Good News Translation (GNT)

Jerusalem Is Condemned

1 God’s spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the Temple. There near the gate I saw twenty-five men, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, two leaders of the nation.

2 God said to me, “Mortal man, these men make evil plans and give bad advice in this city.

3 They say, ‘We will soon be building houses again.The city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the meat in it, but at least it protects us from the fire.’

4 Now then, denounce them, mortal man.”

5 The spirit of the Lord took control of me, and the Lord told me to give the people this message: “People of Israel, I know what you are saying and what you are planning.

6 You have murdered so many people here in the city that the streets are full of corpses.

7 “So this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to you. This city is a cooking pot all right, but what is the meat? The corpses of those you have killed! You will not be here—I will throw you out of the city!

8 Are you afraid of swords? I will bring soldiers with swords to attack you.

9 I will take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners. I have sentenced you to death,

10 and you will be killed in battle in your own country. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.

11 This city will not protect you the way a pot protects the meat in it. I will punish you wherever you may be in the land of Israel.

12 You will know that I am the Lord and that while you were keeping the laws of the neighboring nations, you were breakingmylaws and disobeyingmycommands.”

13 While I was prophesying, Pelatiah dropped dead. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, “No, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to kill everyone left in Israel?”

God’s Promise to the Exiles

14 The Lord spoke to me.

15 “Mortal man,” he said, “the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about you and those of your nation who are in exile. They say, ‘The exiles are too far away to worship the Lord. He has given us possession of the land.’

16 “Now tell your fellow exiles what I am saying. I am the one who sent them to live in far-off nations and scattered them in other countries. Yet, for the time being I will be present with them in the lands where they have gone.

17 “So tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. I will gather them out of the countries where I scattered them, and will give the land of Israel back to them.

18 When they return, they are to get rid of all the filthy, disgusting idols they find.

19 I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart.

20 Then they will keep my laws and faithfully obey all my commands. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

21 But I will punish the people who love to worship filthy, disgusting idols. I will punish them for what they have done.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

God’s Glory Leaves Jerusalem

22 The living creatures began to fly, and the wheels went with them. The dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel was over them.

23 Then the dazzling light left the city and moved to the mountain east of it.

24 In the vision the spirit of God lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision faded,

25 and I told the exiles everything that the Lord had shown me.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/11-c4913e2c5edfc99844004896bcda4779.mp3?version_id=68—

The Prophet as a Refugee

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 “Mortal man,” he said, “you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious.

3 “Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you.

4 While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile.

5 While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it.

6 Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can’t see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites.”

7 I did what the Lord told me to do. That day I packed a bundle as a refugee would, and that evening as it was getting dark I dug a hole in the wall with my hands and went out. While everyone watched, I put the pack on my shoulder and left.

8 The next morning the Lord spoke to me.

9 “Mortal man,” he said, “now that those Israelite rebels are asking you what you’re doing,

10 tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This message is for the prince ruling in Jerusalem and for all the people who live there.

11 Tell them that what you have done is a sign of what will happen to them—they will be refugees and captives.

12 The prince who is ruling them will shoulder his pack in the dark and escape through a hole that they dig for him in the wall. He will cover his eyes and not see where he is going.

13 But I will spread out my net and trap him in it. Then I will take him to the city of Babylon, where he will die without having seen it.

14 I will scatter in every direction all the members of his court and his advisers and bodyguards, and people will search for them to kill them.

15 “When I scatter them among the other nations and in foreign countries, they will know that I am the Lord.

16 I will let a few of them survive the war, the famine, and the diseases, so that there among the nations they will realize how disgusting their actions have been and will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

17 The Lord spoke to me.

18 “Mortal man,” he said, “tremble when you eat, and shake with fear when you drink.

19 Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign Lord to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless.

20 Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

21 The Lord spoke to me.

22 “Mortal man,” he said, “why do the people of Israel repeat this proverb: ‘Time goes by, and predictions come to nothing’?

23 Now tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, have to say about that. I will put an end to that proverb. It won’t be repeated in Israel any more. Tell them instead: The time has come, and the predictions are coming true!

24 “Among the people of Israel there will be no more false visions or misleading prophecies.

25 I, the Lord, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord.

26 The Lord said to me,

27 “Mortal man, the Israelites think that your visions and prophecies are about the distant future.

28 So tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: There will be no more delay. What I have said will be done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/12-4a67ac223e51cf22b2ae606e091d9b8b.mp3?version_id=68—

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce the prophets of Israel who make up their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the Lord.”

