| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET Bible |
| 1Then some elders of Israel came to me and sat down before me. | 1Then some men from Israel's elders came to me and sat down in front of me. |
| 2And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, | 2The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 3"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all? | 3"Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek me? |
| 4"Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the multitude of his idols, | 4Therefore speak to them and say to them, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: When any one from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry. |
| 5in order to lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel who are estranged from Me through all their idols."' | 5I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.' |
| 6"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations. | 6"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the sovereign LORD says: Return! Turn from your idols, and turn your faces away from your abominations. |
| 7"For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the LORD will be brought to answer him in My own person. | 7For when anyone from the house of Israel, or the foreigner who lives in Israel, separates himself from me and erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet to seek something from me, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally. |
| 8"I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the LORD. | 8I will set my face against that person and will make him an object lesson and a byword and will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. |
| 9"But if the prophet is prevailed upon to speak a word, it is I, the LORD, who have prevailed upon that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. | 9"'As for the prophet, if he is made a fool by being deceived into speaking a prophetic word--I, the LORD, have made a fool of that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. |
| 10"They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be, | 10They will bear their punishment; the punishment of the one who sought an oracle will be the same as the punishment of the prophet who gave it |
| 11in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,"' declares the Lord GOD." | 11so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their God, declares the sovereign LORD.'" |
| 12Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, | 12The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 13"Son of man, if a country sins against Me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast, | 13"Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals. |
| 14even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves," declares the Lord GOD. | 14Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would save only their own lives by their righteousness, declares the sovereign LORD. |
| 15"If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, | 15"Suppose I were to send wild animals through the land and kill its children, leaving it desolate, without travelers due to the wild animals. |
| 16though these three men were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate. | 16Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they would save only their own lives, and the land would become desolate. |
| 17"Or if I should bring a sword on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass through the country and cut off man and beast from it,' | 17"Or suppose I were to bring a sword against that land and say, 'Let a sword pass through the land,' and I were to kill both people and animals. |
| 18even though these three men were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered. | 18Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, they could not save their own sons or daughters--they would save only their own lives. |
| 19"Or if I should send a plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it, | 19"Or suppose I were to send a plague into that land, and pour out my rage on it with bloodshed, killing both people and animals. |
| 20even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness." | 20Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, they could not save their own son or daughter; they would save only their own lives by their righteousness. |
| 21For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it! | 21"For this is what the sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send my four terrible judgments--sword, famine, wild animals, and plague--to Jerusalem to kill both people and animals! |
| 22"Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it. | 22Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds, you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem--for everything I brought on it. |
| 23"Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done in vain whatever I did to it," declares the Lord GOD. | 23They will console you when you see their behavior and their deeds, because you will know that it was not without reason that I have done everything which I have done in it, declares the sovereign LORD." |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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