Ezekiel

Chapter 1

¹ In the thirtieth year, the fourth month, and the fifth day of the month, it came about that I was living among the captives by the Kebar Canal. The heavens opened, and I saw visions of God. ² On the fifth day of that month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin— ³ the word of Yahweh came to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Kebar Canal, and the hand of Yahweh was upon him there.

⁴ Then I looked, and there was a windstorm coming from the north; a great cloud with fire flashing within it and brightness surrounding it and inside of it, and the fire was the color of amber inside the cloud. ⁵ In the middle was the likeness of four living creatures. This was their appearance: They had the likeness of a man, ⁶ but they had four faces each, and each of the creatures had four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like the hooves of a calf that shone like polished bronze. ⁸ Yet they had human hands under their wings on all four sides. For all four, their faces and wings were like this: ⁹ their wings were touching the wings of the next creature, and they did not turn as they went; instead, each one went straight forward. ¹⁰ The likeness of their faces was like the face of a man. The four of them had the face of a lion to the right side, and the four of them had the face of an ox on the left side. They four had also the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Their faces were like that, and their wings were spread out above, so that each creature had a pair of wings that touched another creature’s wing, and also a pair of wings that covered their bodies. ¹² Each went straight forward, so that wherever the Spirit directed them to go, they went without turning. ¹³ As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches; bright fire also moved about among the creatures, and there were flashes of lightning. ¹⁴ The living creatures were moving swiftly back and forth, and they had the appearance of lightning!

¹⁵ Then I looked at the living creatures; and I saw one wheel on the ground beside each of living creatures with its four faces. ¹⁶ This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: Each wheel was like beryl, and the four had the same likeness; their appearance and structure was like a wheel intersecting another wheel. ¹⁷ As they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went. ¹⁸ As for their rims, they were high and fearsome, for the rims were full of eyes round about. ¹⁹ Whenever the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the living creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels also rose up. ²⁰ Wherever the Spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose up beside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. ²¹ Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels also moved; and when the creatures stood still, the wheels stood still; when the creatures rose up from the earth, the wheels rose up beside them, because the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

²² Over the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an expansive dome; it looked like awe-inspiring crystal stretched out over their heads above. ²³ Beneath the dome, each one of the creature’s wings stretched out straight and touched another creature’s wings. Each of the living creatures also had a pair to cover themselves; each had a pair to cover his own body. ²⁴ Then I heard the sound of their wings. Like the noise of many waters. Like the voice of the Almighty whenever they moved. Like the sound of a rainstorm. Like the sound of an army. Whenever they stood still, they lowered their wings. ²⁵ A voice came from above the dome over their heads whenever they stood still and lowered their wings.

²⁶ Above the dome over their heads was the likeness of a throne that was like the appearance of a sapphire stone, and on the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man. ²⁷ I saw a figure with the appearance of glowing metal with fire in it from the appearance of his hips up; I saw from the appearance of his hips downward the appearance of fire and brightness all around. ²⁸ Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day was the appearance of the bright light surrounding it. It was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Yahweh. When I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

Chapter 2

¹ He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet; then I will speak to you.” ² Then, as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. ³ He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to rebellious nations that have rebelled against me—both they and their ancestors have sinned against me up to this very day! ⁴ Their descendants have stubborn faces and hard hearts. I am sending you to them, and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’ ⁵ Either they will listen or they will not listen. They are a rebellious house, but they will at least know that a prophet has been among them. ⁶ You, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, although you are with briers and thorns and although you live with scorpions. Do not fear their words or be dismayed by their faces, since they are a rebellious house. ⁷ But you will speak my words to them, whether they listen or not, because they are most rebellious.

⁸ But you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am about to give to you!” ⁹ Then I looked, and a hand was extended out to me; in it was a written scroll. ¹⁰ He spread it out before me; it had been written on both its front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.

Chapter 3

¹ He said to me, “Son of man, what you have found, eat. Eat this scroll, then go speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll. ³ He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I have given to you!” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

⁴ Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people of strange speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of strange speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me. So all the house of Israel is strong browed and hard hearted. ⁸ Behold! I have made your face as hard as their faces and your brow as hard as their brows. ⁹ I have made your brow like a diamond, harder than flint! Do not fear them or be discouraged by their faces, since they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Then he said to me, “Son of man, all the words that I announce to you—take them into your heart and hear them with your ears! ¹¹ Then go to the captives, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says,’ whether they will listen or not.”

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place!” ¹³ It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a great earthquake. ¹⁴ The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in my spirit’s rage, for the hand of Yahweh was powerfully pressing on me! ¹⁵ So I went to the captives at Tel Aviv who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed there among them for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.

¹⁶ Then it happened after seven days that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, so listen to the word from my mouth, and give them my warning. ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die’ and you do not warn him or speak a warning to the wicked about his evil deeds so he might live—the wicked one will die for his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand. ¹⁹ But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked deeds, then he will die for his sin, but you will have rescued your own life. ²⁰ If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I set a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and I will not call to mind the righteous deeds that he performed, but I will require his blood from your hand. ²¹ But if you warn the righteous man to stop sinning so that he no longer sins, he will surely live since he was warned; and you will have rescued your own life.”

²² So the hand of Yahweh was on me there, and he said to me, “Arise! Go out into the plain, and I will speak with you there!” ²³ I arose and went out into the plain, and there the glory of Yahweh was staying, like the glory that I had seen beside the Kebar Canal; so I fell on my face. ²⁴ The Spirit came to me and stood me up on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, “Go and shut yourself up within your house, ²⁵ for now, son of man, they will place ropes upon you and tie you so you cannot go out among them. ²⁶ I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so you will be mute, and you will not be able to rebuke them, since they are a rebellious house. ²⁷ But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth so you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’ The one who will hear will hear; the one who will not listen will not listen, for they are a rebellious house!”

Chapter 4

¹ “But you, son of man, take a brick for yourself and place it before you. Then carve the city of Jerusalem on it. ² Then lay siege against it, and build forts against it. Raise up an assault ramp against it and set camps around it. Place battering rams all around it. ³ Then take for yourself an iron pan and use it as an iron wall between yourself and the city and set your face against it, for it will be under siege, and you are to put the siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

⁴ Then, lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel on it; you will carry their sin for the number of the days that you lie down against the house of Israel. ⁵ I myself am assigning to you one day to represent each year of their punishment: 390 days! In this way, you will carry the sin of the house of Israel. ⁶ When you have completed these days, then lie down a second time on your right side, for you will carry the sin of the house of Judah for forty days. I am assigning to you one day for each year. ⁷ Set your face toward Jerusalem that is under siege, and with your arm uncovered prophesy against it. ⁸ For behold! I am placing bonds on you so you will not turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.

⁹ Take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make bread for yourself according to the number of the days that you will lie upon your side. For 390 days you will eat it. ¹⁰ The food you will eat will be by weight, twenty shekels per day, and you will eat it at set times each day. ¹¹ Then you will drink water, measured out to a sixth of a hin, and you will drink it at set times. ¹² You will eat it as barley cakes, but you will bake it on excrement of human dung within their sight!” ¹³ For Yahweh says, “This means that the bread that the people of Israel will eat will be unclean, there among the nations where I will banish them.” ¹⁴ But I said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! I have never been unclean! I have never eaten either anything that died or anything killed by animals, from my youth until now, and foul meat has never entered my mouth!” ¹⁵ So he said to me, “Look! I have given you cow manure instead of human dung so you can prepare your bread over that.” ¹⁶ He also said to me, “Son of man! Behold! I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread while rationing it in anxiety and drink water while rationing it in trembling. ¹⁷ Because they will lack bread and water, every man will be dismayed at his brother and waste away because of their iniquity.”

Chapter 5

¹ “Then you, son of man, take a sharp sword as a barber’s razor for yourself, and pass the razor over your head and your beard, then take scales to weigh and divide your hair. ² Burn a third of it with fire in the midst of the city when the days of the siege are completed, and take a third of the hair and strike it with the sword all around the city. Then scatter a third of it to the wind, and I will draw out a sword to chase after the people. ³ But take a small number of hairs from them and tie them into the folds of your robe. ⁴ Then take more of the hair and throw it into the midst of the fire; and burn it in the fire; from there a fire will go out to all the house of Israel.”

⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this, “This is Jerusalem in the midst of the nations, where I have placed her, and where I have surrounded her with other lands. ⁶ But she has in wickedness rejected my decrees more than the nations have, and my statutes more than the countries that surround her. The people have rejected my judgments and have not walked in my statutes.” ⁷ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, “Because you are more troublesome than the nations that surround you and have not walked in my statutes or acted according to my decrees, or even acted according to the decrees of the nations that surround you,” ⁸ therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, “Behold! I myself will act against you. I will execute judgments within your midst for the nations to see. ⁹ I will do to you what I have not done and the like of which I will not do again, because of all your disgusting actions. ¹⁰ Therefore fathers will eat the children in your midst, and sons will eat their fathers, since I will execute judgment on you and scatter to every direction all of you who are left. ¹¹ Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—it is certainly because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your hateful things and with all your disgusting deeds, that I myself will reduce you in number; my eye will not have pity on you, and I will not spare you. ¹² A third of you will die by plague, and they will be consumed by famine in your midst. A third will fall by the sword surrounding you. Then I will scatter a third in every direction, and draw out a sword to chase after them as well.

¹³ Then my wrath will be completed, and I will cause my fury toward them to rest. I will be satisfied, and they will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my wrath when I have completed my fury against them. ¹⁴ I will make you a desolation and a reproach to the nations that surround you in the sight of everyone who passes by. ¹⁵ So Jerusalem will become something for other people to condemn and to mock, a warning and a horror to the nations that surround you. I will execute judgments against you in wrath and fury, and with a furious rebuke—I, Yahweh have declared this! ¹⁶ I will send out harsh arrows of famine against you that will become the means with which I will destroy you. For I will increase the famine on you and break your staff of bread. ¹⁷ I will send a famine and disasters against you so you will be childless. Plague and blood will pass through you, and I will bring a sword against you—I, Yahweh, have declared this.”

Chapter 6

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. ³ Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and to the hills, to the streambeds, and to the valleys: Behold! I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places. ⁴ Then your altars will become desolate and your pillars will be destroyed, and I will throw down your dead in front of their idols. ⁵ I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols, and scatter your bones around your altars. ⁶ Everywhere you live, cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined, so that your altars will be laid waste and made desolate. Then they will be broken and disappear, your pillars will be cut down and your works will be wiped away. ⁷ The dead will fall down in your midst and you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁸ But I will preserve a remnant among you, and there will be some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered throughout the countries. ⁹ Then those who escape will think of me among the nations where they will be held captive, that I was grieved by their promiscuous heart that turned away from me, and by their eyes that whored after their idols. Then they will show loathing on their face for the wickedness which they have committed with all their abominations. ¹⁰ So they will know that I am Yahweh. It was for a reason that I said I would bring this evil to them.

¹¹ The Lord Yahweh says this: Clap your hands and stomp your foot! Say, ‘Alas!’ because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they will fall by sword, famine, and plague. ¹² The one far away will die by plague, and the one who is near will fall by the sword. Those who remain and survive will die by famine. In this way I will accomplish my fury against them. ¹³ Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when their dead lie among their idols, around their altars, on every high hill—on all the mountain peaks, and under every flourishing tree and thick oak—the places where they burned incense to all their idols. ¹⁴ I will strike with my hand and make the land desolate and a waste, from the wilderness to Diblah, throughout all the places where they live. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” ^[1]

Chapter 7

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “You, son of man—the Lord Yahweh says this to the land of Israel.”

     ‘An end! An end has come to the four borders of the land.

     ³ Now the end is upon you, for I am sending out my wrath on you, and I will judge you according to your ways;

     then I will bring all your abominations upon you.

     ⁴ For my eyes will not pity you, and I will not spare you. Instead, I will bring your ways upon you,

     and your abominations will be in your midst, so you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this:

     Disaster! A unique disaster! Behold, it is coming. ^[1]

     ⁶ An end is surely coming. The end has woken up against you. Behold, it is coming!

     ⁷ Your doom is coming to you who inhabit the land.

     The time has come; the day of destruction is near, and the mountains will no longer be joyful.

     ⁸ Now before long I will pour out my fury against you and fill up my wrath upon you

     when I judge you according to your ways and bring all your abominations upon you.

     ⁹ For my eye will not look compassionately, and I will not spare you. As you have done, I will do to you;

     and your abominations will be in your midst so you will know that I am Yahweh, the one punishing you.

     ¹⁰ Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming!

     Doom has gone out! The rod has blossomed, arrogance has budded!

     ¹¹ Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness—

     none of them, and none of their multitude, none of their wealth, and none of their importance will last!

     ¹² The time is coming; the day has come close. Do not let the buyer rejoice,

     nor the seller mourn, since my anger is on the entire multitude!

     ¹³ For the seller will not return to the land he sold as long as they both live,

     because the vision concerning the entire multitude will not be reversed;

     and because of their sins, none of them will be strengthened!

     ¹⁴ They have blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but there is no one marching to battle;

     since my anger is on the entire multitude.

     ¹⁵ The sword is on the outside, and plague and famine are inside the building.

     Those who are in the field will die by the sword, while famine and plague will consume those in the city.

     ¹⁶ But some survivors will escape from among them, and they will go to the mountains.

     Like doves of the valleys, all of them will moan—each man for his iniquity.

     ¹⁷ Every hand will falter and every knee will be weak as water,

     ¹⁸ and they will wear sackcloth, and terror will cover them;

     and shame will be on every face, and baldness on all of their heads.

     ¹⁹ They will throw their silver into the streets and their gold will be like refuse. Their silver and their gold

     will not be able to rescue them in the day of Yahweh’s rage. Their lives will not be saved,

     and their hunger will not be satisfied, because their iniquity has become a stumbling block.

     ²⁰ In their pride they took the beauty of his jeweled ornaments, and with them they made their idolatrous figures, and their detestable things. Therefore, I am turning these into an unclean thing to them.

     ²¹ Then I will give those things into the hand of strangers as plunder and to the wicked of the earth as plunder,

     and they will defile them.

     ²² Then I will turn my face away from them when they defile my cherished place;

     bandits will enter it and defile it.

     ²³ Make a chain, because the land is filled with the judgment of blood,

     and the city is full of violence.

     ²⁴ So I will bring the most wicked of the nations, and they will possess their houses,

     and I will bring an end to the pride of the mighty, for their holy places will be defiled!

     ²⁵ Fear will come! They will seek peace, but there will be none.

     ²⁶ Disaster upon disaster will come, and there will be rumor after rumor.

     Then they will seek a vision from the prophet, but the law will perish from the priest and advice from the elders.

     ²⁷ The king will mourn and the prince will dress in despair,

     while the hands of the people of the land will tremble in fear. According to their own ways I will do this to them!

     I will judge them with their own standards until they know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 8

¹ So it came about in the sixth year and the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Yahweh again fell upon me there. ² So I looked, and behold, there was a likeness with the appearance of a man. From the appearance of his hips downward there was fire. And from his hips upward there was the appearance of something shining, like glowing metal. ³ Then he reached out the form of a hand and took me by the hair of my head; the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and in visions from God, he brought me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner northern gate, where the idol that provokes great jealousy was standing. ⁴ Then behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision I had seen on the plain.

⁵ Then he said to me, “Son of man, lift up your eyes to the north.” So I lifted up my eyes to the north, and to the north of the gate leading to the altar, there in the entrance, was the idol of jealousy. ⁶ So he said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing? These are great abominations that the house of Israel is doing here to make me go far from my own sanctuary. But you will turn and see even greater abominations.”

⁷ Then he brought me to the doorway of the courtyard, and I looked, and there was a hole in the wall. ⁸ He said to me, “Son of man, dig into this wall.” So I dug into the wall, and there was a door. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Go and see the wicked abominations that they are doing here.” ¹⁰ So I went in and looked, and behold! There was every form of creeping thing and detestable beast! Every idol of the house of Israel was carved into the wall all around. ¹¹ Seventy elders of the house of Israel were there, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing in their midst. They were standing in front of the images, and each man had his censer in his hand so that the smell of the cloud of incense went up. ¹² He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark? Each one does this in the hidden chamber of his idol, for they say, ‘Yahweh does not see us! Yahweh has forsaken the land.’” ¹³ Then he said to me, “Turn again and see the other great abominations that they are doing.”

