*Prophet in Babylon with a message for Jerusalem
An EasyEnglish Bible Version with Notes (1200 word vocabulary) of the Book of Ezekiel
Cynthia Green
The translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.
Words in boxes are comments on the text.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
Ezekiel was from the *tribe of Levi. He knew all about the work that the *priests in Israel did. But he could not do a *priest’s work in God’s house (the *temple) in Jerusalem. He was living in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had taken many important people from Jerusalem. He had taken them to his city, Babylon. God had let him do this because Israel's people had *worshipped other gods.
God chose to speak to Ezekiel and God made him a *prophet. Bible students think that God began to give him messages in the year 593 *BC. Ezekiel became God’s *messenger to Israel's people. He spoke to all the *Jews who lived in Babylon.
Some *Jews remained in Jerusalem. They thought that they were important. They thought that they were better than the *Jews in Babylon. (Nebuchadnezzar had taken some of them there.) God said that Ezekiel must speak to the people in Babylon. He said that he would *punish the people in Jerusalem. That was because they had not obeyed his rules. The *prophet Jeremiah had already said this to the people in Jerusalem. But they would not listen to Jeremiah.
The Bible says that the *Lord God rules all the earth. Ezekiel believed this. He believed that God was *holy. And he gave great *honour to God. The *Israelites in Babylon listened to Ezekiel. They believed that he was God’s *prophet. Sometimes God spoke to Ezekiel in dreams. Or he said that he must do strange things. Ezekiel had to explain the dreams to Israel's people.
v1 God spoke to me on the fifth (5th) day of the fourth (4th) month. I was among the *Jews by the side of the river Kebar. Nebuchadnezzar had taken them there from Israel. God opened heaven (God's home) and I saw pictures of him in the sky.
v2 Nebuchadnezzar had kept King Jehoiachin in Babylon for five (5) years. On the fifth (5th) day of the month, v3 God spoke to Ezekiel the *priest. He was the son of Buzi. He was standing by the River Kebar in the country called Babylon. This was the place where the *Lord God spoke to Ezekiel. He told him what he wanted him to do.
v4 I, Ezekiel, looked. And I saw great clouds that were coming from the north. They came with a strong wind and bright lights. Light shone all round the clouds. It was like a fire that had burning metal in the centre. v5 I could see something like four (4) living things in the fire. Each of them had the shape of a man. v6 But each of them had four (4) faces and four (4) *wings. v7 Their legs were straight and their feet were like the feet of a young cow. They shone like bright metal. v8 They had hands under their *wings on the four (4) sides. They were like the hands of a man. Each of these four living things had faces and *wings. v9 And their *wings touched each other. Each living thing went straight towards the front. They did not turn from their straight path.
v10 I saw their faces. The face at the front was the face of a man. On the right side each had an *ox’s face. And on the left side each had a *lion’s face. Each also had the face of a great bird. v11 That is how I saw their faces. Each of them held two *wings up from their sides. The *wings of each living thing touched the *wings next to them. v12 Each living thing covered its body with two *wings. Each living thing moved straight towards the front. They did not turn when they moved. So they went where the *spirit wanted. v13 They looked like hot fires or burning sticks of wood. Fire moved between the living things. It shone brightly, and it sent out light like sharp knives. v14 The living things moved very quickly. They went one way and then they went another way.
v15 I continued to look at them. And I saw four (4) *wheels on the ground. Each was by the side of a living thing. v16 The *wheels were all the same. They shone like bright glass. Each was like a *wheel across another *wheel. v17 They moved any way that the living things moved. v18 The *wheels had high edges. Eyes covered their edges. v19 When the living things moved, the *wheels moved with them. If they rose from the earth, the *wheels rose with them. v20 They went where the *spirit wanted, and the *wheels went with them. The *wheels also had the *spirit of the living things. v21 The *wheels moved when the living things moved. The *wheels stood in the same place when the things stopped. When the living things rose from the ground the *wheels also rose. The same *spirit moved the living things and the *wheels.
v22 A roof that looked like shining ice was over the heads of the living things. v23 The living things stood under the roof. Each stood with their *wings held towards the things next to them. They covered their bodies with their other two *wings. v24 I heard a noise like a fast river or like a great army when they flew. It was like the voice of the great, powerful God. They put their *wings down when they stood still. v25 A voice spoke while they stood still with their *wings down. It came from above their heads.
v26 Over the roof like ice I saw a kind of *throne. Someone had made it out of blue stone. And high above the *throne I saw something like a man. v27 He shone like bright metal in the centre of a fire. The light of many colours was all round him. v28 It was like the ring of light over the earth on a wet day. This light showed that the *Lord was there, in his *glory. When I saw it, I fell down on my face. Then a voice spoke to me.
v1 ‘Son of man, you must stand up on your feet’, the *Lord said to me. ‘Then I will speak to you.’ v2 His *Spirit came into me while he spoke. He made me stand up and I heard him speak to me.
v3 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘I am sending you to Israel's people. They are people who have not obeyed me. Their *nation has turned away from me. They and their fathers have never obeyed my rules. v4 I am sending you to a people who do not listen to me. They think that their ideas are better than mine. This is what you must say to them. “This is what the great, powerful *Lord says.” v5 They may listen or they may not listen. But they will know that you are a *prophet. They are not an *obedient people. But they will know that I have sent a *prophet to them. v6 You, son of man, must not be afraid of them or their words. You may feel like you have sharp branches all round you. You may think that they can bite you like animals. But they cannot hurt you. Do not be afraid of what they say. They are all against me. v7 You must speak my words to them, whether they will listen or not. They are a people that do not obey me. v8 But you, son of man, must listen to what I say to you. Do not turn against me, like those bad people. Open your mouth. And eat what I give you.’
v9 Then I looked and I saw a hand. It held a very long piece of skin. Someone had written words on the skin. The hand offered it to me. v10 When the hand opened the skin, I saw words on both sides of the skin. I read them. They were not happy words, but were very sad.
v1 ‘Son of man, eat what is in front of you’, he said to me. ‘Eat this skin with words on it. Then go and speak to the *Israelites.’ v2 Then I opened my mouth and he gave me the skin to eat.
v3 ‘Son of man, eat this and fill your stomach with it’, he said. So I ate it, and it was very sweet in my mouth.
v4 Then he said to me, ‘Now go, son of man. Speak my words to Israel's people. v5 I am sending you to them. I do not send you to a people whose words you cannot understand. v6 And I do not send you to people who speak a foreign language. I could have sent you to those people. And I am sure that they would have listened to you. v7 But Israel's people will not listen to you. That is because they will not listen to me. They have all decided not to obey me, and they will not change. v8 But I will make you as strong as they are. You will not stop obeying me. v9 You will be strong and you will not change. They may refuse to do as I say. But you must not be afraid of them, even when they do.’
v10 And he said to me, ‘Son of man, listen carefully to all that I say. Remember the words that I speak to you. v11 Now you must go to Babylon. Speak to Israel's people who are there. Say this, “This is what the great powerful *Lord says.” They may listen or they may refuse to listen.’
v12 Then the *Lord’s *Spirit lifted me up. I heard a loud noise and a voice spoke. ‘*Praise the *glory of the *Lord in his home above’, it said. v13 I heard the sound of the living things’ *wings. Their *wings were hitting each other. And the *wheels made a noise like the sound of the earth when it moves about. v14 Then the *Spirit lifted me up and he took me away. He carried me with great power. I felt angry and hurt in my mind. v15 I came to Tel Abib near the river Kedar. The people who had come from Israel lived there. I stayed there with them for seven (7) days. I was very tired and confused.
v16 When the seven (7) days were finished, the *Lord spoke to me. v17 ‘Son of man, I have made you a *watchman for Israel's people. So listen to what I say. They may not obey me. Then tell them what will happen. v18 I may say to a bad man, “I am going to make you die.” You must tell him this. Or you must say that he must stop doing wrong things. Then he will save his life. If you do not tell him this, he will die. He will die because of the bad things that he has done. But I will *punish you, because you did not give him my message. v19 You must tell him what I have promised. But he may not listen. Then he will die because he has not obeyed me. But you will have saved yourself.
v20 A very good man may start to do bad things and I can make his life difficult. But he will die if you do not tell him about his *sin. He will die because of his *sins. I will not remember the good things that he did. But you did not tell him what I would do. Then I will *punish you. v21 If you give him my message, he may stop *sinning. Then he will stay alive. He will not die, because he stopped doing wrong things. And you will not die.’
v22 The *Lord was very near to me. ‘Go into the flat land and I will speak to you there’, he said. v23 So I got up and I went out to the flat land. And I saw the *glory of the *Lord there. It was like the *glory that I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell down with my face to the ground. v24 Then the *Lord’s *Spirit lifted me up and he made me stand up. ‘Go into your house and shut the door’, he said. v25 ‘I will stop you from moving. You will be like a man that men have tied up. You will not be able to go out among the people. v26 I will stop your *tongue from moving so that you cannot speak. You will not be able to tell my people that they have not obeyed me. But they have done wrong things. v27 I will speak to you again. Then you will be able to give them my message. “This is what the great and powerful *Lord says”, you will say. Some of my people will listen to my words, but some people will refuse to listen. They are people who will not obey me.’
v1 ‘Now, son of man, make a square flat plate out of soft earth. Draw a picture on this plate. Draw a picture of the city, Jerusalem. v2 Then build hills round it for soldiers to attack the city. Put your *tents round the city. Prepare very heavy long sticks to hit its gates. v3 Then you must turn your face towards it. Take an iron plate and put it between your face and the city. This will be a wall between you and the city.
The army is round the city. But you will attack it. This is to show Israel's people what I will do.
v4 Then lie on your left side. I will put on you the *sin of the *Israelites. You will stay there for 390 days and you will *suffer because of their *sin. v5 This means that I will *punish Israel for 390 years. v6 After you have finished this, lie down on your right side. You will stay there for 40 days. You will *suffer for the *sin of Judah's people. This is to show that I will *punish them for 40 years. v7 Turn your face towards the picture of the soldiers who are attacking Jerusalem. Point to it and *prophesy against the city. v8 I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to another. You will stay on one side until the day when the soldiers round the city go away.
v9 You must take different kinds of food *grains. Then put them in a jar. Use them to make bread for yourself. You must eat this for 390 days. Those are the 390 days that you are on your left side. v10 Weigh out 20 shekels (about 10 ounces or 300 grams) of food for each day. This is all the food that I will let you eat in one day. v11 You can have a sixth (1/6th) of a hin (two cups) of water a day to drink. v12 Bake the food like a cake. Bake it in front of the people on a fire that you have made with human dirt.’ v13 The *Lord said, ‘I will send Israel's people to live in foreign lands. This is to show them that they will eat bad food there. That food will not be *clean.’
v14 ‘No, great and powerful *Lord’, I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that would make me not *clean. Even when I was a child, I obeyed your rules. An animal might have died when nobody had killed it. I did not eat that meat. Nor did I eat meat that wild animals had killed. I have never eaten any food that was not *clean.’
v15 So God spoke to me. ‘It is good’, he said. ‘You can use dirt from cows instead. You can cook your bread on that.’
v16 Then God said, ‘I am going to take away the bread from the people in Jerusalem. They will have to measure the food that they eat. And they will measure the water that they drink. I will give them great trouble. v17 They will have no more bread or water. They will be very sad and their bodies will become thin. This is because they have done so many bad things.’
