Ezekiel 11

Vision of Israel’s Corrupt Leaders

11The Spirit then lifted me up ^cand brought me to the eastern gate of the Lord’s house, which faces east, and at the gate’s entrance were 25 men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. ²The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil ^dand give wicked advice in this city. ³They are saying, ‘Isn’t the time near to build houses? ^efThe city is the pot, ^gand we are the meat.’ ⁴Therefore, prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man!”

⁵Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and He told me, “You are to say: This is what the Lord says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind. ^h6You have multiplied your slain in this city, ⁱfilling its streets with the dead.

⁷“Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: The slain you have put within it are the meat, ^jand the city is the pot, but I ^kwill remove you from it. ^l8You fear the sword, ^mso I will bring the sword against you.” ⁿThis is the declaration of the Lord God. ⁹“I will bring you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners; I will execute judgments against you. ^o10You will fall by the sword, ^pand I will judge you at the border of Israel. ^qThen you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹¹The city will not be a pot for you, ^rand you will not be the meat within it. I will judge you at the border of Israel, ¹²so you will know that I am Yahweh, whose statutes you have not followed and whose ordinances you have not practiced. Instead, you have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.” ^s

¹³Now while I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. ^tThen I fell facedown and cried out with a loud voice: “Oh, Lord God! ^uWill You bring to an end the remnant of Israel?”

Promise of Israel’s Restoration

¹⁴The word of the Lord came to me again: ¹⁵“Son of man, your own relatives, those who have the right to redeem you, ^vwand the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those that the residents of Jerusalem have said this to, ‘Stay away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’

¹⁶“Therefore say: This is what the Lord God says: Though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them ^xin the countries where they have gone.

¹⁷“Therefore say: This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the peoples ^yand assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

¹⁸“When they arrive there, they will remove all its ^zdetestable things ^aand practices from it. ¹⁹And I will give them one heart ^band put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone ^cfrom their bodies ^dand give them a heart of flesh, ^e20so they may follow My statutes, ^fkeep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God. ^g21But as for those whose hearts pursue their desire for detestable things and practices, I will bring their actions down on their own heads.” ^hThis is the declaration of the Lord God.

God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

²²Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, lifted their wings, ⁱand the glory of the God of Israel was above them. ²³The glory of the Lord ^jrose up from within the city and stood on the mountain ^keast of the city. ^lm24The Spirit lifted me up ⁿand brought me to Chaldea and to the exiles in a vision from the Spirit of God. After the vision I had seen left me, ²⁵I spoke to the exiles about all the things the Lord had shown me.