Ezekiel 14:15

Contemporary English Version

Or suppose I punish a nation by sending wild animals to eat people and scare away every passerby, so that the land becomes a barren desert.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Suppose I allow dangerous animals to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals.

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

King James Version
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

English Standard Version
"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,

New American Standard Bible
"If I were to cause vicious animals to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the animals,

New Century Version
"Or I might send wild animals into that land, leaving the land empty and without children. Then no one would pass through it because of the animals.

Amplified Bible
"If I were to cause predatory beasts to pass through the land and they ravaged it and depopulated it of children, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through because of the predators,

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

Geneva Bible (1587)
If I bring noysome beastes into the lande and they spoyle it, so that it bee desolate, that no man may passe through, because of beastes,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts,

Legacy Standard Bible
"If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they bereaved it of children and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts,

Berean Standard Bible
Or if I send wild beasts through the land and they bereave it so that it becomes desolate, with no man passing through for fear of the beasts,

Complete Jewish Bible
"If I unleash wild beasts on the land, and they kill its children and desolate it, so that no one can pass through because of the animals;

Darby Translation
If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it become a desolation, so that no one passeth through because of the beasts;

Easy-to-Read Version
"Or I might send wild animals through that country to kill all the people. Then no one would travel through that country because of the wild animals.

George Lamsa Translation
And if I should send vicious beasts against the land, and they destroy it so that it become desolate, so that no man could pass through because of the wild beasts;

Good News Translation
"Or I might send wild animals to kill the people, making the land so dangerous that no one could travel through it,

Lexham English Bible
"If a fierce animal I should let cross through the land, and it should make it childless and it will be a desolation, so that there will not be one crossing over the land due to the presence of the animal,

Literal Translation
If I make evil beasts go through the land, and they bereave it, and it is desolate, so that no one would go through because of the beasts,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf I bringe noysome beestes in to the londe, to waist it vp, and it be so desolate, that no man maye go therin for beestes:

American Standard Version
If 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;

Bible in Basic English
Or if I send evil beasts through the land causing destruction and making it waste, so that no man may go through because of the beasts:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it be desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;

King James Version (1611)
If I cause noisome beastes to passe through the land, and they spoile it, so that it bee desolate, that no man may passe through because of the beasts:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If I bryng noysome beastes into the lande, and they spoyle it, and it be so desolate that no man may passe through it for beastes,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If again I bring evil beasts upon the land, and take vengeance upon it, and it be ruined, and there be no one to pass through for fear of the wild beasts:

English Revised Version
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if also Y brynge in worste beestis on the lond, that Y distrie it, and if it is with out weie, for that no passer is for the beestis,

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

Webster's Bible Translation
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they lay it waste, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

New English Translation
"Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals.

New King James Version
"If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,

New Living Translation
"Or suppose I were to send wild animals to invade the country, kill the people, and make the land too desolate and dangerous to pass through.

New Life Bible
"If I sent wild animals to pass through the land to kill its people and destroy it so that no one would go through it because of the wild animals,

New Revised Standard
If I send wild animals through the land to ravage it, so that it is made desolate, and no one may pass through because of the animals;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If a mischievous wild beast, I suffer to pass through the land, and that beast bereave it, so that it become too desolate for any man to pass through, by reason of the wild beast,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if I shall bring mischievous beasts also upon the land to waste it, and it be desolate, so that there is none that can pass because of the beasts:

Revised Standard Version
If I cause wild 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;

Young's Literal Translation
`If an evil beast I cause to pass through the land, and it hath bereaved, and it hath been a desolation, without any passing through because of the beast --

THE MESSAGE
"Or, if I make wild animals go through the country so that everyone has to leave and the country becomes wilderness and no one dares enter it anymore because of the wild animals, even if these three men were living there, as sure as I am the living God, neither their sons nor daughters would be rescued, but only those three, and the country would revert to wilderness.

