Ezekiel Chapter 14

Israel’s Idolatrous Leaders Condemned

¹ Then some elders of Israel came and sat down in front of me. ² A message from the LORD came to me:

³ “Son of man, these people have set up idols in their hearts, and put their sins in front of them to trip over. Should they consult me? ⁴ So tell them, ‘The Lord GOD says, “If any Israelites or immigrants in Israel set up idols in their heart, put their sin in front of them to trip over, and then come to a prophet to inquire from me, I’ll answer them myself because of their many idols. ⁵ I’ll do it to lay hold of the hearts in Israel that are alienated from me by their idols.”’ Ezek 14:1-5

⁶ ’So repent and turn away from your detestable idols. [ ⁷ ] ⁸ I’ll oppose you and make an example out of you and a proverb. I’ll cut you off from my people. So you’ll know I’m the LORD. ⁹ But if the prophet is tempted to speak a message, I’m the one that tempted him, and I’ll destroy him from my people. ¹⁰ The inquirer and the prophet will get the same punishment for their iniquity. ¹¹ That’s so Israel won’t stray from me anymore and defile themselves with their sins.’” Ezek 14:6-11

Jerusalem Not Spared

                  ¹²A message from the LORD came to me: 

¹³ “Son of man, if a country is unfaithful to me, and I destroy its food supply, send famine on it, and slay its people and animals, ¹⁴ even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they’d only deliver themselves. ¹⁵ If I let wild animals overrun it and make it so dangerous nobody would go through it, ¹⁶ though these three men were in it, as I live, they couldn’t deliver their own sons or daughters. They’d only deliver themselves; the country would be a wasteland. ¹⁷ If I bring a sword on that country to cut off people and animals, ¹⁸ though these three men were in it, they couldn’t deliver their own sons or daughters. They’d only deliver themselves. ¹⁹ If I send a disease on it and pour out my anger on it to slay people and animals, ²⁰ even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they couldn’t deliver their own sons or daughters. They would only deliver themselves by their goodness.

Ezek 14:12-20

²¹ “How much more, then, when I send my four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild animals, and disease to slay people and animals in it! ²² But some children will survive and come out to you to comfort you from the catastrophe I’ve brought on Jerusalem. ²³ They’ll comfort you when you see their deeds, and you’ll know I’ve done it for a reason.”        Ezek 14:21-23