11:1 Moreover, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the LORD'S house which faced eastward. And behold, {there were} twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. |
11:2 He said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give evil advice in this city, |
11:3 who say, `{The time} is not near to build houses. This {city} is the pot and we are the flesh.' |
11:4 "Therefore, prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!" |
11:5 Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and He said to me, "Say, `Thus says the LORD, "So you think, house of Israel, for I know your thoughts. |
11:6 "You have multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with them." |
11:7 `Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of the city are the flesh and this {city} is the pot; but I will bring you out of it. |
11:8 "You have feared a sword; so I will bring a sword upon you, the Lord GOD declares." |
11:9 "And I will bring you out of the midst of the city and deliver you into the hands of strangers and execute judgments against you. |
11:10 "You will fall by the sword. I will judge you to the border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the LORD. |
11:11 "This {city} will not be a pot for you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, {but} I will judge you to the border of Israel. |
11:12 "Thus you will know that I am the LORD; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the nations around you.'"" |
11:13 Now it came about as I prophesied, that Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?" |
11:14 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, |
11:15 "Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, {are those} to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, `Go far from the LORD; this land has been given us as a possession.' |
11:16 "Therefore say, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.'" |
11:17 "Therefore say, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'" |
11:18 "When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it. |
11:19 "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, |
11:20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. |
11:21 "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down on their heads, declares the Lord GOD." |
11:22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. |
11:23 The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city. |
11:24 And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. |
11:25 Then I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me. |