 t hat I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

that I may again have the hearts of the people of Israel who have left Me for their false gods.”’

6 T herefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

“So tell the people of Israel, ‘The Lord God says, “Be sorry for your sins and turn away from your false gods. Turn your faces away from all your sinful ways.

7 F or 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 Yahweh will answer him by myself:

If a man of Israel or a stranger living in Israel who turns away from Me and gives his heart to false gods, and worships them, and if he then comes to the man of God to get answers from Me, I the Lord will answer him Myself.

8 a nd 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; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

I will set My face against that man and make him something special to see and to speak against. I will cut him off from among My people. And you will know that I am the Lord.

9 I f the prophet is deceived and speak a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from among my people Israel.

But if the man who speaks in My name is given a false answer, it is I, the Lord, Who has caused him to speak. And I will put out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.

10 T hey shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;

They will suffer the punishment of their sin. The man who asks the question and the man who speaks to him in My name will both be punished in the same way.

11 t hat the house of Israel may go no more 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 Yahweh.

This is so that the people of Israel may no longer turn away from Me, and no longer make themselves sinful with all their wrong-doing. They will be My people and I will be their God,”’ says the Lord God.” Those Not Faithful Are Judged

12 Y ahweh’s word came to me, saying,

Then the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

13 S on 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;

“Son of man, if a country sins against Me by not being faithful, I will put out My hand against it. I will destroy its store of bread, and send hunger against it, and take away both man and animal from it.

14 t hough these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Yahweh.

For even if these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in this country, they would save only their own lives by being right and good,” says the Lord God.

15 I f 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;

“If I sent wild animals to pass through the land to kill its people and destroy it so that no one would go through it because of the wild animals,

16 t hough these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

even if these three men were in the land, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they could not save their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved, but the country would be laid waste.

17 O r 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;

If I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and animal from it,’

18 t hough these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

even if these three men were in the land, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they could not save their sons or their daughters. They alone would be saved.

19 O r 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;

Or if I send a disease against that country and show My anger by killing, to take away man and animal from it,

20 t hough Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in the land, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they could not save their son or daughter. They would save only themselves by being right and good.

21 F or thus says the Lord Yahweh: How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal!

“For the Lord God says, ‘How much worse will it be when I send my four worst punishments against Jerusalem! I will send the sword, hunger, wild animals, and disease, to take away man and animal from it!

22 Y et, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried out, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come out to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

Yet there will be some people and their children left alive in it who will be brought out. When they come to you, see how sinful they are. Then you will know that all the trouble I brought upon Jerusalem was right.

23 T hey shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord Yahweh.

It will help you when you see how they act. Then you will know that there was a good reason for everything I did,’ says the Lord God.”