Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness

12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: 13 “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its ksupply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. 14 lEven if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves mby their righteousness,” says the Lord God.

15 “If I cause nwild beasts to pass through the land, and they 1empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, 16 even othough these three men were 2in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be pdesolate.

17 “Or if qI bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I rcut off man and beast from it, 18 even sthough these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.

19 “Or if I send ta pestilence into that land and upour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, 20 even vthough Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

21 For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when wI send My four 3severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? 22 xYet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be ybrought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and zyou will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. 23 And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing awithout cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.