Ezekiel Prepares for Exile

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, you live in the amidst of the brebellious house, who chave eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

3 “Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; even go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. aPerhaps they will 1understand though they are a rebellious house.

4 “Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you will go out aat evening in their sight, as those going into exile.

5 “Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and 1go out through it.

6 “Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall acover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a bsign to the house of Israel.”

7 I adid so, as I had been commanded. By day I bbrought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight.

8 In the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the arebellious house, said to you, ‘bWhat are you doing?’

10 “Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord 1God, “This 2aburden concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are 3in it.” ’

11 “Say, ‘I am 1a asign to you. As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will bgo into exile, into captivity.’

12 “The aprince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. 1They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out. He will cover his face so that he can not see the land with his eyes.

13 “I will also spread My anet over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will bnot see it, though he will die there.

14 “I will ascatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them.

15 “So they will aknow that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries.

16 “But I will 1spare a few of them from the asword, the famine and the pestilence that they may tell all their abominations among the nations where they go, and 2may bknow that I am the Lord.”

17 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying,

18 “Son of man, aeat your bread with trembling and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.

19 “Then say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, “They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because 1their land will be 2astripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it.

20 “The inhabited acities will be laid waste and the bland will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

21 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

22 “Son of man, what is this aproverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The bdays are long and every cvision fails’?

23 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But tell them, “aThe days draw near as well as the 1fulfillment of every vision.

24 “For there will no longer be any 1afalse vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel.

25 “For I the Lord will speak, and whatever aword I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in byour days, O crebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God.’ ”

26 Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for amany 1years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’

28 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,” ’ ” declares the Lord God.

Chapter 13

False Prophets Condemned

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the aprophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own 1inspiration, ‘bListen to the word of the Lord!

3 ‘Thus says the Lord 1God, “Woe to the afoolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have bseen nothing.

4 “O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins.

5 “You have not agone up into the bbreaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the cday of the Lord.

6 “They see 1afalsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; byet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.

7 “aDid you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?” ’ ”

8 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Because you have spoken 1falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, aI am against you,” declares the Lord God.

9 “So My hand will be against the aprophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will 1have no place in the council of My people, bnor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, 2that you may know that I am the Lord God.

10 “It is definitely because they have amisled My people by saying, ‘bPeace!’ when there is cno peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash;

11 so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A aflooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out.

12 “Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’ ”

13 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ahailstones to consume it in wrath.

14 “So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its afoundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be bconsumed in its midst. And you will cknow that I am the Lord.

15 “Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall 1is gone and its plasterers are gone,

16 along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who asee visions of peace for her when there is bno peace,’ declares the Lord God.

17 “Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are aprophesying bfrom their own 1inspiration. Prophesy against them

18 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on 1all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ahunt down 2lives! Will you hunt down the 2lives of My people, but preserve the 2lives of others for yourselves?

19 “aFor handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death 1some who should not die and to bkeep 1others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.” ’ ”

20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt 1lives there as 2birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let 1them go, even those 1lives whom you hunt as 2birds.

21 “I will also tear off your veils and adeliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am the Lord.

22 “Because you adisheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have 1bencouraged the wicked not to cturn from his wicked way and preserve his life,

23 therefore, you women will no longer see 1afalse visions or practice divination, and I will bdeliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will cknow that I am the Lord.”

Chapter 14

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.”

The City Will Not Be Spared

12 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,

13 “Son of man, if a