God had given Israel's people a list of the only animals that they should eat. They might not obey him and eat another animal. Then they would not be *clean. Then they must not go near to God. They would not be *holy.
v1 ‘Now, son of man, take a sharp *sword. Use it to cut all the hair from your head and face. Then take the hair and weigh it. Make it into three (3) equal parts.
v2 Keep this hair until the end of the days that you lie still. Then you will not watch the soldiers round your picture of Jerusalem any longer. Take one part of the hair and burn it inside the city. Take another part and hit it all round the city with a *sword. And take the third (3rd) part and throw the hairs to the wind. I will run after them with a *sword. v3 But take a few hairs and keep them in your clothes. v4 Then take out some of these hairs and burn them in the fire. This fire will grow and go out to all Israel.’
v5 The *Lord, the King who rules Israel, says this. ‘I have put Jerusalem in the centre of all the *nations. There are countries all round it. v6 But the people who live there have not obeyed my rules. They have been very *wicked.’ v7 So this is what the *Lord, your King says: ‘They have done more bad things than any of the *nations round them have done. They have refused to obey my rules. I said that they must not do certain things. But they have done them. They have done even worse things than the *nations round them have done.’
v8 So this is what the *Lord, your King, says: ‘I am against you, people in Jerusalem. I will *punish you in front of all the *nations. v9 I will *punish you as I have never *punished anyone before. And I will never do it again. I will *punish you because you *worship so many wrong things. You *worship *idols. But they are not gods. v10 You will have among you fathers who will eat their children. And children will eat their fathers. I will *punish you. I will send far away those few people who do not die. They will go to all parts of the earth.
v11 You can be sure that I am alive. I will surely not help you again. You have put your bad things (*idols) in my house, and you have done wrong things there. Because you have made my house not *clean, I will not be sorry for you. I will not save you. v12 A third (1/3rd) of the people will die. They will die inside your city because they are ill. Or they will die there because they have no food. Soldiers will kill a third (1/3rd) of the people outside your walls. And I will send a third (1/3rd) away. Their enemies will run after them with a *sword.
v13 When I have done this I will not be angry any longer. I will not *punish them any more, because it is enough. They will know that I, the *Lord, have spoken to them. And I *hate the wrong things that they have done.
v14 I will break down your walls and your buildings. People from other *nations who walk past you will be afraid. v15 They will look at you. They will see what I did to you. I did it because I was angry. They will think that you have no value. They will know what I told you. You should not do bad things. And they will say that I *punished you because you did not obey me. And they will be afraid.’ I, the *Lord, say this. v16 ‘I will take away your food in order to kill you. You will have pain because you will be very hungry. I will make it more and more difficult for those in the city to get food. v17 You will have nothing to eat and wild animals will attack you. They will kill your children. I will send illness, armies and *swords to kill you.’ I, the *Lord, have spoken.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me again. v2 ‘Son of man, you must turn to speak against the mountains of Israel. Give my *prophecy to them. v3 “You mountains of Israel”, you must say. “This is what the *Lord, your ruler, says to you. I am speaking to the mountains, the hills and valleys. ‘I am going to attack you. I will destroy your high places where men *worship other gods. v4 I will break down your *altars where they burn food to *idols. I will destroy the *altars where they offer their sweet smelling oils to false gods. And I will kill the people in front of those *idols. v5 Their dead bodies will lie in front of their false gods. And soldiers will throw their bones round the *idol’s *altars. v6 In every place that they live, they will destroy their towns.
They will break the *altars on the high places. And they will pull down the *altars where you burnt the sweet oils. They will destroy your *idols. v7 You will see your dead people. And then you will know that I am the *Lord.
v8 But some of you will not die. These people will run to other countries and *nations. v9 When they are there, far away, they will remember me. They will remember how they made me very sad. They turned away from me and they did wrong things. They *worshipped *idols and they did not obey me. Then they will be angry with themselves. They will be ashamed of the *evil things that they did. v10 And they will know that I am the *Lord. They will know that I *kept my promise to *punish them.’ ”
v11 This is what the *Lord, your King, says. “Make a loud noise. Hit your hands together. Hit the ground with your feet. Shout ‘Help!’ Do this because of all the bad, *evil things that Israel's people have done. I will send soldiers and illness to kill them. Or they will die because they do not have anything to eat. v12 People who are far away will become ill. And they will die. Soldiers will kill those who are near to the city. The people in the city will die because they do not have any food. That is how I will *punish them. I am very angry. v13 They will see their dead bodies. Then they will know that I am the *Lord. The bodies will be lying in front of their *idols and their *altars to false gods. They will see dead bodies on every high hill and mountain and round their *altars. They will see them in every place. Their bodies will lie under big trees. That is where they offered sweet oils to their *idols. v14 I will make the land from Diblah to the *desert empty. I will change the land where they live into a *desert. Then they will know that I am the *Lord.” ’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, the *Lord, your King, is speaking to the land in Israel. He says, “This is the end. Now I am going to finish with all the land. v3 Now I will show you how angry I am. I will *punish you because of all the wrong things that you have done. The *punishment will be as great as the wrong things that you have done. v4 I will not be sorry for you or save you. I will *punish you. I will *punish you because of all the wrong things that you have done. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.”
v5 This is what the *Lord says. “Great trouble! I am going to send you greater trouble than anyone has ever seen. v6 No time is left. It is finished. v7 I will destroy the lives of the people who live in this country. They will not have parties where they *worshipped *idols. They will have no more parties in the high places. People will be confused, not happy. v8 I will soon cause you to know how angry I am. I am going to be your *judge for all that you have done. And I will *punish you because of all the wrong things that you have done. v9 I will not make your *punishment less. I will give you great *punishment for all the *sins that you have done. Then you will know that I, the *Lord, am *punishing you.
v10 It is time now. The people have done enough wrong things. The time to *punish them has come. v11 I have become very angry. I will *punish the *wicked people. I will *punish all of them. None of their dear things will remain, nor anything that has any value. v12 The day when I *punish my people has come. The person who buys will not be happy. Nor will the person who sells. I am angry with every one of them. v13 Any man who sells his land will not get it back. I will *keep my promise. Nobody who has done wrong things will stay alive. v14 They may prepare for war, but nobody will go out to fight. The whole *nation has made me very angry.
v15 The enemy is outside the city. Inside the city, people are ill and they have no food. Soldiers will kill the people in the country. The people in the city will die from illness, or because they do not have any food. v16 Some people will stay alive. They will leave the city and they will run to the mountains. They will be like birds that are flying from the hunters. They will all cry because of their *sins. v17 Their hands will be weak and their knees will knock together. v18 They will want to show that they are sorry. So they will wear clothes that are not comfortable. They will be very afraid. They will be ashamed and they will cut all the hair from their heads. v19 They will throw their *silver and gold away like dirt. They will know that neither *silver nor gold can save them from God’s *anger. Neither will buy them food or anything that they want. These valuable metals have made them *sin. v20 They were happy because they had beautiful things. But they used them to make *idols. That is why the *Lord has made them *hate their *silver and gold. v21 He will give their *silver and gold to *foreigners and to robbers. People will think that their *idols have become not *clean. v22 I will turn away from my people. Bad men will go into my special house (*temple) and they will make it not *clean. Nobody will *worship me there.
v23 Nothing is safe. The country is full of men who kill. People are fighting in the city. v24 I will bring the most *evil people here and they will live in your homes. Your strongest men will feel weak when they see the *temple. *Evil men will have made it not *clean.
v25 When people are afraid, they will look for *peace. But they will not find it. v26 Many bad things will come, one after another. Men will bring bad news all the time. They will ask the *prophet to tell them what will happen. The *priests will not have anything to teach the people. And the leaders will have not have anything to say. v27 The king will be very sad and his son will not be able to hope for anything. The people will be very afraid. And their bodies will move about like leaves in the wind. I will *punish them because of the wrong things that they have done. I will be their *judge in the same way that they were *judges for other people. Then they will know that I am the *Lord.” ’
v1 I was sitting in my house. The leaders of Judah sat in front of me. It was the sixth (6th) year and the fifth (5th) day of the sixth (6th) month. While I sat there, the *Lord showed me a picture in my mind. v2 I saw something that looked like a man. The top half of his body looked as bright as burning metal. The half of his body that was below looked like fire. v3 He put out something like a hand. Then he held me by my hair. The *Lord’s *Spirit lifted me up in a dream, high in the sky. And, in my dream, God took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the north gate of the *temple’s inside yard. Enemies had put an *idol there that had made God angry. v4 And in front of me I saw the bright light of the *Lord. It was like the light that I had seen by the River Kebar.
v5 Then the *Lord spoke to me. ‘Son of man’, he said, ‘Look towards the north.’
When I looked, I saw the *idol. It made God angry. It stood near the *altar by the north door.
v6 ‘Son of man, you see what they are doing’, he said to me. ‘Israel's people are doing very bad things here. They are keeping me a long way away from my *holy *temple. But I will show you worse things than these.’
v7 Then he took me to the gate of the inside yard. There he showed me a hole in the wall. v8 ‘Son of man, make a hole in the wall here’, he said. So I dug into the wall and I found a door. v9 ‘Go in. And see the very bad things that they are doing there’, he said. v10 So I went in and I saw pictures on the walls. They were pictures of snakes and other animals. They were all animals that God did not let us touch or eat. And there were other pictures there. Israel's people were *worshipping them. v11 Seventy (70) leaders were there. Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan, was among them. Each man held a pot with burning sweet-smelling oil in it.
v12 ‘Son of man’, said the *Lord. ‘Look at what these leaders are doing! Each man is burning oil to offer *worship to his own *idol. It is their secret. They say, “The *Lord does not see us. He has gone away from us.” ’
v13 ‘You will see even worse things than that’, the *Lord said to me. v14 Then he took me to the north gate of the *temple. Women there were crying because the god Tammuz was dead.
v15 ‘You saw that’, he said. ‘But I will show you more things that are even worse.’ v16 He took me to the inside yard, between the *altar and the gate. About twenty-five (25) men were standing there. Their backs were turned away from the *Lord. And their faces were looking to the east. Then they bent their heads down to *worship the sun when it rose.
v17 ‘Son of man, you saw that’, the *Lord said to me. ‘This is not a small thing. The people in Judah are doing the wrong things that you have seen here. And they are fighting and killing in all the country. They are making me angry all the time. They are *worshipping other gods in my *holy *temple. They are taking away the *honour of my name. v18 So I will show them how angry I am. I will not be kind to them or save them. They may shout to me, but I will not listen to them.’
v1 I heard God’s Spirit speak in a loud voice. ‘Bring here the men who keep the city safe. Tell them that they must bring their arms with them.’ v2 And I saw (6) six men. They came out of the higher gate. People can look towards the north from that gate. Each man carried his powerful arms. A man who was wearing white clothes came with them. He was carrying tools with which to write. They came in and they stood next to the *altar of yellow metal.
