shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 22Because with lies ye have cowed the heart of the righteous, when I have not grieved him; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, that he be saved alive; 23therefore ye shall no more see vanity, nor divine divinations; and I will deliver My people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.' 14 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: "Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their mind, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his mind, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet-I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all turned away from Me through their idols. "Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. "For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from Me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, that he inquire for him of Me-I the LORD will answer him by Myself, and I will set My face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. And when the prophet is enticed and speaketh a word, I the LORD have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel. 10And they shall bear their iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that inquireth; "that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.' 12 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: 13'Son of man, when a land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out My hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast; 14though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. 15If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it be desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts; 16though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. "7Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say: Let the sword go through the land, so that I cut off from it man and beast; 18though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered them for fuel, so do I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will set My face against them; out of the fire are they come forth, and the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I set My face against them. And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted treacherously, saith the Lord GOD.' 16 Again the word of the LORD selves. 19Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast; 20though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. 21For thus saith the Lord GOD: How much more when I send My four sore judgments against Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast. 22And, behold, though there be left a remnant therein that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters; behold, when they come forth unto you, and ye see their way and their doings, then ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon in water for cleansing; thou wast not Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it; 23and they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings, and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.' came unto me, saying: "Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem: Thine origin and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite. And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed salted at all, nor swaddled at all. "No eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field in the loathsomeness of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee wallowing in thy blood, I said unto thee: In thy_blood, live; yea, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; I cause thee to increase, even as the growth of the field. And thou didst increase and grow up, and thou camest to excellent beauty: thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown; yet thou wast naked and bare. Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, and, behold, thy time was the time of love, I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness; yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest Mine. Then washed I thee with water; yea, I cleansed away thy blood from thee, and I 15 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying: "Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine-branch which grew up among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is singed; is it profitable for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is singed, shall it yet be meet for any work? "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire anointed thee with oil. 10I clothed these hast thou sacrificed unto them to thee also with richly woven work, be devoured. Were thy harlotries a and shod thee with sealskin, and I small matter, "that thou hast slain wound fine linen about thy head, and My children, and delivered them up, covered thee with silk. "I decked in setting them apart unto them? thee also with ornaments, and I 22And in all thine abominations and put bracelets upon thy hands, and a thy harlotries thou hast not rememchain on thy neck. 12And I put a ring bered the days of thy youth, when upon thy nose, and earrings in thine thou wast naked and bare, and wast ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy wallowing in thy blood. head. 13Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and richly woven work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou didst wax exceeding beautiful, and thou wast meet for royal estate. 14And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty; for it was perfect, through My splendour which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. 23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness-woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD-24that thou hast built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee a lofty place in every street. 25Thou hast built thy lofty place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty an abomination, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy harlotries. 26Thou hast also played the harlot with the Egyptians, thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast multiplied thy harlotry, to provoke Me. 27Behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over thee, and have diminished thine allowance, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, that are ashamed of thy lewd way. 28Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, without having enough; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet thou wast not satisfied. 29Thou hast moreover multiplied thy harlotry with the land of traffic, even with Chaldea; and yet thou didst not have enough herewith. 30How weak is thy heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of a wanton harlot; in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thy lofty place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot that enhanceth her hire. 32Thou wife that commit 15But thou didst trust in thy beauty and play the harlot because of thy renown, and didst pour out thy harlotries on every one that passed by; his it was. 16And thou didst take of thy garments, and didst make for thee high places decked with divers colours, and didst play the harlot upon them; the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so. 17Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them; 18and thou didst take thy richly woven garments and cover them, and didst set Mine oil and Mine incense before them. 19My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savour, and thus it was; saith the Lord GOD. 20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and test adultery, that takest strangers instead of thy husband to all harlots gifts are given; but thou hast given thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them to come unto thee from every side in thy harlotries. 34And the contrary is in thee from other women, in that thou didst solicit to harlotry, and wast not solicited; and in that thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee, thus thou art contrary. 35Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD! 36Thus saith the Lord GOD: Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness uncovered through thy harlotries with thy lovers; and because of all the idols of thy abominations, and for the blood of thy children, that thou didst give unto them; 37therefore behold, I will gather all thy lovers, unto whom thou hast been pleasant, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them against thee from every side, and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring upon thee the blood of fury and jealousy. 39I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and break down thy lofty places; and they shall strip thee of thy clothes, and take thy fair jewels; and they shall leave thee naked and bare. 40They shall also bring up an assembly against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. "And they shall burn thy houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women; and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou shalt also give no hire any more. 42So will I satisfy My fury upon thee, and My jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry. 43Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted Me in all these things; lo, therefore I also will bring thy way upon thy head, saith the Lord GOD; or hast thou not committed this lewdness above all thine abominations? "Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying: As the mother, so her daughter. 45Thou art thy mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children; your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite. "And thine elder sister is Samaria, that dwelleth at thy left hand, she and her daughters; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. 47Yet hast thou not walked in their ways, nor done after their abominations; but in a very little while thou didst deal more corruptly than they in all thy ways. 48As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. 49Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it. 51 Neither hath Samaria committed even half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou hast done. Thou also, bear thine own shame, in that with thee, and thou shalt know that thou hast given judgment for thy I am the LORD; that thou mayest sisters; through thy sins that thou remember, and be confounded, and hast committed more abominable never open thy mouth any more, than they, they are more righteous because of thy shame; when I have than thou; yea, be thou also confound- forgiven thee all that thou hast done, ed, and bear thy shame, in that thou saith the Lord GOD.' hast justified thy sisters. And I will turn their captivity, 17 And the word of the LORD came the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them; that thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be ashamed because of all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them. 65And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. 56For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride; 57before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the taunt of the daughters of Aram, and of all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, that have thee in disdain round about. 58Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD. 59 For thus saith the Lord GOD: I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 60Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 61Then shalt thou remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not because of thy covenant. 62 And I will establish My covenant unto me, saying: "Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel, 3and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings Full of feathers, which had divers Came unto Lebanon, And took the top of the cedar; And carried it into a land of traffic; "And it grew, and became a spreading Of low stature, Whose tendrils might turn toward him, And the roots thereof be under him; So it became a vine, and brought forth branches, And shot forth sprigs. "There was also another great eagle with great wings And many feathers; And, behold, this vine did bend And shot forth its branches toward That he might water it. It was planted in a good soil |