3 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions.

4 People of Israel, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of a city.

5 They don’t guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they rebuild the walls, and so Israel cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the Lord.

6 Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true!

7 I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I haven’t spoken to you!”

8 So the Sovereign Lord says to them, “Your words are false, and your visions are lies. I am against you.

9 I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

10 “The prophets mislead my people by saying that all is well. All is certainly not well! My people have put up a wall of loose stones, and then the prophets have come and covered it with whitewash.

11 Tell the prophets that their wall is going to fall down. I will send a pouring rain. Hailstones will fall on it, and a strong wind will blow against it.

12 The wall will collapse, and everyone will ask you what good the whitewash did.”

13 Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In my anger I will send a strong wind, pouring rain, and hailstones to destroy the wall.

14 I intend to break down the wall they whitewashed, to shatter it, and to leave the foundation stones bare. It will collapse and kill you all. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.

15 “The wall and those who covered it with whitewash will feel the force of my anger. Then I will tell you that the wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it—

16 those prophets who assured Jerusalem that all was well, when all was not well!” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

17 The Lord said, “Now, mortal man, look at the women among your people who make up predictions. Denounce them

18 and tell them what the Sovereign Lord is saying to them:

“You women are doomed! You sew magic wristbands for everyone and make magic scarves for everyone to wear on their heads, so that they can have power over other people’s lives. You want to possess the power of life and death over my people and to use it for your own benefit.

19 You dishonor me in front of my people in order to get a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who don’t deserve to die, and you keep people alive who don’t deserve to live. So you tell lies to my people, and they believe you.”

20 Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I hate the wristbands that you use in your attempt to control life and death. I will rip them off your arms and set free the people that you were controlling.

21 I will rip off your scarves and let my people escape from your power once and for all. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

22 “By your lies you discourage good people, whom I do not wish to hurt. You prevent evil people from giving up evil and saving their lives.

23 So now your false visions and misleading predictions are over. I am rescuing my people from your power, so that you will know that I am the Lord.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/13-9c935db63eecc2f127bcc41c84789646.mp3?version_id=68—

God Condemns Idolatry

1 Some of the leaders of the Israelites came to consult me about the Lord’s will.

2 Then the Lord spoke to me.

3 “Mortal man,” he said, “these men have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols lead them into sin. Do they think I will give them an answer?

4 “Now speak to them and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: Each of you Israelites who have given your heart to idols and let them lead you into sin and who then come to consult a prophet, will get an answer from me—the answer that your many idols deserve!

5 All those idols have turned the Israelites away from me, but by my answer I hope to win back their loyalty.

6 “Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols.

7 “Whenever one of you Israelites or one of you foreigners who live in the Israelite community turn away from me and worship idols, and then go to consult a prophet, I, the Lord, will give you your answer!

8 I will oppose you. I will make an example of you. I will remove you from the community of my people, so that all of you will know that I am the Lord.

9 “If any prophets are deceived into giving a false answer, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived them. I will remove them from the people of Israel.

10 Both prophets and anyone who consults them will get the same punishment.

11 I will do this to keep the Israelites from deserting me and defiling themselves by their sins. They are to be my people, and I will be their God.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Noah, Danel, and Job

12 The Lord spoke to me.

13 “Mortal man,” he said, “if a country sins and is unfaithful to me, I will reach out and destroy its supply of food. I will send a famine and kill people and animals alike.

14 Even if those three men, Noah, Danel,and Job, were living there, their goodness would save only their own lives.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

15 “Or I might send wild animals to kill the people, making the land so dangerous that no one could travel through it,

16 and even if those three men lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their own children. They would save only their own lives, and the land would become a wilderness.

17 “Or I might bring war on that country and send destructive weapons to wipe out people and animals alike,

18 and even if those three men lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their children, but only their own lives.

19 “If I send an epidemic on that country and in my anger take many lives, killing people and animals,

20 even if Noah, Danel, and Job lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their own children. Their goodness would save only their own lives.”

21 This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “I will send my four worst punishments on Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—to destroy people and animals alike.

22 If some survive and save their children, look at them when they come to you. See how evil they are, and be convinced that the punishment I am bringing on Jerusalem is justified;

23 then you will know that there was good reason for everything I did.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/14-b60fbfc9b302b1f541e78055b01aebc5.mp3?version_id=68—

A Parable about a Vine

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 “Mortal man,” he said, “how does a vine compare with a tree? What good is a branch of a grapevine compared with the trees of the forest?