v3 The bright light that was the *glory of Israel’s God moved away from the living things. It went to the door of the *temple that was outside. Then the *Lord called out to the man with the writing tools. v4 ‘Go through all the city (Jerusalem)’, he said. ‘Some people are very sad. They are sad because of the *evil things that men are doing there. Put a mark on those people who are so sad. Put it on their faces.’
v5 While I listened, the *Lord spoke to the other men. ‘Follow that man through the city. And kill anyone who does not have the mark. v6 Kill the old men, young men and women. Kill the women and the children. Do not be kind or save any of them. But do not touch anyone that has the mark on their face.’ So they started to kill. The leaders were in front of the *temple. They began with them.
v7 ‘Fill the yard of the *temple with dead bodies. Then the people cannot use the *temple for *worship’, he said. ‘Go now!’ So they went out and they started to kill people all over the city. v8 They left me alone while they were doing this. I fell down on my face. ‘Great and powerful *Lord’, I cried. ‘Jerusalem has made you very angry. Will you kill all Israel's people who remain?’
v9 This was his answer. ‘Both Israel and Judah are very, very bad. They have hurt and killed each other. And they have not been fair to each other. They say, “The *Lord has forgotten his country. The *Lord does not see us.” v10 So I will not be sorry for them. I will *punish them because of what they have done.’
v11 Then the man with the writing tools came back ‘I have done what you asked me to do’, he said.
v1 I looked and I saw something like a *throne of blue stone. It was high over the heads of the living things. v2 The *Lord spoke to the man with white clothes. ‘Go between the *wheels under the living things’, he said. ‘See the stones that are burning among the living things. Fill your hands with them. Then throw them all over the city.’ The man went in. And I watched him while he went in.
v3 The living things stood at the south side of the *temple. A cloud filled the inside yard. v4 Then the *Lord’s *glory rose up. It went from above the living things. Then it moved to the outside door of the *temple. The cloud filled the *temple. And the *Lord’s *glory shone through the whole inside yard. v5 I could hear the noise of the living things’ *wings as far as the outside yard. The noise was like the voice of the great and powerful God when he speaks.
v6 The man in white clothes went and he stood next to a *wheel. He did this when the *Lord said ‘Take fire from among the *wheels. Take it from under the living things.’ v7 Then one of the living things put his hand into the fire. He took some fire. He put it into the man’s hands. Then the man in white clothes went out. v8 (The living things had hands under their *wings. They were like the hands of a man.)
v9 I looked and I saw four (4) *wheels next to the living things. There was one *wheel next to each living thing. And the *wheels shone like broken ice. v10 All the four (4) *wheels looked the same. Each had a *wheel inside a *wheel. v11 When the living things moved, they could go in any direction. They all moved together to go where they wanted. They did not have to turn round to change their direction. v12 All their bodies were covered with eyes. This included their backs, hands and *wings. And eyes covered the *wheels. v13 A voice gave the *wheels the name, ‘fast moving *wheels’. (See Ezekiel 1:15-21.)
v14 Each of the living things had four (4) faces. One face was the face of a male cow. And the second (2nd) was the face of a man. The third (3rd) face was a *lion’s face. And the fourth (4th) face was the face of an eagle (a great bird).
v15 I had seen the same living things by the River Kebar. v16 When they rose in the air, the *wheels rose too. They put out their *wings to fly. And then the *wheels stayed by them. v17 When the living things stood still, the *wheels also stood still. And when the living things rose in the air, the *wheels rose also. This was because the same *spirit ruled them all. v18 Then the *glory of the *Lord left the outside door of the *temple. It moved to a place above the living things. v19 They put out their *wings. So they flew up from the earth. And the *wheels went with them. They stopped by the east gate of the *Lord’s house. And the *glory of the *Lord was above them.
v20 They were the same living things that I had seen before. They were under the *Lord’s *glory. And I knew that they were called cherubs. v21 Each of them had four (4) faces and four (4) *wings. And they had something that looked like a hand under each *wing. v22 Their faces were the same as those that I had seen by the river Kebar. Each of them moved along a straight path.
v1 Then the *Spirit lifted me and he took me to the *Lord’s house. We stood by the east gate. I saw Jaazaniah, Azzur’s son and Pelatiah, Benaiah’s son among them. They were leaders of the people. v2 The *Lord spoke to me. ‘These are the men who want to do *evil things in this city’, he said. ‘They are saying wrong things to the people. v3 They are saying, “It will soon be time to build houses. This city is like a pot to cook meat. And we are that good meat.” v4 Son of man, you must *prophesy against them.’
v5 Then the *Lord’s *Spirit told me what I should say. ‘I know what you are saying, Israel's people. And I know what you want to do. v6 You have killed so many people that the streets are full of dead bodies.
v7 So this is what the great and powerful *Lord says: “The bodies that you threw into the street are the meat. And the city is the pot in which to cook them. But I will push you out of the city. v8 You are afraid of *swords. So I will send men with *swords to attack you”, says the *Lord. v9 “I will make you run from the city. I will send foreign men to *punish you. v10 Their *swords will kill you in your own country. This is how I have decided to *punish you. Then you will know that I am the *Lord. v11 This city will not be like a pot that holds the meat inside it. And you will not be the meat in the pot. I will *punish you near the edges of Israel. v12 Then you will know that I am the *Lord. This is because you have not obeyed my rules. Instead you have done the same things as the *nations round you.” ’
v13 While I was speaking the words from the *Lord, Pelatiah, Benaiah’s son, died. Then I fell with my face down. And I shouted to the *Lord. ‘Great and powerful *Lord, will you kill all Israel's people who remain?’
v14 The *Lord spoke to me. v15 ‘Son of man, this is what the people in Jerusalem say. They say that your family and all Israel’s people are far away from me. They say that I gave them this country to keep.’
v16 ‘So say this to them. “This is what the *Lord, your King, says. ‘I did send them to many different lands far away. But for that short time I have kept them safe in those countries.’ ”
v17 Then say, “This is what the *Lord, your King, says. ‘I will fetch you and bring you home. I will bring you back from the countries where I sent you. I will give the land of Israel back to you.’ ”
v18 The people will return and burn their *idols and their *evil things. v19 They will want to *worship only me. I will put a new *spirit into them. I will take away the bad *spirit that is in them. I will make them understand how I want them to live. v20 Then they will know my rules. They will be careful to obey them. They will be my people and I will be their God. v21 But I will *punish those who continue to *worship *idols. I will *punish them because of the *evil things that they do’, says the *Lord, your God.
v22 Then the living things put out their *wings to fly. The *wheels were by their sides. And the *glory of Israel’s God was above them. v23 The *glory of the *Lord rose up from the city. It stopped to the east of it. The *glory was above the mountain. v24 In my dream, the *Spirit took me back to Babylon. I went to the *Israelites who were there. That was the end of the dream. v25 I told the people everything that the *Lord’s dream had showed me.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me again. v2 ‘Son of man, you live among a people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes to see, but they do not see. They have ears to hear, but they do not hear. Then they refuse to obey me.
v3 So you must prepare your things for a journey. Enemies will take you as a *prisoner to a country far away. Go to another place while it is day. Then the people can watch you go. They do not obey me but perhaps they will understand. v4 Bring out the things that you have prepared. Bring them out during the day while the people are watching you. Then go out in the evening while they watch you. Go like someone who is leaving the country. v5 While they watch, dig a hole in the wall. Go through it and take your things with you. v6 Put your things on your shoulder while they watch you. Carry them out while the light starts to go away. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land. This is how I have made you a picture for Israel’s people.’
v7 So I did what the *Lord had said. I brought out the things that I had prepared. I would take them with me out of the country. I did this during the day. Then evening came. I dug a hole in the wall with my hands. I took my things out when it became dark. I carried them on my shoulders while the people watched me.
v8 In the morning, the *Lord spoke to me again. v9 ‘Son of man, you know about those people who refuse to obey me. They did not even ask you what you were doing’, he said to me.
v10 ‘You must speak to them. Say, “This what the *Lord, your King says. ‘This is a picture of the king in Jerusalem and all the people there.’ ” v11 You must say to them, “I am a picture of what the *Lord will cause to happen. The people will do what I have done. Enemies will take them far away to another country as *prisoners.” v12 Their king will leave when it starts to become dark. He will carry his things on his shoulders. They will dig a hole in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. v13 I will catch him and take him to Babylon. That is the country where the people called Chaldeans live. But he will not see the land, and he will die there. v14 I will make all his officers and soldiers run away. I will make their enemies run after them with *swords. Their enemies will be ready to kill them.
v15 I will send the people away from their city. Then they will know that I am the *Lord. They will know this when I send them to many different countries. v16 But I will save a few of them. I will not make them all die. In those far countries they will be sad. Then they will be sorry because of the many bad things that they have done. And they will know that I am the *Lord.’
v17 The *Lord spoke to me again. v18 ‘Son of man, let your body *shake while you eat your food. Be afraid and *shake your body. You will shake while you drink your water. v19 Speak to the people in this country. Say, “This is what the *Lord, the King, says. He is speaking about those who live in Jerusalem and in Israel. They will be afraid while they eat their food. They will be very afraid. They will *shake while they drink their water. This is because nothing will remain in their country. All who live there are angry. Then they hurt each other. v20 Enemies will knock down the towns where people live. The country will be empty. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.” ’
v21 The *Lord spoke to me again. v22 ‘Son of man, there is a thing that people say in Israel. They say, “People see pictures in the mind. But what they see never happens. Time passes and people forget about it.” v23 But you must say to them. “This is what the *Lord, your King, says. ‘I will stop you from saying these words. I say that soon every one of your dreams will become true. I will do it. v24 Nobody in Israel will again dream things that are false. Nobody will say that bad things will not happen. v25 But I, the *Lord, will say what I want to say. I will make it happen immediately. I say this to you people who do not obey me. I will do this while you are alive. I will do all the things that I have said’, says the *Lord, your King.” ’
v26 The *Lord spoke to me. v27 ‘Son of man, Israel's people are saying wrong things. “Your message will not become true for many years. That day will not be soon.” That is what they say. v28 So you must speak to them. “This is what your *Lord, the King says, ‘I will not wait any longer to do what I have said. I will do everything that I told you’ ”, says the *Lord.’