¹⁴ Next he brought me to the entrance of the gate of Yahweh’s house that was on the north side, and behold! The women were sitting there mourning for Tammuz. ¹⁵ So he said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Turn again and see even greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶ He brought me into the inner courtyard of Yahweh’s house, and behold! at the entrance of the temple of Yahweh between the portico and the altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of Yahweh and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun. ¹⁷ He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? Is it a little thing for the house of Judah to do these abominations that they are doing here? For they have filled the land with violence and they have turned again to provoke me to anger, putting the branch to their noses. ¹⁸ So I will also act among them; my eye will not have compassion, and I will not spare them. Though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

Chapter 9

¹ Then he cried in my hearing with a loud voice, and said, “Let the guards come up to the city, each with his weapon of destruction in his hand.” ² Then behold! Six men came from the pathway of the upper gate that faces north, each with his weapon of slaughter in his hand. There was a man in their midst dressed in linen with a scribe’s equipment at his side. So they went in and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherubim where it had been to the threshold of the house. He called to the man dressed in linen who had the scribe’s equipment at his side. ⁴ Yahweh said to him, “Pass through the midst of the city—the midst of Jerusalem—and make a mark on the foreheads of those who groan and sigh about all the abominations being performed in the midst of the city.” ⁵ Then he spoke to the others within my hearing, “Pass through the city after him and kill. Do not let your eyes have compassion, and do not spare ⁶ either old man, young man, virgin, little children or women. Kill all of them! But do not approach anyone who has the mark on his head. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were in front of the house. ⁷ He said to them, “Defile the house, and fill its courtyards with the dead. Proceed!” So they went out and attacked the city. ⁸ As they were attacking it, I found myself alone and I fell on my face and cried out and said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on Jerusalem?”

⁹ He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood and the city full of perversions, since they say, ‘Yahweh has forgotten the land,’ and ‘Yahweh does not see!’ ¹⁰ So then, my eye will not look with compassion, and I will not spare them. I will instead bring it all on their heads.” ¹¹ Behold! The man dressed in linen who had the scribe’s equipment by his side came back. He reported and said, “I have done all that you have commanded.”

Chapter 10

¹ As I looked toward the dome that was over the heads of the cherubim; something appeared above them like a sapphire with the appearance of the likeness of a throne. ² Then Yahweh spoke to the man dressed in linen and said, “Go between the wheels underneath the cherubim, and fill both your hands with fiery coals from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” Then the man went in as I watched. ³ The cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ The glory of Yahweh rose up from the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the house. It filled the house with the cloud, and the courtyard was full of the brightness of Yahweh’s glory. ⁵ The sound of the cherubim’s wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks. ⁶ It came about, when God commanded the man dressed in linen and said, “Take fire from between the wheels that are between the cherubim,” the man went in and stood beside a wheel. ⁷ A cherub reached out his hand between the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and lifted it up and placed it into the hands of the one dressed in linen. The man took it and went back out. ⁸ I saw on the cherubim something like a man’s hand under their wings.

⁹ So I looked, and behold! Four wheels were beside the cherubim—one wheel beside each cherub—and the appearance of the wheels was like a beryl stone. ¹⁰ Their appearance was the same likeness for all four of them, like a wheel intersecting another wheel. ¹¹ When they moved, they went in any of their four directions, without turning as they went; but whatever direction the head faced, they followed after it without turning as they went. ¹² Their whole body—including their backs, their hands, and their wings—was covered with eyes, and eyes covered the four wheels all around also. ¹³ As I listened, the wheels were called, “Whirling.” ¹⁴ They had four faces each; the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ Then the cherubim—these were the living creatures that I had seen by the Kebar Canal—rose up. ¹⁶ Whenever the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them, and whenever the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise up from the earth, the wheels did not turn. They still stayed beside them. ¹⁷ When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

¹⁸ Then the glory of Yahweh went out from over the threshold of the house and stood over the cherubim. ¹⁹ The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the earth in my sight when they went out, and the wheels did the same beside them. They stood at the eastern entrance to Yahweh’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel came upon them from above.

²⁰ These were the living creatures that I had seen below the God of Israel by the Kebar Canal, so I knew that they were cherubim! ²¹ They had four faces each and four wings each, and the likeness of human hands under their wings, ²² and the likeness of their faces was like the faces that I had seen in the vision at the Kebar Canal, and each of them went straight ahead.

Chapter 11

¹ Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of Yahweh’s house, facing east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate there were twenty-five men. I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people, among them. ² God said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity, and who decide wicked plans in this city. ³ They are saying, ‘The time to build houses is not now; this city is the pot, and we are the meat.’ ⁴ Therefore prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”

⁵ Then the Spirit of Yahweh fell on me and he said for me to say: This is what Yahweh says, “That is what you are saying, house of Israel; for I know what goes through your mind. ⁶ You have multiplied the people you have killed in this city and filled its streets with them. ⁷ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: The people you have killed, whose bodies you have laid in the midst of Jerusalem, are the meat, and this city is the pot. But you are going to be brought out from the midst of this city. ⁸ You have feared the sword, so I am bringing the sword upon you—this is the declaration of the Lord Yahweh. ⁹ I will bring you out of the midst of the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, for I will bring judgment against you. ¹⁰ You will fall by the sword. I will judge you within the borders of Israel so you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹¹ This city will not be your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat within her midst. I will judge you within the borders of Israel. ¹² Then you will know that I am Yahweh, the one whose statutes you have not walked in and whose decrees you have not carried out. Instead, you have carried out the decrees of the nations that surround you.”

¹³ It came about that as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah, died. So I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh, will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?” ¹⁴ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁵ “Son of man, your brothers! Your brothers! The men of your clan and all the house of Israel! All of them are those of whom it is said by those living in Jerusalem, ‘They are far away from Yahweh! This land was given to us as our possession.’ ¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Though I have removed them far off among the nations, and though I have scattered them among the lands, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the lands where they have gone.’ ¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you from the lands where you were scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ ¹⁸ Then they will go there and remove every detestable thing and every abomination from that place. ¹⁹ I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take out the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, ²⁰ so that they will walk in my statutes, they will carry out my decrees and do them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But to those who walk with affection toward their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their conduct on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

²² The cherubim lifted up their wings and the wheels that were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was high up over them. ²³ Then the glory of Yahweh went up from within the midst of the city and stood on the mountain to the east of the city. ²⁴ The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into Chaldea, to the exiles, in the vision from the Spirit of God, and the vision that I had seen went up from upon me. ²⁵ Then I declared to the exiles all the things of Yahweh that I had seen.

Chapter 12

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house, where they have eyes to see but they do not see; and where they have ears to hear but do not listen, because they are a rebellious house. ³ Therefore as for you, son of man, prepare your things for exile, and begin going out by day in their sight, for I will exile you in their sight from your place to another place. Perhaps they will begin to see, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴ You will bring out your things for an exile in the day in their sight; go out in the evening in their sight in the way that anyone goes into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall in their sight, and go out through it. ⁶ In their sight, lift up your things onto your shoulder, and bring them out in the darkness. Cover your face, for you must not see the land, since I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel.”

⁷ So I did this, just as I was commanded. I brought out my things of exile in the daytime, and in the evening I dug a hole through the wall by hand. I brought my things out in the dark, and lifted them up on my shoulder in their sight. ⁸ Then the word of Yahweh came to me in the morning, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, is the house of Israel, that rebellious house, not asking, ‘What are you doing?’ ¹⁰ Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: this prophetic action concerns the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel in whose midst they are.’ ¹¹ Say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile and into captivity. ¹² The prince who is among them will lift up his things upon his shoulder in the dark, and will go out through the wall. They will dig through the wall and bring out their things. He will cover his face, so he will not see the land with his eyes. ¹³ I will spread out my net over him and he will be caught in my snare; then I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it. He will die there. ¹⁴ I will also scatter in every direction all of those around him who were to assist him and his entire army, and I will send out a sword after them. ¹⁵ Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands. ¹⁶ But I will spare a few men from among them from the sword, famine, and plague, so they may record all of their abominations in the lands where I take them, so they will know that I am Yahweh.”

¹⁷ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with shaking and worry. ¹⁹ Then say to the people of the land, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the land of Israel, “They will eat their bread with trembling and drink their water while shaking, since the land will be despoiled of its fullness because of the violence of all those who live there. ²⁰ So the cities that were inhabited will be desolate, and the land will become a wasteland; so you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

²¹ Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel that says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’? ²³ Therefore, say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: I will put an end to this proverb, and the people of Israel will no longer use it.’ Say to them, ‘The days have drawn near when every vision will be fulfilled. ²⁴ For there will no longer be any false visions or favorable divinations within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I am Yahweh! I speak, and I carry out the words that I speak. The matter will no longer be delayed. For I will speak this word in your days, rebellious house, and I will carry it out!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

²⁶ Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²⁷ “Son of man! Behold, the house of Israel has said, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of far off times.’ ²⁸ Therefore say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: My words will not be delayed any longer, but the word that I have spoken will be done—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

Chapter 13

¹ Again, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets who are prophesying in Israel, and say to those who are prophesying out of their own imaginations, ‘Listen to the word of Yahweh. ³ The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, but who have seen nothing! ⁴ Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the wastelands. ⁵ You have not gone to the breaks in the wall around the house of Israel in order to repair it, in order to resist in battle on the day of Yahweh. ⁶ The people have false visions and make false predictions, those who say, “Such and such is Yahweh’s declaration.” Yahweh has not sent them, but they nevertheless have made people hope that their messages would come true. ⁷ Have you not had false visions and made false predictions, you who say, “Such and such is Yahweh’s declaration” when I myself have not spoken?’

⁸ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Because you have had false visions and have told lies—therefore this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration against you: ⁹ My hand will be against the prophets who have lying visions and who make false predictions. They will not be in the assembly of my people, or enrolled in the record of the house of Israel; they must not go to the land of Israel. For you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh! ¹⁰ Because of this, and because they led my people astray and said, “Peace!” when there is no peace, they are building a wall that they will paint with whitewash.’ ¹¹ Say to those who are whitewashing the wall, ‘It will fall down; there will be a downpour of rain, and I will send hailstones to make it fall down, and a windstorm wind to break it down. ¹² See, the wall will fall down. Have others not said to you, “Where is the whitewash that you put on it?” ¹³ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I will bring a windstorm in my rage, and there will be floods of rain in my wrath! Hailstones in my rage will completely destroy it. ¹⁴ For I will tear down the wall that you have covered with whitewash, and I will demolish it to the ground and lay bare its foundations. So it will fall, and you will be annihilated in the middle of it all. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵ For I will annihilate in my fury the wall and those who whitewashed it. I will say to you, “The wall exists no more, nor do the people who whitewashed it— ¹⁶ the prophets of Israel who prophesied about Jerusalem and who had visions of peace for her. But there is no peace!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”’

¹⁷ So you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own minds, and prophesy against them. ¹⁸ Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the women who sew magic charms onto every part of their hand and make veils for their heads of every size, used to hunt down people. Will you hunt down my people but save your own lives? ¹⁹ You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread, to kill people who should not die, and to preserve the lives of those who should not continue to live, because of your lies to my people who heard you.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I am against the magic charms that you have used to ensnare the people’s lives as if they were birds. Indeed, I will tear them from your arms; and the people whom you have trapped like birds—I will let them go free. ²¹ I will tear away your veils and rescue my people from your hand, so they will no longer be trapped in your hands. You will know that I am Yahweh. ²² Because you discourage the heart of the righteous person with lies, even though I did not desire his discouragement, and because you encourage instead the actions of the wicked person so that he will not turn from his way to save his life— ²³ therefore you will no longer have false visions or continue to make predictions, for I will rescue my people out of your hand. You will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 14

¹ Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ² Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and have put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their own faces. Should I be inquired of at all by them? ⁴ Therefore announce this to them and say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols. ⁵ I will do this so that I may take back the house of Israel in their hearts that have been driven far from me through their idols.’

⁶ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Repent and turn away from your idols! Turn back your faces from all your abominations. ⁷ For every one from the house of Israel and every one of the foreigners staying in Israel who deserts me, who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his own face, and who then comes to a prophet to seek me—I, Yahweh, will answer him myself. ⁸ So I will set my face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, for I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁹ If a prophet is deceived and speaks a message, then I, Yahweh, will deceive that prophet; I will reach out with my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. ¹⁰ They will carry their own iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet will be the same as the iniquity of the one who inquires from him. ¹¹ Because of this, the house of Israel will no longer wander away from following me nor defile themselves any longer through all their transgressions. They will be my people, and I will be their God—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

¹² Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹³ “Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a sin so that I reach out with my hand against it and break the staff of its bread, and send out over it a famine and cut off both man and beast from the land; ¹⁴ then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land’s midst, they could only rescue their own lives by their righteousness—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁵ If I send evil beasts through the land and make it barren so that it becomes a wasteland where no man may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶ then even if these same three men were in it—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued, but the land would become a wasteland. ¹⁷ Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Sword, go through the land and cut off both man and beast from it’, ¹⁸ then even if these three men were in the midst of the land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued. ¹⁹ Or if I send a plague against this land and pour out my fury against it through bloodshed, in order to cut off both man and beast, ²⁰ then even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in that land—as I live, declares the Lord Yahweh—they would not be able to rescue even their own sons or daughters; only their own lives would be rescued by their righteousness.

²¹ For the Lord Yahweh says this: I will certainly make things worse by sending my four punishments—famine, sword, wild animals, and plague—against Jerusalem to cut off both man and beast from her. ²² Yet, behold! A remnant will be left in her, survivors who will go out with sons and daughters. Behold! They will go out to you, and you will see their ways and actions and be comforted concerning the punishment that I have sent to Jerusalem, and about everything else that I have sent against the land. ²³ The survivors will comfort you when you see their ways and their actions, so you will know all these things I have done against her, that I have not done them in vain!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 15

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, how is a vine better than any tree with branches that is among the trees in a forest? ³ Do people take wood from a vine to make anything? Or do they make a peg from it to hang anything on it? ⁴ See! If it is thrown into a fire as fuel, and if the fire has burned both of its ends and also the middle, is it good for anything? ⁵ See! When it was complete, it could not make anything; surely then, when the fire has burned, then it still will not make anything useful. ⁶ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Unlike the trees in the forests, I have given the vine as fuel for fires; I will act in the same way toward the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ⁷ For I will set my face against them. Though they come out from the fire, yet the fire will consume them; so you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them. ⁸ Then I will make the land into an abandoned wasteland because they have committed sin—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 16

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, inform Jerusalem about her abominations, ³ and declare, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this to Jerusalem: Your beginning and your birth took place in the land of Canaan; your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ On the day of your birth, your mother did not cut your navel, nor did she purify you in water or rub you down with salt, or wrap cloth around you. ⁵ No eye had compassion for you to do any of these things for you, to be compassionate toward you. On the day that you were born, with loathing for your life, you were thrown out into the open field.

⁶ But I passed by you, and I saw you writhing in your own blood; so I said to you in your blood, “Live!” I said to you in your blood, “Live!” ^{[1] 7} I made you grow like a plant in a field. You multiplied and became great, and you became the jewel of jewels. Your breasts became firm, and your hair grew thick, though you had been naked and bare. ⁸ I passed by you again, and I saw you. See! the time of love came for you, so I spread my robe over you and covered your nakedness. Then I swore to you and brought you into a covenant—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—and you became mine. ⁹ So I washed you with water and rinsed your blood off you, and I anointed you with oil. ¹⁰ I dressed you in embroidered clothes and placed leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ Next I adorned you with jewelry, and I put bracelets on your hands, and a chain around your neck. ¹² I put a nose ring in your nostrils and earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ So you were adorned with gold and silver, and you were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes; you ate fine flour, honey, and oil, and you were very beautiful, and you became a queen. ¹⁴ Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect in the majesty that I had given to you—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

¹⁵ But you trusted in your own beauty, and you acted like a prostitute because of your fame; you poured out your acts of prostitution on everyone who passed by, so that your beauty became his. ¹⁶ Then you took your clothes and with them you made high places for yourself decorated in various colors, and there you acted like a prostitute. This should not have happened. Nor should such a thing exist. ¹⁷ You took the fine jewels of the gold and silver that I gave you, and you made for yourself male figures, and you did with them as a prostitute would do. ¹⁸ You took your embroidered garments and covered them, and you set my oils and perfumes before them. ¹⁹ My bread I gave you—made with fine flour, oil, and honey—you set before them for a fragrant aroma, for this is what happened—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ²⁰ Then you took your sons and daughters whom you bore for me, and you sacrificed them to the images to be devoured as food. Are your acts of prostitution a small matter? ²¹ You slaughtered my children to the idols and made them pass through the fire. ²² In all your abominations and your acts of prostitution you have not thought about the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare as you thrashed about in your blood.

²³ Woe! Woe to you!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—therefore, in addition to all this wickedness, ²⁴ you built yourself a mound and made yourself a lofty shrine in every public place. ²⁵ You built your high place at the head of every road and made your beauty a disgrace, and you spread your legs to anyone who passed by, and you multiplied your acts of prostitution. ²⁶ You have acted like a prostitute with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and you committed many more acts of prostitution, provoking me to anger. ²⁷ See! I will strike you with my hand and cut off your food. I will hand your life over to your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your obscene behavior. ²⁸ You have acted like a prostitute with the Assyrians because you could not be satisfied. You acted like a prostitute and still were not satisfied. ²⁹ You performed many more acts of prostitution in the land of the merchants of Chaldea, and even this did not satisfy you.

