Bible in 90 Days

²¹ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ^(A)‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’? ²³ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.” ’ But say to them, ‘ ^(B)“The days are at hand, and the ^[a]fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴ For ^(C)no more shall there be any ^(D)false^[b] vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I am the Lord. I speak, and ^(E)the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and ^(F)perform it,” says the Lord God.’ ”

²⁶ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^27 (G)“Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is ^(H)for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ ^28 (I)Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak ^(J)will be done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Woe to Foolish Prophets

13 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy ^(K)against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to ^(L)those who prophesy out of their own ^(M)heart,^[c] ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ ”

³ Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen ^[d]nothing! ⁴ O Israel, your prophets are ^(N)like foxes in the deserts. ⁵ You ^(O)have not gone up into the ^[e]gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ^6 (P)They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has ^(Q)not sent them; yet they hope that the word may ^[f]be confirmed. ⁷ Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “My hand will be ^(R)against the prophets who envision futility and who ^(S)divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, ^(T)nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, ^(U)nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. ^(V)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ^(W)‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they ^(X)plaster^[g] it with untempered mortar— ¹¹ say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. ^(Y)There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. ¹² Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ¹⁴ So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. ^(Z)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who ^(AA)see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

¹⁷ “Likewise, son of man, ^(AB)set your face against the daughters of your people, ^(AC)who prophesy out of their own ^[h]heart; prophesy against them, ¹⁸ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms ^[i]on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you ^(AD)hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? ¹⁹ And will you profane Me among My people ^(AE)for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like ^[j]birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. ^(AF)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

²² “Because with ^(AG)lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have ^(AH)strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. ²³ Therefore ^(AI)you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Idolatry Will Be Punished

14 Now ^(AJ)some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ² And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them ^(AK)that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. ^(AL)Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

⁴ “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵ that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

⁶ “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and ^(AM)turn your faces away from all your abominations. ⁷ For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. ^8 (AN)I will set My face against that man and make him a ^(AO)sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. ^(AP)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

⁹ “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord ^(AQ)have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰ And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, ¹¹ that the house of Israel may ^(AR)no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, ^(AS)but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness

¹² The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: ¹³ “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its ^(AT)supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. ^14 (AU)Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves ^(AV)by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.

¹⁵ “If I cause ^(AW)wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ^[k]empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶ even ^(AX)though these three men were ^[l]in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be ^(AY)desolate.

¹⁷ “Or if ^(AZ)I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I ^(BA)cut off man and beast from it, ¹⁸ even ^(BB)though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.

¹⁹ “Or if I send ^(BC)a pestilence into that land and ^(BD)pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰ even ^(BE)though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

²¹ For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when ^(BF)I send My four ^[m]severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? ^22 (BG)Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be ^(BH)brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and ^(BI)you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. ²³ And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing ^(BJ)without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.

The Outcast Vine

15 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ² “Son of man, how is the wood of the vine better than any other wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? ³ Is wood taken from it to make any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? ⁴ Instead, ^(BK)it is thrown into the fire for fuel; the fire devours both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any work? ⁵ Indeed, when it was whole, no object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful for any work when the fire has devoured it, and it is burned?

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; ⁷ and ^(BL)I will set My face against them. ^(BM)They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. ^(BN)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. ⁸ Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.”

God’s Love for Jerusalem

16 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, ^(BO)cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, ³ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: “Your ^[n]birth ^(BP)and your nativity are from the land of Canaan; ^(BQ)your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴ As for your nativity, ^(BR)on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵ No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were ^[o]loathed on the day you were born.

⁶ “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ ^7 (BS)I made you ^[p]thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.

⁸ “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; ^(BT)so I spread ^[q]My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I ^(BU)swore an oath to you and entered into a ^(BV)covenant with you, and ^(BW)you became Mine,” says the Lord God.