In this chapter, Ezekiel tried to make people hear the true words of the *Lord. The people did not want to hear, because his words brought bad news. People had their own ideas. Ezekiel showed them that their ideas were false. The *Lord would do as he had said. And he would do it soon.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, *prophesy against the *prophets who are now speaking to Israel’s people. Their *prophecies are their own ideas. Say to them, “Listen to what the *Lord says. v3 This is what he says. ‘You will not be happy, you fools. You have not seen anything. You are speaking your own words. v4 Israel’s *prophets are like wild dogs that live in broken houses. v5 They have not built up the broken walls for Israel's people. So they will not be strong when I send enemies to attack them. v6 These *prophets describe false dreams and their words are not true. They say, “The *Lord says”. But I have not sent them. The things that they tell the people will not happen. But they think that they will happen. v7 Their dreams are false. And they have said things that are not true. You know that they said, “The *Lord says”. But I have not spoken to them.’ ”
v8 So this is what the *Lord, your King, says to them. “I am against you because of your words and dreams that are not true”, says the *Lord. v9 “I will *punish the *prophets who see false dreams. I will *punish those who say false things. They will not become leaders of my people. People will not remember them. They will not go into the country called Israel. Then you will know that I am the *Lord, your King.”
v10 They are leading my people away from me. They say that there will be *peace. But there is no *peace. They are like men who build a thin wall. And they paint it white. v11 You must speak to the men who painted the wall. Say that it will fall. I will send much rain and hail (rain like stones) and strong winds. v12 The wall will fall. And people will ask why the paint did not hold it up.
v13 This, then, is what the *Lord, your King, says. “I am very angry. So I will send strong winds and hail (rain like stones). Hard rain will fall and it will destroy much. v14 I will break down the wall that you painted. The wall will fall flat. Then you will see the ground on which it was. When the wall falls it will kill you. And you will know that I am the *Lord. v15 By this, I will show you that I am very angry. I will destroy the wall and those who painted it white. I will say to you, ‘The wall is gone. And so are those who painted it.’ v16 I am speaking about the *prophets of Israel. They promised that Jerusalem would have *peace. But I will send no *peace to Jerusalem”, says the *Lord, your King.’
v17 ‘Now, son of man, you must turn against the women *prophets. They say to your people things that are not true. They tell them things that are their own ideas. You must *prophesy against them. v18 Say, “This is what the *Lord, your King, says. ‘I will *punish those who tie special things on their arms. They think that these can make good things happen for them. They wear special cloths over their heads to give them power over people. They want to have power over other people so that they can save themselves. v19 You have taken away my *honour so that you can get a little bread. You have said things that are not true. This is how you have caused people to die. But they should not have died. And you have caused people to stay alive who should not stay alive. You say what is not true to my people. And they believe you.’ ”
v20 Now this is what the *Lord, your King, says. “You catch people as you catch birds with your special cloths and things. But I will tear the special things from you. I will make everyone free from your power. v21 I will tear the cloths from your heads. And you will have no power over people. Then you will know that I am the *Lord. v22 The false things that you said made the good people sad. But I did nothing to make them sad. And you did not try to make the bad people stop doing wrong things. You did not try to save their lives. v23 So you women will not see false dreams or have power over people. I will save my people from the things that you do. And then you will know that I am the*Lord.” ’
v1 Some of the leaders of Israel came. They sat down in front of me. v2 Then the *Lord spoke to me. v3 ‘Son of man’, he said, ‘These men *worship *idols. They will not listen to me. I do not want them to ask me for anything. v4 You must speak to them. Say, “This is what the *Lord, the King, says. ‘A man who *worships *idols may come to ask me something. And I will answer him. I will show him that his *idols have no value. v5 I will do this so that Israel’s people will turn back to me. Those who *worship *idols will again *worship me.’ ”
v6 So you must speak to Israel's people. Say, “This is what the *Lord, your King says. ‘Be sorry about the bad things that you have done! You must not *worship *idols. Stop doing all the wrong things that you were doing.”
v7 An *Israelite or a *foreigner who lives in Israel may not want to be my servant. He may turn from me and *worship *idols. Then he may go to ask a *prophet for help. I myself, the *Lord, will answer him. v8 I will be against that man. I will make bad things happen to him. People will see what I have done. I will make him an example to them and they will push him away. He will no longer belong to my people. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.
v9 I can make a *prophet give a false answer. He will give a false *prophecy. But I have made him say it. v10 I will *punish both the *prophet and the person who asked him for a *prophecy. v11 Then Israel's people will stay close to me. They will no longer be like a bad smell to me because they do so many bad things. They will be my people and I will be their God’ ”, says the *Lord.’
v12 The *Lord spoke to me. v13 ‘Son of man, a country’s people may not obey me. Then this is what I will do. I will not give its people any food if they turn away from me. The men and animals that live there will die because they do not have anything to eat. v14 I would only save men like Noah, Daniel and Job, if they lived there. They would save themselves because they did good things’, says the *Lord, your King.
v15 ‘Or I might send wild animals to kill the people in that country. Nobody would be able to travel through it because of the animals. v16 I am surely alive’, the *Lord, your King says. ‘And I say what is true. Even if these three (3) men lived in that country, they could not save their own children. I would save only those three men.
v17 Or I might bring men with *swords to fight against that country. I would let them kill the men and their animals. v18 I am surely alive’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘And my promise is true. Even if these three (3) men lived there, they could not save their own children. I would save only those three men.
v19 Or I might be angry and send illness into that country. It would kill the men and animals that lived there. v20 I am surely alive’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘And what I say is true. Even if Noah, Daniel and Job lived there, they could not save their sons or daughters. They would save only themselves because they had done good things.’
v21 This is what the *Lord, your King says. ‘Jerusalem’s people will have a very bad time when they do not have any food to eat. And I will send soldiers and wild animals and illness to *punish them. v22 But they will not all die. Some sons and daughters will remain alive. They will come to you. You will see that they stay alive. And then you will be happy. You will be happy that I sent all these things to *punish Jerusalem’s people. v23 Then you will know that I had a good reason to do these things’, says the *Lord, your King.
v1 Again the *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘The wood of the *vine is no better than any other wood that grows. v3 Nobody takes its wood to make into a thing that they can use. They cannot even make from it a little thing on which to hang clothes! v4 They can burn it in the fire. Then only the black, burnt centre remains. But they still cannot use it. v5 They could not use it while it was green. So they surely cannot use it after they have burnt it black.
v6 So this is what the *Lord, your King, says to you. “I have burnt the wood of the *vine. In the same way, I will burn the people who live in Jerusalem. v7 I will not save them. If the fire has not burnt them yet, it will still burn them. I will do this. Then you will know that I am the *Lord. v8 I will cause the land to be empty. I will do this because they have not continued to *worship me” ’, says the *Lord, your King.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, make Jerusalem's people see what bad things they have done. v3 Say to them, “This is what the *Lord, your King says to Jerusalem’s people, ‘Your mother gave you birth in the country called Canaan. Your father was an *Ammonite and your mother a *Hittite. v4 They did not wash you on the day that you were born. They did not cut you from your mother’s body. They did not make you clean or tie you in cloths. v5 Nobody was sorry or wanted to do these things for you.
No, they threw you out on the day that you were born. They threw you into a field. They thought that you had no value.
v6 Then I came. I was walking by and I saw you. You were lying there. You were kicking and blood covered you. Then I said to you, “Stay alive.” v7 I made you grow like the plants in a field. You became beautiful, like a valuable shining stone. Your breasts and your hair grew. You had no value before, but I had made you beautiful.
v8 I walked by again. Then I saw that you were old enough for me to love you. I covered you with my coat. I gave you clothes. I made a promise to you that was true. We agreed that you would belong to me’, said the *Lord, your King.
v9 ‘I washed you with water. I washed away the blood and I put oil on your body. v10 I put a beautiful dress on you and leather shoes on your feet. The clothes that I gave you were very good. They were the best and most expensive that I could find. v11 I made rings out of pretty stones. Then I put them round your neck and your arms. v12 I put valuable rings in your nose and ears. And I put a beautiful ring round your head. I dressed you like a queen. v13 I made you beautiful with gold and *silver. I gave you pretty, expensive clothes and I fed you with the best food. You became very beautiful and then you became a queen. v14 The people in all countries heard how beautiful you were. I was the person who had made you so beautiful. I had given you all your good things’, says the *Lord, your King.
v15 ‘But you used your *beauty to do wrong things. You wanted to do what you liked. You thought like this because you were so beautiful. You had sex with those who were not your husband. You had sex with any traveller who came past. He tasted your beautiful body. v16 You took some of your good clothes. You used them to make beautiful the places where they *worship *idols. v17 You took the things of gold and *silver that I had given to you. You made male *idols for yourself. You had sex with them. v18 You put your beautiful clothes on them and you gave them my oil and *wine. v19 You offered to *idols the food that I gave to you. You *worshipped them with sweet smells. You made all this happen’, says the *Lord, your King.
v20 ‘And you took the sons and daughters that I had given to you. v21 You offered them to those *idols for food. You did what was wrong. You *worshipped other Gods. But you did a much worse thing. You killed my children and you offered them to *idols. v22 When I found you, then you had no clothes. And blood covered you. You did not remember this when you had sex with *idols.
v23 Be very sad. I will bring great trouble to you!’ says the *Lord, your King. ‘You have done even more *evil things. v24 In the centre of every town, you have built hills. On each hill you have built a place to *worship other gods. v25 You have put these places at the end of every street. There you offered yourself to anyone who went past. You have made yourself of no value. v26 You had sex with the *Egyptians, who wanted you. All this made me very angry. v27 So I took away some of your land. I gave your enemies, the people who live in Philistia, power over you. They were ashamed because you were not *faithful to me. v28 You gave your body to the people who live in Assyria, too. You could not get enough sex! v29 You had sex with the people from Babylon, who sell things. But even then you had not had enough sex.’ ” ’ v30 ‘Your mind is so weak’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘You do these things like a woman who is not ashamed. She asks a man for money to have sex with her. v31 But you are not like one of those women. You built places to *worship *idols in every street. But you did not let men pay you when they had sex with you.
v32 You are like a wife that is not *faithful wife to me. You want to have sex with strangers more than with your own husband! v33 Men pay bad women who let them have sex with them. But you give gifts to the men who have sex with you. You pay them to come and have sex with you. v34 So you are very different from those other women. You pay your men, and they do not pay you.’
v35 So listen to what the *Lord is saying to you. ‘You are not a *faithful wife. v36 You gave your good things to those who were not your husband. And you showed them your body without any clothes. You offered them your children’s blood. v37 So I will bring all those with whom you had sex round you. I will bring those that you liked. And I will bring those that you did not like. Then I will remove your clothes in front of them all. They will see you without clothes. v38 They *punish wives who are not *faithful. You are like those who kill people. So I will *punish you. I will show you that I am very angry. I am like a good husband who is angry with a wife. He is angry because she is not *faithful. v39 I will make those men who loved you *punish you. They will destroy the high places where you *worshipped *idols. They will take away your beautiful clothes and your things of gold and *silver. They will leave you with no clothes. v40 They will bring a crowd of men with *swords to cut you up. They will throw stones at you. v41 They will burn down your houses. Women will watch while they *punish you. I will stop you from having sex with other men. You will not pay them to have sex with you. v42 After this, I will no longer be angry with you. I will be quiet, and not angry.