3 Can you use it to make anything? Can you even make a peg out of it to hang things on?

4 It is only good for building a fire. And when the ends are burned up and the middle is charred, can you make anything out of it?

5 It was useless even before it was burned. Now that the fire has burned it and charred it, it is even more useless.”

6 Now this is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “Just as a vine is taken from the forest and burned, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem

7 and will punish them. They have escaped one fire, but now fire will burn them up. When I punish them, you will know that I am the Lord.

8 They have been unfaithful to me, and so I will make the country a wilderness.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/15-84cb5d9a4934b041d591df8e6db0879e.mp3?version_id=68—

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

1 The Lord spoke to me again.

2 “Mortal man,” he said, “point out to Jerusalem what disgusting things she has done.

3 Tell Jerusalem what the Sovereign Lord is saying to her:

“You were born in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite.

4 When you were born, no one cut your umbilical cord or washed youor rubbed you with salt or wrapped you in cloths.

5 No one took enough pity on you to do any of these things for you. When you were born, no one loved you. You were thrown out in an open field.

6 “Then I passed by and saw you squirming in your own blood. You were covered with blood, but I wouldn’t let you die.

7 I made you grow like a healthy plant. You grew strong and tall and became a young woman.Your breasts were well-formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked.

8 “As I passed by again, I saw that the time had come for you to fall in love. I covered your naked body with my coat and promised to love you. Yes, I made a marriage covenant with you, and you became mine.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.

9 “Then I took water and washed the blood off you. I rubbed olive oil on your skin.

10 I dressed you in embroidered gowns and gave you shoes of the best leather, a linen headband, and a silk cloak.

11 I put jewels on you—bracelets and necklaces.

12 I gave you a nose ring and earrings and a beautiful crown to wear.

13 You had ornaments of gold and silver, and you always wore clothes of embroidered linen and silk. You ate bread made from the best flour, and had honey and olive oil to eat. Your beauty was dazzling, and you became a queen.

14 You became famous in every nation for your perfect beauty, because I was the one who made you so lovely.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.

15 “But you took advantage of your beauty and fame to sleep with everyone who came along.

16 You used some of your clothes to decorate your places of worship, and just like a prostitute,you gave yourself to everyone.

17 You took the silver and gold jewelry that I had given you, used it to make male images, and committed adultery with them.

18 You took the embroidered clothes I gave you and put them on the images, and you offered to the images the olive oil and incense I had given you.

19 I gave you food—the best flour, olive oil, and honey—but you offered it as a sacrifice to win the favor of idols.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says.

20 “Then you took the sons and the daughters you had borne me and offered them as sacrifices to idols. Wasn’t it bad enough to be unfaithful to me,

21 without taking my children and sacrificing them to idols?

22 During your disgusting life as a prostitute you never once remembered your childhood—when you were naked, squirming in your own blood.”

Jerusalem’s Life as a Prostitute

23 The Sovereign Lord said, “You are doomed! Doomed! You did all that evil, and then

24 by the side of every road you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution.

25 You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day.

26 You let your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, go to bed with you, and you used your prostitution to make me angry.

27 “Now I have raised my hand to punish you and to take away your share of my blessing. I have handed you over to the Philistines, who hate you and are disgusted with your immoral actions.

28 “Because you were not satisfied by the others, you went running after the Assyrians. You were their prostitute, but they didn’t satisfy you either.

29 You were also a prostitute for the Babylonians, that nation of merchants, but they didn’t satisfy you either.”

30 Thisis what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “You have done all this like a shameless prostitute.

31 On every street you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. But you are not out for money like a common prostitute.

32 You are like a woman who commits adultery with strangers instead of loving her husband.

33 A prostitute is paid, but you gave presents to all your lovers and bribed them to come from everywhere to sleep with you.

34 You are a special kind of prostitute. No one forced you to become one. You didn’t get paid; you paid them! Yes, you are different.”

God’s Judgment on Jerusalem

35 Now then, Jerusalem, you whore! Hear what the Lord is saying.

36 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You stripped off your clothes, and like a prostitute, you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols, and you killed your children as sacrifices to idols.

37 Because of this I will bring all your former lovers together—the ones you liked and the ones you hated. I will bring them around you in a circle, and then I will strip off your clothes and let them see you naked.