⁹ “Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of ^[r]badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ I adorned you with ornaments, ^(BX)put bracelets on your wrists, ^(BY)and a chain on your neck. ¹² And I put a ^[s]jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. ^(BZ)You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly ^(CA)beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. ^14 (CB)Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,” says the Lord God.

Jerusalem’s Harlotry

^15 (CC)“But you trusted in your own beauty, ^(CD)played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it. ^16 (CE)You took some of your garments and adorned multicolored ^[t]high places for yourself, and played the harlot on them. Such things should not happen, nor be. ¹⁷ You have also taken your beautiful jewelry from My gold and My silver, which I had given you, and made for yourself male images and played the harlot with them. ¹⁸ You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set My oil and My incense before them. ¹⁹ Also ^(CF)My food which I gave you—the pastry of fine flour, oil, and honey which I fed you—you set it before them as ^[u]sweet incense; and so it was,” says the Lord God.

^20 (CG)“Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, ²¹ that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the ^(CH)fire? ²² And in all your abominations and acts of harlotry you did not remember the days of your ^(CI)youth, ^(CJ)when you were naked and bare, struggling in your blood.

²³ “Then it was so, after all your wickedness—‘Woe, woe to you!’ says the Lord God— ²⁴ that ^(CK)you also built for yourself a shrine, and ^(CL)made a ^[v]high place for yourself in every street. ²⁵ You built your high places ^(CM)at the head of every road, and made your beauty to be abhorred. You offered yourself to everyone who passed by, and multiplied your acts of harlotry. ²⁶ You also committed harlotry with ^(CN)the Egyptians, your very fleshly neighbors, and increased your acts of harlotry to ^(CO)provoke Me to anger.

²⁷ “Behold, therefore, I stretched out My hand against you, diminished your ^[w]allotment, and gave you up to the will of those who hate you, ^(CP)the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior. ²⁸ You also played the harlot with the ^(CQ)Assyrians, because you were insatiable; indeed you played the harlot with them and still were not satisfied. ²⁹ Moreover you multiplied your acts of harlotry as far as the land of the trader, ^(CR)Chaldea; and even then you were not satisfied.

³⁰ “How degenerate is your heart!” says the Lord God, “seeing you do all these things, the deeds of a brazen harlot.

Jerusalem’s Adultery

^31 (CS)“You erected your shrine at the head of every road, and built your ^[x]high place in every street. Yet you were not like a harlot, because you scorned ^(CT)payment. ³² You are an adulterous wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband. ³³ Men make payment to all harlots, but ^(CU)you made your payments to all your lovers, and ^[y]hired them to come to you from all around for your harlotry. ³⁴ You are the opposite of other women in your harlotry, because no one solicited you to be a harlot. In that you gave payment but no payment was given you, therefore you are the opposite.”

Jerusalem’s Lovers Will Abuse Her

³⁵ ‘Now then, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord! ³⁶ Thus says the Lord God: “Because your filthiness was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your harlotry with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of ^(CV)the blood of your children which you gave to them, ³⁷ surely, therefore, ^(CW)I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved, and all those you hated; I will gather them from all around against you and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. ³⁸ And I will judge you as ^(CX)women who break wedlock or ^(CY)shed blood are judged; I will bring blood upon you in fury and jealousy. ³⁹ I will also give you into their hand, and they shall throw down your shrines and break down ^(CZ)your ^[z]high places. ^(DA)They shall also strip you of your clothes, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare.

^40 (DB)“They shall also bring up an assembly against you, ^(DC)and they shall stone you with stones and thrust you through with their swords. ⁴¹ They shall ^(DD)burn your houses with fire, and ^(DE)execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; and I will make you ^(DF)cease playing the harlot, and you shall no longer hire lovers. ⁴² So ^(DG)I will lay to rest My fury toward you, and My jealousy shall depart from you. I will be quiet, and be angry no more. ⁴³ Because ^(DH)you did not remember the days of your youth, but ^[aa]agitated Me with all these things, surely ^(DI)I will also recompense your ^[ab]deeds on your own head,” says the Lord God. “And you shall not commit lewdness in addition to all your abominations.