³⁰ How sick is your heart—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—that you would do all these things, deeds of a shameless prostitute? ³¹ You have built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square. Yet you were not like a prostitute because you scoffed at taking payment. ³² You adulterous woman, you accept strangers instead of your husband. ³³ People give payment to every prostitute, but you give your wages to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all around for your acts of prostitution. ³⁴ So there is a difference between you and other women. No one offers payment for you to act as a prostitute. You are the very opposite. You gave them payment and none was given to you.

³⁵ Therefore, you prostitute, listen to the word of Yahweh. ³⁶ The Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have poured out your lust and uncovered your nakedness through your acts of prostitution with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, ³⁷ therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers that you have met, all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated, and I will gather them against you on every side. I will uncover your nakedness to them so they see all your nakedness. ³⁸ For I will punish you for adultery and the shedding of blood, and I will bring on you the bloodshed of my anger and passion. ³⁹ I will give you into their hands so they will throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your high places and they will strip you of your clothes and take all of your jewelry. They will leave you naked and bare. ⁴⁰ Then they will bring up a crowd against you and stone you with stones, and they will cut you apart with their swords. ⁴¹ They will burn your houses and will perform many acts of punishment on you in the sight of many women, for I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. ⁴² Then I will calm my fury against you; my anger will leave you, for I will be satisfied, and will no longer be angry. ⁴³ Because you did not call to mind the days of your youth and have made me shake with anger because of all these things, therefore, behold! I myself will bring down on your own head the punishment for what you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. Have you not added prostitution to all your other detestable practices?

⁴⁴ Behold! Everyone who speaks proverbs concerning you will say, “As the mother is, so also is her daughter.” ⁴⁵ You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. ⁴⁶ Your older sister was Samaria and her daughters were the ones living in the north, while your younger sister was the one living south of you, that is, Sodom and her daughters. ⁴⁷ You not only walked in their ways and copied their behavior and practices, but in all your ways you have been worse than they were. ⁴⁸ As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—your sister Sodom and her daughters, have not done as much evil as you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ Behold! This was the sin of your sister Sodom that she was arrogant in her leisure, careless and unconcerned about anything. She did not strengthen the hands of the poor and needy people. ⁵⁰ She was arrogant and committed disgusting actions before me, so I took them away just as you have seen. ⁵¹ Neither did Samaria commit even half of your sins; instead, you have done many more disgusting things than they did, and you have shown that your sisters were better than you because of all the disgusting things that you do! ⁵² Especially you, show your own shame; in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you, because of the sins you committed in all those disgusting ways. Your sisters now seem better than you. Especially you, show your own shame, for in this way you have shown that your sisters were better than you.

⁵³ For I will restore their fortunes—the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters; but your fortunes will be among them. ⁵⁴ On account of these things you will show your shame; you will be humiliated because of everything that you have done, and in this way you will be a comfort to them. ⁵⁵ So your sister Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former condition, and Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former estate. Then you and your daughters will be restored to your former condition. ⁵⁶ Sodom your sister was not even mentioned by your mouth in the days when you were proud, ⁵⁷ before your wickedness was revealed. But now you are an object of scorn to the daughters of Edom and to all the daughters of the Philistines around her. People all about despise you. ^{[2] 58} You will show your shame and your disgusting actions!—this is Yahweh’s declaration! ⁵⁹ The Lord Yahweh says this: I will deal with you as you deserve, you who have despised your oath by breaking the covenant.

⁶⁰ But I myself will call to mind my covenant with you made in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then you will call to mind your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older sisters and your younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. ⁶² I myself will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁶³ Because of these things, you will call everything to mind and be ashamed, so you will no longer open your mouth to speak because of your shame, when I have forgiven you for all that you have done—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

Chapter 17

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, present a riddle and speak a parable to the house of Israel. ³ Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this:

     A large eagle with large wings and long pinions, full of feathers,

     and that was multicolored went to Lebanon and took hold of the top of a cedar tree.

     ⁴ It broke off the tips of the branches and took them to the land of Canaan;

     he planted it in a city of merchants.

     ⁵ He also took some seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil.

     He placed it beside a large body of water like a willow.

     ⁶ Then it sprouted and became a spreading vine low to the ground.

     Its branches turned toward him, and its roots grew under it.

     So it became a vine and produced branches and sent out shoots.

     ⁷ But there was another great eagle with large wings and many feathers.

     Behold! This vine turned its roots toward the eagle,

     and it spread out its branches toward the eagle from the place it had been planted so it would be watered.

     ⁸ It had been planted in good soil beside a large body of water

     so it would produce branches and sprout fruit, to become a magnificent vine.’

     ⁹ Say to the people, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Will it prosper?

     Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers, and all its fresh growth will wither?

     No strong arm or many people will be needed to pull it out by its roots.

     ¹⁰ So behold! After it has been planted, will it grow? Will it not wither when the eastern wind touches it?

     It will completely wither away in the garden plot where it sprouted.’”

¹¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹² “Speak to the rebellious house, ‘Do you not know what these things mean? Behold! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took her king and her princes and brought them to him in Babylon. ¹³ Then he took a royal descendant, made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath. He took away the powerful people of the land, ¹⁴ so the kingdom might become lowly and not lift itself up. By keeping his covenant the land will survive. ¹⁵ But the king of Jerusalem rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt to acquire horses and an army. Will he succeed? Will the one doing these things escape? If he breaks the covenant, will he escape? ¹⁶ As I live!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—he will surely die in the land of the king who made him king, the king whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke. He will die in the middle of Babylon. ¹⁷ Pharaoh with his mighty army and a great company of men will not help him in battle, when ramps are constructed and siege walls are built up to cut off many lives. ¹⁸ For the king despised his oath by breaking the covenant. Behold, he reached out with his hand to make a promise and yet he did all these things. He will not escape. ¹⁹ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, was it not my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke? So I will bring his punishment on his head! ²⁰ I will spread my net out over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net. Then I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there for his treason that he committed when he betrayed me! ²¹ All of his refugees in his armies will fall by the sword, and the ones who remain will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; I have declared this would happen.”

²² The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘So I myself will take away the highest part of the cedar tree, and I will plant it away from its tender branches. I will break it off, and I myself will plant it on a high mountain. ²³ I will plant it on the mountains of Israel so it will bear branches and produce fruit, and it will become a majestic cedar so that every winged bird will live under it. They will nest in the shade of its branches. ²⁴ Then all the trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh. I bring down the high trees and I raise up the low trees. I wither the watered tree and I cause the dried tree to bloom. I am Yahweh, I have declared that this will happen; and I have done it.’”

Chapter 18

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, ² “What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say,

     ‘Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are made blunt’? ³ As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—there will certainly no longer be any occasion for you to use this proverb in Israel. ⁴ Behold! Every life belongs to me—the life of the father as well as the life of the son, they belong to me! The soul who sins is the one who will die!

⁵ What can be said about a man who is righteous and who carries out justice and righteousness— ⁶ if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor’s wife, nor approached a woman during her monthly period, is he a righteous man? ⁷ What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, and he gives back to the debtor what was put up as security for a loan, and he does not commit theft but gives his food to the hungry and he covers the naked with clothes, is he a righteous man? ⁸ What can be said about a man who does not charge too much interest for the money he loans, and he does not take too much profit for what he sells? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people. ⁹ If that man walks in my statutes and keeps my decrees to act faithfully, then the promise for this righteous man is this: He will surely live!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

¹⁰ But suppose that he has a violent son who sheds blood and does any one of these things that were mentioned, ^{[1] 11} (though his father has not done any of these things). He eats upon the mountains and he defiles his neighbor’s wife, what can be said about him? ¹² This man oppresses the poor and needy, and he seizes and robs, and he does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting actions, ¹³ and he lends out money at too high interest and he makes too much profit on what he sells, should that man live? Surely he will not! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.

¹⁴ But behold! Suppose there is a man who bears a son, and his son sees all the sins that his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do those things. ¹⁵ That son does not eat upon the mountains, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor’s wife, what can be said about him? ¹⁶ That son does not oppress anyone, or seize a pledge, or take stolen things, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothes. ¹⁷ That son does not oppress anyone or take interest that is too high or make too much profit for a loan, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father’s sin: He will surely live! ¹⁸ His father, since he oppressed others by extortion and robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die in his iniquity.

¹⁹ But you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of his father?’ Because the son carries out justice and righteousness and keeps all my statutes; he does them. He will surely live! ²⁰ The one who sins, he is the one who will die. A son will not bear his father’s iniquity, and a father will not bear his son’s iniquity. The righteousness of the one who acts rightly will be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on himself.

²¹ But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and keeps all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die. ²² All the transgressions that he has committed will not be called to mind against him. He will live by the righteousness that he practices. ²³ Do I greatly rejoice over the death of the wicked—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—and not in his turning away from his way so that he may live? ²⁴ But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treason. So he will die in the sins that he committed.

²⁵ But you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ Listen, house of Israel! Are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? ²⁶ When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and dies because of them, then he will die in the iniquity that he has done. ²⁷ But when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has done and performs justice and righteousness, then he will preserve his life. ²⁸ For he has seen and turned away from all the transgressions that he had done. He will surely live, and he will not die. ²⁹ But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair!’ How is my way not fair, house of Israel? It is your ways that are not fair. ³⁰ Therefore I will judge each man among you according to his ways, house of Israel!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions so that they will not be stumbling blocks of iniquity against you. ³¹ Throw away from yourselves all of the transgressions that you have committed; make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel? ³² For I have no delight in the death of the one who dies—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—so repent and live!”

Chapter 19

¹ “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel ² and say,

     ‘Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion’s son;

     in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.

     ³ She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.

     ⁴ Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

     ⁵ Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.

     ⁶ This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.

     ⁷ He seized their widows and ruined their cities.

     The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring. ^[1]

     ⁸ But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces;

     they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

     ⁹ With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon.

     They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

     ¹⁰ Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. ^[2]

     it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

     ¹¹ It had strong branches that were used for rulers’ scepters,

     and its size was exalted above the branches,

     and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.

     ¹² But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit.

     Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.

     ¹³ So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

     ¹⁴ For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit.

     There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.’ This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”

Chapter 20

¹ It came about in the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, that elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. ² Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, declare to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Have you come to inquire of me? As I live, I will not be inquired of by you!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’ ⁴ Will you judge them? Will you judge, son of man? Let them know about their fathers’ abominations. ⁵ Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I chose Israel and raised my hand to swear an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I raised my hand to swear an oath to them. I said, “I am Yahweh your God”— ⁶ on that day I raised my hand to swear an oath to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had carefully selected for them. It was flowing with milk and honey; it was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. ⁷ I said to them, “Let each man throw away the detestable things from before his eyes and the idols of Egypt. Do not make yourselves unclean; I am Yahweh your God.” ⁸ But they rebelled against me and were unwilling to listen to me. Each man did not throw away the detestable things from before his eyes nor forsake the idols of Egypt, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath among them in the middle of the land of Egypt. ⁹ I acted for my name’s sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were staying. I made myself known to them, in their eyes, by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ So I sent them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹ Then I gave them my statutes and made my decrees known to them, by which a man will live if he obeys them. ¹² I also gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between myself and them, for them to know that I am Yahweh who makes them holy. ¹³ But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes; instead, they rejected my decrees, by which a man will live if he obeys them. They greatly profaned my Sabbaths, so I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness in order to end them. ¹⁴ But I acted for my name’s sake so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out of Egypt. ¹⁵ So I myself also raised my hand to swear an oath to them in the wilderness not to bring them into the land that I had been going to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which was the most beautiful ornament among all the lands. ¹⁶ I swore this because they had rejected my decrees and did not walk in my statutes, and they profaned my Sabbaths, since their hearts walked after their idols. ¹⁷ But my eye spared them from their destruction and I did not annihilate them in the wilderness.

¹⁸ I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their rules, or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am Yahweh your God, walk in my statutes; keep my decrees and obey them. ²⁰ Keep my Sabbaths holy so that they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am Yahweh your God.” ²¹ But their sons and daughters rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes or keep my decrees, by which a man might live if he obeys them. They profaned my Sabbaths, so I determined to pour out my fury upon them to satisfy my wrath against them in the wilderness. ²² But I turned my hand away and acted for my name’s sake, so it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought out the Israelites. ²³ I myself also lifted up my hand to swear to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands. ²⁴ I decided to do this since they had not obeyed my decrees, and since they had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths. Their eyes were longing after their fathers’ idols. ²⁵ Then I also gave them statutes that were not good, and decrees by which they could not live. ²⁶ I declared them to be unclean through their gifts—they made a sacrifice of every firstborn of the womb and caused them to pass through the fire—that I might fill them with horror so they will know that I am Yahweh!’

²⁷ Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: In this also your fathers blasphemed me when they were unfaithful to me. ²⁸ When I brought them into the land that I had sworn to give them, and then whenever they saw any high hill and leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices, they provoked me by their offerings, and there they also burned their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ Then I said to them, “What is this high place where you bring offerings there?” So the name is called Bamah to this day.’ ³⁰ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Why do you make yourselves unclean with the ways of your fathers? So why do you act like prostitutes, searching for disgusting things? ³¹ When you offer up your gifts—when you cause your sons to pass through the fire—to this day you defile yourselves with all your idols. So why should I let you seek me, house of Israel? As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—I will not allow you to seek me. ³² The thought that is forming in your mind will never happen. You say, “Let us be like the other nations, like the clans in the other lands who worship wood and stone.”

³³ As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—I will certainly reign over you with a mighty hand, a raised arm, and fury that will be poured out on you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the other peoples and will gather you out of the countries among whom you have been scattered. I will do this with a mighty hand and with fury poured out. ³⁵ Then I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will judge you face to face. ³⁶ As I judged your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so also I will judge you—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ³⁷ I will cause you to pass under my rod, and I will make you obey the requirements of the covenant. ³⁸ I will purge from among you the rebels and those who revolt against me. I will send them out from the land where they are staying as foreigners, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ³⁹ So to you, house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Each of you should go to his own idols. Worship them if you will refuse to listen to me, but you must no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and your idols.

⁴⁰ For on my holy mountain, on the mountain peak of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—all of the house of Israel will worship me there in the land. I will be pleased to require your offerings there, and also the firstfruits of your tribute with all your holy things. ⁴¹ I will accept you like fragrant incense when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. I will show myself as holy among you for the nations to see. ⁴² Then, when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I have lifted up my hand to swear to give to your fathers, you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁴³ There you will call to mind your conduct and all of your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will despise yourselves in your own eyes for all your evil deeds that you have done. ⁴⁴ So you will know that I am Yahweh when I do this to you because of my name’s sake, and not because of your evil deeds, and not because of your corrupt deeds, house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

⁴⁵ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁴⁶ “Son of man, set your face toward the southern lands, and speak against the south; prophesy against the forest of the Negev. ⁴⁷ Say to the forest of the Negev, ‘This is Yahweh’s declaration—the Lord Yahweh says this: See, I will set a fire among you. It will devour every fresh tree and every dried tree among you. The fiery flame will not be quenched; every face from the south to the north will be burned. ⁴⁸ Then all flesh will see that I am Yahweh when I light the fire, and it will not be quenched.’” ⁴⁹ Then I said, “Alas! Lord Yahweh, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not a mere teller of parables?’”

Chapter 21

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy against the land of Israel. ³ Say to the land of Israel, ‘Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you! I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous person and the wicked person from you! ⁴ In order for me to cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, my sword will go out from its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north. ⁵ Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword from its sheath. It will no longer hold back!’ ⁶ As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan before their eyes! ⁷ Then it will happen that they will ask you, ‘For what reason are you groaning?’ Then you will say, ‘Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will faint away, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

⁸ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘The Lord says this:

     “Say: A sword! A sword! It will be sharpened and polished!

     ¹⁰ It will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! It will be polished in order to be like lightning!

     Should we rejoice in my son’s scepter? The coming sword hates every such rod!

     ¹¹ So the sword will be given to be polished, and then to be grasped by the hand!

     The sword is sharpened and it is polished and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!”’”

     ¹² Call for help and lament, son of man! For that sword has come against my people! It is against all the leaders of Israel.

     They are thrown against the sword with my people. Therefore, slap your thigh!

     ¹³ For there is a trial, but what if the scepter does not last?—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

     ¹⁴ Now you, son of man, prophesy and hit your two hands together, for the sword will attack even a third time!

     A sword for the ones to be slaughtered! It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered, piercing them everywhere!

     ¹⁵ In order to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.

     ¹⁶ You, sword! Strike to the right! Strike to the left! Go wherever your face is turned.

     ¹⁷ For I will also hit my two hands together, and then I will bring my fury to rest! I, Yahweh, declare it!”

¹⁸ The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying, ¹⁹ “Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city. ²⁰ Mark one road for the Babylonian army to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified. ²¹ For the king of Babylon will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver.

