Ezekiel, 11

1. The spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Temple of Yahweh, the gate that looks eastwards. There at the entrance to the gate stood twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.

1. The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the door of the gateway there were twenty-five men; and I saw among them Ja-azani'ah the son of Azzur, and Pelati'ah the son of Benai'ah, princes of the people.

2. He said to me, 'Son of man, these are the wicked schemers who are spreading their bad advice through this city.

2. And he said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;

3. They say, "There will be no house-building yet awhile. The city is the cooking pot and we are the meat."

3. who say, `The time is not near to build houses; this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.'

4. So prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man!'

4. Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man."

5. The spirit of Yahweh fell on me, and he said to me, 'Say, "Yahweh says this: I know what you are saying, House of Israel, I know how insolent you are.

5. And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, "Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.

6. You have filled this city with more and more of your victims; you have strewn its streets with victims.

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

7. And so the Lord Yahweh says this: Your victims, whom you have put in it, are the meat, and the city is the cooking pot; but I shall take you out of it.

7. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but you shall be brought forth out of the midst of it.

8. You are afraid of the sword and I shall bring the sword down on you -- declares the Lord Yahweh-

8. You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword upon you, says the Lord GOD.

9. and I shall take you out of it and hand you over to foreigners and bring you to justice;

9. And I will bring you forth out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you.

10. you will fall by the sword on the soil of Israel; I shall execute justice on you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.

10. You shall fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel; and you shall know that I am the LORD.

11. This city will be no cooking pot for you, nor will you be the meat inside; I shall execute justice on you on the soil of Israel;

11. This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the flesh in the midst of it; I will judge you at the border of Israel;

12. and you will know that I am Yahweh, whose laws you have not obeyed and whose judgements you have not kept; instead, you have adopted the customs of the nations round you." '

12. and you shall know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in my statutes, nor executed my ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are round about you."

13. Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah dropped dead. I fell to the ground and cried out, 'Ah, Lord Yahweh, are you going to annihilate the remnant of Israel?'

13. And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, that Pelati'ah the son of Benai'ah died. Then I fell down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, "Ah Lord GOD! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?"

14. The word of Yahweh was then addressed to me as follows,

14. And the word of the LORD came to me:

15. 'Son of man, to your brothers one and all, to your kinsfolk and to the whole House of Israel, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, "Keep well away from Yahweh. This country has now been made over to us!"

15. "Son of man, your brethren, even your brethren, your fellow exiles, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, `They have gone far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.'

16. So say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Yes, I have sent them far away among the nations and I have dispersed them to foreign countries; and for a while I have been a sanctuary for them in the country to which they have gone."

16. Therefore say, `Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.'

17. So say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall gather you back from the peoples, I shall collect you in from the countries where you have been scattered and give you the land of Israel.

17. Therefore say, `Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'

18. When they come back, they will purge it of all its horrors and loathsome practices.

18. And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.

19. I shall give them a single heart and I shall put a new spirit in them; I shall remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,

19. And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

20. so that they can keep my laws and respect my judgements and put them into practice. Then they will be my people and I shall be their God.

20. that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

21. But those whose hearts are set on their horrors and loathsome practices I shall repay for their conduct -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '

21. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will requite their deeds upon their own heads, says the Lord GOD."

22. The winged creatures then raised their wings and the wheels moved with them, with the glory of the God of Israel over them, above.

22. Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.

23. And the glory of Yahweh rose from the centre of the city and halted on the mountain to the east of the city.

23. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

24. Then the spirit lifted me up and took me, in vision, in the spirit of God, to the exiles in Chaldaea, and the vision which I had seen faded.

24. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chalde'a, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.

25. I then told the exiles everything that Yahweh had shown me.

25. And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had showed me.