1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before
me. 2 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 3 Son 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?
4 Therefore 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;
5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are
all estranged from me through their idols. 6 Therefore tell the house of
Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Return you, and turn yourselves from
your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For
everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn 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: 8 and 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 the midst of my people; and
you shall know that I am Yahweh. 9 If the prophet be 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 the midst of my people Israel.
10 They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be
even as the iniquity of him who seeks to him; 11 that 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. 12 The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
13 Son 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 the bread of it, and send
famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal; 14 though these three
men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own
souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Yahweh. 15 If I cause evil
animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made
desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;
16 though 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. 17 Or 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; 18 though 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. 19 Or 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;
20 though 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. 21 For thus says the Lord Yahweh:
How much more when I send my four sore judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and
the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man
and animal! 22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be
carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth 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. 23 They 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.
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