     ²² In his right hand will be an omen about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter,

     to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates,

     to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.

     ²³ It will seem to be a useless omen in the eyes

     of the ones in Jerusalem, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of violating their treaty in order to besiege them!

     ²⁴ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered,

     making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen—

     because you have done this you will be taken in hand.

²⁵ As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended,

     ²⁶ the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted!

     ²⁷ A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.

²⁸ So you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be like lightning! ²⁹ While prophets see empty visions for you, while they perform rituals to come up with lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end. ³⁰ Return the sword to its sheath. In the place of your creation, in the land of your origin, I will judge you! ³¹ I will pour out my indignation on you! I will fan the fire of my rage against you and put you into the hand of cruel men, craftsmen of destruction! ³² You will become fuel for the fire! Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh have declared this!’”

Chapter 22

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Now you, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Make her know all her abominations. ³ You must say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself unclean. ⁴ You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you a reproach to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands. ⁵ Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.

⁶ Behold! The rulers of Israel, each one by his own power, have come to you to pour out blood. ⁷ They have dishonored fathers and mothers within you, and they have performed oppression on the foreigners in your midst. They have mistreated the orphans and the widows within you. ⁸ You have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths. ⁹ Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst. ¹⁰ Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their menstrual period. ¹¹ Men who commit abominations with their neighbors’ wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you. ¹² These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have taken interest and gained too much profit, and you have damaged your neighbors through oppression, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

¹³ See! With my hand I have struck the dishonest gain that you have made, and the bloodshed that is done in the midst of you. ¹⁴ Will your heart stand, will your hands be strong on the days when I myself will deal with you? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it. ¹⁵ So I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands. In this way, I will purge your uncleanness from you. ¹⁶ So you will become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’” ^[1]

¹⁷ Next the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are the leftovers of bronze and tin, and iron and lead in the midst of you. They will be like the dross of silver in your furnace. ¹⁹ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Because all of you have become like dross, therefore, behold! I am about to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. ²⁰ As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead and tin and put it inside a furnace to melt it, and they blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath, and I will put you there and melt you. ²¹ I will gather you and blow on you the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it. ²² As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you!’”

²³ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed. There is no rain on the day of wrath! ²⁵ There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing apart a victim. They consume life and take precious wealth; they make many widows within her! ^{[2] 26} Her priests do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst. ²⁷ Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life, to make a profit dishonestly. ²⁸ Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash; they see false visions and predict falsehoods to them. They say “The Lord Yahweh says this” when Yahweh has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice. ³⁰ So I searched for a man from them who would build up a wall and who would stand before me in its breach for the land so I would not destroy it, but I found no one. ³¹ So I will pour out my indignation upon them. I will finish them with the fire of my indignation and set their way on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

Chapter 23

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. ³ They acted as prostitutes in Egypt in the time of their youth. They acted as prostitutes there. Their breasts were squeezed and their virgin nipples were fondled there. ⁴ Their names were Oholah—the older sister—and Oholibah—her younger sister. Then they became mine and bore sons and daughters. Their names mean this: Oholah means Samaria, and Oholibah means Jerusalem.

⁵ But Oholah acted as a prostitute even when she was mine; she lusted for her lovers, for the Assyrians who were dominant, ⁶ the governor who wore blue, and for his officials, who were strong and handsome, all of them men riding on horses. ⁷ So she gave herself as a prostitute to them, to all the best of Assyria’s men, and she made herself unclean with everyone she lusted for—and with all their idols. ⁸ For she had not left her prostitute behavior behind in Egypt, when they had lain with her when she had been a young girl, when they caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust upon her. ⁹ Therefore I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians for whom she lusted. ¹⁰ They uncovered her nakedness, took her sons and daughters, killed her with the sword, and she became notorious among other women, so they executed judgment on her.

¹¹ Her sister Oholibah saw this, but she lusted even more passionately and acted like a prostitute even more than her sister. ¹² She lusted for the Assyrians, the governors and the dominating officials who dressed impressively, who were men riding horses. All of them were strong, handsome men. ¹³ I saw that she had made herself unclean. It was the same for both sisters. ¹⁴ Then she increased her prostitution even more. She saw men carved on walls, figures of Chaldeans painted in red, ¹⁵ wearing belts around their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads. All of them had the appearance of officers of chariot troops, the likeness of sons of Babylonia, whose native land is Chaldea. ¹⁶ As soon as her eyes saw them, she lusted for them, so she sent out messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ Then the Babylonians came to her and to her bed of lust, and they made her unclean with their promiscuousness. By what she had done she was made unclean, so she turned herself away from them in disgust.

     ¹⁸ When she displayed her acts of prostitution and uncovered her nakedness,

     I turned away from her, just as I had turned away in disgust from her sister.

     ¹⁹ Then she increased her prostitution as she remembered the days of her youth,

     when she was a prostitute in the land of Egypt.

     ²⁰ So she lusted for her lovers,

     whose private parts were like those of donkeys, and whose reproductive emissions were like those of horses.

     ²¹ This is how you committed shameful acts of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

     ²² Therefore, Oholibah, the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Behold! I will turn your lovers against you.

     Those from whom you turned away, I will bring them against you from every side:

     ²³ the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them,

     strong, handsome men, governors and commanders, all of them are officers and men of reputation, all of them riding on horses.

     ²⁴ They will come against you with weapons, and with chariots and wagons, and with a great crowd of people.

     They will set large shields, small shields, and helmets against you all around.

     I will give them the opportunity to punish you, and they will punish you with their actions.

     ²⁵ For I will set my jealous anger on you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and your survivors will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and your daughters, and your survivors will be devoured by fire. ²⁶ They will strip you of your clothes and take away all of your jewelry. ²⁷ So I will remove your shameful behavior from you and your acts of prostitution from the land of Egypt. You will not lift up your eyes toward them with longing, and you will think of Egypt no longer.’ ²⁸ For the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Behold! I will give you into the hand of the ones you hate, back into the hand of the ones from whom you had turned away. ²⁹ They will deal with you hatefully; they will take all your possessions and abandon you naked and bare, and your nakedness will be uncovered just as when you engaged in promiscuity and prostitutions. ³⁰ These things will be done to you in your acting like a prostitute, lusting after nations by which you became unclean with their idols. ³¹ You have walked in the way of your sister, so I will put her cup of punishment into your hand.’

     ³² The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘You will drink your sister’s cup that is deep and large.

     You will become a laughingstock and a subject for derision—this cup contains a great amount.

     ³³ You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,

     the cup of horror and devastation;

     the cup of your sister Samaria.

     ³⁴ You will drink it and drain it empty; then you will shatter it and tear your breasts with the pieces.

     For I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’ ³⁵ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Because you have forgotten me and thrown me away behind your back, so also you will bear the consequences of your shameful behavior and acts of sexual immorality.’”

³⁶ Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? So present to them their disgusting actions, ³⁷ since they have committed adultery, and since there is blood on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and they have even caused their sons to pass through the fire, as food for their idols. ³⁸ Then they continue to do this to me: They make my sanctuary unclean, and on the same day they defile my Sabbaths. ³⁹ For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, then they came to my sanctuary on the same day to defile it! So behold! This is what they have done in the middle of my house. ⁴⁰ You sent out for men who came from far away, to whom messengers had been sent—now behold. They indeed came, those for whom you bathed, painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with jewelry. ⁴¹ There you sat on a beautiful bed and at a table arranged before it where you placed my incense and my oil. ⁴² So the sound of a noisy crowd was around her; including all kinds of men, even Sabeans were brought in from the wilderness, and they put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads.

⁴³ Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will be sexually immoral with her, and she with them.’ ⁴⁴ They went in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. In this way they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, immoral women. ⁴⁵ But righteous men will pass judgment and punish them as adulteresses, and they will punish them with the sentence for those who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands. ⁴⁶ So the Lord Yahweh says this: I will raise up a company against them and give them up to be terrorized and plundered. ⁴⁷ Then that company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and burn down their houses. ⁴⁸ For I will remove shameful behavior from the land and discipline all the women so they will no longer act like prostitutes. ⁴⁹ So they will set your shameful behavior against you. You will bear the guilt of your sins with your idols, and in this way you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”

Chapter 24

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, saying, ² “Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, this exact day, for this exact day the king of Babylon has besieged Jerusalem. ³ So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this:

     Place the cooking pot. Place it and pour water into it.

     ⁴ Gather pieces of food within it, every good piece—the thigh and shoulder—

     and fill it with the best bones.

     ⁵ Take the best of the flock and pile up the bones under it.

     Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.

⁶ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood, a cooking pot that has rust in it and that rust will not come out of it. Take piece after piece from it, but do not cast lots for it. ⁷ For her blood is in the midst of her. She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out on the ground to cover it with dust, ⁸ so it brings fury up to exact vengeance. I placed her blood on the smooth rock so it could not be covered. ⁹ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood. ¹⁰ Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred. ¹¹ Then set the pot on its coals empty, in order to heat and scorch its bronze, so its uncleanness within it will be melted, its corrosion consumed.’ ¹² She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her by the fire. ¹³ Your shameful behavior is in your uncleanness. Because I tried to cleanse you but still you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be cleansed anymore until I have satisfied my fury upon you. ¹⁴ I, Yahweh, have declared it, and I will do it. I will not relent nor will I rest from it. As your ways were, and as your activities, they will judge you!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

¹⁵ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “Son of man! Behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow. ¹⁷ You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not veil your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives.” ¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I did what I had been commanded to do.

¹⁹ The people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean, the things that you are doing?” ²⁰ So I said to them, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²¹ ‘Say to the house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will desecrate my sanctuary—the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword. ²² Then you will do exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men! ²³ Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will melt away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother. ²⁴ So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!’”

²⁵ “But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their temple, which is their joy, their pride, and what they see and desire—and when I take away their sons and daughters— ²⁶ on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news! ²⁷ On that day your mouth will be opened up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh.”

Chapter 25

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against the people of Ammon and prophesy against them. ³ Say to the people of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord Yahweh. This is what the Lord Yahweh says: Because you said, “Aha!” over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, ⁴ therefore, behold, I am giving you to a people in the east as their possession. They will set up camp against you and set up their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk. ⁵ I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and the people of Ammon a field for flocks. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁶ For the Lord Yahweh says this: You have clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all the contempt within you against the land of Israel. ⁷ Therefore, behold! I will strike you with my hand and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from among the countries! I will destroy you, and you will know that I am Yahweh.’

⁸ The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Because Moab and Seir say, “Behold! The house of Judah is like every other nation.” ⁹ Therefore, behold! I will open the slopes of Moab, starting at his cities on the border—the splendor of Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim— ¹⁰ to the people of the east who have been against the people of Ammon. I will give them up as a possession so that the people of Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹ So I will perform judgments against Moab, and they will know that I am Yahweh.’

¹² The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Edom has taken vengeance against the house of Judah and has committed wrong in doing so. ¹³ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I will strike Edom with my hand and destroy every person and animal there. I will make them a ruined, abandoned place, from Teman to Dedan. They will fall by the sword. ¹⁴ I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will do to Edom according to my anger and my fury, and they will know my vengeance—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’

¹⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘The Philistines have taken vengeance with malice and from within themselves they tried to destroy Judah again and again. ¹⁶ So this is what the Lord Yahweh says: Behold! I will reach out with my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant who are along the seacoast. ¹⁷ For I will take great vengeance against them with furious acts of punishment, so they will know that I am Yahweh, when I take my vengeance on them.’”

Chapter 26

¹ So it was in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The gates of the people are broken! She has turned to me; I will be filled up because she is ruined.’ ³ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Behold! I am against you, Tyre, and I will raise up many nations against you like the sea raises its waves. ⁴ They will destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers. I will sweep her dust away and make her like a bare rock. ⁵ She will become a place for nets to dry out in the midst of the sea, since I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—and she will become plunder for the nations. ⁶ Her daughters who are in the fields will be slaughtered by the swords, and they will know that I am Yahweh.’

⁷ For this is what Yahweh says: Behold, from the north I am bringing Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and chariots, and with horsemen and a great many people. ⁸ He will kill your daughters in the field. He will set up a siege work and build a ramp against your walls and raise up shields against you. ⁹ He will place his battering rams to hit against your walls, and his tools will tear down your towers. ¹⁰ His horses will be so many that their dust will cover you. Your walls will shake with the sound of horsemen, wagons, and chariots. When he enters your gates, he will enter as men come into a city whose walls have been broken down. ¹¹ The hooves of his horses will trample all of your streets. He will kill your people with the sword and your mighty stone pillars will fall to the ground. ¹² They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your timber, and the rubble they will throw into the waters. ¹³ I will stop the noise of your songs. The sound of your harps will be heard no more. ¹⁴ I will make you a bare rock, you will become a place where nets are spread out to dry. You will never be built again, for I, Lord Yahweh have spoken—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

¹⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this to Tyre, ‘Will not the islands quake with the sound of your downfall, and with the groans of the wounded when the terrible slaughter is in your midst? ¹⁶ Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones and remove their robes and cast off their embroidered garments. They will clothe themselves with trembling, they will sit on the ground and tremble every moment, and they will be appalled because of you. ¹⁷ They will lift up a lament for you and say to you,

     How you, who were inhabited by sailors, have been destroyed. The famous city that was so strong—it is now gone from the sea.

     The ones living in her once spread a terror about themselves upon everyone who lived near them.

     ¹⁸ Now the coasts tremble on the day of your downfall.

     The islands in the sea are terrified, because you are no longer in your place.’

¹⁹ For the Lord Yahweh says this: When I make you a desolate city, like the other cities that are not inhabited, when I raise up the deeps against you, and when the great waters cover you, ²⁰ then I will bring you down to the people of ancient times, like the others who have gone down into the pit; for I will make you live in the lowest realms of the earth as in ruins of ancient times. Because of this you will not come back and stand in the land of the living. ^{[1] 21} I will place disaster on you, and you will be no more forever. Then you will be sought, but you will never be found ever again—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 27

¹ Again the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Now you, son of man, begin a lamentation concerning Tyre, ³ and say to Tyre, who lives within the gates of the sea, merchants of peoples to many islands, the Lord Yahweh says this to you:

     Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’

     ⁴ Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.

     ⁵ They have made all your planks with cypress from Senir;

     they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

     ⁶ They made your oars from the oaks of Bashan;

     they made your decks out of cypress wood from Cyprus, and they overlaid them with ivory.

     ⁷ Your sails were made from colorful linen from Egypt that served as your banner;

     the colors of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah are used for the awning on your boat.

     ⁸ Those who were living in Sidon and Arvad were your rowers;

     the sages of Tyre were within you; they were your pilots.

     ⁹ Highly experienced craftsmen from Byblos filled your seams;

     all the ships of the sea and their sailors among you were carrying your merchandise for trade.

     ¹⁰ Persia, Lydia, and Libya were in your army, your men of war.

     they hung shield and helmet within you; they showed your splendor.

     ¹¹ The men of Arvad and Helek in your army were on your walls surrounding you, and the people of Gammad were in your towers. They hung up their shields on your walls all around you! They completed your beauty.

¹² Tarshish was a trading partner with you because of your abundant wealth of goods to sell: Silver, iron, tin, and lead. They bought and sold your wares! ¹³ Javan, Tubal, and Meshech—they traded slaves and in items made of bronze. They handled your merchandise. ¹⁴ Beth Togarmah provided horses, stallions, and mules as your merchandise. ¹⁵ The men of Rhodes were your traders on many coasts. Merchandise was in your hand; they sent back horn, ivory, and ebony as tribute! ¹⁶ Aram was a dealer in your many products; they provided emeralds, purple, colored cloth, fine fabric, pearls, and rubies as your merchandise. ¹⁷ Judah and the land of Israel were trading with you. They provided wheat from Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balsam as your merchandise. ¹⁸ Damascus was a trader of all your products, of all your enormous wealth, and of the wine of Helbon and the wool of Zahar. ¹⁹ Dan and Javan from Izal provided you with merchandise of wrought iron, cinnamon, and calamus. This became merchandise for you. ²⁰ Dedan was your dealer in fine saddle blankets. ²¹ Arabia and all the chiefs of Kedar were traders with you; they provided you with lambs, rams and goats. ²² The traders of Sheba and Raamah came to sell you the best of every spice and in all kinds of precious gems; they traded gold for your merchandise. ²³ Haran, Kanneh, and Eden were traders with you, along with Sheba, Ashur, and Kilmad. ²⁴ These were your dealers in ornate robes of violet cloths with woven colors, and in blankets of multicolored, embroidered, and well-woven cloth in your marketplaces. ²⁵ The ships of Tarshish were the transporters of your merchandise!

     So you were filled up, heavily laden with cargo in the heart of the seas!

     ²⁶ Your rowers have brought you into vast seas;

     the eastern wind has broken you in the middle of them.