More Wicked than Samaria and Sodom

⁴⁴ “Indeed everyone who quotes proverbs will use this proverb against you: ‘Like mother, like daughter!’ ⁴⁵ You are your mother’s daughter, ^[ac]loathing husband and children; and you are the ^(DJ)sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and children; ^(DK)your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.

⁴⁶ “Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells with her daughters to the north of you; and ^(DL)your younger sister, who dwells to the south of you, is Sodom and her daughters. ⁴⁷ You did not walk in their ways nor act according to their abominations; but, as if that were too little, ^(DM)you became more corrupt than they in all your ways.

⁴⁸ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “neither ^(DN)your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, ^(DO)fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ And they were haughty and ^(DP)committed abomination before Me; therefore ^(DQ)I took them away as ^[ad]I saw fit.

⁵¹ “Samaria did not commit ^(DR)half of your sins; but you have multiplied your abominations more than they, and ^(DS)have justified your sisters by all the abominations which you have done. ⁵² You who judged your sisters, bear your own shame also, because the sins which you committed were more abominable than theirs; they are more righteous than you. Yes, be disgraced also, and bear your own shame, because you justified your sisters.

^53 (DT)“When I bring back their captives, the captives of Sodom and her daughters, and the captives of Samaria and her daughters, then I will also bring back ^(DU)the captives of your captivity among them, ⁵⁴ that you may bear your own shame and be disgraced by all that you did when ^(DV)you comforted them. ⁵⁵ When your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters return to their former state, then you and your daughters will return to your former state. ⁵⁶ For your sister Sodom was not a byword in your mouth in the days of your pride, ⁵⁷ before your wickedness was uncovered. It was like the time of the ^(DW)reproach of the daughters of ^[ae]Syria and all those around her, and of ^(DX)the daughters of the Philistines, who despise you everywhere. ^58 (DY)You have paid for your lewdness and your abominations,” says the Lord. ⁵⁹ For thus says the Lord God: “I will deal with you as you have done, who ^(DZ)despised ^(EA)the oath by breaking the covenant.

An Everlasting Covenant

⁶⁰ “Nevertheless I will ^(EB)remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish ^(EC)an everlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then ^(ED)you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for ^(EE)daughters, ^(EF)but not because of My covenant with you. ^62 (EG)And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, ⁶³ that you may ^(EH)remember and be ashamed, ^(EI)and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Eagles and the Vine

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, pose a riddle, and speak a ^(EJ)parable to the house of Israel, ³ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

⁹ “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

¹¹ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹² “Say now to ^(ES)the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed ^(ET)the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. ^13 (EU)And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, ^(EV)and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might be ^(EW)brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. ¹⁵ But ^(EX)he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, ^(EY)that they might give him horses and many people. ^(EZ)Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

¹⁶ ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely ^(FA)in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. ^17 (FB)Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, ^(FC)when they heap up a siege mound and build a ^[ah]wall to cut off many persons. ¹⁸ Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact ^(FD)gave^[ai] his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’ ”

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. ²⁰ I will ^(FE)spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and ^(FF)try him there for the ^[aj]treason which he committed against Me. ^21 (FG)All his ^[ak]fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be ^(FH)scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Israel Exalted at Last^(FI)

²² Thus says the Lord God: “I will take also one of the highest ^(FJ)branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs ^(FK)a tender one, and will ^(FL)plant it on a high and prominent mountain. ^23 (FM)On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. ^(FN)Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. ²⁴ And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, ^(FO)have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; ^(FP)I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

A False Proverb Refuted

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ² “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying:

³ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.

Turn and Live

¹⁹ “Yet you say, ‘Why ^(GI)should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. ^20 (GJ)The soul who sins shall die. ^(GK)The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. ^(GL)The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, ^(GM)and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

²¹ “But ^(GN)if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^22 (GO)None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall ^(GP)live. ^23 (GQ)Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?

