CHAPTER 14

1 Then men came to me from the elders of Israel, And sat before my face.

2 Then came the word of Jehovah to me, saying,

3 Son of man, these men have set their idols up in their heart, And have put a stumbling block of iniquity before their face. Shall I verily be inquired of by them?

4 Wherefore speak unto them, and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Every man of the house of Israel, who setteth up his idols in his heart, And has put the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, And has come to the Prophet; I Jehovah Will answer him according to the multitude of his idols; ³²⁵³²⁵     See vol. 2, p. 47, note.

5 That I may seize the house of Israel in their own heart, Because they have entirely separated themselves from me by their idols.

6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Turn you, Even turn yourselves from your idols; And turn your faces from all your abominations.

7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers sojourning in Israel, Who is separated ³²⁶³²⁶     See vol. 2, p. 51, note. from following after me, And has set up his idols in his heart, And put the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, And cometh to the Prophet to inquire of me through him; I Jehovah will answer him for myself.

8 Then will I set my face against that man, And set him for a sign and a proverb, And I will cut him off from the midst of my people; And you shall know that I am Jehovah.

9 And when a prophet is deceived in uttering his speech, I Jehovah have deceived that prophet; And I will stretch forth my hand upon him, And will blot him out of the midst of my people Israel.

10 They shall also bear their iniquity; As the iniquity of the inquirer, so shall be the iniquity of the prophet;

11 That the house of Israel may stray from me no more, Neither be polluted any more with all their wickedness; That they may be my people, and I may be their God, says the Lord Jehovah.

12 Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

13 Son of man, when a land has acted wickedly against me, ³²⁷³²⁷     “By prevaricating prevarication,” vol. 2, p. 67, note. And I shall stretch out my hand upon it, And shall break the staff of its bread, And shall send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast:

14 Though these three men were in it, Noah, Daniel, and Job, They shall deliver but their own souls in their righteousness, Says the Lord Jehovah.

15 If I cause an evil beast to pass through the land, And it bereave it and lay it waste, So that no man can pass through on account of the beast:

16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Jehovah, If they shall deliver their own souls, They alone shall be delivered, and the land shall be laid waste.

17 Or if I make a sword pass through that land, And I say to the sword, Pass through the land, So that: man. and beast may be cut off from it:

18 And these three men are in the midst of it, As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, They shall not deliver their sons and their daughters, Since they alone shall be set free.

19 Or if I shall send a pestilence upon that land, And pour out my wrath upon it in blood, To destroy from it man and beast:

20 And Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of it, As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, They shall not deliver either son or daughter; They shall free their own soul in their righteousness.

21 Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah, How much more when I send my four grievous judgments against Jerusalem, The sword, and famine, and evil beast, to destroy from it man and beast?

22 And lo! the remnant that is left in it, ³²⁸³²⁸     See vol. 2, p. 79, note. The remnant of those who go forth, namely, sons and daughters, They shall go forth unto you: And you shall see their ways and their works, And you shall console yourselves for all the evil Which I have brought upon Jerusalem, Yea, all that I have brought upon her.

23 Then shall you be comforted when you shall see their ways and their works: And you shall know that I have not done in vain Whatever I have done in it, says the Lord Jehovah.