Ezekiel

Nostalgia for Idols

Some of the elders of Israel came and sat in front of me.

Then the word of the Lord came to me:

“Son of man, these men are keeping in their hearts what causes them to sin and remain attached to it. Should I let them consult me?

Speak to them on my behalf: To every Israelite who goes to a prophet while he keeps filthy idols in his heart and is attached to what causes him to sin, I, the Lord, will give the response his many idols deserve.

For I want to capture Israel’s heart, the heart of all those who have drifted from me because of their filthy idols.

So then, say to the people of Israel: Thus says the Lord—come back, turn away from your filthy idols; turn your face away from all your abominations.

If a man from among the people of Israel or a guest staying in Israel strays from following me and goes to a prophet to seek my guidance, while he keeps idols in his heart and remains attached to what causes him to sin, I, the Lord, will answer him myself.

I will turn my face against this man; I will make him an example for others; I will strike him from among my people, and you will know that I am the Lord.

If the prophet allows himself to be seduced and responds, it will be I, the Lord, who has let him be seduced. I will extend my hand against him and remove him from among my people, Israel.

They will be accountable for their sin. The prophet will be as responsible as the one who consulted him,

so that the people of Israel may no longer stray from me. Instead of defiling themselves with all their transgressions, they will belong to me, a people, and I will be their God—word of the Lord.”

Four Cases of Intercession

The word of the Lord came to me:

“Son of man, when a nation sins against me by being unfaithful, I will stretch out my hand against it and deprive it of bread; famine will then destroy both people and animals.

But if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in the land, they could only save themselves because of their righteousness, the word of the Lord.

If I also let wild beasts roam the land to deprive it of children so that it becomes a desolation, without a passerby because of the beasts,

if these three men were in the land, as I live, word of the Lord, they would not save their sons or daughters. Still, only themselves would be spared, while the land would be made desolate.

The same would happen if I brought the sword against this land and ordered it to sweep through, destroying both people and animals.

If these three men were in the land—as I live, declares the Lord— they would not save their sons and daughters; only themselves would be spared.

Or if I sent a plague upon the land and poured out my fury through bloodshed to destroy people and animals,

if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the land—as I live, declares the Lord—they would not save their sons or daughters, but only their own lives, because of their righteousness.”

Now, this is what the Lord says: “Although I have sent my four great punishments—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague—against Jerusalem to destroy both people and animals,

there are survivors—sons and daughters—who will be brought out. They will come to you, here, and when you see their way of life and their deeds, you will no longer be shocked at the disaster I brought on Jerusalem or at everything that happened to her.

They will set your mind at ease when you see their conduct, and you will realize that all I did in the city was not in vain—word of the Lord.”