²⁴ “But ^(GR)when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? ^(GS)All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.

²⁵ “Yet you say, ^(GT)‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? ^26 (GU)When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. ²⁷ Again, ^(GV)when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. ²⁸ Because he ^(GW)considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^29 (GX)Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

^30 (GY)“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. ^(GZ)“Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. ^31 (HA)Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a ^(HB)new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? ³² For ^(HC)I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and ^(HD)live!”

Israel Degraded

19 “Moreover ^(HE)take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, ² and say:

^(HU)This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

The Rebellions of Israel

20 It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that ^(HV)certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. ² Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord God, ^(HW)“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’ ⁴ Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then ^(HX)make known to them the abominations of their fathers.

⁵ “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day when ^(HY)I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself ^(HZ)known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, ^(IA)‘I am the Lord your God.’ ⁶ On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, ^(IB)to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, ^(IC)‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ^(ID)the glory of all lands. ⁷ Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, ^(IE)throw away ^(IF)the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with ^(IG)the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ⁸ But they rebelled against Me and would not ^[av]obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will ^(IH)pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’ ^9 (II)But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself ^(IJ)known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ “Therefore I ^(IK)made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ^11 (IL)And I gave them My statutes and ^[aw]showed them My judgments, ^(IM)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ ¹² Moreover I also gave them My ^(IN)Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³ Yet the house of Israel ^(IO)rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they ^(IP)despised My judgments, ^(IQ)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly ^(IR)defiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the ^(IS)wilderness, to consume them. ^14 (IT)But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵ So ^(IU)I also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, ^(IV)‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ^(IW)the glory of all lands, ^16 (IX)because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for ^(IY)their heart went after their idols. ^17 (IZ)Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ “But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God: ^(JA)Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; ^20 (JB)hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’

²¹ “Notwithstanding, ^(JC)the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ^(JD)‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness. ²² Nevertheless I ^[ax]withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³ Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that ^(JE)I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries, ^24 (JF)because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and ^(JG)their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

²⁵ “Therefore ^(JH)I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live; ²⁶ and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all ^[ay]their firstborn to pass ^(JI)through the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they ^(JJ)might know that I am the Lord.” ’

²⁷ “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “In this too your fathers have ^(JK)blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me. ²⁸ When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and ^(JL)they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their ^(JM)sweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, ‘What is this ^[az]high place to which you go?’ So its name is called ^[ba]Bamah to this day.” ’ ³⁰ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your ^(JN)fathers, and committing harlotry according to their ^(JO)abominations? ³¹ For when you offer ^(JP)your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord God, “I will ^(JQ)not be inquired of by you. ^32 (JR)What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

God Will Restore Israel

³³ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, ^(JS)with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. ³⁵ And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there ^(JT)I will plead My case with you face to face. ^36 (JU)Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

³⁷ “I will make you ^(JV)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the ^(JW)covenant; ^38 (JX)I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but ^(JY)they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹ “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: ^(JZ)“Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; ^(KA)but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. ⁴⁰ For ^(KB)on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there ^(KC)all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there ^(KD)I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your ^[bb]sacrifices, together with all your holy things. ⁴¹ I will accept you as a ^(KE)sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. ^42 (KF)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, ^(KG)when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. ⁴³ And ^(KH)there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and ^(KI)you shall ^[bc]loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. ^44 (KJ)Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you ^(KK)for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Fire in the Forest

⁴⁵ Furthermore the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^46 (KL)“Son of man, set your face toward the south; ^[bd]preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the ^[be]South, ⁴⁷ and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, ^(KM)I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour ^(KN)every green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces ^(KO)from the south to the north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸ All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”

⁴⁹ Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak ^(KP)parables?’ ”

Babylon, the Sword of God

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^2 (KQ)“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, ^(KR)preach^[bf] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; ³ and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am ^(KS)against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both ^(KT)righteous and wicked from you. ⁴ Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh ^(KU)from south to north, ⁵ that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it ^(KV)shall not return anymore.” ’ ^6 (KW)Sigh therefore, son of man, with ^[bg]a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. ⁷ And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, ^(KX)all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

⁸ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Say:

says the Lord God.

