1 Then some A2 Kin 6:32; Ezek 8:1; 20:1elders of Israel came to me and BIs 29:13; Ezek 33:31, 32sat down before me. 2 And the word of the Loʀᴅ came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have AEzek 20:16set up their idols in their hearts and have BEzek 7:19; 14:4, 7; Zeph 1:3put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be CIs 1:15; Jer 11:11; Ezek 20:3, 31consulted by them at all? 4  “Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord 1Heb YHWH, usually rendered Loʀᴅ, and so throughout the chGoᴅ, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Loʀᴅ will be brought to give him an answer in 2Lit itthe matter in view of the A1 Kin 21:20-24; 2 Kin 1:16; Is 66:4multitude of his idols, 5 in order to lay hold of 1Lit theirAJer 17:10; Zech 7:12the hearts of the house of Israel who are 2Or all estranged from Me through their idolsBIs 1:4; Jer 2:11; Zech 11:8estranged from Me through all their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “A1 Sam 7:3; Neh 1:9; Is 2:20; 30:22; 55:6, 7; Ezek 18:30Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your BEzek 8:6; 14:4abominations. 7  “For anyone of the house of Israel or of the AEx 12:48; 20:10immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, BEzek 14:4I the Loʀᴅ will be brought to answer him in My own person. 8  “I will AJer 44:11; Ezek 15:7set My face against that man and make him a BIs 65:15; Ezek 5:15sign and 1Lit proverbsa proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the Loʀᴅ.

9 “But if the prophet is 1Or enticedprevailed upon to speak a word, it is I, the Loʀᴅ, who have 1Or enticedprevailed upon that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and AJer 6:14, 15; 14:15destroy him from among My people Israel. 10  “They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, 11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer AEzek 44:10, 15; 48:11stray from Me and no longer BEzek 11:18; 37:23defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be CEzek 11:20; 34:30; 36:28My people, and I shall be their God,” ’ declares the Lord Goᴅ.”

12 Then the word of the Loʀᴅ came to me saying, 13 “Son of man, if a country sins against Me by AEzek 15:8; 20:27committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, 1Lit break the staffdestroy its BLev 26:26; Is 3:1; Ezek 4:16supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, 14 even AJer 15:1though these three men, BGen 6:8; 7:1; Heb 11:7Noah, CEzek 28:3; Dan 1:6; 9:21; 10:11Daniel and DJob 1:1, 5; 42:8, 9Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver EEzek 16:18, 20; 18:20themselves,” declares the Lord Goᴅ. 15 “If I were to cause ALev 26:22; Num 21:6; Ezek 5:17; 14:21wild beasts to pass through the land and they 1Lit bereave of childrendepopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, 16 though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. AGen 19:29; Ezek 18:20They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate. 17  “Or if I should ALev 26:25; Ezek 5:12; 21:3, 4bring a sword on that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass through the country and BEzek 25:13; Zeph 1:3cut off man and beast from it,’ 18 even though these three men were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. 19  “Or if I should send a AJer 14:12; Ezek 5:12; 14:21plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, 20 even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live,” declares the Lord Goᴅ, “they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

21 For thus says the Lord Goᴅ, “How much more when AEzek 5:17; 33:27; Amos 4:6-10; Rev 6:8I send My four 1Lit evilsevere judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it! 22  “Yet, behold, 1Lit escaped onessurvivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will AEzek 12:16; 36:20see their conduct and actions; then you will be BEzek 16:54; 31:16; 32:31comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. 23  “Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done AJer 22:8, 9in vain whatever I did 1Or into it,” declares the Lord Goᴅ.