The *Lord is telling Jerusalem's people a story. He says that they are like a bad wife. Her husband gave her everything that she had. But she was not *faithful to her husband. Israel’s people do not love the *Lord. They do not *worship him. They have loved foreign gods. So, like an angry husband, the *Lord will *punish his people (his wife). He will take away the good things that he gave them.
v43 I will surely *punish you because of what you have done’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘You forgot what I did for you. I was kind to you when you were young. You did many things to make me very angry. And you were not ashamed of the bad things that you did.
v44 You say that a daughter will be like her mother. v45 Yes, you are a true daughter of your mother! She thought that her husband and her children were not valuable. And you are like your sisters. They thought that their husbands and their children had no value. Your mother was a *Hittite and your father was an *Amorite. v46 Your older sister was Samaria. She and her daughters lived north of you. Your younger sister was Sodom. She and her daughters lived south of you. v47 You did all the bad things that they did. But you did even worse things, too. v48 Your sister Sodom and her daughters never did such bad things as you and your daughters have done’, says the *Lord, your King.
v49 ‘This is the *sin that your sister Sodom did. She and her daughters (people) thought that they were better than other people. They ate too much and they did not try to help poor people. v50 They thought that they could do what they liked. And I saw them do all kinds of bad things. So I took them away, as you have seen. v51 Samaria's people did only half as many bad things as you have done. You have done much worse things than your sisters. The things that you have done make your bad sisters seem good! v52 Now I must *punish you. You have done such bad things that you should be ashamed. After I have looked at you, your sisters seem to be good.
v53 But I will give things back to Sodom and her daughters (people). I will give to Samaria and her daughters the things that I took from them. And I will give you back the things that I took away from you. v54 You will be sorry that you did such bad things. And your sisters will be happy that I *punished you. v55 I will make your sisters, Sodom and Samaria with their daughters, the same as they were before. And you and your daughters will become what they were before. v56 Before I *punished you, you would not speak about your sister Sodom. You thought that you were much better than she was. v57 But then I showed everyone how bad you were. Now the people in Edom and the people near to that country think that you have no value. The people in Philistia and all the people round you think that you have no value. v58 This is because you were not a *faithful wife to me. And you did so many wrong things’, says the *Lord.
v59 ‘You have not *kept your promise to me. You did not think that it was important’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘Because of this, I must *punish you. v60 But I will remember my promise. I agreed it with you when you were young. And I will make a promise with you that will always remain. v61 Then you will remember the bad things that you did. You will be ashamed when you meet your sisters. I will make them like daughters to you. That was not part of my promise but I will do it. v62 I will *keep this promise. And then you will know that I am the *Lord. v63 When I pay the price of your *sin, you will remember. And you will be ashamed. You will remain quiet because you will be so ashamed’, says the *Lord, your King.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘I want you to tell a story. This story is a picture of Israel's people. v3 Say this to Israel's people. “A big bird had great powerful *wings. *Feathers of beautiful colours covered his *wings. He came to Lebanon. v4 There he broke the top from a big tree. He took this top branch to a city. In that city, men buy and sell many things. There he planted his branch.
v5 The bird took seed from your land. And he planted it in good ground. He planted it near to much water where trees grow. v6 The branch grew along the ground and it became a *vine. The branches turned up towards the bird. And the *roots went down into the ground. The *vine grew and it covered itself with branches and leaves.
v7 Another big bird came, with great *wings and many *feathers. Then the *vine made its branches and *roots grow towards this bird. The *vine thought that the new bird would give it even more water. v8 But the *vine was in a lovely garden where there was good ground and much water. It could grow leaves and fruit (*grapes) there, and become big and strong.”
v9 Ask the people a question’, said the *Lord. ‘Do they think that the *vine will stay alive? No, enemies will pull it up and take its fruit. They will let it die. All its new branches will die. It would not be difficult for a strong man or a few people to pull it up. v10 It would die even if they put it into good new ground. The east wind would kill it where it grew.’
v11 The *Lord spoke to me again. v12 ‘This people do not obey me. Perhaps they do not know what these things mean’, he said. ‘Speak to them. Say, “The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem. He took away the king and his officers. He took them back with him to Babylon. v13 Then he agreed to let one of the king’s family rule Jerusalem as its king.
This king made a promise to the king of Babylon. He said that he would obey Babylon’s king. v14 The king of Babylon wanted to make Israel weak. So he took Jerusalem’s important men away to Babylon. He did not want them make Israel strong enough to fight him. v15 But the king of Jerusalem did not *keep his promise. He sent *messengers to the king of Egypt. He asked him to send an army with horses to save Jerusalem. I tell you that he did a bad thing. He has done the thing that he had promised not to do. The king of Babylon will *punish him.
v16 I am surely alive”, says the *Lord, your King. “The king of Israel will die in Babylon. The king of Babylon gave him authority to rule Israel. Israel’s king will die in his country. This is because he did not remember his promise to the king of Babylon. He thought that the promise was not important. v17 Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) will not be able to help him with his big army and many soldiers. An enemy will build hills round the city. Then they will attack it. And soldiers will attack Jerusalem and they will kill many people. v18 Your king did not remember his promise. He did not *keep it.
Because he did all these things, I will *punish him.” ’ v19 So this is what the *Lord, your God, says. ‘He did not obey me. So I will do all the bad things that I promised. He promised to do good things. But he did not do them. He thought that his promise to me had no value. v20 I will catch him like a hunter that catches an animal. I will take him to Babylon and I will *punish him there. I will *punish him because he was not *faithful to me. v21 His soldiers will run away and enemies will kill them. A few of them will run to countries that are far away. Then you will know that my words are true.’
v22 The *Lord, your King, says this: ‘I myself will take a small branch from the top of a great tree. I will take it and I will plant it on a high mountain. v23 I will plant it on a high mountain in Israel. It will grow more branches and make fruit. It will become a great tree. Many kinds of birds will live in the tree. They will make their homes in it. Its branches will keep them safe from the sun. v24 Then all the trees in the field will know that I am the *Lord. I break down big trees and I make small trees grow. I make the green tree dry and I make the dry tree grow well.
This is what I, the *Lord, have said. And I will do it.’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Your people say this about the country called Israel. “Fathers have eaten fruit that makes their mouths dry. But their children have the dry mouths.” v3 Now I am sure that you will no longer say this. v4 Everything that is alive is mine, says the *Lord. Both the father and the son are mine. I will *punish any person who does wrong things. v5 Think about a good man. He does only what is good.
v6 He does not eat with people who *worship *idols. He does not himself *worship *idols. He does not have sex with another man’s wife. He does not have sex at the time that the woman is not *clean.
v7 He does not hurt other people. He may take something from a man and lend him money. He will keep the thing until the man has paid him back. But he will always give the man’s thing back.
He does not take things from other people. But he gives food to hungry people.
And he gives clothes to people who have no clothes.
v8 He does not lend money and then ask the man to give back a lot more money.
He will not do anything that is wrong.
Sometimes men do not agree. He decides what is right.
v9 He obeys all my rules.
Surely he is a good man. And I will let him stay alive’, says the *Lord, your King.
v10 ‘Now think about that man’s son. He might be angry. And he might hurt or kill people.
He might do other bad things. v11 (But the father has not done any of these things.)
The son might eat with people who *worship *idols.
He might have sex with another man’s wife.
v12 He might hurt people who are poor or sick.
He might take things that are not his.
He might not give back things that he took from other men.
He might *worship *idols and do other bad things.
v13 He might lend money and take back much more money.
I will not let any man that does these things stay alive. I will kill him because he has not obeyed me. I am a fair *judge.
v14 But this bad man might have a son. The son would see all the wrong things that his father had done. But he would not do them himself.
v15 He would not eat with people who *worship *idols.
He would not *worship *idols.
He would not have sex with another man’s wife.
v16 He would not hurt anyone.
He would not take anything when he lent money to someone.
He would not take things that belonged to other people. But he would give food to hungry people.
He would give clothes to people who had none.
v17 He would not do any wrong thing. He would not take back too much money from people to whom he had lent it.
He would obey my rules. And he would do the things that give me pleasure.
This son will not die because his father did bad things. He will stay alive. v18 But his father did things that were wrong. So he will die. He took too much money from people to whom he had lent it. He took things from his brother.
v19 You do not understand why I do not *punish the son with his father. The son has done what is good and right. And so he will stay alive. He obeyed all my rules, so he will stay alive. v20 But I will *punish people who do wrong things. They will die. I will not *punish the son because of the bad things that his father did. And I will not *punish the father because of the bad things that his son did. Men who do good things give me pleasure. But I will *punish those men who do bad things.
v21 A bad man might not do the wrong things that he did any longer. And he might start to do good things. He would begin to obey me. Then he would stay alive. I would not kill him. v22 I would not remember any of the bad things that he did. v23 I do not want to kill anyone. That does not give me pleasure’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘When bad men start to do good things, it gives me pleasure. Then they stay alive.
v24 A good man might not do things that are good and true any longer. He might start to do the same wrong things as bad men. Then I will not remember any of the good things that he did. I will *punish him because of the wrong things that he has done. He will die because he has not been *faithful to me.
v25 You say that I am not fair. But listen to me, Israel's people. The things that you do are not fair. v26 A good man might stop doing good things. If then he does bad things he will die. He will die because he has done wrong things. v27 A bad man might not do bad things any longer. Then if he does good things he will stay alive. v28 He has seen that he had done wrong things. And so he has started to do good things. I will not kill him and he will stay alive. v29 But you, Israel's people, say that I am not fair. You must see that you are not fair to me. The things that you do are wrong.
v30 So I will be a *judge for each of you. I will *punish those people who do bad things. And I will save the people who do good things’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘You must be sad if you have done bad things. You must be sorry and you must start to do good things. Stop doing bad things and I will not *punish you. v31 You must live in a different way. You need new thoughts. You must want to do good things. I am sure that you, Israel's people, do not want to die. v32 I do not want anyone to die. That gives me no pleasure’, says the *Lord, your King. ‘Be sad. Turn back to me and stop doing wrong things. Then you will stay alive.’
v1 ‘Say this to the leaders of Israel. It is a sad song and it is about them.
v2 “Your mother was a strong female among the great wild animals.
She lay among her young animals. She kept them safe among the males.
v3 One of her young animals became a great strong male.
He caught animals for food and he tore them into pieces.
He also ate men.
v4 Men in other countries heard what he did.
So they dug a hole and they caught him in it.
They pulled him out and they took him to Egypt.
v5 The mother saw that her strong son was taken away.
So she took another of her sons and she made him big and strong.
v6 Now he was big. And he learned to kill and tear his food.
And he killed and ate men.
v7 He attacked their towns and he broke down their strong buildings.
All the people in the country were afraid. The noise that he made frightened them.
v8 Men from countries round them came to attack him.
They dug a hole and they made him run into it.
They caught him and they put him in a box.
v9 They took him to the king of Babylon.
There they put him in prison.
The people on the hills of Israel could not hear his voice any longer.
v10 Your mother was like a *vine that was growing in a field of *vines.
Her *vine grew near the water and its branches had much fruit.
v11 The branches were strong enough to use as a stick to show a king’s power.
The *vine grew high above other trees.
It was very tall and it had many branches.
v12 But I was angry with it. So I threw it to the ground.
The east wind dried it up and its leaves died.
They took its fruit.
Its strong branches dried and they burnt them in a fire.
v13 Now the *vine is growing in a dry and empty land (a *desert).
v14 Fire from one of its big branches burnt up its fruit.
Now it has no big branches that men can make into a special stick.
That stick is for the king.