     ²⁷ Your wealth, merchandise, and trade goods; your sailors and pilots, and ship builders; your traders of merchandise and all the men of war who are in you, and all your crew—they will sink into the depths of the sea on the day of your destruction.

     ²⁸ Cities at the sea will tremble at the sound of your pilots’ cry;

     ²⁹ All those who handle oars will come down from their ships;

     mariners and all the pilots on the sea will stand on the land.

     ³⁰ Then they will make you listen to their voice and will wail bitterly;

     they will cast dust up on their heads. They will roll about in ashes.

     ³¹ They will shave their heads bald for you and bind themselves with sackcloth,

     and they will weep bitterly over you and they will cry out.

     ³² They will lift up their wails of lamentation for you and sing dirges over you,

     Who is like Tyre, who has now been brought to silence in the middle of the sea?

     ³³ When your merchandise went ashore from the sea, it satisfied many peoples;

     you enriched the kings of the earth with your great wealth and merchandise!

     ³⁴ But when you were shattered by the seas, by deep waters,

     your merchandise and all your crew sank!

     ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the coasts were appalled at you,

     and their kings shuddered in horror! Their faces trembled!

     ³⁶ The merchants of the people hiss at you;

     you have become a horror, and you will be no more forever.”

Chapter 28

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Your heart is arrogant! You have said, “I am a god! I will sit in the seat of the gods in the heart of the seas!” Even though you are a man and not a god, you make your heart like the heart of a god; ³ you think that you are wiser than Daniel, and that no secret amazes you! ⁴ You have made yourself wealthy with wisdom and skill, and obtained gold and silver in your treasuries! ⁵ By great wisdom and by your trading, you have multiplied your wealth, so your heart is arrogant because of your wealth. ⁶ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your heart like the heart of a god, ⁷ I will therefore bring foreigners against you, terrifying men from other nations. They will bring their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they will profane your splendor. ⁸ They will send you down to the pit, and you will die the death of those who die in the heart of the seas. ⁹ Will you truly say, “I am a god” to the face of one who kills you? You are a man and not God, and you will be in the hand of the one who pierces you. ¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners, for I have declared it—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

¹¹ The word of Yahweh came again to me, saying, ¹² “Son of man, lift up a lament for the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone covered you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made from gold. It was on the day you were created that they were prepared. ¹⁴ I placed you on the holy mountain of God as the cherub I anointed to guard mankind. You were in the midst of the fiery stones where you walked about. ¹⁵ You had integrity in your ways from the day you were created until injustice was found within you. ¹⁶ Through your great trade you were filled with violence, and so you sinned. So I threw you out of the mountain of God, as one who was defiled, and I destroyed you, guardian cherub, and drove you from among the fiery stones. ¹⁷ Your heart was arrogant with your beauty; you ruined your wisdom because of your splendor. I have sent you down to the earth. I have placed you before kings so they may see you. ¹⁸ Because of your many sins and your dishonest trade, you have defiled your holy places. So I have made fire come out from you; it will consume you. I will turn you into ashes on the earth in the sight of all who look at you. ¹⁹ All the ones who knew you among the peoples will shudder at you; they will be horrified, and you will be no more forever.’”

²⁰ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²¹ “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. ²² Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Sidon! For I will be glorified in your midst so your people will know that I am Yahweh when I execute justice within you. I will be shown to be holy in you. ²³ I will send out a plague in you and blood in your streets, and the slain will fall in your midst. When the sword comes against you from all around, then you will know that I am Yahweh. ²⁴ Then there will no longer be pricking briars and painful thorns for the house of Israel from all those around her who despise her people, so they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!’

²⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this, ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and when I am set apart among them, so the nations may see, then they will make their homes in the land I will give to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ Then they will live securely within her and build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute justice on all the ones who now despise them from all around; so they will know that I am Yahweh their God!’”

Chapter 29

¹ In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all of Egypt. ³ Declare and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this:

     Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

     You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river,

     that says, “My river is my own. I have made it for myself.” ⁴ For I will place hooks in your jaw, and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; I will lift you up from the middle of your river along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.

     ⁵ I will throw you down into the wilderness, you and all the fish from your river.

     You will fall on the open field; you will not be gathered nor lifted up.

     I will give you as food to the living things of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.

     ⁶ Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh,

     because they have been a reed stalk to the house of Israel.

     ⁷ When they took hold of you in their hand, you broke and tore open their shoulder;

     and when they leaned on you, you were broken, and you caused their legs to be unsteady.

⁸ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will bring a sword against you. I will cut off both man and beast from you. ⁹ So the land of Egypt will become desolate and a ruin. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because the sea monster had said, “The river is mine, for I have made it.” ¹⁰ Therefore, behold! I am against you and against your river, so I will give the land of Egypt over to desolation and waste, and you will become a wasteland from the Migdol to Syene and the borders of Cush. ¹¹ No man’s foot will pass through it, and no wild animal’s foot will pass through it. It will not be inhabited for forty years. ¹² For I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of uninhabited lands, and its cities in the midst of wasted cities will become a desolation for forty years; then I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them through the lands.

¹³ For the Lord Yahweh says this: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered. ¹⁴ I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the region of Pathros, to the land of their origin. Then they will be a lowly kingdom there. ¹⁵ It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations. ¹⁶ The Egyptians will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, they will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.’”

¹⁷ Then it came about in the twenty-seventh year on the first day of the first month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against it. ¹⁹ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will take away its wealth, plunder its possessions, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army’s wages. ²⁰ I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ²¹ On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 30

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this:

     Wail, “Woe is the coming day.”

     ³ The day is near. The day is near for Yahweh. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for nations.

     ⁴ Then a sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the killed people fall in Egypt—

     when they take her wealth, and when her foundations are ruined.

⁵ Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, and Libya, together with the people belonging to the covenant—they will all fall by the sword.

⁶ Yahweh says this:

     So the ones who support Egypt will fall, and the pride of her strength will go down.

     From Migdol to Syene their soldiers will fall by the sword—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

⁷ They will be appalled in the midst of the abandoned lands, and their cities will be among all the ruined cities. ⁸ Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I set fire in Egypt, and when all of her helpers are destroyed. ⁹ In that day messengers will go out from before me in ships to terrorize a secure Cush, and there will be anguish among them on the day of Egypt’s doom. For behold! It is coming.

¹⁰ The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make an end of the multitudes of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. ¹¹ He and his army with him, the terror of nations, will be brought to destroy the land; they will draw out their swords against Egypt and fill the land with those who have been killed. ¹² I will make the rivers into dry ground, and I will sell the land into the hand of wicked men. I will make the land and its fullness desolate by the hand of strangers—I, Yahweh, have spoken.

¹³ The Lord Yahweh says this: I will destroy idols, and I will bring an end to the worthless idols of Memphis. There will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt, and I will put terror on the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ Then I will make Pathros desolate and set fire in Zoan, and I will execute acts of judgment on Thebes. ¹⁵ For I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and cut off the multitude of Thebes. ¹⁶ Then I will set fire in Egypt; Pelusium will be in great agony, Thebes will be broken up, and Memphis will face enemies every day. ¹⁷ The young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and their cities will go into captivity. ¹⁸ In Tahpanhes, the day will hold back its light when I break the yoke of Egypt there, and the pride of her strength will be finished. There will be a cloud covering her, and her daughters will walk into captivity. ¹⁹ I will execute acts of judgment in Egypt, so they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

²⁰ Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²¹ “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Behold! It has not been bound up, or set to heal with a bandage, so that it will become strong enough to grasp a sword. ²² Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. For I will break his arm, both the strong one and the broken one, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. ²³ Then I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among the lands. ²⁴ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and place my sword in his hand so that I might destroy Pharaoh’s arms. He will groan before the king of Babylon with the groans of a dying man. ²⁵ For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while Pharaoh’s arms will fall. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon; for he will attack the land of Egypt with it. ²⁶ So I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them through the lands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 31

¹ Then it came about in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, say to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and to his multitudes around him,

     ‘In your greatness, who are you like?

     ³ Behold! Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, giving shade to the forest,

     and the tallest in height, and the branches formed its treetop.

     ⁴ Many waters made it tall; the deep waters made it huge. Rivers flowed all around its area,

     for their channels stretched out to all the trees in the field.

     ⁵ Its great height was more than any of the other trees in the field, and its branches became very many;

     its branches grew long because of many waters as they grew.

     ⁶ Every bird of the heavens nested in its branches, while every living thing of the field gave birth to its young under its foliage.

     All of the many nations lived under its shade.

     ⁷ For it was beautiful in its greatness and the length of its branches, for its roots were in many waters.

     ⁸ Cedars in the garden of God could not equal it.

     None among the cypress trees matched its branches, and the plane tree could not equal its boughs.

     There was no other tree in the garden of God that was like it in its beauty.

     ⁹ I made it beautiful with its many branches

     and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God envied it.

¹⁰ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because it was tall in height, and it set its treetop between its branches, it lifted up its heart because of its height. ¹¹ I have given it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations, to deal with it according to what its wickedness deserves. I have thrown it out. ¹² Foreigners who were the terror of all the nations cut it off and left it to die. Its branches fell on the mountains and all the valleys, and its boughs lay broken in all the ravines of the land. Then all the nations on earth came out from under its shade and they went away from it.

     ¹³ All the birds of the sky rested on the trunk of the fallen tree,

     and every animal of the field came to its branches.

¹⁴ This happened so that no other trees that grow by the waters will lift up their foliage to the height of the tallest trees, and that no other trees that grow beside the waters will reach up to that height. All of them have been assigned to death, to the earth below, among the children of humanity, with those that go down to the pit.

¹⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day when the cedar went down to Sheol I brought mourning to the earth. I covered the deep waters over it, and I held back the ocean waters. I kept back the great waters, and I brought mourning to Lebanon for him. So all the trees of the field mourned because of it. ¹⁶ I brought shuddering to the nations at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol with those who went down into the pit. So I comforted all the trees of Eden in the lowest parts of the earth. These had been the choicest and best trees of Lebanon; the trees that drank the waters. ¹⁷ For they also went down with it to Sheol, to the ones who had been killed by the sword. These were its strong arm, those nations who had lived in its shade. ¹⁸ Which of the trees in Eden was your equal in glory and greatness? For you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lowest parts of the earth among the uncircumcised; you will live with those who were killed by the sword.’

This is Pharaoh and all of his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 32

¹ Then it happened in the twelfth month of the twelfth year, on the first of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, lift up a lament concerning Pharaoh the king of Egypt; say to him, ‘You are like a young lion among the nations,

     but you are like a monster in the seas; you churn up the water,

     you stir up the waters with your feet and muddy their waters. ³ The Lord Yahweh says this:

     So I will spread my net over you in the assembly of many peoples, and they will lift you up in my net.

     ⁴ I will abandon you in the land. I will throw you into a field

     and cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you; the hunger of all living animals on earth will be satisfied by you.

     ⁵ For I will put your flesh on the mountains, and I will fill the valleys with your worm-filled corpse.

     ⁶ Then I will pour your blood over the mountains,

     and the stream beds will be filled with your blood.

     ⁷ Then when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;

     I will cover the sun with clouds, and the moon will not shine its light.

     ⁸ All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you,

     and I will put darkness over your land—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ⁹ So I will terrify the heart of many peoples in lands that you do not know, when I bring about your collapse among the nations, among lands that you have not known. ^{[1] 10} I will shock many peoples concerning you; their kings will shudder in horror concerning you when I swing my sword before them. Every moment each one will tremble because of you, on the day of your downfall.

¹¹ For the Lord Yahweh says this: The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.

     ¹² I will cause your multitudes to fall by warriors’ swords—each warrior a terror of nations.

     These warriors will devastate the pride of Egypt and destroy all of its multitudes.

     ¹³ For I will destroy all the livestock from beside the plentiful waters;

     the foot of man will no longer stir the waters up, neither will the hooves of cattle stir them.

     ¹⁴ Then I will calm their waters and make their rivers run like oil—

     this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

     ¹⁵ When I make the land of Egypt an abandoned place, when the land is made bare of all its fullness,

     when I attack all the inhabitants in her, they will know that I am Yahweh.

     ¹⁶ There will be a lament; the daughters of the nations will lament over her; they will lament over Egypt,

     over all her multitudes they will lament—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

¹⁷ Then it happened in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

     ¹⁸ “Son of man, weep for the multitudes of Egypt and bring them down—

     her and the daughters of majestic nations—to the lowest earth with those who have gone down to the pit.

     ¹⁹ ‘Are you really more beautiful than anyone else? Go down and lie down with the uncircumcised.’

     ²⁰ They will fall among those who were killed by the sword. The sword has been drawn! She has been given to the sword; they will seize her and her multitudes.

     ²¹ The strongest of the warriors in Sheol will declare about Egypt and her allies,

     ‘They have come down here! They will lie with the uncircumcised, with those who were killed by the sword.’

     ²² Assyria is there with all her assembly. Her graves surround her;

     all of them were killed by the sword.

     ²³ Those whose graves are set in the recesses of the pit are there, with all her assembly.

     Her graves surround all of those who were killed, who fell by the sword,

     those who brought terror on the land of the living.

     ²⁴ Elam is there with all her multitudes. Her graves surround her; all of them were killed.

     Those who fell by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lowest parts of the earth,

     who brought their terrors on the land of the living and who carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.

     ²⁵ They set a bedroll for Elam and all her multitudes in the midst of the slain; her graves surround her.

     All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.

     So they carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit among all those who have been killed, those who are going down to the pit. Elam is among all those who were killed.

     ²⁶ Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitudes are there! Their graves surround them.

     All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because they had brought their terrors on the land of the living.

     ²⁷ They do not lie with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised who have gone down to Sheol

     with all their weapons of war, and with their swords placed under their heads

     and their iniquities over their bones. For they were the terror of warriors in the land of the living.

     ²⁸ So you, Egypt, will be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised! You will lie alongside those who were pierced by the sword.

²⁹ Edom is there with her kings and all her leaders. They have been placed in their strength with those killed by the sword. With the uncircumcised they lie, with those who have gone down to the pit. ³⁰ The princes of the north are there—all of them and all the Sidonians who went down with the ones who had been pierced. They were powerful and made others to be afraid, but now they are there in shame, uncircumcised with those who were pierced by the sword. They carry their own shame, together with the ones going down to the pit.

³¹ Pharaoh will look and be comforted about all his multitudes who were pierced by the sword—Pharaoh and all his army—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ³² I put him as my terrifying one in the land of the living, but he will be laid down in the midst of the uncircumcised, among those pierced by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitudes—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 33

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, declare this to your people; say to them, ‘When I bring a sword against any land, then the people of that land take one man from among themselves and make him a watchman for them. ³ He looks for the sword as it comes on the land, and he blows his horn to warn the people! ⁴ If the people hear the sound of the horn but do not pay attention, and if the sword comes and kills them, then each one’s blood is on his own head. ⁵ If someone hears the sound of the horn and pays no attention, his blood is on him; but if he pays attention, he will save his own life.

⁶ However, if the watchman sees the sword as it is coming, but if he does not blow the horn, with the result that the people are not warned, and if the sword comes and takes anyone’s life, then that person dies in his own sin, but I will require his blood from the watchman.’

⁷ Now you yourself, son of man! I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; you will hear the words from my mouth and warn them on my behalf. ⁸ If I say to a wicked person, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die!’ but if you do not announce this so as to warn the wicked about his way, then he who is wicked will die in his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand! ⁹ But you, if you warn the wicked about his way, so that he might turn back from it, and if he does not turn back from his way, then he will die in his sin, but you yourself will have saved your own life.

¹⁰ So you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You are saying this, “Our transgressions and our sins are on us, and we are decaying in them! How can we live?”’ ¹¹ Say to them, ‘As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—I do not delight in the death of the wicked, for if the wicked repents from his way, then he will live! Repent! Repent from your wicked ways! For why should you die, house of Israel?’ ¹² So now you, son of man, say to your people, ‘The righteousness of a righteous person will not save him if he sins! The wickedness of a wicked person will not cause him to perish if he repents from his sin! For the righteous person will not be able to live because of his righteousness if he sins. ¹³ If I say to the righteous, “He will surely live!” and if he trusts in his righteousness and then commits injustice, I will not call to mind any of his righteousness. He will die for the wickedness he committed. ¹⁴ So if I say to the wicked, “You will surely die,” but if he then repents from his sins and does what is just and right— ¹⁵ if he restores the loan guarantee that he wickedly demanded, or if he makes restitution for what he has stolen, and if he walks in the statutes that give life and no longer commits sin—then he will surely live. He will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins that he has committed will be called to mind for him. He has acted justly and rightly, and so, he will surely live!

¹⁷ But your people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair!” but it is your ways that are not fair! ¹⁸ When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, then he will die in it! ¹⁹ When the wicked turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and righteous, he will live because of those things! ²⁰ But you people say, “The way of the Lord is not fair!” I will judge each of you according to his way, house of Israel!’”