38 I will condemn you for adultery and murder, and in my anger and fury I will punish you with death.

39 I will put you in their power, and they will tear down the places where you engage in prostitution and worship idols. They will take away your clothes and jewels and leave you completely naked.

40 “They will stir up a crowd to stone you, and they will cut you to pieces with their swords.

41 They will burn your houses down and let crowds of women see your punishment. I will make you stop being a prostitute and make you stop giving gifts to your lovers.

42 Then my anger will be over, and I will be calm. I will not be angry or jealous any more.

43 You have forgotten how I treated you when you were young, and you have made me angry by all the things you did. That is why I have made you pay for them all. Why did you add sexual immorality to all the other disgusting things you did?” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

44 The Lord said, “People will use this proverb about you, Jerusalem: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

45 You really are your mother’s daughter. She detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who hated their husbands and their children. You and your sister cities had a Hittite mother and an Amoritefather.

46 “Your older sister, with her villages, is Samaria, in the north. Your younger sister, with her villages, is Sodom, in the south.

47 Were you satisfied to follow in their footsteps and copy their disgusting actions? No, in only a little while you were acting worse than they were in everything you did.

48 “As surely as I am the living God,” the Sovereign Lord says, “your sister Sodom and her villages never did the evil that you and your villages have done.

49 She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged.

50 They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know.

51 “Samaria did not sin half as much as you have. You have acted more disgustingly than she ever did. Your corruption makes your sisters look innocent by comparison.

52 And now you will have to endure your disgrace. Your sins are so much worse than those of your sisters that they look innocent beside you. Now blush and bear your shame, because you make your sisters look pure.”

Sodom and Samaria Will Be Restored

53 The Lord said to Jerusalem, “I will make them prosperous again—Sodom and her villages and Samaria and her villages. Yes, I will make you prosperous too.

54 You will be ashamed of yourself, and your disgrace will show your sisters how well-off they are.

55 They will become prosperous again, and you and your villages will also be restored.

56 Didn’t you joke about Sodom in those days when you were proud

57 and before the evil you did had been exposed? Now you are just like her—a joke to the Edomites, the Philistines, and your other neighbors who hate you.

58 You must suffer for the obscene, disgusting things you have done.” The Lord has spoken.

A Covenant That Lasts Forever

59 The Sovereign Lord says, “I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant.

60 But I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will make a covenant with you that will last forever.

61 You will remember how you have acted, and be ashamed of it when you get your older sister and your younger sister back. I will let them be like daughters to you, even though this was not part of my covenant with you.

62 I will renew my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

63 I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/16-75363e07271f9cacc030533e459b40ca.mp3?version_id=68—

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites a parable

3 to let them know what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree,

4 which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants.

5 Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field,where there was always water to make it grow.

6 The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.

7 “There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing.

8 But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine.

9 “So I, the Sovereign Lord, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won’t the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up.

10 Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won’t it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won’t it wither there where it is growing?”

The Parable Is Explained

11 The Lord said to me,

12 “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia.

13 He took one of the king’s family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages

14 to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept.

15 But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!

16 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne.

17 Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people.

18 He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape.”

19 The Sovereign Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep.

20 I will spread out a hunter’s net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me.

21 His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

God’s Promise of Hope

22 This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“I will take the top of a tall cedar

and break off a tender sprout;

I will plant it on a high mountain,

23 on Israel’s highest mountain.

It will grow branches and bear seed

and become a magnificent cedar.

Birds of every kind will live there

and find shelter in its shade.

24 All the trees in the land will know

that I am the Lord.

I cut down the tall trees

and make small trees grow tall.

I wither up the green trees

and make the dry trees become green.

I, the Lord, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/17-affe650549fc9ab079ed8fbe677f0d59.mp3?version_id=68—

Individual Responsibility

1 The Lord spoke to me

2 and said, “What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel?

‘The parents ate the sour grapes,

But the children got the sour taste.’

3 “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more.

4 The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die.

5 “Suppose there is a truly good man, righteous and honest.

6 He doesn’t worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn’t seduce another man’s wife or have intercourse with a woman during her period.

7 He doesn’t cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.

8 He doesn’t lend money for profit. He refuses to do evil and gives an honest decision in any dispute.

9 Such a man obeys my commands and carefully keeps my laws. He is righteous, and he will live,” says the Sovereign Lord.

10 “Then suppose this man has a son who robs and kills, who does anyof these things

11 that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men’s wives.

12 He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols,

13 and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death.

14 “Now suppose this second man has a son. He sees all the sins his father practiced, but does not follow his example.