This is a sad story for people to sing.” ’
v1 In the tenth (10th) day of the fifth (5th) month some of Israel’s leaders came to me. That was in the seventh (7th) year in Babylon. They sat in front of me. They wanted me to ask the *Lord for his help.
v2 Then the *Lord spoke to me. v3 ‘Son of man, say this to the leaders of Israel. “This is what the *Lord, your King, says. ‘I see that you have come to ask for my help. Be sure that I am alive. But I will not let you ask me anything’ ”, he says.
v4 You must be a *judge for them, son of man. Make them remember all the wrong things that their fathers did. v5 Say to them, “On the day that I chose Israel's people, I the *Lord, your King said: ‘I made a promise to all Jacob’s sons and their sons. I showed myself to them in Egypt. I promised to be their God. v6 I said that I would take them out of Egypt.
And I promised to take them to a country that I had chosen for them. It was a most beautiful country and it would give them milk and sweet food. v7 I said to them: “You must each destroy the *idols that you *worshipped in Egypt. You are not *clean. I am the *Lord, your God.”
v8 But your fathers would not obey me. They would not listen to me, and they did not destroy their *idols. They continued to *worship the *idols of Egypt. So I was very angry. I said that I would *punish them there in Egypt. v9 But the people who lived near to Egypt knew about me. They had seen that I had taken the *Israelites out of Egypt. I did not want them to say bad things about me. v10 So I took the people out of Egypt. Then I led them into the *desert. v11 I gave them my rules. I told them how I wanted them to live. The man that obeys my rules will live a good life. v12 And I gave them the *Sabbath, the seventh (7th) day of the week. This special day showed them that I had chosen them to be my *holy people. It helped them to remember our promises to each other.
v13 But when Israel’s people were in the *desert, they did not obey me. They did not obey my rules. I told them what they should do. But they did not do those things. (But the man that does these things will stay alive.) And they did not obey my rules about the *Sabbath. I was very angry. So I said that I would destroy them there in the *desert. v14 I wanted the *nations who had seen me take them from Egypt to give me *honour. I did not want them to think that I could not save my people. v15 But I spoke to my people in the *desert. I had chosen a beautiful country that gave milk and sweet food for them. But I said that I would not bring my people into their country. v16 I would not do this because they had not obeyed my rules. And they had done so many wrong things. They wanted to *worship their *idols and not to *worship me. v17 But I was kind to them. I did not kill them in the *desert. v18 I spoke to their children in the *desert. “Do not do the wrong things that your fathers do”, I said. “Do not obey their rules or *worship their *idols. v19 I am the *Lord your God, so obey my rules. Be careful to do the things that give me pleasure. v20 Make the *Sabbath a *holy day. Then I will know that you remember my promises. You will know that I am the *Lord your God.”
v21 But the children did not obey my rules. They did not do the things that give me pleasure. (But people who obey my rules will stay alive.) And they did not make the *Sabbath day a *holy day. So I showed them there in the *desert that I was angry. v22 But I did not kill them. All the *nations round Israel had seen me take my people out of Egypt. I wanted the *nations to give me *honour. I did not want them to say bad things about me. v23 There in the *desert I made a strong promise to my people. I said that I would send them to many different countries. v24 This was because they had not obeyed my rules. Nor had they made the *Sabbath a *holy day. And they had chosen to *worship their father’s *idols. v25 So I let them obey their own rules. They were bad rules and they could not give life. v26 I let them kill their first-born children to offer to *idols. This would make them so sad that they would be sorry. Then they would know that I am the *Lord.’ ”
v27 Son of man, you must speak to Israel's people and say, “This is what the *Lord, your King says, ‘This is how your fathers took away my *honour. They stopped obeying me. v28 They came to the country that I had promised to give them. They looked at the mountains and high hills When I took them there they offered gifts to *idols on those high hills. They offered them gifts under the tall trees. This made me angry. And they made sweet smells and they gave food and drink to those *idols. v29 They did this on the high places that they all turn to.’ ”
v30 Say this to Israel's people. “This is what the *Lord, your King says: ‘The things that you are doing are not right. They are quite as bad as the wrong things that your fathers did. You still want to *worship things that they made out of wood and stone (idols). v31 You offer your sons to them in the fire as gifts. This shows how bad you are. You must see that. But you still do it even to this day. I cannot let you ask me for help. I am surely alive and I will not let you do this.
v32 You say: “We want to be like people in other countries. They *worship things that they have made out of wood and stone (idols).” But I will not let this happen. v33 I am alive’, says the powerful *Lord. ‘I will rule over you. I will rule you with my strong power. And I will *punish you when you make me angry. v34 I will bring you back from the *nations where I sent you. I will do this with my strong power. I am still angry with you. v35 I will take you away to a *desert where I will *punish you. v36 As I *punished your fathers in the *desert of Egypt, so I will *punish you’, says the *Lord, your King. v37 ‘I will look at each of you and I will remember my *covenant with you. v38 I will remove those who will not obey my rules. I will bring them out of the country where they are living. But I will not bring them into the country called Israel. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.
v39 Israel's people, this is what the *Lord, your King says: “Go, every one of you, to be servants to your *idols! But after you have gone to do it you will listen to me. I am sure about that. And you will no longer give gifts to *idols. You will no longer give them *honour. You should give me that *honour. v40 The high mountain of Israel is my *holy mountain, says the *Lord, your King. There in the country called Israel you will all be my servants. This will give me pleasure. There you will bring me your good gifts. I want you to offer me your *holy gifts there. And you will burn them on my *altar. v41 You will be like a sweet smell to me when I bring you home. I will bring you back from all the *nations. I will bring you back from all the countries to which I sent you. I will show you that I am *holy. And those *nations will also see that I am *holy. v42 Then you will know that I am the *Lord. You will know this when I bring you into the country. I promised to give your fathers that country. v43 Then you will remember all the wrong things that you did. You will be sorry. You will be ashamed of the *evil things that you have done. v44 Then I will be good to you. And you will know that I am the *Lord. I will forget the bad things that you did and your wrong thoughts. This will bring *honour to me, you Israel's people” ’, says the *Lord, your King.” ’
v45 The *Lord spoke to me again. v46 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘Turn and look towards the south. Speak my words to the people there. *Prophesy against the forests in the south. v47 Say this to those forests: “Listen to what the *Lord says. I am going to make you burn with fire. The fire will destroy all the young trees and the dry trees. You will not be able to stop the fire. It will burn the faces of people. It will burn those in the south and in the north. v48 Everyone will see that I, the *Lord, started the fire. Nobody will put it out.” ’
v49 Then I told the *Lord what the people thought. They said that I was only telling them stories.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘You must look towards Jerusalem. Then tell them what I say. They are doing things in my *holy place that are wrong. Speak to the people in Israel. v3 Say to them, “This is what the *Lord says. ‘I will fight against you. I will take out my *sword and I will use it to kill everyone. I will kill the good people and the bad ones. v4 Because of this, I will attack all the people from the north to the south. v5 Then all the people will know that I am attacking them with my *sword. And I will not put my *sword back in its place.’ ”
v6 So cry with a loud voice, son of man. Let them see how sad and sorry you are. v7 They will ask you why you are so sad. Then you will say, “Because of the bad news that is coming to you. Every one of you will be afraid and will become weak. Your hands will hang down and your knees will bend. You will be very afraid. You can be sure that I am coming to *punish you”, says the *Lord, your King.’
v8 The *Lord spoke to me again. v9 ‘Son of man, *prophesy to them. Say, “This is what the *Lord says:
I have a *sword. It is sharp and it shines.
v10 It is ready to kill. It shines like the light that shoots from the sky!”
This *sword will destroy all arms made from wood. So we cannot be happy.
v11 I have made it ready to hold in the hand.
It is sharp and it shines. My *sword is ready for the hand of the person who kills.
v12 Cry with a loud voice, son of man,
because the *sword is coming against my people.
It is coming against the *princes of Israel.
I will throw the *princes and the people to the *sword.
So you must show them that you are very sad.
v13 I will surely be a *judge for my people.
And if they do not obey me, these things will happen’, says the *Lord, your King.
v14 ‘So *prophesy, son of man.
Hit your hands together.
The *sword will hit them more than once.
I made the *sword to kill. It will kill many times.
The *swords come from all round the city.
v15 The people are very afraid. *Swords will kill many of them.
*Swords wait at every gate. They move fast to kill.
v16 *Sword, hit out to your right side. Then hit to the left. Turn every way to kill.
v17 I, too, will hit my hands together. Then I will not be angry any longer.
I, the *Lord have spoken.’
v18 The *Lord spoke to me. v19 ‘Son of man, draw two roads for the king of Babylon to follow. They must both start from the same country. Put a sign where the two roads go away from each other. v20 Mark one road for the *sword to go to Rabbah of the *Ammonites. The other road goes towards Judah and the strong city, Jerusalem. v21 The king of Babylon will stop when he comes to the sign. He will try to find which way to go. He will ask his *idols. He will ask his *priests to throw down sticks. Then they will look at the insides of animals. But this *sword will destroy all arms that people have made from wood. v22 The *priests will say that he should go to Jerusalem. There he will build hills round the city, to attack it. He will make his men shout while they attack it. They will hit the gates with very heavy long sticks. They will climb up its walls. v23 The people in Jerusalem may think that the king of Babylon is their friend. He should be their friend because of the promises that they made to each other. They think that he will not attack them. But he will attack because the people in Jerusalem have done many wrong things. That is what I say. He will make them his *prisoners.
v24 This then is what the *Lord, your King says: “People see that you have not obeyed me. You do *evil things all the time and in all the places where you go. You are not ashamed of your *sin. So your enemies will make you their *prisoners.
v25 King of Israel, you are *evil. I told you what you should do. But you have not done those things. The day has come when I will *punish you.” v26 This is what the *Lord, your King says: “Take off the special hat that you wear. Remove your *crown. I will change things. Some people think that other people have no value. But those same people will become important. Other people thought that they themselves were important. Then they will learn that they are not important. v27 I will break down your city. This will not happen until my chosen man comes. I will give the city to him. It belongs to him.”
v28 You, son of man, must *prophesy about the people in Ammon. They have said bad things about you. This is what the *Lord, your King says:
“A *sword, a *sword, it is ready to kill.
It shines like the light that moves quickly from the sky.
v29 Your *prophets have said nothing that is true.
They have told you about pictures that I have not given them.
They say that things will happen. But I did not tell them that they should say those things.
The *sword will cut through the necks of people who are *evil.
The time has come when I will *punish them.
v30 Put your *sword back in its place.
I will be your *judge in the place where I made you.
In the country that I gave to your fathers, I will *punish you.
v31 You will see that I am angry with you.
I will give you to men who are not kind.
They are men who like to kill.
v32 You will be like wood in the fire.
They will pour your blood on the land.
Nobody will remember you.
