Evil Princes Rebuked

111 Moreover, the 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 e men at the entrance of the gate , and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah , leaders of the people . 2 He said to me, "Son of man , these are the men who devise iniquity and give evil advice in this city , 3 who say , 'The time is not near to build houses . This city is the pot and we are the flesh .' 4 "Therefore , prophesy against them, son of man , prophesy !" 5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, "Say , 'Thus says the Lord , "So you think , house of Israel , for I know your thoughts e . 6 "You have multiplied your slain in this city , filling its streets with them." 7 'Therefore , thus says the Lord GOD , "Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of the city are the flesh and this city is the pot ; but I will bring you out of it. 8 "You have feared a sword ; so I will bring a sword upon you," the Lord GOD declares . 9 "And I will bring you out of the midst of the city and deliver you into the hands of strangers and execute judgments against you. 10 "You will fall by the sword . I will judge you to the border of Israel ; so you shall know that I am the Lord . 11 "This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, but I will judge you to the border of Israel . 12 "Thus you will know that I am the Lord ; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances , but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.""' 13 Now it came about as I prophesied , that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died . Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said , " Alas , Lord GOD ! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end ?"

The Promise of Restoration and Renewal

14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 15 "Son of man , your brothers , your relatives , your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel , all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said , 'Go far from the Lord ; this land has been given us as a possession .' 16 "Therefore say , 'Thus says the Lord GOD , "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries , yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where e they had gone ."' 17 "Therefore say , 'Thus says the Lord GOD , "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered , and I will give you the land of Israel ."' 18 "When they come there , they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 "And I will give them one heart , and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh , 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people , and I shall be their God . 21 "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations , I will bring their conduct down on their heads ," declares the Lord GOD .

22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered e over them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city . 24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea . So the vision that I had seen left me. 25 Then I told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.

31 Then He said to me, "Son of man , eat what you find ; eat this scroll , and go , speak to the house of Israel ." 2 So I opened my mouth , and He fed me this scroll . 3 He said to me, "Son of man , feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth . 4 Then He said to me, "Son of man , go e to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 "For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language , but to the house of Israel , 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language , whose words you cannot understand . But I have sent you to them who should listen to you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel is stubborn e and obstinate e . 8 "Behold , I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads . 9 "Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead . Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before e them, though they are a rebellious house ." 10 Moreover, He said to me, "Son of man , take into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and listen closely . 11 "Go to the exiles , to the sons of your people , and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not, 'Thus says the Lord GOD .' " 12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me, "Blessed be the glory of the Lord in His place ." 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound . 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit , and the hand of the Lord was strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib , and I sat there seven days where they were living , causing consternation among them.

A Watchman to Israel

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 17 "Son of man , I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel ; whenever you hear a word from My mouth , warn them from Me. 18 "When I say to the wicked , 'You will surely die ,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live , that wicked man shall die in his iniquity , but his blood I will require at your hand . 19 "Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way , he shall die in his iniquity ; but you have delivered yourself . 20 "Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity , and I place an obstacle before him, he will die ; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin , and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered ; but his blood I will require at your hand . 21 "However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin , he shall surely live because he took warning ; and you have delivered yourself ."

The Prophet Made Dumb

22 The hand of the Lord was on me there , and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain , and there I will speak to you." 23 So I got up and went out to the plain ; and behold , the glory of the Lord was standing there , like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar , and I fell on my face . 24 The Spirit then entered me and made me stand on my feet , and He spoke with me and said to me, "Go , shut yourself up in your house . 25 "As for you, son of man , they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. 26 "Moreover, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and cannot be a man who rebukes them, for they are a rebellious house . 27 "But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD .' He who hears , let him hear ; and he who refuses , let him refuse ; for they are a rebellious house .