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: ¹⁹ “And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city. ²⁰ Appoint a road for the sword to go to ^(LJ)Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem. ²¹ For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the ^[bj]images, he looks at the liver. ²² In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to ^(LK)lift the voice with shouting, ^(LL)to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall. ²³ And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who ^(LM)have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

²⁴ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

²⁵ ‘Now to you, O ^(LN)profane, wicked prince of Israel, ^(LO)whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, ²⁶ thus says the Lord God:

A Sword Against the Ammonites

²⁸ “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God ^(LS)concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say:

Sins of Jerusalem

22 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Now, son of man, ^(MC)will you judge, will you judge ^(MD)the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! ³ Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds ^(ME)blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. ⁴ You have become guilty by the blood which you have ^(MF)shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; ^(MG)therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. ⁵ Those near and those far from you will mock you as ^[bm]infamous and full of tumult.

⁶ “Look, ^(MH)the princes of Israel: each one has used his ^[bn]power to shed blood in you. ⁷ In you they have ^(MI)made light of father and mother; in your midst they have ^(MJ)oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the ^[bo]fatherless and the widow. ⁸ You have despised My holy things and ^(MK)profaned My Sabbaths. ⁹ In you are ^(ML)men who slander to cause bloodshed; ^(MM)in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. ¹⁰ In you men ^(MN)uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are ^(MO)set apart during their impurity. ¹¹ One commits abomination ^(MP)with his neighbor’s wife; ^(MQ)another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s ^(MR)daughter. ¹² In you ^(MS)they take bribes to shed blood; ^(MT)you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and ^(MU)have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, therefore, I ^(MV)beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. ^14 (MW)Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? ^(MX)I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. ^15 (MY)I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and ^(MZ)remove your filthiness completely from you. ¹⁶ You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then ^(NA)you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Israel in the Furnace

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, ^(NB)the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a ^(NC)furnace; they have become dross from silver. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to ^(ND)melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. ²¹ Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. ²² As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have ^(NE)poured out My fury on you.’ ”

Israel’s Wicked Leaders

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is ^(NF)not ^[bp]cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ ^25 (NG)The conspiracy of her ^[bq]prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they ^(NH)have devoured ^[br]people; ^(NI)they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ^26 (NJ)Her priests have ^[bs]violated My law and ^(NK)profaned My holy things; they have not ^(NL)distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her ^(NM)princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy ^[bt]people, and to get dishonest gain. ^28 (NN)Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, ^(NO)seeing false visions, and divining ^(NP)lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully ^(NQ)oppress the stranger. ^30 (NR)So I sought for a man among them who would ^(NS)make a wall, and ^(NT)stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. ³¹ Therefore I have ^(NU)poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed ^(NV)their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

Two Harlot Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

The Older Sister, Samaria

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

¹¹ “Now ^(OE)although her sister Oholibah saw this, ^(OF)she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

Judgment on Jerusalem

²² “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

²⁸ “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of ^(OX)those you hate, into the hand of those ^(OY)from whom you alienated yourself. ^29 (OZ)They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and ^(PA)leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. ³⁰ I will do these things to you because you have ^(PB)gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. ³¹ You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her ^(PC)cup in your hand.’

³² “Thus says the Lord God:

³⁵ “Therefore thus says the Lord God:

Both Sisters Judged

³⁶ The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you ^(PH)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then ^(PI)declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For they have committed adultery, and ^(PJ)blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons ^(PK)whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. ³⁸ Moreover they have done this to Me: They have ^(PL)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and ^(PM)profaned My Sabbaths. ³⁹ For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed ^(PN)thus they have done in the midst of My house.