Then came
certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat
before me.
02 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
03 Son of man, these men have set up their idols
in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of
their iniquity before their face: should I be
enquired of at all by them?
04 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house
of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart,
and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity
before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the
Lord will answer him that cometh according to the
multitude of his idols;
05 That I may take the house of Israel in their
own heart, because they are all estranged from me
through their idols.
06 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus
saith the Lord God; Repent, and turn yourselves
from your idols; and turn away your faces from
all your abominations.
07 For every one of the house of Israel, or of
the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which
separateth himself from me, and setteth up his
idols in his heart, and putteth the
stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face,
and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him
concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by
myself:
08 And I will set my face against that man, and
will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will
cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye
shall know that I am the Lord.
09 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath
spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that
prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him,
and will destroy him from the midst of my people
Israel.
10 And they shall bear the punishment of their
iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be
even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto
him;
11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray
from me, neither be polluted any more with all
their transgressions; but that they may be my
people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord
God.
12 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,
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13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me
by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch
out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff
of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon
it, and will cut off man and beast from it:
14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job,
were in it, they should deliver but their own
souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.
15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the
land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate,
that no man may pass through because of the
beasts:
16 Though these three men were in it, as I live,
saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither
sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered,
but the land shall be desolate.
17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say,
Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man
and beast from it:
18 Though these three men were in it, as I live,
saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither
sons nor daughters, but they only shall be
delivered themselves.
19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and
pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off
from it man and beast:
20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I
live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver
neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver
their own souls by their righteousness.
21 For thus saith the Lord God; How much more
when I send my four sore judgments upon
Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the
noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off
from it man and beast?
22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant
that shall be brought forth, both sons and
daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto
you, and ye shall see their way and their doings:
and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil
that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even
concerning all that I have brought upon it.
23 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their
ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I
have not done without cause all that I have done
in it, saith the Lord God.
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