I, the *Lord, have spoken.” ’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, you must tell the people in this city that I am going to be their *judge. They have killed many people. Make them see how many wrong things they have done. v3 Say to them, “This is what the *Lord, your King says: ‘You are a city that destroys itself. v4 I will *punish you because you poured blood over your streets. You have made *idols for yourselves and you are no longer *pure. I will cause your days to end. I have finished your years as a city. *Nations will not give you any *honour. Men from all countries will laugh because I have *punished you. v5 Those who live near and those far away will laugh. You are a city full of *evil things. And all the people in you are always fighting.
v6 In you, each leader of Israel used his power to kill men. v7 In you they have not given any *honour to father or mother. In you they have not been kind to *foreigners, *widows or children with no parents. v8 You gave no *honour to my *holy things. You have not made my *Sabbaths *holy. v9-10 In you, are men who say wrong things. They say what is not true. They say it in order to kill other people. In you, there are men who have sex with other men’s wives. They do the bad things that they did in Egypt. The people there give food to *idols. And then those people eat it. In you, there are men who do the same thing. And they do other bad things. Some men have sex with women who are not *pure. v11 There are men who have sex with other men’s wives. There are those who have sex with their daughters or their son’s wives. Some have sex with their sisters, the daughters of their own fathers. v12 In you, men pay money for one man to kill another. They lend money to people. But they make those men give them a lot more money back. In you, men make people give them money in ways that are not fair. And you have forgotten me’, says the *Lord.
v13 ‘I am very angry because you have killed people. You have not been fair. You have taken more money than was right. v14 I will *punish you and that will make you feel weak. I am the *Lord. I have said what I will do. And I will do it. v15 I will send you to many different countries. I will make you *pure again. v16 All *nations will think that you have no value. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.’ ” ’
v17 The *Lord spoke to me. v18 ‘Son of man, Israel's people are like dirt to me. Men burn metals in a fire so that they can take out the *silver. My people are like the metal that remains in the pot. v19 So this is what the *Lord, your King says: “I will bring you all into Jerusalem because you are like dirt. v20 Men bring metals into a hot fire to make them soft. I will do the same thing to you. I will bring you into the city and I will make you soft. I will do this because I am so angry. v21 I will bring you into Jerusalem. And I will burn you with my *anger. v22 They make *silver soft in a hot fire. In the same way I will make you soft with my hot *anger. Then you will know that I am the *Lord. And you will know that I have burnt you with my hot *anger.” ’
v23 The *Lord spoke to me again. v24 ‘Son of man, speak to the land. Say, “I am angry and I will not send you any rain.” v25 Your leaders agree to hurt people. They take valuable things from the people and they kill many women’s husbands. They are like wild animals that tear up their meat. v26 The *priests do not obey my rules. They do not use my *holy things as they should. They think that *holy things are not special. They teach men that *pure things and things that are not *pure are the same. They do not teach men to keep my *Sabbath *holy. Because of this, men do not give me any *honour. v27 Their officers are like wild animals that tear their meat. They do not *judge in a fair way. And they kill people to get their money. v28 Their *prophets say that they are not doing any wrong thing. But those *prophets see false dreams and they tell false stories. They say, “This is what the *Lord, your King says.” But I have not spoken to them. v29 The people in this country make people afraid and take their money. They are not kind to poor people or to those people who are weak. They hurt *foreigners and they do not *judge them in a fair way.
v30 I tried to find a man who would help me to save the land. Then I would not have to destroy it. But I could not find a man to help me. v31 So I will burn the people up with my great *anger. I will *punish them because of the wrong things that they have done’, says the *Lord, your King.
*Holy things are *clean in a special way. People must give them *honour because they belong to the *Lord. If people use them in the same way as other things, they are no longer *pure. This means that nobody can use them for the *Lord’s work.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, a woman had two daughters. They were sisters. v3 Men in Egypt paid to have sex with them. They sold themselves to men from the time that they were young. Men touched their young breasts and made love to them. v4 The older sister was called Oholah. The younger one was Oholibah. They belonged to me, and they gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
v5 Oholah sold herself to other men while she was still mine. She wanted to have sex with the people who live in Assyria, her *lovers. v6 Their soldiers wore red and blue clothes. They were officers and rulers and they were all very beautiful. They rode on horses. v7 Oholah had sex with all the important people who live in Assyria. And she *worshipped their *idols. v8 She continued to sell her body as she had done in Egypt. She had sex with men. She was quite as bad as when she was young.
v9 I gave her to her *lovers, the people who live in Assyria. That was because she had not been *faithful to me. v10 They took off all her clothes and they took all her sons and daughters. Then they killed her. Her story made women afraid because I *punished her.
v11 Oholibah, her sister saw this, but did even worse things than her sister. v12 She, too, wanted to have sex with the people who live in Assyria. She wanted the beautiful young officers and the rulers on horses to love her. v13 I saw that she, like her sister, was not *faithful to me. She became not *clean.
v14 But she did more bad things than her sister. She saw pictures on the walls. They were pictures of men from Babylon They wore red clothes. v15 They had belts round their bodies and cloths round their heads. They looked like officers who drove *chariots. v16 As soon as she saw the officers, she wanted them. She sent *messengers to them in Babylon. v17 Then they came to her from Babylon. And they had sex with her. They made her not *clean. After they had done this to her, she did not want them any longer. She turned away from them. v18 I turned away from her when she had sex with other men. She was quite like her sister. v19 But she wanted more and more men to love her. She had had sex when she was young. She remembered about that. At that time she had sex with men in Egypt. v20 They had loved her more like animals than men. v21 She very much wanted to have sex like that again.
v22 So this is what the *Lord, your King says to you, Oholibah: “The men that you had sex with will turn against you. I will make them do this. You turned away from them. But I will bring them all round you. v23 Men from Babylon and Chaldea will come. And men from Pekod, Shoa and Koa will come. All the people who live in Assyria will come with them. They will be beautiful young men, officers, rulers and important men. They will all ride on horses. v24 They will fight you with arms and *chariots and with many soldiers. They will come to attack you from every side. They will have *shields (flat metal or leather plates to save them from sharp knives and stones) and they will wear strong hats on their heads. I will let them *punish you as they think best. v25 I am very angry with you. And they are angry with you. They will cut off your noses and ears. They will kill any men that remain. They will take away your sons and daughters. And they will burn the rest of your people with fire. v26 They will take away your clothes and all your valuable things. v27 You will no longer do the wrong things that you began to do in Egypt. I will stop you. You will never want to think about them or remember Egypt any longer.”
v28 So this is what the *Lord, your King says: “I will give people power over you. I will give that power to people that you *hate. You turned away from them because they did bad things to you. v29 They will show you how much they *hate you. They will take away everything for which you have worked. You will have no clothes or food. You will be ashamed of the things that you did. Everyone will know what you did. v30 I am *punishing you because you did those things. I am *punishing you because you wanted to be like other *nations. And because you *worshipped their *idols. v31 You have done the same bad things that your sister did. So I will *punish you as I *punished her.”
v32 This is what the *Lord, your King says:
“I will give you the same *punishment that I gave to your sister.
It will be a strong *punishment.
It will make people laugh. And they will think that you have no value.
v33 You will all be sad and you will get drunk.
They will break down your cities and your country will be empty.
It will be like your sister Samaria.
v34 Your *punishment will be *complete and you will be very sad.
That is what I have said”, says the *Lord, your King.
v35 “So this is what I say to you”, says the *Lord, your King. “You have forgotten me and men have paid to have sex with you. You were not ashamed. You thought that I could not see. But now I will *punish you because of the bad things that you have done.” ’
v36 The *Lord spoke to me. ‘Son of man, you must *judge Oholah and Oholibah. Make them see that they have done wrong things. v37 They have not been *faithful to me and they have caused men to die. They *worshipped *idols and they even offered their children to the *idols as food. v38 At the same time, they did not keep *holy the place where they should have *worshipped me. They did not keep the *Sabbaths as my special days. v39 The same day that they gave their children to *idols they made my house not *clean. That is what they did to my house.
v40 The sisters sent messages to men in a far country. When the men came to visit them they made themselves beautiful with paint and pretty stones. v41 They sat on a soft seat and they put a table in front of it. On the table they put oils with sweet smells. But those oils belonged to me.
v42 Men from the *desert (Sabeans) came with a crowd who were making a noise. Some of them put pretty things on the women’s arms and *crowns (special hats that rulers wear) on their heads. v43 I said: “Let them have sex with the woman. She has had so much sex that she is tired. That is now the only way that anyone can use her.” v44 So the men used her for sex. They paid Oholah and Oholibah to have sex with them. v45 But men who do good things will *punish them. They will *punish them because they were not *faithful to me. And because they caused men to die.
v46 This is what the *Lord, your King says: “You good men must take a crowd to attack them. You will make them afraid and you will take their things. v47 The crowd will throw stones at them and cut them with *swords. They will kill their sons and daughters and they will burn down their houses.
v48 So I will stop people from using their bodies in a wrong way. I will make women want to do what is good and right. v49 I will *punish you because of the bad things that you have done. And I will *punish you because you have *worshipped *idols. Then you will know that I am the *Lord, your King.” ’
The two sisters, Oholah and Oholibah are God’s pictures of Israel (Samaria) and Judah (Jerusalem). He is saying that their people are not *faithful to him. Israel and Judah are like wives who are not *faithful to their husbands. That is because they *worship false gods.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me on the tenth (10th) day. That was in the tenth (10th) month of the ninth (9th) year. v2 ‘Remember this day, son of man. On this day, the king of Babylon is starting to attack Jerusalem. v3 Tell a story to this people who do not obey me. Say, “This is what the *Lord says:
‘Put the pot on the fire. Fill it with water.
v4 Put into it the best pieces of meat, the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with all the best bones. v5 Take them from sheep that are the best to eat.
Put wood under the pot and boil it to cook the meat and the bones.’
v6 This is what the *Lord, your King says.
‘I will make sorry the city where they killed men.
This city is like a pot that nobody has cleaned. They have taken out every piece of meat. They have not left one piece. v7 Men can see the blood that poured out on the streets. No dirt covers it. v8 I am very angry. So I let all men see the blood that you poured out.’
v9 So this is what the *Lord, your King says.
‘I will make the city that poured out this blood very sad.
And I will put wood on the fire.
v10 So make the fire burn and cook the meat well.
Put in more things that will make it taste good. Let the bones burn.
v11 Put the empty pot on the fire so that it becomes red and hot.
The fire should burn away all its dirt.
v12 But the dirt will not burn away. Even fire cannot do this.
v13 The bad things that you do are like your dirt. I tried to make you *clean, but you would not let me. You will not become *clean until I am no longer angry with you.
v14 I, the *Lord have spoken. Now I am beginning to do the things that I promised.
