Ezekiel 14

1Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

1Then some of the leaders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me.

2And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

3Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

3“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put the very things that make them sin right in front of their faces. Why should I let them ask me for anything?

4Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;

4“Therefore, speak to them and say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Any Israelite who sets up idols in his heart and puts a stumbling block of sin before his face, and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will personally answer him as his many idols deserve.

5that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

5I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’

6Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

6“So say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: Repent! Turn away from your idols and stop doing all your disgusting sins.

7For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself:

7For any Israelite or any foreigner living in Israel who rejects me, sets up idols in his heart, puts a stumbling block of sin before his face, and then goes to a prophet to ask me for advice—I the LORD will answer him myself.

8and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.

8I will set my face against that man and make him an example and a warning. I will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

9And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

9And if a prophet is talked into giving a message, it is I, the LORD, who allowed that prophet to be deceived. I will lift my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel.

10And they shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that seeketh unto him;

10They will both be punished for their sin; the prophet will be just as guilty as the person who consulted him.

11that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah.

11This is so the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me or stain themselves with all their sins. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Lord GOD.’”

12And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

12The word of the LORD came to me again:

13Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;

13“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply, send a famine, and wipe out both people and animals,

14though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.

14even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in that country, they could only save themselves by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.

15If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;

15“Or if I send wild animals through the land to kill people and make it so desolate that no one can travel through it because of the beasts,

16though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

16as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if those three men were there, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would still be ruined.

17Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and beast;

17“Or if I bring a war against that country and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I wipe out both people and animals,

18though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

18as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if those three men were there, they could not save their sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.

19Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast;

19“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my bloody anger on it, killing both people and animals,

20though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

20as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they could not save their sons or daughters. They would only save themselves by their righteousness.

21For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

21“For this is what the Lord GOD says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible punishments—war, famine, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to destroy both people and animals!

22Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

22But look, some survivors will be left who will lead their sons and daughters out. When they come to you and you see how they live and what they do, you will be comforted regarding the disaster I brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I brought on it.

23And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

23You will be comforted when you see their behavior and their actions, because you will know that I did not do all these things without a good reason, declares the Lord GOD.”