Study Desk

Now the ^(C1)Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the LORD'S house which faced eastward. And behold, there were twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and ^(C2)Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.

Then He said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise wrongdoing and ^(C1)give evil advice in this city,

who say, 'The time is not near to build houses. ^(F1)This ^(C1)city is the pot and we are the meat.'

"Therefore, ^(C1)prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man!"

Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, "Say, 'This is what the LORD says: "This is how you think, house of Israel, for ^(C1)I know ^(F1)your ^(C2)thoughts.

"You have ^(C1)multiplied your slain in this city, and filled its streets with ^(F1)them."

'Therefore, this is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "Your ^(C1)slain whom you have laid in the midst of ^(F2)the city are the meat and this city is the pot; but ^(F3)I will ^(C2)bring you out of it.

"You have ^(C1)feared a sword; so I will ^(C2)bring a sword upon you," the Lord GOD declares.

"And I will bring you out of the midst of ^(F1)the city, and hand you over to ^(C1)strangers, and ^(C2)execute judgments against you.

"You will ^(C1)fall by the sword. I will judge you to the ^(C2)border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the LORD.

"This city will ^(C1)not be a pot for you, nor will you be meat in the midst of it; I will judge you to the border of Israel.

"So you will know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes, nor have you ^(C1)executed My ordinances, but you have acted in accordance with the ordinances of the ^(C2)nations around you."'"

Now it came about, as I prophesied, that ^(C1)Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, and said, "^(C2)Oh, Lord GOD! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete destruction?"

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, ^(F1)your fellow exiles, and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Keep far from the LORD; this land has been given ^(C1)to us as a possession.'

"Therefore say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a ^(C1)sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone."'

"Therefore say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "I will ^(C1)gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel."'

"When they come there, they will ^(C1)remove all its ^(C2)detestable things and all its abominations from it.

"And I will ^(C1)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within ^(F1)them. And I will remove the ^(C2)heart of stone from their flesh and give them a ^(C3)heart of flesh,

so that they may ^(C1)walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be ^(C2)My people, and I shall be their God.

"^(F1)But as for those whose hearts go after their ^(C1)detestable things and abominations, I will ^(F2)(C2)bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD.

Then the cherubim ^(C1)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and ^(C2)the glory of the God of Israel ^(F1)hovered over them.

The ^(C1)glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and ^(C2)stood over the mountain which is east of the city.

And the ^(C1)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to ^(F1)Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen ^(F2)(C2)left me.

And I ^(C1)told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, you live in the ^(C1)midst of the ^(C2)rebellious house, who ^(C3)have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

"So as for you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; that is, go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. ^(C1)Perhaps they will ^(F1)understand, though they are a rebellious house.

"Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you shall go out ^(C1)at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile.

"Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and ^(F1)go out through it.

"Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall ^(C1)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a ^(C2)sign to the house of Israel."

Then I ^(C1)did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I ^(C2)brought 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.

And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, has the house of Israel, the ^(C1)rebellious house, not said to you, '^(C2)What are you doing?'

"Say to them, 'This is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "This ^(C1)pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are ^(F2)in it."'

"Say, 'I am ^(F1)a ^(C1)sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will ^(C2)go into exile, into captivity.'

"The ^(C1)prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. ^(F1)They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out through it. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes.

"I will also spread My ^(C1)net over him, and he will be caught in My net. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will ^(C2)not see it, though he will die there.

"And I will ^(C1)scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them.

"So they will ^(C1)know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.

"But I will ^(F1)spare a few of them from the ^(C1)sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and ^(F2)may ^(C2)know that I am the LORD."

Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, ^(C1)eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.

"Then say to the people of the land, 'This is what the Lord GOD says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: "They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because ^(F1)their land will be ^(F2)(C1)stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it.

"The inhabited ^(C1)cities will be in ruins, and the ^(C2)land will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the LORD."'"

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, what is this ^(C1)proverb you people have about the land of Israel, saying, 'The ^(C2)days are long, and every ^(C3)vision fails'?

"Therefore say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "I will put an end to this proverb so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel." But tell them, "^(C1)The days are approaching as well as the ^(F1)fulfillment of every vision.

"For there will no longer be any ^(F1)(C1)false vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel.

"For I the LORD will speak whatever ^(C1)word I speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in ^(C2)your days, you ^(C3)rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it," declares the Lord GOD.'"

Furthermore, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, 'The vision that he sees is for ^(C1)many ^(F1)years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.'

"Therefore say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,"'" declares the Lord GOD.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

"Son of man, prophesy against the ^(C1)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own ^(F1)inspiration, '^(C2)Listen to the word of the LORD!

'This is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "Woe to the ^(C1)foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have ^(C2)seen nothing!

"Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins.

"You have not ^(C1)gone up into the ^(C2)breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ^(C3)day of the LORD.

"They see ^(C1)deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, 'The LORD declares,' when the LORD has not sent them; ^(C2)yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word!

"^(C1)Did you not see a false vision and tell a lying divination when you said, 'The LORD declares,' but it is not I who have spoken?"'"

Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: "Because you have spoken deceit and have seen a lie, therefore behold, ^(C1)I am against you," declares the Lord GOD.

"So My hand will be against the ^(C1)prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will ^(F1)have no place in the council of My people, ^(C2)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, ^(F2)so that you may know that I am the Lord GOD.

"It is definitely because they have ^(C1)misled My people by saying, '^(C2)Peace!' when there is ^(C3)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash;

so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A ^(C1)flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out.

"Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, 'Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?'"

Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: "I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ^(C1)hailstones to consume it in wrath.

"So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and hurl it down to the ground, so that its ^(C1)foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will ^(C2)perish in its midst. And you will ^(C3)know that I am the LORD.

"So I will expend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, 'The wall ^(F1)is gone and those who plastered it are gone,

along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who ^(C1)see a vision of peace for her when there is ^(C2)no peace,' declares the Lord GOD.

"Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ^(C1)talking like prophets ^(C2)from their own ^(F1)imagination. Prophesy against them

and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "Woe to the women who sew magic bands on ^(F1)all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ^(C1)capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves?

"^(C1)For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death ^(F1)some who should not die, and to ^(C2)keep ^(F1)others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies."'"

Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: "Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you capture souls there as ^(F1)birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let ^(F1)them go, those souls whom you capture as ^(F1)birds.

"I will also tear off your veils and ^(C1)save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as prey; and you will know that I am the LORD.

"Because you ^(C1)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have ^(F1)(C2)encouraged the wicked not to ^(C3)turn from his wicked way to keep him alive,

therefore you women will no longer see ^(C1)deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will ^(C2)save My people from your hands. So you will ^(C3)know that I am the LORD."