| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 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 put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? |
| 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. | 4Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the LORD will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. |
| 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.' | 5I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for 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 people of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices! |
| 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. | 7"'When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the LORD will answer them 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 set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from 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"'And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and 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 guilt--the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. |
| 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.'" | 11Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign LORD.'" |
| 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, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, |
| 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 could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD. |
| 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"Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, |
| 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. | 16as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, 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 if I bring a sword against that country and say, 'Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its people and their animals, |
| 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. | 18as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. |
| 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 if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, |
| 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. | 20as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save 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 Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments--sword and famine and wild beasts and plague--to kill its men and their animals! |
| 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. | 22Yet there will be some survivors--sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem--every disaster 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." | 23You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign LORD." |
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