Ezekiel 14

1Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.

2Then the word of Yahweh came to me:

3“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity in front of their faces. Should I let myself be consulted by them at all?

4Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what Lord Yahweh says: When any of the house of Israel set up their idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their iniquity in front of their faces, and then come to the prophet, I, Yahweh, will answer them myself in keeping with the multitude of their idols,

5in order to take hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who have all turned away from me through their idols.’

6Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what Lord Yahweh says: Repent! Turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.

7For when any of the house of Israel, or any foreigner who lives in Israel, separate themselves from me, set up their idols in their hearts, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity in front of their faces, and then come to the prophet to inquire of me for themselves, I, Yahweh, will answer them myself.

8I will set my face against that person and make them a sign and a byword, and I will cut them off from among my people. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

9And if the prophet is deceived into speaking a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.

10They will bear their iniquity; the iniquity of the one who inquires will be the same as the iniquity of the prophet,

11so that the house of Israel will no longer stray from me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, declares Lord Yahweh.’”

12The word of Yahweh came to me:

13“Son of man, if a country sins against me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off from it both people and animals,

14even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares Lord Yahweh.

15If I send wild beasts through the country and they leave it childless, and it becomes so desolate that no one passes through it because of the beasts,

16even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares Lord Yahweh, they could not save their sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the country would become desolate.

17Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the country,’ and I cut off from it both people and animals,

18even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares Lord Yahweh, they could not save their sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19Or if I send a plague into that country and pour out my wrath on it with bloodshed, to cut off from it both people and animals,

20even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares Lord Yahweh, they could not save a son or a daughter. They would save only their own lives by their righteousness.

21For this is what Lord Yahweh says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments against Jerusalem, sword and famine and wild beasts and plague, to cut off from it both people and animals!

22Yet there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their conduct and their deeds, you will be consoled over the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem, over everything I have brought on it.

23They will console you when you see their conduct and their deeds, and you will know that I did not do without cause all that I have done in it, declares Lord Yahweh.”