Evil Rulers to Be Judged
1 Moreover, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the Lord’shouse, which faced eastward. And behold, at the entrance of the gatethere weretwenty-five men; and I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 Then the Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise evil and give wicked advice in this city,
3 who say, ‘Is notthe timenear to build houses? Thiscityis [secure just like] the pot and we are the meat [in it].’
4 Therefore, prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lordfell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “This is what you think, house of Israel, for I know your thoughts.
6 You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the corpses [of righteous men].”
7 ~‘Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Your dead whom you have laid in the midst of your city are the meat and this city is the pot; but I shall force you out of [the security of] it.
8 You have feared the sword; so I will bring a sword upon you,” says the Lord God.
9 “And I will bring you out of the midst of the city and hand you over to strangers and execute judgment against you.
10 You will fall by the sword; I will judgeandpunish you [in front of your neighbors] at the border of [the land of] Israel; and you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord.
11 Thiscitywill not be a pot for you, nor will you be meat [safe] in it, but I will judge you at the border of Israel.
12 And you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances, but you have acted in accordance with the ordinances of the nations around you.”’”
13 Now it came about while I was prophesying, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell face downward and cried out loudly, “Alas, Lord God! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”
Promise of Restoration
14 Then the word of the Lordcame to me, saying,
15 “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the [present] inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Though I had removed Israel far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries to which they had gone.”’
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 [back] to you the land of Israel.”’
18 When they return there, they will remove from it all [traces of] its detestable things and all its repulsive things (remnants of paganism).
19 And I will give them one heart [a new heart], and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them the heart of stone, and will give them a heart of flesh [that is responsive to My touch],
20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
21 But as for those whose heart longs forandfollows after their detestable things and their repulsive things [associated with idolatry], on their own head I will repay [them in full for] their [vile] conduct,” says the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the [Shekinah] glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.
23 Then the gloryandbrilliance of the Lordwent up from the midst of the city and paused over the mountain, [the Mount of Olives] which is east of the city.
24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea (Babylonia). Then the vision that I had seen left me.
25 Then I told the exiles everything that the Lordhad shown me.