1 ARST Then God’ s Spirit lifted me up and took me to the gate on the east side of the temple. There at the gate were twenty- five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur, and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people. BSB BSB: Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
2 ARST Yahweh said to me,“Son of man, these are the new leaders in Jerusalem who are planning to do evil things and who are giving wicked advice to people in this city. BSB BSB: And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.
3 ARST They say,‘It is not the time to build houses yet, but just as pieces of meat are carefully stored in covered pots we will be protected from the bad things that will happen to others.’ BSB BSB: They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’
4 ARST So, son of man, prophesy about the terrible things that will happen to them.” BSB BSB: Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!”
5 ARST Then the Spirit of Yahweh came upon me and told me to say to the people,“This is what Yahweh says,‘You Israelite people say those things, and I know what you are thinking. BSB BSB: And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
6 ARST You have killed many people in this city and filled the streets with their corpses. BSB BSB: You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7 ARST Therefore this is what Yahweh the Lord says,“The corpses of the people whom you have killed here are like the meat and Jerusalem is the cauldron, but I will expel you people from this city! BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.
8 ARST You are afraid of being killed by enemies’ swords, so that is what I will cause to happen to you. BSB BSB: You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.
9 ARST I will expel you from this city and enable foreigners to capture you and punish you. BSB BSB: I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.
10 ARST They will kill you with their swords; you will be punished right here in Israel!” Then people will realize that I, Yahweh, have the power to do what I say that I will do. BSB BSB: You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
11 ARST This city will not be a place where you will be protected like meat in a covered pot. I will punish you wherever you are in Israel. BSB BSB: The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel.
12 ARST Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have predicted that would happen, because you have not obeyed my commands and decrees; instead, you have imitated the wicked behavior of the people of the nearby nations.”’” BSB BSB: Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”
13 ARST While I was prophesying that, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I prostrated myself on the ground and cried out loudly,“Yahweh my Lord, are you going to similarly get rid of all the Israelite people who are still alive?” BSB BSB: Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”
14 ARST Then Yahweh gave me this message, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
15 ARST “Son of man, the people who are still in Jerusalem are talking about your relatives, your clan, and all the rest of the Israelites who were exiled and saying,‘They are in Babylonia, far from Yahweh. They have left their property here in Israel, so their property now belongs to us!’” BSB BSB: “Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16 ARST So tell them,“This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Although I caused them to be taken far away from Israel and scattered them among other nations, for a short time I have become a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have been taken.” BSB BSB: Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although 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 in the countries to which they have gone.’
17 ARST So also tell them,“This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Some day I will gather you from the nations to which you have been taken and bring you back to Israel, and you will live in your country again. BSB BSB: Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’
18 ARST When you return to your country, you will get rid of all the vile statues of gods and detestable idols. BSB BSB: When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.
19 ARST I will give you Israelistes one new heart and I will give you a new way of thinking when you return to Israel. You will not be stubborn, but will be obedient. BSB BSB: And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
20 ARST When I do that, you will carefully obey all my laws. You will be my people, and I will be your God. BSB BSB: so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.
21 ARST But as for those who are devoted to worshiping their vile statues and detestable idols, I will punish them as they deserve for the evil things that they have done.” This is what Yahweh declared. BSB BSB: But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
22 ARST Then the winged creatures, with their wheels beside them, spread their wings and flew up into the air, and the dazzling brightness of Yahweh was above them. BSB BSB: Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
23 ARST That light went up away from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east of the city. BSB BSB: And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
24 ARST In the vision that I had been seeing, God’ s Spirit lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylon. Then the vision ended, BSB BSB: And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
25 ARST and I told the exiles everything that Yahweh had shown me in the vision. BSB BSB: I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
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