Idolatrous Elders Condemned
(Romans 14:13–23; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

1And there will come to me men from the old men of Israel, and sit before me. 2And the word of Jehovah will be to me, saying, 3Son of man, these men brought up their blocks upon their heart, and they gave the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face: shall I be sought out, shall I be sought oat for them? 4For this, speak to them and say to them, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: A man, a man of the house of Israel who shall bring up his blocks upon his heart, and shall set up the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and coming to the prophet, I Jehovah answered to him coming according to the multitude of his blocks; 5So that taking the house of Israel in their heart, which were all of them separated from me by their blocks.

6For this, say to the house of Israel, Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn ye back, and turn away from your blocks; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7For a man, a man of the house of Israel, and of the stranger who shall sojourn in Israel, and he shall separate himself from after me, and shall bring up his blocks into his heart, and shall set the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and coming to the prophet to seek out to him for me; I Jehovah will answer to him for me: 8And I gave my face against that man, and I set him for a sign and for parables, and I cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye knew that I am Jehovah.

9And if the prophet shall be deceived, and he spake a word, I Jehovah deceived that prophet, and I stretched forth my hand upon him, and I destroyed him from the midst of my people Israel. 10And they bare their iniquity; as the iniquity of him seeking so shall be the iniquity of the prophet; 11So that the house of Israel shall no more wander from after me, and they shall no more be defiled with all their transgressions; and they were to me for a people, and I will be to them for God, says the Lord Jehovah.

Four Dire Judgments

12And the word of Jehovah will be to me, saying, 13Son of man, if a land shall sin against me to cover a transgression, and I stretched forth my hands upon it, and I broke to it the staff of bread, and sent famine upon it, and I cut off from it man and cattle: 14And were these three men in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job, they by their justice shall deliver their souls, says the Lord Jehovah. 15If I shall cause the evil beast to pass through upon the land, and it was bereaved, and there was desolation from not passing through from the face of the beast: 16These three men in its midst, I live, says the Lord Jehovah, if sons and if daughters they shall deliver; they alone shall be delivered, and the land shall be a desolation. 17Or I shall bring a sword upon that land, and I said, Sword, thou shalt pass through the land; and I cut off from it man and cattle. 18And these three men in its midst, I live, says the Lord Jehovah, they shall not deliver sons and daughters, for they alone shall be delivered. 19Or I shall send death to that land, and I poured out my wrath upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and cattle. 20And Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst, I live, says the Lord Jehovah, if son if daughter they shall deliver; they by their justice shall deliver their soul.

21For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Also if I sent my four evil judgments, sword and famine, and the evil beast, and death to Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and cattle? 22And behold, there was left in it an escaping, sons and daughters being brought forth: behold them, they shall be brought forth to you, and ye saw their way and their doings: and ye were comforted concerning the evil which I brought upon Jerusalem, all which I brought upon her. 23And they comforted you, for ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye know that not in vain did I do all which I did in her, says the Lord Jehovah.