Ezekiel 11

1 Moreover the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of Jehovah’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold, at the door of the gate five and twenty men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.2 And he said unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise iniquity, and that give wicked counsel in this city;3 that say, The time is not near to build houses: this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.5 And the Spirit of Jehovah fell upon me, and he said unto me, Speak, Thus saith Jehovah: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.7 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but ye shall be brought forth out of the midst of it.8 Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah.9 And I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.10 Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.11 This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; I will judge you in the border of Israel;12 and ye shall know that I am Jehovah: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither have ye executed mine ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you.13 And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah Lord Jehovah! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?14 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,15 Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from Jehovah; unto us is this land given for a possession.16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are come.17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and 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 mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord Jehovah.22 Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.23 And the glory of Jehovah went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.24 And the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.25 Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that Jehovah had showed me.

Ezekiel 11

Chapter 11

Judgment on Israel’s Leaders

1 Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the LORD’s Temple, where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people.
2 The Spirit said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city.3 They say to the people, ‘Is it not a good time to build houses? This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot.t’

4 Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly.”
5 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say, “This is what the LORD says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds.

6 You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot.8 I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear, says the Sovereign LORD.9 I will drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners, who will carry out my judgments against you.10 You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I will execute judgment on you, and you will know that I am the LORD.11 No, this city will not be an iron pot for you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel,

12 and you will know that I am the LORD. For you have refused to obey my decrees and regulations; instead, you have copied the standards of the nations around you.”

13 While I was still prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I fell face down on the ground and cried out, “O Sovereign LORD, are you going to kill everyone in Israel?”

Hope for Exiled Israel

14 Then this message came to me from the LORD:

15 “Son of man, the people still left in Jerusalem are talking about you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who are in exile. They are saying, ‘Those people are far away from the LORD, so now he has given their land to us!’
16 “Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile.

17 I, the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’
18 “When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols.19 And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,t20 so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

21 But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

The LORD’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

22 Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.

23 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east.
24 Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia,t to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem.

25 And I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.