Study Desk

"Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people.

"So now, son of man, pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile could carry, and leave your home to go somewhere else. Do this right in front of the people so they can see you. For perhaps they will pay attention to this, even though they are such rebels.

As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night. Cover your face so you cannot see the land you are leaving. For I have made you a sign for the people of Israel."

"Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving.

Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there.

I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel's record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord .

Yet there will be survivors, and they will come here to join you as exiles in Babylon. You will see with your own eyes how wicked they are, and then you will feel better about what I have done to Jerusalem.

When you meet them and see their behavior, you will understand that these things are not being done to Israel without cause. I, the Sovereign Lord , have spoken!"

And I will see to it that if they escape from one fire, they will fall into another. When I turn against them, you will know that I am the Lord .

"Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord . Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.

And everyone in the world will see that I, the Lord , have set this fire. It will not be put out.'"

"Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Again and again you remind me of your sin and your guilt. You don't even try to hide it! In everything you do, your sins are obvious for all to see. So now the time of your punishment has come!

So I will splash her blood on a rock for all to see, an expression of my anger and vengeance against her.

See, I care about you, and I will pay attention to you. Your ground will be plowed and your crops planted.

"Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.

"In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike.

When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see.

In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city.

I could see a wall completely surrounding the Temple area. The man took a measuring rod that was 10 1⁄2 feet long and measured the wall, and the wall was 10 1⁄2 feet thick and 10 1⁄2 feet high.

"They will serve as judges to resolve any disagreements among my people. Their decisions must be based on my regulations. And the priests themselves must obey my instructions and decrees at all the sacred festivals, and see to it that the Sabbaths are set apart as holy days.