²¹ It happened in the twelfth year, on the fifth day of the tenth month of our captivity, that a fugitive came to me from Jerusalem and said, “The city has been captured!” ²² The hand of Yahweh had been on me in the evening before the fugitive came, and my mouth was opened by the time that he came to me in the dawn. So my mouth was open; I was no longer mute!

²³ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, the ones inhabiting those ruins in the land of Israel are talking and say, ‘Abraham was only one person, and he inherited the land, but we are many! The land has been given to us as a possession.’ ²⁵ Therefore say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: You eat blood, and you lift up your eyes towards your idols, then you pour out people’s blood. Should you really possess the land? ²⁶ You have depended on your swords and have done disgusting things; each man defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you really possess the land?’ ²⁷ You will say this to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: As I live, surely the ones in the ruins will fall by the sword, and I will give those in the fields to the living creatures as food, and those in fortresses and in caves will die of plagues. ²⁸ Then I will turn the land into a desolation and a horror, and the pride of its might will end, for the mountains of Israel will be deserted, and there will be no one to pass through them.’ ²⁹ So they will know that I am Yahweh, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all the abominations that they have done.

³⁰ So now you, son of man—your people are saying things about you beside the walls and the gates of the houses, and each says to one another—each man to his brother, ‘Let us go and listen to the prophet’s word that comes out from Yahweh!’ ³¹ So my people will come to you, as they often do, and will sit in front of you and listen to your words, but they will not obey them. Right words are in their mouths, but their hearts are going after unjust profit. ³² For you are like a lovely song to them, a beautiful sound that is well played on a stringed instrument, so they will listen to your words, but none of them will obey them. ³³ So when all of this happens—behold! it will happen!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Chapter 34

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who are shepherding themselves. Should not shepherds guard the flock? ³ You eat the fatty portions and you dress in wool. You slaughter the fatlings of the flock. You do not shepherd at all. ⁴ You have not strengthened those who have diseases, nor do you heal the ones who are ill. You do not bind up the ones who are broken, and you do not restore the outcasts or seek the lost. Instead, you rule over them through strength and violence. ⁵ Then they were scattered without a shepherd, and they became food for all the living beasts in the fields, after they were scattered. ⁶ My flock strays on all of the mountains and on every high hill, and it is dispersed over the entire surface of the earth. Yet no one is searching for them.

⁷ Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: ⁸ As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—because my flock has become plunder and food for all the beasts in the fields, because there was no shepherd and none of my shepherds sought my flock, but the shepherds guarded themselves and did not shepherd my flock. ⁹ Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: ¹⁰ The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock from their hand. Then I will dismiss them from shepherding the flock; neither will the shepherds any longer shepherd themselves since I will take away my flock from their mouths, so that my flock will no longer be food for them.

¹¹ For the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I myself will seek out my flock and I will look after them, ¹² like a shepherd seeking his flock on the day he is within the midst of his scattered flock. Thus I will seek my flock, and I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on the day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ Then I will bring them out from among the peoples; I will gather them from the lands and bring them to their land. I will put them in pastures on the mountainsides of Israel, by the streams, and in every settlement in the land. ¹⁴ I will put them in good pastures; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing places. They will lie down there in good places for grazing, in abundant pastures, and they will graze on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will shepherd my flock, and I myself will make them lie down—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration— ¹⁶ I will seek the lost and restore the outcast. I will bind up the broken sheep and heal the sick sheep but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd with justice.

¹⁷ So now you, my flock—this is what the Lord Yahweh says—behold, I will be a judge between sheep and sheep and between rams and male goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample down with your feet what is left of the pasture; and to drink from clear waters, that you must muddy the rivers with your feet? ¹⁹ Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this to them: Behold! I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the thin ones, ²¹ for you have pushed them with your sides and shoulders, and you have gored all of the weak ones with your horns until you have scattered them away from the land. ²² I will save my flock and they will no longer be plunder, and I will judge between one sheep and another! ²³ I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will shepherd them, he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. ²⁴ For I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among them—I, Yahweh, have declared this.

²⁵ Then I will make a covenant of peace with them and remove the evil wild animals from the land, so that they will live securely in the wilderness and safely sleep in the forests. ²⁶ I will also bring blessings on them and on the places around my hill, for I will send out showers in due season. These will be showers of blessing. ²⁷ Then the trees of the field will produce their fruit, and the earth will yield its produce. My sheep will be secure in their land; then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I break the bars of their yoke, and when I rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ They will no longer be plunder for the nations, and the wild animals on the earth will no longer devour them. For they will live securely, and no one will frighten them. ²⁹ For I will provide them a land known for its crops; so they will not be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the scorn of the nations. ³⁰ Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them. They are my people, the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ³¹ For you are my sheep, the flock of my pasture, and my people, and I am your God—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

Chapter 35

¹ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. ³ Say to it, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Mount Seir, and I will strike you with my hand and make you a desolation and a waste. ⁴ I will make your cities ruins, and you yourself will become desolate; then you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁵ Because you have always been hostile to the people of Israel, and because you poured them out into the hands of the sword at the time of their distress, at the time their punishment was at its greatest. ⁶ Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—I will prepare you for bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you! Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. ⁷ I will make Mount Seir a complete desolation when I cut off from it anyone who passes through and returns again. ⁸ I will fill its mountains with those who were killed; on your high hills and valleys and in all your streams those who were killed by the sword will fall. ⁹ I will make you a perpetual desolation. Your cities will not be inhabited, but you will know that I am Yahweh.

¹⁰ You have said, “These two nations and these two lands will become mine, and we will possess them,” even when Yahweh was present with them. ¹¹ Therefore, as I live—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—so I will do according to your anger and according to your jealousy that you had in your hatred of Israel, and I will show myself to them when I judge you. ¹² So you will know that I am Yahweh. I have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, when you said, “They have been destroyed; they have been given over to us to devour.” ¹³ You exalted yourselves against me with what you said, and you multiplied the words you said against me; and I heard it all.

¹⁴ The Lord Yahweh says this: I will make you a desolation, while the entire earth rejoices. ¹⁵ As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the people of Israel because of its desolation, I will do the same to you. You will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and all of Edom—all of it! Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 36

¹ “Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of Yahweh. ² The Lord Yahweh says this: The enemy has said about you, “Aha!” and “The ancient high places have become our possession.”’ ³ Therefore prophesy and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Because of your desolation and because of the attacks that came on you from all sides, you have become a possession of the other nations; you have been the subject of slanderous lips and tongues, and of people’s stories. ⁴ Therefore, mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this to the mountains and the high hills, to the streambeds and valleys, to the uninhabited desolations and the forsaken cities that have become plunder and a subject of mocking for the other nations that surround them— ⁵ therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: I have certainly spoken in the fire of my fury against the other nations, against Edom and all who took my land for themselves as a possession, against all those who had both joy in their heart and disdain in their spirit, as they seized my land that they might claim its pasturelands for themselves.’ ⁶ Therefore, prophesy to the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the high hills, to the streambeds and to the valleys, ‘the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! In my fury and in my anger I am declaring this because you have borne the insults of nations. ⁷ Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: I myself will lift up my hand to swear that the nations that surround you will certainly carry their own shame.

⁸ But you, mountains of Israel, you will grow branches and bear fruit for my people Israel, since they will soon come back to you. ⁹ For behold, I am for you, and I treat you with favor; you will be plowed and sown with seed. ¹⁰ So I will multiply upon you the number of your people, even the whole house of Israel. The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. ¹¹ I will multiply man and beast on you mountains so that they will multiply and be fruitful. Then I will cause you to be inhabited as you previously were, and I will make you prosper more than you did in the past, for you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹² I will bring men, my people Israel, to walk on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance, and you will no longer cause their children to die. ¹³ The Lord Yahweh says this: Because they are saying to you, “You devour men, bereaving your nation of children,” ¹⁴ therefore you will not consume people any longer, and you will no longer make your nation mourn their deaths. This is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁵ Nor will I allow you to hear the insults of the nations any longer; you will no longer have to bear the shame of the peoples or cause your nation to fall—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’”

¹⁶ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel inhabited their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways were like the unclean menstruation of a woman before me. ¹⁸ So I poured out my fury against them for the blood that they poured out on the land and for their pollution of it by their idols. ¹⁹ I scattered them among the nations; they were dispersed through the lands. I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ Then they went to the nations, and wherever they went, they profaned my holy name when people said of them, ‘Are these really the people of Yahweh? For they have been thrown out of his land.’ ²¹ But I had compassion for my holy name that the house of Israel had defiled among the nations, when they went there.

²² Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: I am not doing this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations everywhere you have gone. ²³ For I will make my great name holy, which you have profaned among the nations—in the midst of the nations, you profaned it. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—when you see that I am holy. ²⁴ I will take you from the nations and gather you from every land, and I will bring you to your land. ²⁵ Then I will sprinkle pure water on you so you will be purified from all of your impurities, and I will purify you from all of your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and a new spirit in your innermost parts, and I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh. For I will give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will set my Spirit in you and enable you to walk in my statutes and keep my decrees, so you will do them. ²⁸ Then you will inhabit the land that I gave to your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ For I will save you from all of your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and multiply it. I will no longer put famine upon you. ³⁰ I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will no longer bear the shame of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then you will think of your wicked ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will show loathing on your faces because of your own sins and your disgusting deeds.

³² I am not doing this for your sake—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—let this be known to you. So be ashamed and disgraced because of your ways, house of Israel. ³³ The Lord Yahweh says this: On the day that I purify you from all your iniquity, I will cause you to inhabit the cities and to rebuild the ruined places. ³⁴ For you will plow the ruined land until it is no longer a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by. ³⁵ Then they will say, “This land was desolate, but it has become like the garden of Eden; the desolate cities and the uninhabited ruins that were torn down are now fortified and inhabited.” ³⁶ Then the other nations around you will know that I am Yahweh, that I built up the ruins and replanted the abandoned places. I am Yahweh. I have declared it and I will do it.

³⁷ The Lord Yahweh says this: Again I will be asked by the house of Israel to do this for them, to increase them like a flock of people. ³⁸ Like the flock is set apart for sacrifices, like the flock in Jerusalem at her appointed feasts, so will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people and they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 37

¹ The hand of Yahweh was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of Yahweh and set me down in the midst of a valley; it was full of bones. ² Then he made me pass through them round and round. Behold! A great many of them were in the valley. Behold! They were very dry. ³ He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live again?” So I said, “Lord Yahweh, you alone know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones. Listen to the word of Yahweh. ⁵ The Lord Yahweh says this to these bones: Behold! I am about to put breath into you, and you will live. ⁶ I will place sinews over you and bring flesh onto you. I will cover you with skin and put breath within you so you will live. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; as I prophesied, behold, a sound came, that of shaking. Then the bones drew together—bone against bone. ⁸ I looked and, behold, sinews were now on them, and flesh grew up and skin covered them. But there was still no breath in them. ⁹ Then Yahweh said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Breath, come from the four winds, and breathe on these who have been killed, so they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as I was commanded; the breath came into them and they lived. Then they stood on their feet, a very great army.

¹¹ Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the entire house of Israel. Behold! They are saying, ‘Our bones have dried up, and our hope is gone. We have been cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will open your graves and lift you out from them, my people. I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I open your graves and bring you out from them, my people. ¹⁴ I will place my Spirit within you so you will live, and I will cause you to rest in your land when you know that I am Yahweh. I declare and will do it—this is Yahweh’s declaration.’”

¹⁵ Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “So now you, son of man, take one stick for yourself and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the people of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim, and for all the people of Israel, their companions.’ ¹⁷ Bring both of them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand. ¹⁸ When your people speak to you and say, ‘Will you not tell us what these things of yours mean?’ ¹⁹ then say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am taking the branch of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his companions and joining it to the branch of Judah, so that they will make one branch, and they will become one in my hand.’ ²⁰ Hold in your hand the branches that you wrote on before their eyes.

²¹ Declare to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am about to take the people of Israel from among the nations where they went. I will gather them from the surrounding lands and I will bring them to their land. ²² I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and there will be one king as king over all of them, and they will no longer be two nations. They will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ Then they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, their disgusting things, or any of their other sins. For I will save them from all of their faithless actions with which they have sinned, and I will purify them, so they will be my people and I will be their God. ^[1]

²⁴ David my servant will be king over them. So there will be one shepherd over them all, and they will walk according to my decrees and they will keep my statutes and obey them. ²⁵ They will live in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob, where your fathers had stayed. They will live in it forever—they, their children, and their grandchildren, for David my servant will be their chief forever. ²⁶ I will establish a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will establish them and multiply them and set my holy place in their midst forever. ²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sets Israel apart, when my holy place is among them forever.’”

Chapter 38

¹ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; and prophesy against him. ³ Say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴ So I will turn you around and set hooks in your jaw; I will send you out with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them dressed in full armor, a great company with large shields and small shields, all of them holding swords! ⁵ Persia, Cush, and Libya are with them, all of them with shields and helmets! ⁶ Gomer and all her troops, and Beth Togarmah, from the far parts of the north, and all its troops! Many peoples are with you!

⁷ Get ready! Yes, prepare yourself and your troops assembled with you, and be their commander. ⁸ You will be called after many days, and after some years you will go to a land that has recovered from the sword and that has been gathered from many peoples, gathered back to the mountains of Israel that had been a continuous ruin. But the land’s people will be brought out of the peoples, and they will live in safety, all of them! ⁹ So you will go up as a storm goes; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, all the many soldiers with you.

¹⁰ The Lord Yahweh says this: It will happen on that day that plans will form in your heart, and you will devise wicked schemes.’ ¹¹ Then you will say, ‘I will go up to the open land; I will go to the quiet people living in safety, all of them living where there are no walls or bars, and where there are no city gates. ¹² I will capture booty and steal plunder, in order to bring my hand against the ruins that are newly inhabited, and against the people gathered from the nations, people who are gaining livestock and property, and who are living at the center of the earth.’ ¹³ Sheba and Dedan, and the traders of Tarshish along with all its young warriors will say to you, ‘Have you come to plunder? Have you assembled your armies to take away spoil, to carry off silver and gold, to take their livestock and property and to haul away much plunder?’

¹⁴ Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: On that day, when my people Israel are living securely, will you not learn about them? ¹⁵ You will come from your place far away in the north with a great army, all of them riding on horses, a great company, a large army. ¹⁶ You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so the nations might know me when I show myself through you, Gog, to be holy before their eyes.

¹⁷ The Lord Yahweh says this: Are you not the one of whom I spoke in former days by the hand of my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in their own time for years that I would bring you against them? ¹⁸ So it will come to be in that day when Gog attacks the land of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—my wrath will mount up in my anger. ¹⁹ In my zeal and in the fire of my anger, I declare that on that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ They will shake before me—the fish of the sea and the birds of the skies, the beasts of the fields, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth, and every person who is on the surface of the land. The mountains will be thrown down and the cliffs will fall, until every wall falls to the earth. ²¹ I will summon a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—each man’s sword will be against his brother. ²² Then I will judge him by plague and blood; and overflowing rain and hailstones and burning sulfur I will rain down upon him and his troops and the many nations that are with him. ²³ For I will show my greatness and my holiness and I will make myself known in the eyes of the many nations, and they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Chapter 39

¹ “Now you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Gog, chief of Meshech and Tubal. ² I will turn you and lead you on; I will bring you up from the far north and bring you to the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock your bow out of your left hand and make the arrows fall from your right hand. ⁴ You will fall on the mountains of Israel—you and all your troops and the soldiers who are with you. I will give you to the birds of prey and the wild beasts of the fields for food. ⁵ You will fall on the open field, for I myself declare it—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ⁶ Then I will send out fire on Magog and on those living in safety on the coasts, and they will know that I am Yahweh. ⁷ For I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned; the nations will know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel. ⁸ Behold! The day is coming, and it will take place—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ⁹ The ones living in the cities of Israel will go out and they will use weapons to kindle and make fires and burn them—small shields, large shields, bows, arrows, the clubs and spears; they will make fires with them for seven years. ¹⁰ They will not gather wood from the fields or cut down trees from the forests, since they will burn the weapons; they will take from those who wanted to take from them; they will plunder those who wanted to plunder them—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

¹¹ Then it will happen on that day that I will make a place there for Gog—a grave in Israel, a valley for those who journey to the east of the sea. It will block those who wish to cross over. There they will bury Gog with all his multitudes. They will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog. ¹² For seven months the house of Israel will bury them in order to purify the land. ¹³ For all the people of the land will bury them; it will be a memorable day for them when I am glorified—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁴ Then they will designate men to continually go through the land, to find those who were traveling through, but who died and their bodies remained on the surface of the land, so that they may bury them, in order to cleanse the land. At the end of the seventh month they will begin their search. ¹⁵ As these men pass through the land, when they see any human bone, they will put a marker by it, until gravediggers come and bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. ¹⁶ There will be a city there by the name of Hamonah. In this way they will purify the land.

