Study Desk

"Son of man, this is what the Lord God says to the land of Israel: ‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.

"The Lord God says, ‘See, much trouble is coming!

Trouble will come upon trouble, and one story will come after another. They will look for a special dream from a man of God, but the Law will be lost from the religious leader. And wisdom will be lost from the leaders.

On the fifth day of the sixth month in the sixth year, I was sitting in my house with the leaders of Judah sitting in front of me. And the hand of the Lord God came upon me there.

He put out what looked like a hand and caught me by the hair on my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and brought me to see Jerusalem in a special way. He brought me to the north gate of the open space within its walls, and there was the seat of the false god which causes jealousy.

And I saw that the shining-greatness of the God of Israel was there, like what I had seen in the plain.

He said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north." So I looked toward the north, and saw that to the north of the altar gate was this false god of jealousy in the doorway.

Then He brought me to the north gate of the Lord's house. And I saw women sitting there crying for the false god Tammuz.

Then the shining-greatness of the God of Israel went up from the cherub where it had been, to the door of the Lord's house. And He called to the man dressed in linen with the things for writing at his side.

As they were killing, I alone was left, and I fell on my face and cried out, "It is bad, O Lord God! Are You destroying all the people of Israel who are left, by pouring out Your anger on Jerusalem?"

The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outside open space. It was like the voice of God All-powerful when He speaks.

When the cherubim left, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in front of my eyes, with the wheels beside them. And they stood still at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house. The shining-greatness of the God of Israel was over them.

These are the living beings that I saw under the God of Israel by the Chebar River, so I knew that they were cherubim.

So tell what will happen against them, son of man. Speak the Word of God!"

So the Lord God says, "Your dead whom you have laid in the city are the meat, and this city is the pot. But I will bring you out of it.

You have been afraid of the sword, so I will bring a sword upon you," the Lord God says.

While I was saying what was going to happen, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, "It is bad, Lord God! Will You bring a complete end to those of Israel who are left?"

So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: "I sent them far away among the nations. I divided them among the countries. But still I was a holy place for them a little while in the countries where they had gone."'

So tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: "I will gather you from the nations. I will gather you together out of the countries where you have been divided. And I will give you the land of Israel."'

Then they will walk in My Laws and keep them, and obey them. They will be My people, and I will be their God.