Judgment on Wicked Counselors
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1The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to 2the east gate of the house of the LORD, which faces east. And behold, at the entrance of the gateway there were 3twenty-five men. And I saw among them Jaazaniah 4the son of Azzur, and 5Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
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And he said to me, 6"Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and who give wicked counsel in this city;
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7who say, 8'The time is not neara to build houses. 9This city is the cauldron, and we are the meat.'
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Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man."
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And 10the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, "Say, Thus says the LORD: So you think, O house of Israel. 11For I know the things that come into your mind.
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12You have multiplied your slain in this city and have filled its streets with the slain.
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Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 13Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, 14they are the meat, and 15this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it.
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16You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord GOD.
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And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and 17give you into the hands of foreigners, and 18execute judgments upon you.
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19You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel, 20and you shall know that I am the LORD.
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21This city shall not be your cauldron, nor shall you be the meat in the midst of it. I will judge you at the border of Israel,
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and you shall know that I am the LORD. For you have not walked in my statutes, nor obeyed my rules, 22but have acted according to the rules of the nations that are around you."
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And it came to pass, while I was prophesying, 23that 24Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. 25Then I fell down on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, 26"Ah, Lord GOD! 27Will you make a full end of the remnant of Israel?"
Israel's New Heart and Spirit
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And the word of the LORD came to me:
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28"Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen,b the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 29'Go far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.'
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Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet 30I have been a sanctuary to them for a whilec in the countries where they have gone.'
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Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: 31I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, 32and I will give you the land of Israel.'
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And when they come there, 33they will remove from it all its 34detestable things and all its abominations.
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35And I will give them one heart, and 36a new spirit I will put within them. 37I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh 38and give them a heart of flesh,
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39that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. 40And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
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41But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, 42I willd bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD."
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43Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, 44and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.
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And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and 45stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
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46And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me 47in the vision by the Spirit of God 48into Chaldea, to the exiles. Then the vision that I had seen went up from me.
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And I told the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)