Ezekiel 14

¹Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

²And the word of the Lord

³“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

⁴“Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God

⁵that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

⁶“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God

⁷For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord

⁸I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord

⁹“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord

¹⁰And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired,

¹¹that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord God

¹²The word of the Lord

¹³“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it.

¹⁴Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God

¹⁵“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts,

¹⁶even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God

¹⁷“Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I cut off man and beast from it,

¹⁸even though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God

¹⁹“Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast,

²⁰even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God

²¹For thus says the Lord God

²²Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it.

²³And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God