11 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh’s house, which looks eastward. Behold, twenty-five men were at the door of the gate; and I saw among them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. ² He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who give wicked counsel in this city; ³ who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. This is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”

⁵ Yahweh’s Spirit fell on me, and he said to me, “Speak, ‘Yahweh says: “Thus you have said, house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied your slain in this city, and you have filled its streets with the slain.”

⁷ “‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Your slain whom you have laid in the middle of it, they are the meat, and this is the cauldron; but you will be brought out of the middle of it. ⁸ You have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword on you,” says the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ “I will bring you out of the middle of it, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. ¹⁰ You will fall by the sword. I will judge you in the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹¹ This will not be your cauldron, neither will you be the meat in the middle of it. I will judge you in the border of Israel. ¹² You will know that I am Yahweh, for you have not walked in my statutes. You have not executed my ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are around you.”’”

¹³ When I prophesied, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?”

¹⁴ Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ¹⁵ “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are the ones to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us for a possession.’

¹⁶ “Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet I will be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they have come.”’

¹⁷ “Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “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 “‘They will come there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there. ¹⁹ I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰ that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But as for them whose heart walks after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way on their own heads,’ says the Lord Yahweh.”

²² Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them. The glory of the God of Israel was over them above. ²³ Yahweh’s glory went up from the middle of the city, and stood on the mountain which is on the east side of the city. ²⁴ The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to the captives.

So the vision that I had seen went up from me. ²⁵ Then I spoke to the captives all the things that Yahweh had shown me.

12 Yahweh’s word also came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, you dwell in the middle of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and don’t see, who have ears to hear, and don’t hear; for they are a rebellious house.

³ “Therefore, you son of man, prepare your baggage for moving, and move by day in their sight. You shall move from your place to another place in their sight. It may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴ You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for moving. You shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as when men go out into exile. ⁵ Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your baggage out that way. ⁶ In their sight you shall bear it on your shoulder, and carry it out in the dark. You shall cover your face, so that you don’t see the land, for I have set you for a sign to the house of Israel.”

⁷ I did so as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for moving, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought it out in the dark, and bore it on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸ In the morning, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’

¹⁰ “Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel among whom they are.”’

¹¹ “Say, ‘I am your sign. As I have done, so will it be done to them. They will go into exile, into captivity.

¹² “‘The prince who is among them will bear his baggage on his shoulder in the dark, and will go out. They will dig through the wall to carry things out that way. He will cover his face, because he will not see the land with his eyes. ¹³ I will also spread my net on him, and he will be taken in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, though he will die there. ¹⁴ I will scatter toward every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his bands. I will draw out the sword after them.

¹⁵ “‘They will know that I am Yahweh when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries. ¹⁶ But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁷ Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness. ¹⁹ Tell the people of the land, ‘The Lord Yahweh says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the land of Israel: “They will eat their bread with fearfulness and drink their water in dismay, that her land may be desolate, and all that is therein, because of the violence of all those who dwell therein. ²⁰ The cities that are inhabited will be laid waste, and the land will be a desolation. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

²¹ Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’? ²³ Tell them therefore, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will make this proverb to cease, and they will no more use it as a proverb in Israel;”’ but tell them, ‘“The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ For there will be no more any false vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I am Yahweh. I will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed. It will be no more deferred; for in your days, rebellious house, I will speak the word and will perform it,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”

²⁶ Again Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ²⁷ “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days to come, and he prophesies of times that are far off.’

²⁸ “Therefore tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “None of my words will be deferred any more, but the word which I speak will be performed,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”

13 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear Yahweh’s word: ³ The Lord Yahweh says, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! ⁴ Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places. ⁵ You have not gone up into the gaps or built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in Yahweh’s day. ⁶ They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, ‘Yahweh says;’ but Yahweh has not sent them. They have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed. ⁷ Haven’t you seen a false vision, and haven’t you spoken a lying divination, in that you say, ‘Yahweh says;’ but I have not spoken?”

⁸ “‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you,” says the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who utter lying divinations. They will not be in the council of my people, neither will they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither will they enter into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”

¹⁰ “‘Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, “Peace;” and there is no peace. When one builds up a wall, behold, they plaster it with whitewash. ¹¹ Tell those who plaster it with whitewash that it will fall. There will be an overflowing shower; and you, great hailstones, will fall. A stormy wind will tear it. ¹² Behold, when the wall has fallen, won’t it be said to you, “Where is the plaster with which you have plastered it?”

¹³ “‘Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: “I will even tear it with a stormy wind in my wrath. There will be an overflowing shower in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to consume it. ¹⁴ So I will break down the wall that you have plastered with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered. It will fall, and you will be consumed in the middle of it. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵ Thus I will accomplish my wrath on the wall, and on those who have plastered it with whitewash. I will tell you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it— ¹⁶ to wit, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace,’” says the Lord Yahweh.’”

¹⁷ You, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy against them, ¹⁸ and say, “The Lord Yahweh says: ‘Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all elbows and make veils for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of my people and save souls alive for yourselves? ¹⁹ You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls who should not die and to save the souls alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.’

²⁰ “Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: ‘Behold, I am against your magic bands, with which you hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms. I will let the souls fly free, even the souls whom you ensnare like birds. ²¹ I will also tear your veils and deliver my people out of your hand; and they will no longer be in your hand to be ensnared. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ²² Because with lies you have grieved the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, and be saved alive. ²³ Therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,^[a] to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

² Count it all joy, my brothers,^[b] when you fall into various temptations, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. ⁷ For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position; ¹⁰ and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun arises with the scorching wind and withers the grass; and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his pursuits.

¹² Blessed is a person who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him.

¹³ Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. ¹⁵ Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death. ¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow. ¹⁸ Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹ So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.^[c]

²² But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.