Contextual Overview

¹² The Lord God said: ¹³ Ezekiel, son of man, suppose an entire nation sins against me, and I punish it by destroying the crops and letting its people and livestock starve to death. ¹⁴ Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living in that nation, their faithfulness would not save anyone but themselves. ¹⁵ Or suppose I punish a nation by sending wild animals to eat people and scare away every passerby, so that the land becomes a barren desert. ¹⁶ As surely as I live, I promise that even if these three men lived in that nation, their own children would not be spared. The three men would live, but the land would be an empty desert. ¹⁷ Or suppose I send an enemy to attack a sinful nation and kill its people and livestock. ¹⁸ If these three men were in that nation when I punished it, not even their children would be spared. Only the three men would live. ¹⁹ And suppose I am so angry that I send a deadly disease to wipe out the people and livestock of a sinful nation. ²⁰ Again, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were living there, I, the Lord , promise that the children of these faithful men would also die. Only the three of them would be spared. ²¹ I am the Lord God, and I promise to punish Jerusalem severely. I will send war, starvation, wild animals, and deadly disease to slaughter its people and livestock.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

noisome: Ezekiel 5:17, Leviticus 26:22, 1 Kings 20:36, 2 Kings 17:25, Jeremiah 15:3

spoil: or, bereave

Reciprocal: Leviticus 26:6 - rid Deuteronomy 32:24 - the teeth Job 5:23 - beasts Psalms 50:11 - wild Isaiah 45:7 - I make Peace Jeremiah 9:10 - so Ezekiel 14:21 - my four

Cross-References

Genesis 14:2
attacked King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, also known as the city of Zoar.

Genesis 14:3
King Chedorlaomer and his allies had ruled these last five kings for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year the kings rebelled and came together in Siddim Valley, which is now covered by the southern part of the Dead Sea.

1 Kings 15:18
When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the Lord 's temple. He gave it to some of his officials and sent them to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad of Syria:

Psalms 112:5
Life will go well for those who freely lend and are honest in business.

Acts 9:2
and asked for letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus. He did this because he wanted to arrest and take to Jerusalem any man or woman who had accepted the Lord's Way.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land,.... Evil and hurtful ones; not so much those that are poisonous as pernicious; such, as lions, tigers, foxes, wolves, and bears, that are very ravenous and devouring, and especially in a time of famine before threatened; though sometimes God makes use of lesser creatures to do damage to a land, and the fruits of it, as locusts, caterpillars, c. but the former seem to be intended here, which sometimes God threatens and sends to a people disobedient and rebellious see Leviticus 26:22;

and they spoil it; or, "make it childless" x; they or I bereave the inhabitants of it of their children; or bereave it of other cattle that are tame, as sheep and oxen, as well as of men and women also, and even destroy the fruits of the earth:

so that it be desolate; having neither men nor cattle, corn or tillage, or any other fruit; all being destroyed by the evil beats, who have commission to pass through it, and lay it waste wherever they come, without control:

that no man may pass through because of the beasts; for fear of them: not only the inhabitants of the land should be destroyed by them, but even travellers, such as come from other countries, would not choose to pass through it because of the beasts; so that it would on this account be destitute both of inhabitants and of travellers; and must be a most desolate place, where only wild beasts were to be seen, ranging about at pleasure.

x שכליה "orbaturas eam", Pagninus, Montanus; "orbaturas eam", Junius Tremellius, Polanus "orbam fecere illam", Cocceius, Starckius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jeremiah 14:0; Jeremiah 15:0 is a remarkable parallel to this prophecy. Here, as elsewhere, Ezekiel is commissioned to deliver to the exiles the same message which Jeremiah conveys to the inhabitants of Judaea. The answer discovers the nature of the questions which had been expressed or implied.

(1) Can God cast out a people who are holy unto Himself?

(2) Is it just to punish them with utter desolation?

The prophet answers:

(1) That when a people is so corrupt as to call down national judgment, individual piety shall save none but the individuals themselves.

(2) The corrupt condition of the people shall be made so manifest, that none will question the justice of God in dealing thus severely with them.

Ezekiel 14:12

Or, “When a land” - the case is first put in a general form, and then ism brought with increased force home to Jerusalem - “sinneth against me by trespassing grievously,” and I stretch out “mine hand upon it,” and break the staff of bread “thereof,” and send famine “upon it and” cut off “man and beast: though these three men” etc.

Ezekiel 14:14

Noah, Daniel, and Job - Three striking instances of men who, for their integrity, were delivered from the ruin which fell upon others. Some have thought it strange that Daniel, a contemporary, and still young, should have been classed with the two ancient worthies. But the account of him Daniel 2:0 shows, that by this time Daniel was a very remarkable man (compare Ezekiel 28:3), and the introduction of the name of a contemporary gives force and life to the illustration. There is in the order in which the names occur a kind of climax. Noah did not rescue the guilty world, but did carry forth with him his wife, sons, and sons’ wives. Daniel raised only a few, but he did raise three of his countrymen with him to honor. To Job was spared neither son nor daughter.

Ezekiel 14:22, Ezekiel 14:23

Ye shall be comforted ... - By a truer estimate of the dispensations of the Almighty. This visitation will be recognized as inevitable and just.