| NET Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then some men from Israel's elders came to me and sat down in front of me. | 1Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. |
| 2The word of the LORD came to me: | 2Then the word of the LORD came to me: |
| 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? | 3"Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and have put their sinful stumbling blocks in front of themselves. Should I actually let them inquire of me? |
| 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. | 4"Therefore, speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: When anyone from the house of Israel sets up idols in his heart and puts his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet, I, the LORD, will answer him appropriately. I will answer him according to his many 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.' | 5so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their hearts. They are all estranged from me because of their idols.' |
| 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. | 6"Therefore, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: Repent and turn away from your idols; turn your faces away from all your detestable things. |
| 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. | 7For when anyone from the house of Israel or from the aliens who reside in Israel separates himself from me, setting up idols in his heart and putting his sinful stumbling block in front of himself, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me, I, the LORD, will answer him myself. |
| 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. | 8I will turn against that one and make him a sign and a proverb; I will cut him off from among my people. Then you will know that I am the LORD. |
| 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. | 9"'But if the prophet is deceived and speaks a message, it was I, the LORD, who deceived that prophet. I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. |
| 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 | 10They will bear their punishment--the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as that of the prophet-- |
| 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.'" | 11in order that the house of Israel may no longer stray from following me and no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions. Then they will be my people and I will be their God. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD.'" |
| 12The word of the LORD came to me: | 12The word of the LORD came to me: |
| 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. | 13"Son of man, suppose a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its supply of bread, to send famine through it, and to wipe out both man and animal from it. |
| 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. | 14Even if these three men--Noah, Daniel, and Job--were in it, they would rescue only themselves by their righteousness." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. |
| 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. | 15"Suppose I allow dangerous animals to pass through the land and depopulate it so that it becomes desolate, with no one passing through it for fear of the animals. |
| 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. | 16Even if these three men were in it, as I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"they could not rescue their sons or daughters. They alone would be rescued, but the land would be desolate. |
| 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. | 17"Or suppose I bring a sword against that land and say, 'Let a sword pass through it,' so that I wipe out both man and animal from it. |
| 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. | 18Even if these three men were in it, as I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"they could not rescue their sons or daughters, but they alone would be rescued. |
| 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. | 19"Or suppose I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it with bloodshed to wipe out both man and animal from it. |
| 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. | 20Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live"--the declaration of the Lord GOD--"they could not rescue their son or daughter. They would rescue only themselves by their righteousness. |
| 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! | 21"For this is what the Lord GOD says: How much worse will it be when I send my four devastating judgments against Jerusalem--sword, famine, dangerous animals, and plague--in order to wipe out both man and animal from 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. | 22Even so, there will be survivors left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. Indeed, they will come out to you, and you will observe their conduct and actions. Then you will be consoled about the devastation I have brought on Jerusalem, about all I have brought on it. |
| 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." | 23They will bring you consolation when you see their conduct and actions, and you will know that it was not without cause that I have done what I did to it." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. |
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