Idolatrous Elders Condemned

1 Then some aelders of Israel came to me and bsat down before me.

2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

3 “Son of man, these men have aset up their idols in their hearts and have bput right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be cconsulted by them at all?

4 “Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord 1God, “Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will be brought to give him an answer in 2the matter in view of the amultitude of his idols,

5 in order to lay hold of 1athe hearts of the house of Israel who are 2bestranged from Me through all their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “aRepent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your babominations.

7 “For anyone of the house of Israel or of the aimmigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, bI the Lord will be brought to answer him in My own person.

8 “I will aset My face against that man and make him a bsign and 1a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the Lord.

9 “But if the prophet is 1prevailed upon to speak a word, it is I, the Lord, who have 1prevailed upon that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and adestroy him from among My people Israel.

10 “They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be,

11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer astray from Me and no longer bdefile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be cMy people, and I shall be their God,” ’ declares the Lord God.”