²⁷ And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at ^(A)Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

^28 (A)And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and ^(B)her proud might shall come to an end, and ^(C)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through.

¹¹ And before them stood ^(A)seventy men of ^(B)the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah the son of ^(C)Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and ^(D)the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. ¹² Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing ^(E)in the dark, each ^(F)in his room of pictures? For they say, ^(G)‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” ¹³ He said also to me, ^(H)“You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

¹⁴ Then he brought me to ^(I)the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. ¹⁵ Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^(J)son of man? ^(K)You will see still greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶ And he brought me into ^(L)the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, ^(M)between the ^(N)porch and ^(O)the altar, were about twenty-five men, ^(P)with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping ^(Q)the sun toward the east. ¹⁷ Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O ^(R)son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit ^(S)the abominations that they commit here, that ^(T)they should fill the land with violence and ^(U)provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their^[a] nose. ¹⁸ Therefore ^(V)I will act in wrath. ^(W)My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. ^(X)And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

^9 (A)behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, ^(B)my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, ^(C)and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. ¹⁰ Moreover, ^(D)I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, ^(E)the grinding of the millstones and ^(F)the light of the lamp. ^11 (G)This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and ^(H)these nations shall serve the king of Babylon ^(I)seventy years.

Judgment on Wicked Counselors

11 ^(A)The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to ^(B)the east gate of the house of the Lord, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were ^(C)twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah ^(D)the son of Azzur, and ^(E)Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. ² And he said to me, ^(F)“Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city; ^3 (G)who say, ^(H)‘The time is not near^[a] to build houses. ^(I)This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man.”

⁵ And ^(J)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. ^(K)For I know the things that come into your mind. ^6 (L)You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain. ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(M)Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, ^(N)they are the meat, and ^(O)this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it. ^8 (P)You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. ⁹ And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and ^(Q)give you into the hands of foreigners, and ^(R)execute judgments upon you. ^10 (S)You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, ^(T)and you shall know that I am the Lord. ^11 (U)This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,