¹⁷ Now to you, son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: Say to all the winged birds and all the wild beasts in the fields, ‘Gather together and come. Gather from all around to the sacrifice that I myself am making for you, a large sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, so that you may consume flesh and drink blood. ¹⁸ You will consume the flesh of warriors and drink the blood of the princes of the earth; they will be rams, lambs, goats, and bulls, they were all fattened in Bashan. ¹⁹ Then you will eat fat to your satisfaction; you will drink blood until drunkenness; this will be the sacrifice that I will slaughter for you. ²⁰ You will be satisfied at my table with horse, chariot, warrior, and every man of war—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.’

²¹ I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see my judgment that I perform and my hand that I have set against them. ²² The house of Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God from that day onward. ²³ The nations will know that the house of Israel went into captivity because of their iniquity by which they betrayed me, so I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries so that all of them fell by the sword. ²⁴ I did to them according to their uncleanness and their sins, when I hid my face from them.

²⁵ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and I will have compassion on all the house of Israel, when I act with zeal for my holy name. ²⁶ Then they will bear their shame and all the treason in which they betrayed me. They will forget all this when they rest in their land in safety, with no one to terrify them. ²⁷ When I restore them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show myself to be holy in the sight of many nations. ²⁸ Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God, for I sent them into captivity among the nations, but then I will gather them back to their land. I will not leave any of them among the nations. ²⁹ I will no longer hide my face from them when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 40

¹ In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity at the beginning of the year on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured—on that same day, the hand of Yahweh was upon me and he took me there. ² In visions from God he brought me to the land of Israel. He brought me to rest on a very high mountain; to the south were what appeared to be buildings of a city. ³ Then he brought me there. Behold, a man! His appearance was like the appearance of bronze. A linen cord and a measuring stick were in his hand, and he stood in the city gate. ⁴ The man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and listen with your ears, and fix your mind on all that I am revealing to you, for you were brought here so I could reveal them to you. Report everything that you will see to the house of Israel.”

⁵ There was a wall surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring stick in the man’s hand was six long cubits. Each long cubit was a cubit and a handbreadth in length. So he measured the wall, and it was one measuring stick thick and one rod high. ⁶ Then he went to the temple gate that faced east. He went up its steps and measured the threshold of the gate—one stick in depth. ^{[1] 7} The guard chambers were each one stick in length and one stick in width; there were five cubits between any two of the chambers, and the threshold of the temple gate by the temple portico was one stick deep. ⁸ He measured the portico of the gate; it was one stick in length. ⁹ He measured the portico of the gate. It was one stick deep. The doorposts were two cubits in width. This was the portico of the gate facing the temple. ¹⁰ There were three guard chambers on either side of the east gate, and each of them had the same measurement, and the walls that separated them had the same measurement. ¹¹ Then the man measured the width of the gateway entrance—ten cubits; and he measured the length of the gateway entrance—thirteen cubits. ¹² He measured the wall that was bordering the front of the chambers—one cubit high. The chambers measured six cubits on each side. ¹³ Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one chamber to that of the next chamber—twenty-five cubits, from the entrance of the first chamber to that of the second. ¹⁴ Then he measured the wall that went between the guard chambers—sixty cubits in length; he measured as far as the gate’s portico. ¹⁵ The entrance from the front of the gate to the other end of the gate’s portico was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ There were closed windows toward the chambers and toward their pillars within the gates all around; and likewise for the porches. There were windows all around the inside, and each jamb was decorated with palm trees.

¹⁷ Then the man brought me to the outer courtyard of the temple. Behold, there were rooms, and there was pavement in the courtyard, with thirty rooms next to the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement went up to the side of the gates, and its width was the same as the gates’ length. This was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then the man measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the front of the inner gate; it was one hundred cubits on the east side, and the same on the north side.

²⁰ Then he measured the length and width of the gate that was at the north of the outer court. ²¹ There were three chambers on either side of that gate, and the gate and its portico measured the same as the main gate—fifty cubits in total length and twenty-five cubits in width. ²² Its windows, portico, chambers, and its palm trees corresponded to the gate that faced east. Seven steps went up to it and to its portico. ²³ There was a gate to the inner courtyard in front of the gate facing north, just as also there was a gate to the east; the man measured from one gate to the other gate—one hundred cubits in distance.

²⁴ Next the man brought me to the gate of the southern entrance, and its walls and portico measured the same as the other outer gates. ²⁵ There were closed windows in the gateway and its portico just as at that gate. The south gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. ²⁶ There were seven steps up to the gate and its portico, and there were carvings of palm trees on the walls on either side. ²⁷ There was a gate to the inner courtyard on the southern side, and the man measured from that gate to the gate of the south entrance—one hundred cubits in distance.

²⁸ Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by way of its southern gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. ²⁹ Its chambers, walls, and porticos measured the same as the other gates; there were windows all around in the portico. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. ³⁰ There were also porticos all around the inner wall; these were twenty-five cubits in length and five cubits in width. ³¹ This portico faced the outer courtyard with carved palm trees on its walls and eight steps going up to it.

³² Then the man brought me to the inner courtyard by the eastern way and measured the gate, which had the same measurements as the other gates. ³³ Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The inner gate and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. ³⁴ Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.

³⁵ Next the man brought me to the northern gate and measured it; it measured the same as the other gates. ³⁶ Its chambers, walls, and portico measured the same as the other gates, and there were windows all around. The gateway and its portico measured fifty cubits in length and twenty-five cubits in width. ³⁷ Its portico faced the outer courtyard; it had palm trees on either side of it and eight steps going up it.

³⁸ There was a room with a door by each of the inner gateways. This was where they rinsed the burnt offerings. ³⁹ There were two tables on each side of each portico, on which the burnt offering was slaughtered, and also the sin offering and the guilt offering. ⁴⁰ By the wall of the courtyard, going up to the gate to the north, there were two tables. Also on the other side there were two tables at the gate’s portico. ⁴¹ There were four tables on either side by the gate; they slaughtered animals on the eight tables. ⁴² There were four tables of cut stone for the burnt offerings, one and a half cubits in length, one and a half cubits in width, and one cubit tall. On them they laid the tools with which they slaughtered the burnt offerings for the sacrifices. ⁴³ Two-pronged hooks a handbreadth in length were fastened in the portico all around, and the flesh of the offerings would be put on the tables.

⁴⁴ On the outside of the inner gate, within the inner courtyard, were singers’ chambers, one on the north side facing south, and the other on the south side facing north. ⁴⁵ Then the man said to me, “This room facing south is for the priests who are on duty in the temple. ⁴⁶ The room facing north is for the priests on duty at the altar. These are the sons of Zadok who come near to Yahweh to serve him; they are among the sons of Levi.” ⁴⁷ Next he measured the courtyard—one hundred cubits in length and one hundred cubits in width in a square, with the altar in front of the house.

⁴⁸ Then the man brought me to the portico of the house and measured its doorposts—they were five cubits thick on either side. The entryway itself was fourteen cubits in width, and the walls on each side of it were three cubits in width. ^{[2] 49} The length of the portico was twenty cubits, and its depth was eleven cubits. There were steps that went up to it and columns that stood on either side of it. ^[3][4]

Chapter 41

¹ Then the man brought me into the temple’s holy place and measured the doorposts—six cubits in width on either side. ^{[1] 2} The width of the doorway was ten cubits; the wall on each side was five cubits in length. Then the man measured the dimensions of the holy place—forty cubits in length and twenty cubits in width. ³ Then the man went into the very holy place and measured the posts of the doorway—two cubits, and the doorway was six cubits in width. The walls on either side were seven cubits in width. ⁴ Then he measured the room’s length—twenty cubits. Its width—twenty cubits to the front of the temple hall. Then he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”

⁵ Then the man measured the wall of the house—it was six cubits thick. The width of each side room around the house was four cubits in width. ⁶ There were side rooms on three levels, one room above another, thirty rooms on each level. There were ledges around the wall of the house, to support all of the side rooms, for there was no support put in the wall of the house. ⁷ So the side rooms widened and went around going up, for the house went around higher and higher all around; the rooms widened as the house went up, and a stairway went up to the highest level, through the middle level. ⁸ Then I saw a raised part all around the house, the foundation for the side chambers; it measured a full stick in height—six cubits. ⁹ The width of the wall of the side rooms on the outside was five cubits. There was an open space to the outside of these rooms in the sanctuary. ¹⁰ On the other side of this open space were the priests’ outer side rooms; this space was twenty cubits in width all around the sanctuary. ¹¹ There were doors into the side rooms from another open space—one doorway was on the north side, and the other on the south side. The width of this open area was five cubits all around.

¹² The building that faced the courtyard on the west side was seventy cubits in width. Its wall measured five cubits thick all around, and it was ninety cubits in length. ¹³ Then the man measured the sanctuary—one hundred cubits in length. The separated building, its wall, and the courtyard also measured one hundred cubits in length. ¹⁴ The width of the front of the courtyard in front of the sanctuary was also one hundred cubits.

¹⁵ Then the man measured the length of the building behind the sanctuary, to its west, and the galleries on either side—one hundred cubits. The holy place and the portico, ¹⁶ the inner walls and the windows, including the narrow windows, and the galleries all around on three levels, were all paneled in wood. ¹⁷ Above the entryway to the inner sanctuary and spaced along the walls there was a measured pattern. ¹⁸ It was decorated with cherubim and palm trees; with a palm tree between each cherub, and each cherub had two faces: ¹⁹ the face of a man looked toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion looked toward a palm tree on the other side. They were carved all around the entire house. ²⁰ From the ground to above the doorway, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the outer wall of the house.

²¹ The gate posts of the holy place were square. Their appearance was like the appearance of ²² the wooden altar in front of the holy place, which was three cubits high and two cubits in length on each side. Its corner posts, base, and frame were made of wood. Then the man said to me, “This is the table that stands before Yahweh.” ^{[2] 23} There were double doors for the holy place and the most holy place. ²⁴ These doors had two hinged door panels each, two panels for one door and two panels for the other. ²⁵ Carved on them—on the doors of the holy place—were cherubim and palm trees just as the walls were decorated, and there was a wooden roof over the portico at the front. ²⁶ There were narrow windows and palm trees on either side of the portico. These were the side rooms of the house, and they also had overhanging roofs.

Chapter 42

¹ Next the man sent me out to the outer courtyard on the north side, and he brought me to rooms in front of the outer courtyard and the northern outer wall. ² Those rooms were one hundred cubits along their front and fifty cubits in width. ³ Some of those rooms faced the inner courtyard and were twenty cubits away from the sanctuary. There were three levels of rooms, and the ones above looked down on the ones below and were open to them, having a walkway. Some of the rooms looked out onto the outer courtyard. ⁴ A passage ten cubits in width and one hundred cubits in length ran in front of the rooms. The rooms’ doors were toward the north. ^{[1] 5} But the upper halls were smaller, for the walkways took away from them more space than they did in the lowest and middle levels of the building. ⁶ For the halls on the third story had no columns, unlike the courtyards, which did have columns. So the highest level’s rooms were smaller in size compared to the rooms in the lowest and middle levels. ⁷ The outside wall ran along the rooms toward the outer courtyard, the courtyard that was in front of the rooms. That wall was fifty cubits in length. ⁸ The length of the rooms of the outer courtyard was fifty cubits, and the rooms facing the sanctuary were one hundred cubits in length. ⁹ There was an entrance to the lowest rooms from the east side, coming from the outer courtyard.

¹⁰ Along the wall of the outer courtyard on the eastern side of the outer courtyard, in front of the sanctuary’s inner courtyard, there were also rooms ^{[2] 11} with a walkway in front of them. They were as the appearance of the rooms on the northern side. They had the same length and breadth and the same exits and arrangements and doors. ¹² On the south side were doors into rooms that were just the same as on the north side. A passage on the inside had a door at its head, and the passage opened into the various rooms. On the east side there was a doorway into the passage at one end.

¹³ Then the man said to me, “The northern rooms and the southern rooms that are in front of the outer courtyard are holy rooms where the priests who work nearest to Yahweh may eat the most holy food. They will put the most holy things there—the food offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering—for this is a holy place. ¹⁴ When the priests enter there, they must not go out of the holy place to the outer court, without laying aside the clothes in which they served, since these are holy. So they must dress in other clothes before going near the people.”

¹⁵ The man completed measuring the inner house and then took me out to the gate that faced the east and measured all the surrounding area there. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with a measuring stick—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. ^{[3] 17} He measured the north side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. ^{[4] 18} He also measured the south side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. ^{[5] 19} He also turned and measured the west side—five hundred cubits with the measuring stick. ^{[6] 20} He measured it on four sides. It had a wall around it that was five hundred cubits in length, and five hundred cubits in width, to separate the holy from that which is common.

Chapter 43

¹ The man then brought me to the gate that opened to the east. ² Behold! The glory of the God of Israel came from the east; his voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory. ³ It was according to the appearance of the vision that I saw, according to the vision that I saw when he had come ^[1] to destroy the city, and the visions were like the vision that I saw at the Kebar Canal—and I fell to my face. ⁴ So the glory of Yahweh came to the house by way of the gate that opened to the east. ⁵ Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court. Behold! The glory of Yahweh was filling the house.

⁶ The man was standing beside me, and I heard someone else speaking to me from the house. ⁷ He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet, where I will live in the midst of the people of Israel forever. The house of Israel will no longer profane my holy name—they or their kings—with their faithlessness or with the corpses of their kings at their high places. ⁸ They will no longer profane my holy name by putting their threshold next to my threshold, and their gateposts next to my gateposts, with nothing but a wall between me and them. They profaned my holy name with their disgusting actions, so I consumed them with my anger. ⁹ Now let them remove their faithlessness and the corpses of their kings from before me, and I will live in their midst forever.

¹⁰ Son of man, you yourself must tell the house of Israel about this house so they will be ashamed of their iniquities. They should think about this description. ¹¹ For if they are ashamed of all that they have done, then reveal to them the design of the house, its details, its exits, its entrances, and all its designs, all its decrees and rules. Then write this down before their eyes so they will keep to all its design and all its rules, so as to obey them. ¹² This is the regulation for the house: From the peak of the hill to all the surrounding border around it, it will be most holy. Behold! This is the regulation for the house.

¹³ These will be the measurements of the altar in cubits—that cubit being a regular cubit and a handbreadth in length. So the gutter around the altar will be a cubit deep, and its width will also be a cubit. The border around its surrounding edge will be one span. This will be the base of the altar. ¹⁴ From the gutter at the ground level up to the lower ledge of the altar is two cubits, and that ledge itself is one cubit in width. Then from the small ledge up to the large edge of the altar, it is four cubits, and the large edge is a cubit in width. ¹⁵ The hearth on the altar for the burnt offerings is four cubits high, and there are four horns pointing upward on the hearth. ¹⁶ The hearth is twelve cubits in length and twelve cubits in width, a square. ¹⁷ Its border is fourteen cubits in length and fourteen cubits in width on each of its four sides, and its rim is a half cubit in width. The gutter is a cubit in width all around with its steps facing east.”

¹⁸ Next he said to me, “Son of man, the Lord Yahweh says this: These are the regulations for the altar on the day they make it, for raising the burnt offering onto it, and for sprinkling blood on it. ¹⁹ You will give a bull from the cattle as a sin offering for the Levitical priests who are the descendants of Zadok, those who come near to me to serve me—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ²⁰ Then you will take some of its blood and place it on the altar’s four horns and the four sides of its edge and on the surrounding rim; you will cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ Then take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the appointed part of the temple area outside of the sanctuary. ²² Then on the second day you will offer a male goat without blemish from the goats as a sin offering; the priests will cleanse the altar just as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you finish its cleansing, offer an unblemished bull from the cattle and an unblemished ram from the flock. ²⁴ Offer them before Yahweh; the priests will throw salt onto them and raise them up as a burnt offering to Yahweh. ²⁵ You must prepare a male goat as a sin offering daily for seven days, and the priests must also prepare an unblemished bull of the cattle and unblemished ram from the flock. ²⁶ They must atone for the altar for seven days and purify it, and in this way they must consecrate it. ²⁷ They must complete these days, and on the eighth day and onward it will come about that the priests will prepare your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar, and I will accept you—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 44

¹ Then the man brought me back to the outer sanctuary gate that faced east; it was closed tightly. ² Yahweh said to me, “This gate has been sealed shut; it will not be opened. No man will go through it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has come through it, so it has been closed tightly. ³ The ruler of Israel will sit in it to eat food before Yahweh. He will enter by way of the gate’s portico and go out the same way.”