I will not stop. I will not be kind or make the *punishment less. I will *judge you because of the many bad things that you have done’, says the *Lord, your King.” ’
v15 The *Lord spoke to me. v16 ‘Son of man I will take away the one person who gives you great pleasure. I will do it quickly. But you must not look sad or cry. v17 You must not make a lot of noise. You must not show people how sad you are. Keep your head covered and your feet. Do not cover part of your face. People eat special food when someone dies. But you must not do this.’
v18 That morning I spoke to the people. In the evening my wife died. The next morning I did what the *Lord had said.
v19 Then the people asked me what this meant for them. v20 So I said to them, ‘The *Lord spoke to me. He said, v21 “Say this to Israel's people: ‘This is what the *Lord, your King says: “I will make my *holy place not *clean. You think that it is a beautiful place. And you love it. I will take away the things that you love. And they will kill your sons and daughters that you left in Jerusalem. v22 Then you will do the same things that I have done. You will not cover part of your face. You will not eat special food. People eat special food when someone dies. But you will not do that. v23 You will not cry or look sad. You will wear your hats and shoes. You will be sorry. You will become thin because of the bad things that you have done. v24 I have made Ezekiel show you what I will do to you. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.” ’ v25 On that day, son of man, I will destroy all the things that they love. I will destroy their beautiful buildings and I will take away their sons and daughters. v26 A man will run away from Jerusalem. He will bring you the bad news on the day that I cause these things to happen. v27 At that time you will become able to speak. You will talk with him. You will no longer be quiet. This will show the people that I am the *Lord.” ’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man’, he said. ‘Turn your face towards the people in Ammon. You must *prophesy against them. v3 Say to them, “Listen to the message from the *Lord, the King. This is what he says: ‘You were happy when enemies made my *holy place not *clean. And you were not sorry when I destroyed the land in Israel. Nor were you sad when I took the people in Judah away to a foreign country. v4 So I will give you to the people in the East as a gift. Their armies will come and they will put *tents all round you. They will eat your fruit and they will drink your milk. v5 I will make Rabbah a place where *camels (animals that carry men and their things over *deserts) feed. I will make Ammon a place where sheep rest. Then you will know that I am the *Lord.’ v6 So this is what the *Lord, the King says: ‘You hit your hands together and you jumped about. You were happy when I *punished Israel. v7 Because of this I will attack you. *Nations will come and I will give them all your good things. You will not be a *nation any longer. I will destroy you and you will not have your own country. And you will know that I am the *Lord.’
v8 The *Lord, the King says this to the people in Moab and Seir. ‘You said that the people in Judah have become like all the other *nations. v9 Because of this, I will make the towns at the edge of Moab weak. These are Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim. They are the best towns in the country. v10 I will give Moab with the *Ammonites as a gift to the people in the East. Nobody will remember that Ammon was a *nation. v11 And I will *punish Moab. Then they will know that I am the *Lord.’ ”
v12 “This is what the *Lord, the King says: ‘Edom was angry with the people in Judah. So they attacked them. They caused me to become very angry.’ v13 ‘Because they did this’, the *Lord says, ‘I will attack Edom. Enemies will kill its men and its animals. I will make Edom into a *desert. Israel will take their *swords. And they will kill the people from Teman to Dedan. v14 I will use Israel's people to *punish Edom. They will make Edom know that I am very angry with them. They will know that I am *punishing them’, says the *Lord, the King.”
v15 “This is what the *Lord, the King says. ‘The Philistines *hated Judah. They sent armies to kill and to hurt them. They tried to destroy Judah.’ v16 So this is what the *Lord, the King says. ‘I will *punish the Philistines. I will kill their people who remain by the edge of the sea. v17 I am very angry with them and I will *punish them strongly. I will do this. Then they will know that I am the *Lord.’ ” ’
The Philistines were sailors who lived between Judah and the sea.
v1 The *Lord spoke to me on the first day of the month. It was the eleventh (11th) year.
v2 ‘Tyre's people have said: “Good! Now we have broken down the walls of Jerusalem. Its doors are open to us. Tyre will become a rich city because we have destroyed Jerusalem.” v3 So this is what the *Lord, the King says: “I am against you, Tyre, I will bring many *nations to attack you. They will be as strong as the *waves of the sea. v4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and they will pull down its strong buildings. I will pull away all the stones that they used to build it. v5 There, men will dry the things that they use to catch fish. They will dry them on the rock where Tyre was before. That is what I say”, says the *Lord, the King. v6 “Armies with *swords will destroy all the towns near the city. Then they will know that I am the *Lord.” ’
v7 Now this is what the *Lord, your King says: ‘I will bring Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon against Tyre. He will come from the north. He is a great king with men on horses, *chariots (war cars) and a great army. v8 He will attack and destroy all your towns and villages on the land near the sea. He will build hills to attack your walls. v9 He will hit your walls with very heavy long sticks. And he will destroy your high buildings. v10 He will have many horses. Their feet will cause dirt to cover you. He will break through your walls and he will bring in his horses and *chariots (war cars). The noise that they make will cause your walls to *shake. v11 While his horses go along your streets, his soldiers will kill people. They will kill them with their *swords. They will break down all your tall buildings. v12 They will take away all your food and the things that you sell. They will break down your beautiful buildings. They will throw into the sea all the wood and stone that made them. v13 Nobody will sing your songs any longer. Nobody will hear your music any longer. v14 I will cause you to become just a rock in the sea. Men will dry there the things that they use to catch fish. They will never build you again. That is what I say’, says the *Lord, the King.
v15 This is what the *Lord, the King says to Tyre. ‘All the people who live by the sea will hear. They will hear that I have made you fall. Then they will be very afraid. They will hear the cries of people who are hurting. v16 Then the *princes of those towns will take off their beautiful clothes. They will sit in the dirt and they will be sad and afraid. Their bodies will *shake because they are so afraid. v17 Then they will make a sad song about you:
“Great city of men of the sea, I have completely destroyed you.
You and your people were the strong men of the sea.
You made everyone else afraid of you.
v18 Now people on the land are afraid on the day that you fall.
The islands in the sea are afraid because I have made you fall.” ’
v19 This is what the *Lord, your King says. ‘I will make you like an empty city. And the sea will cover you with its great waters. v20 Then I will make you fall into the earth. You will go to be with men who have died. You will not return. Nobody will ever live in you again. v21 I will completely destroy you. People will look for you but they will never find you”, says the *Lord, your King.’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, you must sing this sad song for Tyre. Tyre is like a gate to the sea. From there, men go to sell things to many peoples. v3 Say to Tyre's people, “This is what the *Lord, the King says:
‘You say that the *beauty of Tyre is *complete.
v4 You ruled the great seas. Men made you a beautiful city like a boat on the sea.
v5 They used wood from the *pine trees of Senir.
They took the *trunk of a *cedar of Lebanon. From it they made a tall round stick to stand in the centre of the boat.
v6 They made flat sticks (oars) from *oaks of Bashan. They used them to push you through the water.
They made your deck with *ivory and wood from the coasts of Cyprus.
v7 They made your *sail out of the best white cloth from Egypt. They made it pretty with many colours.
The beautiful *sail told people who you were.
Over your deck they put *tents of blue and *purple cloth.
It came from Elishah’s country by the sea.
v8 Men from Sidon and Arvad pushed you through the water.
Your men from Tyre told them how to do this. And they told them where to go.
v9 Men from Gebal went with you. They had made boats for many years.
Sailors from many ships bought and sold things in your shops.
v10 You had men from Persia, Lydia and Put (Libya) in your army.
They hung their arms in the houses where your soldiers lived.
They fought and won your fights for you.
They brought you *honour.
v11 Men from Arvad and Helech stood on your walls.
And men from Gammad kept your tall buildings safe.
They hung their arms on your walls. They made you beautiful.
v12 You had many different things to sell. So men from Tarshish came to buy from you. They brought *silver and other metals to pay for those things.
v13 Men from Greece, Tubal and Meshech came. They paid you with slaves and metals.
v14 Men from Beth Togarmah came. They sold you horses to use for war or for work.
v15 Men from Rhodes and other countries by the sea came to you. They paid you with *ivory and hard black wood.
v16 People from Aram came because you had so many things to sell. They brought you coloured stones of great value. And they brought the best cloth with pretty colours on it.
v17 People from Judah and Israel came to buy things from you. They paid you with food *grains from Minnith and sweet cakes.
v18 Men from Damascus came to buy your things. They came because you had many different things to sell. They sold you *wine from Helbon and white *wool.
v19 Men from Dan and *Greeks from Uzal came and they bought your things. They paid you with iron and plants to make food taste good (spices).
v20 People from Dedan sold you blankets for your horses.
v21 Men from Arabia and the leaders of Kedar all came to buy your things. They bought and sold young sheep, male sheep and goats.
v22 Men from Sheba and Raamah came to buy and to sell many valuable things. These were pretty stones, gold and things to make food taste good (spices).
v23 Men from many towns came to you to buy and sell things. They came from Haran, Canneh and Eden. Other men came from Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad. v24 They came to the centre of your town. There they bought and sold beautiful clothes, good blue cotton cloth and strong carpets.
v25 You were like a ship from Tarshish.
You carried the things that you wanted to buy and sell.
You sailed on the sea. You were full of heavy things.
v26 Men took sticks that they had made from wood (oars). With them they pushed your boats. The boats went over the deep sea.
But the east wind there will break you into small pieces.
v27 All your valuable things and all the people in the boat
will fall into the deep sea.
The men who buy and sell will fall.
The soldiers and the sailors in the ship will all fall.
They will fall into the sea when the boat breaks.
v28 The land by the sea will *shake.
It will move when people hear your sailors cry out.
v29 The men who push the boat will jump out of the ship. They push the boat with sticks that they made from wood (oars).
Sailors and people by the sea v30 will stand there and cry. They will make a loud noise.
They will put dirt on their heads and on their clothes.
v31 They will cut the hair from their heads and they will wear old clothes.
They will do this because God is *punishing you.
They will be very sorry and they will cry about you.
v32 They will sing a sad song about you while they walk up and down.
“Nobody ever destroyed a city as God has destroyed Tyre.
Tyre was a city with sea all round it.”
v33 You gave good things to many *nations.
You had valuable things and you sold them to kings.
You made all the kings in the world become rich men.
v34 Now the sea has broken you up.
You are under its waters.
All your things and your people are under the sea.
v35 The people who live by the sea are afraid.
They are afraid because they have seen you fall.
Their kings *shake because they are afraid.
Their faces have become long and sad.
v36 Men from other *nations who buy and sell are afraid.
They are afraid that they too will fall.
God has destroyed your city. You will never return.’ ” ’
v1 The *Lord spoke to me. v2 ‘Son of man, say this to the ruler of Tyre. “This is what the *Lord, your King says:
‘You thought that you were very great.
You said to yourself, “I am a god.
I am sitting on a *throne. I am like a god with seas all round me.”
But you are a man and not a god.
You think that you are as *wise as a god.
v3 But you are not as *wise as Daniel.
You do not know all secrets.
v4 You have been clever enough to get many valuable things.
You have stored much gold and *silver in a safe place.
v5 You buy and sell in a clever way, so you have many valuable things.
You think that you are great. You think that because you are so rich.
So this is what the *Lord, your King, says:
v6 “You think that you are as *wise as a god.
v7 So I am bringing foreign soldiers to fight you.
They will be less kind than people from any *nation.
Their *swords will destroy your beautiful city.
It will no longer be beautiful.
v8 They will kill you and they will send your bodies into the sea.
v9 Your enemies will come to kill you.
Then you will no longer say that you are a god.
v10 They will kill you in the same way as they kill other people. They will kill you like people who do not belong to God.
That is what I say”, says the *Lord, your King.’ ” ’
v11 The *Lord spoke to me,</