Evil Princes Rebuked

111 And the wind, lifting me up, took me to the east doorway of the Lord's house, looking to the east: and at the door I saw twenty-five men; and among them I saw Jaazaniah, the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, rulers of the people. 2 Then he said to me, Son of man, these are the men who are designing evil, who are teaching evil ways in this town: 3 Who say, This is not the time for building houses: this town is the cooking-pot and we are the flesh. 4 For this cause be a prophet against them, be a prophet, O son of man. 5 And the spirit of the Lord came on me, and he said to me, Say, These are the words of the Lord: This is what you have said, O children of Israel; what comes into your mind is clear to me. 6 You have made great the number of your dead in this town, you have made its streets full of dead men. 7 For this reason the Lord has said: Your dead whom you have put down in its streets, they are the flesh, and this town is the cooking-pot: but I will make you come out from inside it. 8 You have been fearing the sword, and I will send the sword on you, says the Lord. 9 I will make you come out from inside the town and will give you up into the hands of men from other lands, and will be judge among you. 10 You will come to your death by the sword; and I will be your judge in the land of Israel; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. 11 This town will not be your cooking-pot, and you will not be the flesh inside it; I will be your judge at the limit of the land of Israel; 12 And you will be certain that I am the Lord: for you have not been guided by my rules or given effect to my orders, but you have been living by the orders of the nations round about you. 13 Now while I was saying these things, death came to Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah. Then falling down on my face and crying out with a loud voice, I said, Ah, Lord! will you put an end to all the rest of Israel?

The Promise of Restoration and Renewal

14 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 Son of man, your countrymen, your relations, and all the children of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the people of Jerusalem have said, Go far from the Lord; this land is given to us for a heritage: 16 For this reason say, This is what the Lord has said: Though I have had them moved far off among the nations, and though I have sent them wandering among the countries, still I have been a safe place for them for a little time in the countries where they have come. 17 Then say, This is what the Lord has said: I will get you together from the peoples, and make you come out of the countries where you have been sent in flight, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 And they will come there, and take away all the hated and disgusting things from it. 19 And I will give them a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in them; and I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh: 20 So that they may be guided by my rules and keep my orders and do them: and they will be to me a people, and I will be to them a God. 21 But as for those whose heart goes after their hated and disgusting things, I will send on their heads the punishment of their ways, says the Lord.

22 Then the wings of the winged ones were lifted up, and the wheels were by their side; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them on high. 23 And the glory of the Lord went up from inside the town, and came to rest on the mountain on the east side of the town. 24 And the wind, lifting me up, took me in the visions of God into Chaldaea, to those who had been taken away as prisoners. So the vision which I had seen went away from me. 25 Then I gave an account to those who had been taken prisoners of all the things which the Lord had made me see.

Ezekiel Portrays the Removal into Captivity

121 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, you are living among an uncontrolled people, who have eyes to see but see not, and ears for hearing but they do not give ear; for they are an uncontrolled people. 3 And you, O son of man, by day, before their eyes, get ready the vessels of one who is taken away, and go away from your place to another place before their eyes: it may be that they will see, though they are an uncontrolled people. 4 By day, before their eyes, take out your vessels like those of one who is taken away: and go out in the evening before their eyes, like those who are taken away as prisoners. 5 Make a hole in the wall, before their eyes, and go out through it. 6 And before their eyes, take your goods on your back and go out in the dark; go with your face covered: for I have made you a sign to the children of Israel. 7 And I did as I was ordered: I took out my vessels by day, like those of one who is taken away, and in the evening I made a hole through the wall with a tent-pin; and in the dark I went out, taking my things on my back before their eyes. 8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 Son of man, has not Israel, the uncontrolled people, said to you, What are you doing? 10 You are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: This word has to do with the ruler in Jerusalem and all the children of Israel in it. 11 Say, I am your sign: as I have done, so will it be done to them: they will go away as prisoners. 12 And the ruler who is among them will take his goods on his back in the dark and go out: he will make a hole in the wall through which to go out: he will have his face covered so that he may not be seen. 13 And my net will be stretched out on him, and he will be taken in my cords: and I will take him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldaeans; but he will not see it, and there death will come to him. 14 And all his helpers round about him and all his armies I will send in flight to every wind; and I will let loose a sword after them. 15 And they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I send them in flight among the nations, driving them out through the countries. 16 But a small number of them I will keep from the sword, from the need of food, and from disease, so that they may make clear all their disgusting ways among the nations where they come; and they will be certain that I am the Lord.

17 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 Son of man, take your food with shaking fear, and your water with trouble and care; 19 And say to the people of the land, This is what the Lord has said about the people of Jerusalem and the land of Israel: They will take their food with care and their drink with wonder, so that all the wealth of their land may be taken from it because of the violent ways of the people living in it. 20 And the peopled towns will be made waste, and the land will become a wonder; and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 Son of man, what is this saying which you have about the land of Israel, The time is long and every vision comes to nothing? 23 For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: I have made this saying come to an end, and it will no longer be used as a common saying in Israel; but say to them, The days are near, and the effect of every vision. 24 For there will be no more false visions or smooth use of secret arts in Israel. 25 For I am the Lord; I will say the word and what I say I will do; it will not be put off: for in your days, O uncontrolled people, I will say the word and do it, says the Lord. 26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 Son of man, see, the children of Israel say, The vision which he sees is for the days which are a long way off, and his words are of times still far away. 28 Say to them then, This is what the Lord has said: Not one of my words will be put off any longer, but what I say I will do, says the Lord.