Ezekiel 14

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Next, some elders of Israel visited me and while they were sitting with me,	1 When certain elders of Israel came and sat down before me,
2 the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,	2 the word of the LORD came to me:
3 'Son of man, these men have enshrined their foul idols in their hearts and placed the cause of theirsinning right before their eyes. Why should I let myself be consulted by them?	3 Son of man, these men have the memory of their idols fresh in their hearts, and they keep the occasion of their sin before them. Why should I allow myself to be consulted by them?
4 So speak to them; tel them this, "Lord Yahweh says this: Every member of the House of Israel whoenshrines his foul idols in his heart and places the cause of his sinning right before his eyes, and who thenapproaches the prophet, wil get this answer from me, Yahweh, as the multiplicity of his idols deserves,	4 Therefore speak with them, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: If anyone of the house of Israel, holding the memory of his idols in his heart and keeping the occasion of his sin before him, has recourse to a prophet, I, the LORD, will be his answer in person because of his many idols.
5 and in this way I hope to win back the hearts of the House of Israel who have al been estranged fromme by their foul idols."	5 Thus would I bring back to their senses the house of Israel, who have become estranged from me through all their idols.
6 'So say to the House of Israel, "The Lord Yahweh says this: Come back, turn away from your foulidols, turn your backs on al your loathsome practices;	6 Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: Return and be converted from your idols; turn yourselves away from all your abominations.
7 for if any member of the House of Israel -- or any foreigner living in Israel -- deserts me to enshrine hisfoul idols in his heart and places the cause of his sinning right before his eyes and then approaches a prophet toconsult me through him, he will get his answer from me, Yahweh.	7 For if anyone of the house of Israel or any alien resident in Israel is estranged from me, and holds the memory of his idols in his heart and keeps the occasion of his sin before him, yet asks a prophet to consult me for him, I, the LORD, will be his answer in person.
8 I shal set my face against that person; I shall make him an example and a byword; I shal rid mypeople of him, and you wil know that I am Yahweh.	8 I will turn against that man, and make of him an example and a byword. I will cut him off from the midst of my people. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
9 And if the prophet is seduced into saying something, I, Yahweh, shall have seduced that prophet; Ishall point my finger at him and rid my people Israel of him.	9 As for the prophet, if he is beguiled into speaking a word, I, the LORD, shall have beguiled that prophet; I will stretch out my hand against him and root him out of my people Israel.
10 Both wil be punished for their guilt; the prophet's punishment wil be the same as that of the personwho consults him,	10 Each shall receive punishment for his sin, the inquirer and the prophet shall be punished alike,
11 so that the House of Israel wil never stray from me again or defile themselves again with thesecrimes, but be my people and I their God -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '	11 so that the house of Israel may no longer stray from me and may no longer be defiled by all their sins. Thus they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord GOD.
12 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me:	12 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
13 'Son of man, when a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I point my finger at it anddestroy its supply of food, inflicting famine on it and denuding it of human and animal,	13 Son of man, when a land sins against me by breaking faith, I stretch out my hand against it and break its staff of bread, I let famine loose upon it and cut off from it both man and beast;
14 even if the three men, Noah, Danel and Job, were living in it, they would save no one but themselvesby their uprightness -- declares the Lord Yahweh.	14 and even if these three men were in it, Noah, Daniel, and Job, they could save only themselves by their virtue, says the Lord GOD.
15 Were I to unleash wild beasts on that country to rob it of its children and reduce it to a desert whichno one would dare to cross because of the animals,	15 If I were to cause wild beasts to prowl the land, depopulating it so that it became a waste, traversed by none because of the wild beasts,
16 even if these three men were living there, as I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- they would not beable to save either son or daughter; they alone would be saved, and the country would become a desert.	16 and these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear they could save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be saved, and the land would be a waste.
17 Were I to bring the sword down on that country and say, "Sword, cross the country!" so as to denude it of human and animal,	17 Or if I brought the sword upon this country, commanding the sword to pass through the land cutting off from it man and beast,
18 even if these three men were living there, as I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- they would not beable to save either son or daughter; they alone would be saved.	18 and these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, they would be unable to save either sons or daughters; they alone would be saved.
19 If I were to send the plague on that country and vent my fury on it by bloodshed, so as to denude it ofhuman and animal,	19 Or if I were to send pestilence into this land, pouring out upon it my bloodthirsty fury, cutting off from it man and beast,
20 even if Noah and Danel and Job were living there, as I live -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- they wouldbe able to save neither son nor daughter, only themselves by their uprightness.	20 even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord GOD, I swear that they could save neither son nor daughter; they would save only themselves by their virtue.
21 'The Lord Yahweh says this, "Even if I send my four dreadful scourges on Jerusalem-sword, famine,wild beasts and plague -- to denude it of human and animal,	21 Thus says the Lord GOD: Even though I send Jerusalem my four cruel punishments, the sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast,
22 even so, there wil be a remnant left, a few men and women who come through; when they come toyou and you see their conduct and actions, you wil take comfort in spite of the disaster which I have brought onJerusalem, in spite of al I have brought on her.	22 still some survivors shall be left in it who will bring out sons and daughters; when they come out to you, you shall see their conduct and their actions and be consoled regarding the evil I have brought on Jerusalem (all that I have brought upon it).
23 They will comfort you, when you see their conduct and actions, and so you wil know that I have notdone in vain al I have done to her -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '	23 They shall console you when you see their conduct and actions, for you shall then know that it was not without reason that I did to it what I did, says the Lord GOD.