Ezekiel 14

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Next, some elders of Israel visited me and while they were sitting with me,	1 And men among the elders of Israel came to me, and they sat down before me.
2 the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fol ows,	2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
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 placed their uncleanness in their hearts, and they have stationed the scandal of their iniquities before their face. So why should I respond when they inquire of me?
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 Because of this, speak to them, and you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: The man, the man of the house of Israel, who places his uncleanness in his heart, and who stations the scandal of his iniquities before his face, and who approaches a prophet, so as to inquire of me through him: I, the Lord, will respond to him in accord with the multitude of his uncleannesses,
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fromme by their foul idols."	5 so that the house of Israel may be seized within their own heart, by which they have withdrawn from me to all their idols.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 Because of this, say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Be converted, and withdraw from your idols, and turn your faces 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 the man, the man of the house of Israel, and the new arrival among the converts who may be in Israel, if he is alienated from me, and he sets his idols in his heart, and he stations the scandal of his iniquity before his face, and he approaches the prophet, so that he may inquire of me through him: I, the Lord, will respond to him through myself.
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 And I will set my face against that man, and I will make him an example and a proverb. And I will perish him from the midst of my people. And 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 And when a prophet has gone astray and has spoken a word: I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. And I will extend my hand over him, and I will wipe him away from the midst 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 And they shall bear their iniquity. In accord with the iniquity of the one who inquires, so shall the iniquity of the prophet be.
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 may the house of Israel no longer go astray from me, nor be polluted by all their transgressions. Instead, may they be my people, and may I be their God, says the Lord of hosts.”
12 The word of Yahweh was addressed to me:	12 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
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 will have sinned against me, so that it transgresses grievously, I will extend my hand over it, and I will crush the staff of its bread. And I will send a famine upon it, and I will destroy 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 if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver their own souls by their justice, says the Lord of hosts.
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 And if I also lead in very harmful beasts upon the land, so that I devastate it, and it becomes impassable, so that no one may cross through it because of the 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 if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they will deliver neither sons, nor daughters. But only they themselves will be delivered, for the land shall be desolated.
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 lead in the sword upon that land, and if I say to the sword, ‘Pass through the land,’ and so I destroy from it both 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 if these three men were in its midst, as I live, says the Lord God, they will deliver neither sons, nor daughters, but only they themselves will be delivered.
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 Then, if I also send the pestilence upon that land, and I pour out my indignation upon it with blood, so that I take away from it both 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 and if Noah, and Daniel, and Job were in its midst, as I live, says the Lord God, they will deliver neither son, nor daughter, but they will deliver only their own souls by their justice.
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 For thus says the Lord God: Even though I will send upon Jerusalem my four most grievous judgments, sword and famine and harmful beasts and pestilence, so that I destroy from it both 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 yet still there shall be left within it some who will be saved, who shall lead away their own sons and daughters. Behold, they will enter to you, and you will see their way and their accomplishments. And you shall be consoled concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, concerning all the things that I have brought to bear 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 And they shall console you, when you see their ways and their accomplishments. And you shall know that I have not acted to no purpose in all that I have done within it, says the Lord God.”