⁴ Then he brought me by way of the northern gate to the front of the temple, and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh, and I fell to my face. ⁵ Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, set your heart and look with your eyes and listen with your ears to all that I am declaring to you, to all the statutes of the house of Yahweh and all its regulations. Think about the house’s entrance and exits. ⁶ Then say to the rebellious ones, the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says this: Let all of your disgusting actions be enough for you, house of Israel— ⁷ that you brought foreigners with uncircumcised hearts and uncircumcised flesh to be in my sanctuary, profaning my house, while you were offering me food, fat and blood—you have broken my covenant by all your disgusting actions. ⁸ You have not carried out your duties regarding my holy things, but you appointed others to take up your duties, and you assigned them to care for my holy place. ⁹ The Lord Yahweh says this: No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, from any of those who live among the people of Israel, may enter my holy place. ¹⁰ Yet the Levites went far from me—they wandered away from me, going after their idols—but they will pay for their sin. ¹¹ They are servants in my sanctuary, watching the gates of the house and serving in the house and they slaughter the burnt offerings and the people’s sacrifices, and they will stand before the people and serve them. ¹² But because they performed the sacrifices before their idols, they became stumbling blocks for sin for the house of Israel. Therefore I will lift up my hand to swear an oath against them—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration—they will bear their punishment. ¹³ They will not come near me to act as my priests or to approach any of my holy things, the most holy things. Instead, they will bear their reproach and their guilt for the disgusting actions that they have done. ¹⁴ But I will place them as keepers of the work in the house, for all of its duties and everything that is done in it.

¹⁵ Then the Levitical priests, those sons of Zadok who fulfilled the duties of my sanctuary when the people of Israel were wandering away from me—they will come near me to worship me. They will stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁶ They will come to my sanctuary; they will approach my table to worship me and to fulfill their duties to me. ¹⁷ So it will be that when they come to the gates of the inner courtyard, they will have to dress in linen clothes, for they must not come in wool inside the gates of the courtyard and its house. ¹⁸ There should be linen turbans on their heads and linen underclothes on their hips. They must not dress in clothes that make them sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out to the outer courtyard, to the outer courtyard in order to go to the people, they must take off the clothes they wore when they served; they must take them off and lay them down in a holy room, so they do not make other people holy by contact with their special clothing. ²⁰ Also they must neither shave their heads nor allow their hair to hang loosely, but they must trim the hair of their heads. ²¹ No priest may drink wine when he comes to the inner court, ²² nor take a widow or a divorced woman as a wife for himself, but only a virgin from the line of the house of Israel or a widow who was previously married to a priest. ²³ For they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the profane; they will make them know the unclean from the clean. ²⁴ In a dispute they will stand to judge with my decrees; they must be just. They will keep my law and my statutes in every feast, and they will celebrate my holy Sabbaths. ²⁵ They must not defile themselves by going near to a dead person; however, if the dead person was his father or mother, son or daughter, brother or unmarried sister, then they may defile themselves. ²⁶ After a priest has become unclean, they will count off a period of seven days for him. ²⁷ On the day he enters the holy place, into the inner courtyard to serve in the holy place, he must bring a sin offering for himself—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

²⁸ This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I will be their property! ²⁹ They will eat the food offerings, the sin offerings, the guilt offerings, and everything devoted to Yahweh in Israel, will be theirs. ³⁰ The best of the firstfruits of all things and every contribution, anything from all of your contributions will belong to the priests, and you will give the first of your dough to the priests so that blessing may rest on your house. ³¹ The priests will not eat any carcass or animal torn by a beast, whether bird or beast.

Chapter 45

¹ When you cast lots to divide up the land as an inheritance, you must make an offering to Yahweh; this offering will be a holy part of the land, twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and ten thousand cubits in width. It will be holy, all its area round about. ^{[1] 2} From this there will be a five hundred cubits by five hundred cubits square surrounding the holy place, with a surrounding border fifty cubits in width. ³ From this area you will measure a portion that is twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; it will be the sanctuary, the most holy place. ⁴ It will be a holy place in the land for the priests who serve Yahweh, who come near Yahweh to serve him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy area for the holy place. ⁵ So it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width, and it will be for towns for the Levites who serve in the house. ⁶ You will designate an area for the city, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand in length, that will be next to the area reserved for the holy place; this city will belong to all the house of Israel. ⁷ The prince’s land will be on both sides of the area reserved for the holy place and the city. It will be to their west and to their east. The length will correspond to the length of one of those portions, from the west to the east. ⁸ This land will be property for the prince in Israel. My princes will no longer oppress my people; instead, they will give the land to the house of Israel, for their tribes.

⁹ The Lord Yahweh says this: It is enough for you, princes of Israel! Remove violence and strife; do justice and righteousness! Quit your evictions of my people!—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁰ You must have accurate scales, accurate ephahs, and accurate baths! ¹¹ The ephah and the bath will be the same amount, so that a bath will be a tenth of a homer; the ephah will be a tenth of a homer. Their measure will be corresponding to the homer. ¹² The shekel will be twenty gerahs; sixty shekels will make a mina for you.

¹³ This is the contribution that you must present: A sixth of an ephah for every homer of wheat, and you will give a sixth of an ephah for every homer of barley. ¹⁴ The regulation offering of oil will be a tenth of a bath for every cor (which is ten baths), or for every homer, since a homer is also ten baths. ¹⁵ One sheep or goat from the flock for every two hundred animals from the watered regions of Israel will be used for any burnt offering or peace offering to make atonement for the people—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration. ¹⁶ All the people of the land will give this contribution to the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ It will be the prince’s responsibility to furnish animals for the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the drink offerings at the festivals and the new moon celebrations, and on the Sabbath days—all the fixed festivals of the house of Israel. He will provide for the sin offerings, the grain offerings, the burnt offerings, and the peace offerings for atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.

¹⁸ The Lord Yahweh says this: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you will take an unblemished bull from the herd and perform a sin offering for the sanctuary. ¹⁹ The priest will take some of the blood of the sin offering and place it on the doorposts of the house and on the four corners of the border of the altar, and on the doorposts of the gate to the inner court. ²⁰ You will do this on the seventh of the month for each person’s sin by accident or ignorance; in this way you will atone for the temple.

²¹ In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month, there will be for you a festival, a seven-day festival. You will eat unleavened bread. ²² On that day, the prince will prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull as a sin offering. ²³ For the seven days of the festival, the prince will prepare a burnt offering for Yahweh: Seven bulls and seven unblemished rams each day for seven days, and a male goat each day as a sin offering. ²⁴ Then the prince will perform a food offering of an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram with a hin of oil for each ephah. ²⁵ In the seventh month on the fifteenth day of the month, at the festival, the prince will perform offerings on these seven days: Sin offerings, burnt offerings, food offerings, and offerings of oil.

Chapter 46

¹ The Lord Yahweh says this: The gate of the inner courtyard, facing east, will be shut for the six days of work, but on the Sabbath it will be opened, and on the day of the new moon it will be opened. ² The prince will enter the outer courtyard by the way of the gate and its portico from outside, and he will stand before the doorposts of the inner gate while the priests perform his burnt offering and peace offering. Then he will worship at the threshold of the inner gate and go out, but the gate will not be shut until evening. ³ The people of the land will also worship before Yahweh at the entrance to this gate on the Sabbaths and new moons. ⁴ The burnt offering that the prince offers to Yahweh on the Sabbath day will be six unblemished lambs and an unblemished ram. ⁵ The grain offering with the ram will be an ephah, and the grain offering with the lambs will be what he wishes to give, and a hin of oil with each ephah of grain.

⁶ On the day of the new moon he must offer an unblemished bull from a herd, six lambs, and an unblemished ram. ⁷ He must make a grain offering of an ephah for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and what he wishes to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah of grain. ⁸ When the prince enters by the way of the gate and its portico, he must leave by the same way.

⁹ But when the people of the land come before Yahweh at the appointed festivals, anyone entering through the north gate to worship must leave through the south gate; and anyone entering through the south gate must leave through the north gate. No one may turn back to the gate through which he entered, for he must go out straight ahead. ¹⁰ The prince must be in their midst; when they go in, he must go in, and when they leave, he must leave. ¹¹ At the festivals, the grain offering must be an ephah of grain for the bull and an ephah for the ram, and whatever he wishes to give with the lambs, and a hin of oil for every ephah. ¹² When the prince gives a freewill offering, either a burnt offering or a peace offering to Yahweh, the gate facing east will be opened for him. He will offer his burnt offering or his peace offering as he does it on the Sabbath day. Then he must go out, and after he has gone out the gate will be shut.

¹³ In addition, you will give an unblemished lamb one year old as a burnt offering to Yahweh daily; you will do this morning after morning. ¹⁴ You will give a grain offering with it morning after morning, a sixth of an ephah and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the flour of the grain offering for Yahweh, according to a permanent statute. ¹⁵ They will prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil morning after morning, a permanent burnt offering.

¹⁶ The Lord Yahweh says this: If the prince gives a gift to any of his sons, it is his inheritance. It will be the property of his sons, it is an inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, then it will be that servant’s until the year of liberty, and then it will return to the prince. His inheritance will certainly be for his sons. ¹⁸ The prince will not take the people’s inheritance away from their own property; he must provide for his sons from his own property so that my people will not be scattered, each man from his own property.’”

¹⁹ Next the man brought me through the entrance at the gate to the holy rooms for the priests, which faced north and behold! There was a place toward the west. ²⁰ He said to me, “This is the place where the priests must boil the guilt offering and the sin offering and where they must bake the grain offering. They must not bring the offerings into the outer courtyard, for then the people would be consecrated.” ²¹ Then he brought me to the outer courtyard and he led me past the four corners of that courtyard, and I saw that in every corner of the courtyard there was a another court. ²² In the four corners of the outer courtyard there were four small courtyards, forty cubits in length and thirty in width. There were the same dimensions for all four of the courtyards. ^{[1] 23} There was a row made of stone all around the four of them, and cooking hearths were under the stone row. ²⁴ The man said to me, “These are the places where the temple servants will boil the people’s sacrifices.”

Chapter 47

¹ Then the man took me back to the entrance to the temple, and there was water flowing out from under the temple threshold of the house toward the east—for the front of the temple faced east—and the water was flowing down the south side of the temple, to the right of the altar. ² So he brought me out through the northern gate and led me around to the gate facing east, and there the water was flowing from this gate on its south side.

³ As the man was going toward the east, there was a measuring line in his hand; he measured off one thousand cubits and brought me through the water to ankle-deep water. ⁴ Then he measured one thousand cubits again and brought me through the water to knee-deep water; and he measured another thousand cubits and brought me to hip-deep water. ⁵ Next he measured off another thousand cubits, but it was a river that I could not cross through because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—it was a river that could not be crossed.

⁶ The man said to me, “Son of man, do you see this?” and he brought me out and had me walk back along the riverbank. ⁷ As I walked back, there the riverbank had many trees on this side and also the other side. ⁸ The man said to me, “This water is going out to the eastern territory and down to the Arabah; this water flows into the Salt Sea and will make it fresh. ⁹ It will be that every living creature that swarms will live where the water goes; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will make the salt water fresh. Everything will live wherever the river goes. ¹⁰ Then it will happen that fishermen of En Gedi will stand by the water, and there will be a place to dry out the fishing nets by En Eglaim. There will be many kinds of fish in the Salt Sea, like the fish in the Great Sea for their abundance. ¹¹ But the Salt Sea’s swamps and marshes will not be made fresh; they will be for providing salt. ¹² Beside this river on its banks, on both sides, all kinds of trees will grow that bear food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will never fail to grow. Each month the trees will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves will be for healing.

¹³ The Lord Yahweh says this: This will be the way that you divide the land up for the twelve tribes of Israel: Joseph will have two portions. ¹⁴ You are to divide equally what I lifted up my hand and swore to give to your fathers. This land will come to you as an inheritance.

¹⁵ This will be the boundary of the land on the north side from the Great Sea by way of Hethlon, and then to Zedad. ^{[1] 16} Then the boundary will go to Berothah, to Sibraim, which is between Damascus and Hamath, and then to Hazer Hattikon, which is beside the boundary of Hauran. ¹⁷ So the boundary will go from the sea to Hazar Enan on the border with Damascus and Hamath to the north. This will be the north side. ¹⁸ On the east side the boundary will run between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan River between Gilead and the land of Israel. You will measure from the border to the eastern sea. This will be the eastern border. ^{[2] 19} Then on the south side the boundary will run from Tamar as far as the waters of Meribah Kadesh, then along the brook of Egypt to the Great Sea. This will be the boundary on the south side. ²⁰ Then the boundary on the west side will be the Great Sea to a point opposite Lebo Hamath. This will be the west side.

²¹ In this way you will divide this land for yourselves, for the tribes of Israel. ²² So you will distribute the inheritances for yourselves and for the foreigners in your midst, those who have given birth to children in your midst and who are, with you, like the native born people of Israel. You will cast lots for inheritances among the tribes of Israel. ²³ Then it will happen that the foreigner will be with the tribe among whom he is living. You must give him an inheritance—this is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.”

Chapter 48

¹ These are the names of the tribes. The tribe of Dan will receive one portion of land; its boundary will run along the northern boundary of Israel by way of Hethlon and Lebo Hamath. Its boundary will go on to Hazar Enan and along the border with Damascus to the north and then on to Hamath. Dan’s boundary will go from east all the way to the Great Sea. ² Adjoining the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, Asher will have one portion. ³ Adjoining the border of Asher from the east side to the west, Naphtali will have one portion. ⁴ Adjoining the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west, Manasseh will have one portion. ⁵ Adjoining the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west, Ephraim will have one portion. ⁶ Adjoining the border of Ephraim from the east side to the west, Reuben will have one portion. ⁷ Adjoining the border of Reuben from the east side to the west, Judah will have one portion.

⁸ The offering of land that you will make will be along the border with Judah and extend from the east side to the west side; it will be twenty-five thousand cubits in width. Its length will correspond to one tribe’s portion from the east side to the west side, and the temple will be in the middle of it. ⁹ This land that you will offer up to Yahweh will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. ¹⁰ These will be the assignments of this holy portion of land: The priests will have land assigned to them measuring twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the north side; ten thousand cubits in width on the west side; ten thousand cubits in width on the east side; and twenty-five thousand cubits in length on the south side, with the holy place of Yahweh in the middle of it. ¹¹ This will be for the consecration of the priests of the line of Zadok, who have served me faithfully and who did not go astray when the people of Israel went astray, as the Levites did. ¹² The offering for them will be a portion of this most holy land, extending to the border of the Levites.

¹³ The Levites’ land along the border with the priests’ land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand cubits in width. The entire length of the two tracts of land will be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and twenty thousand cubits in width. ¹⁴ They must not sell it or exchange it; none of this firstfruits of the land of Israel must ever be separated from these tracts, for it all is holy to Yahweh.

¹⁵ The remaining land, five thousand cubits in width and twenty-five thousand cubits in length, will be for the collective use of the city, the houses, and the pastureland; the city will be in its midst. ¹⁶ These will be the city’s measurements: The north side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the south side will be 4,500 cubits in length; the east side will be 4,500 cubits in length; and the west side will be 4,500 cubits in length. ¹⁷ There will be pasture for the city toward the north, 250 cubits deep; to the south, 250 cubits deep; to the east, 250 cubits deep, and to the west, 250 cubits deep. ¹⁸ The remaining area of the holy offering will stretch for ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand cubits to the west. It will stretch along the border of the holy offering, and its produce will be food for those working in the city. ¹⁹ The people who work in the city, people belong to all the tribes of Israel, will farm that land. ²⁰ All the land offering will measure twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits. In this way you will make the holy offering of land, together with the land for the city.

²¹ The rest of the land on either side of the holy offering and the city area will be for the prince. The prince’s tract of land to the east will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits from boundary of the holy offering to the eastern border—and his tract to the west will extend for twenty-five thousand cubits to the western border. In the middle will be the holy offering, and the holy place of the temple will be in its midst. ²² The land extending from the property of the Levites and the area of the city in its midst will be for the prince; it will be between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin—this land will be for the prince.

²³ As for the remaining tribes, their portions will also run from the eastern side to the west side. Benjamin will receive one portion. ²⁴ Adjoining the border of Benjamin from the east side to the west, Simeon will have one portion. ²⁵ Adjoining the border of Simeon from the east side to the west, Issachar will have one portion. ²⁶ Adjoining the border of Issachar from the east side to the west, Zebulun will have one portion. ²⁷ To the south of Zebulun’s boundary, running from the east side to the west side, will be the land of Gad—one portion. ²⁸ The southern boundary of Gad will extend from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh, and farther to the brook of Egypt, and then to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land for which you will cast lots; it will be the inheritance of the tribes of Israel. These will be their portions. This is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration.

³⁰ These will be the exits from the city: On the north side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, ³¹ will be three gates, named for tribes of Israel: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi. ³² On the east side, which will measure 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan. ³³ On the south side, which is 4,500 cubits in length, will be three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun. ³⁴ On the west side, which will measure 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. ³⁵ The distance around the city will be eighteen thousand cubits; from that day on, the city’s name will be “Yahweh Is There.”