Ezekiel 11

Jerusalem Is Condemned

11God’s spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the Temple. There near the gate I saw twenty-five men, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, two leaders of the nation.

²God said to me, “Mortal man, these men make evil plans and give bad advice in this city. ³They say, ‘We will soon be building houses again.^v The city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the meat in it, but at least it protects us from the fire.’ ⁴Now then, denounce them, mortal man.”

⁵The spirit of the Lord took control of me, and the Lord told me to give the people this message: “People of Israel, I know what you are saying and what you are planning. ⁶You have murdered so many people here in the city that the streets are full of corpses.

⁷“So this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to you. This city is indeed a cooking pot, but what is the meat? The corpses of those you have killed! You will not be here—I will throw you out of the city! ⁸Are you afraid of swords? I will bring men with swords to attack you. ⁹I will take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners. I have sentenced you to death, ¹⁰and you will be killed in battle in your own country. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹This city will not protect you as a pot protects the meat in it. I will punish you wherever you may be in the land of Israel. ¹²You will know that I am the Lord and that while you were keeping the laws of the neighbouring nations, you were breaking my laws and disobeying my commands.”

¹³While I was prophesying, Pelatiah dropped dead. I threw myself face downwards on the ground and shouted, “No, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to kill everyone left in Israel?”

God’s Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴The Lord spoke to me. ¹⁵“Mortal man,” he said, “the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about you and your fellow-Israelites who are in exile. They say, ‘The exiles are too far away to worship the Lord. He has given us possession of the land.’

¹⁶“Now tell your fellow-exiles what I am saying. I am the one who sent them to live in far-off nations and scattered them in other countries. Yet, for the time being I will be present with them in the lands where they have gone.

¹⁷“So tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. I will gather them out of the countries where I scattered them, and will give the land of Israel back to them. ¹⁸When they return, they are to get rid of all the filthy, disgusting idols they find. ^19*I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart. ^20*Then they will keep my laws and faithfully obey all my commands. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹But I will punish the people who love to worship filthy, disgusting idols. I will punish them for what they have done.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

^22*The living creatures began to fly, and the wheels went with them. The dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel was over them. ^23*Then the dazzling light left the city and moved to the mountain east of it. ²⁴In the vision the spirit of God lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision faded, ²⁵and I told the exiles everything that the Lord had shown me.