15 He doesn’t worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn’t seduce another man’s wife

16 or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked.

17 He refuses to do eviland doesn’t lend money for profit. He keeps my laws and obeys my commands. He will not die because of his father’s sins, but he will certainly live.

18 His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbedand always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed.

19 “But you ask, ‘Why shouldn’t the son suffer because of his father’s sins?’ The answer is that the son did what was right and good. He kept my laws and followed them carefully, and so he will certainly live.

20 It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father’s sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do.

21 “If someone evil stops sinning and keeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, he will not die; he will certainly live.

22 All his sins will be forgiven, and he will live, because he did what is right.

23 Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?” asks the Sovereign Lord. “No, I would rather see them repent and live.

24 “But if a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing all the evil, disgusting things that evil people do, will he go on living? No! None of the good he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and his sins.

25 “But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t right.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn’t right? It is your way that isn’t right.

26 When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, he dies because of the evil he has done.

27 When someone evil stops sinning and does what is right and good, he saves his life.

28 He realizes what he is doing and stops sinning, so he will certainly not die, but go on living.

29 And you Israelites say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t right.’ You think my way isn’t right, do you? It is your way that isn’t right.

30 “Now I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don’t let your sin destroy you.

31 Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die?

32 I do not want anyone to die,” says the Sovereign Lord. “Turn away from your sins and live.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/18-ae4e5955da82d3bb2022b210660299f9.mp3?version_id=68—

A Song of Sorrow

1 The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:

2 What a lioness your mother was!

She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.

3 She raised a cub and taught him to hunt;

he learned to eat people.

4 The nations heard about him

and trapped him in a pit.

With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.

5 She waited until she saw all hope was gone.

Then she raised another of her cubs,

and he grew into a fierce lion.

6 When he was full-grown,

he prowled with the other lions.

He too learned to hunt and eat people.

7 He wrecked forts,he ruined towns.

The people of the land were terrified

every time he roared.

8 The nations gathered to fight him;

people came from everywhere.

They spread their hunting nets

and caught him in their trap.

9 They put him in a cage

and took him to the king of Babylonia.

They kept him under guard,

so that his roar would never be heard again

on the hills of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a grapevine

planted near a stream.

Because there was plenty of water,

the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.

11 Its branches were strong

and grew to be royal scepters.

The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds;

everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.

12 But angry hands pulled it up by the roots

and threw it to the ground.

The east wind dried up its fruit.

Its branches were broken off;

they dried up and were burned.

13 Now it is planted in the desert,

in a dry and waterless land.

14 The stem of the vine caught fire;

fire burned up its branches and fruit.

The branches will never again be strong,

will never be royal scepters.

This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/19-bc44756afacfb3cefdcde23b6bba4d37.mp3?version_id=68—

The Lord’s Will and Human Defiance

1 It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the Lord’s will, and they sat down in front of me.

2 Then the Lord spoke to me.

3 “Mortal man,” he said, “speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign Lord is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

4 “Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did.

5 Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God.

6 It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.

7 I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God.

8 But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt.

9 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt.

10 “And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert.

11 I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them.

12 I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy.

13 But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them.

14 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt.

15 So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all.

16 I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath—they preferred to worship their idols.

17 “But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert.

18 Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols.

19 I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands.

20 Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God.

21 “But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all.

22 But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt.

23 So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world.

24 I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served.

25 “Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life.

26 I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the Lord.

27 “Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness.

28 I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings.

29 I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called ‘High Places’ever since.

30 Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols?

31 Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything.

32 You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be.

God Punishes and Forgives

33 “As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power.

34 I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered.

35 I will bring you into the ‘Desert of the Nations,’ and there I will condemn you to your face.

36 I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert,” says the Sovereign Lord.

37 “I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant.

38 I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

39 The Sovereign Lord says, “And now, all you Israelites, suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols.

40 There in the land, on my holy mountain,the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts.

41 After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy.

42 When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord.

43 Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did.

44 When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the Lord, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Fire in the South

45 The Lord spoke to me.

46 “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.

47 Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign Lord is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames.

48 They will all see that I, the Lord, set it on fire and that no one can put it out.”

49 But I protested, “Sovereign Lord, don’t make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles.”

—https://cdn-youversionapi.global.ssl.fastly.net/audio-bible-youversionapi/363/32k/EZK/20-f59f528a5497bd2a04e462d79ad05955.mp3?version_id=68—