Study Desk

But when I tell the sinful man that he will die, and he turns from his sin and does what is right and good,

"Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.' But it is their way that is not right.

But when the sinful man turns from his sin and does what is right and good, he will live because of it.

"Son of man, the people who live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he owned the land. But we are many, and for sure the land has been given to us.'

They come and sit in front of you as My people, and listen to the words you say. But they do not do them. With their mouth they speak of love, but their hearts are full of sinful desire.

They think of you as nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays music well. For they hear what you say, but they will not do it.

You have not given strength to the weak ones. You have not healed the sick. You have not helped the ones that are hurt. You have not brought back those that have gone away. And you have not looked for the lost. But you have ruled them with power and without pity.

"As I live," says the Lord God, "My flock has been killed and become food for wild animals because they had no shepherd. My shepherds did not look for My flock. They fed themselves, but have not fed My flock."

"I will look for the lost, bring back those that have gone away, help those who have been hurt, and give strength to the sick. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them with punishment.

They will no longer be under the power of the nations. And the wild animals of the earth will not eat them. But they will be safe, and no one will make them afraid.

But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and give your fruit for My people Israel. For they will come home soon.

But you will no longer destroy men and take away your nation's children," says the Lord God.

But in every place they went among the nations, they brought shame upon My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave His land.'

But I cared about My holy name, which the people of Israel had put to shame among the nations where they had gone.

I looked and saw that parts had grown to hold them together. Flesh had grown, and they were covered with skin. But there was no breath in them.

After many days you will be called. In future years you will come into the land where people have been gathered from many nations and have lived without fear of war. You will come to the mountains of Israel, which had been a waste land for a long time. But its people were brought out from the nations, and all of them are living without fear.

The width of the outside wall of the side rooms was five cubits. But the open space between the side rooms

But because they served them in front of their false gods and caused the people of Israel to sin, I have promised," says the Lord God, "that they will be punished for their sin.

They must not come near Me to serve Me as a religious leader. They must not come near any of My holy things and the things that are most holy. But they must suffer their shame because of the hated sins they have done.

"But the Levite religious leaders of the sons of Zadok took care of My holy place when the people of Israel left Me. So they will come near Me to serve Me. They will stand before Me to give Me the fat and the blood," says the Lord God.