Bible King James Version with Concise Commentaries by Hide - HTML preview

/ Home / Religious / Bible King James Version with Concise Commentaries

PLEASE NOTE: This is an HTML preview only and some elements such as links or page numbers may be incorrect.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.

Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

1 0

and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon,

1 7 1 1

J e r e m i a h

4 4

my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

1 1

And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.

1 2

And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.

He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh [the house of the sun], that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Jeremiah Prophesies to the Jews in Egypt

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein;

because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.

Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

1 7 1 2

J e r e m i a h

4 4

Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;

in that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

1 0

They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.

1 1

¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

1 2

And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

so that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

1 5

¶ Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great

1 7 1 3

J e r e m i a h

4 4

multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

1 6

As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the L o r d , we will not hearken unto thee.

1 7

But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

1 8

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

2 0

¶ Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,

2 1

The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?

2 2

so that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

2 4

¶ Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:

1 7 1 4

J e r e m i a h

4 5

2 5

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.

2 6

Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the L o r d , that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.

2 7

Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.

2 8

Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.

And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:

3 0

Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

Jeremiah’s Message to Baruch

The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,

Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch;

1 7 1 5

J e r e m i a h

4 6

Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

Thus shalt thou say unto him, The Lord saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.

And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

Prophecies concerning Egypt

The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;

against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

¶ Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the Lord.

Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

¶ Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?

Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.

Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

1 7 1 6

J e r e m i a h

4 6

1 0

For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

1 1

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

1 2

The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.

¶ The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.

¶ Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.

1 5

Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the L o r d did drive them.

1 6

He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.

1 7

They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.

1 8

¶ As I live, saith the King, whose name is The Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.

O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.

2 0

Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.

2 1

Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.

1 7 1 7

J e r e m i a h

4 7

2 2

The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.

2 4

The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

2 5

¶ The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him: 2 6

and I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord.

2 7

¶ But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O

Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

2 8

Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.

The Prophecy concerning the Philistines

The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

¶ Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

1 7 1 8

J e r e m i a h

4 8

At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands; 4

because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the L o r d will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.

Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet?

put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the seashore? there hath he appointed it.

The Prophecy concerning Moab

Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.

There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.

A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.

Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.

For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.

1 7 1 9

J e r e m i a h

4 8

And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the L o r d hath spoken.

Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.

1 0

¶ Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

1 1

¶ Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.

1 2

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.

And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Beth-el their confidence.

¶ How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?

1 5

Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is The Lord of hosts.

1 6

The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.

1 7

All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!

1 8

Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.

O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?

2 0

Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,

2 1

and judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,

2 2

and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Beth-diblathaim, 23

and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon,

1 7 2 0

J e r e m i a h

4 8

2 4

and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

2 5

The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.

2 6

¶ Make ye him drunken; for he magnified himself against the L o r d : Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.

2 7

For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.

2 8

O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth.

We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud,) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.

3 0

I know his wrath, saith the Lord; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.

3 1

Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kir-heres.

3 2

O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

3 3

And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab; and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

3 4

From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as a heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.

3 5

Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

3 6

Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kir-heres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.

1 7 2 1

J e r e m i a h

4 8

3 7

¶ For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

3 8

There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord.

They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.

¶ For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

4 1

Kerioth is taken, and the strongholds are surprised, and the mighty men’s hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

4 2

And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.

4 3

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.

4 4

He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the L o r d .

4 5

¶ They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.

Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.

4 7

Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

1 7 2 2

J e r e m i a h

4 9

The Prophecy concerning the Ammonites

Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities?

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the Lord.

¶ Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together.

Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O

backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me?

Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord God of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that wandereth.

And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the Lord.

The Prophecy concerning Edom

¶ Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?

Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him.

If grape gatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.

1 7 2 3

J e r e m i a h

4 9

1 0

But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbors, and he is not.

1 1

Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me.

1 2

For thus saith the Lord; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

¶ I have heard a rumor from the Lord, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle.

1 5

For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men.

1 6

Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O

thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.

1 7

¶ Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof.

1 8

As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it.

Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time?

and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

2 0

Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them.

1 7 2 4

J e r e m i a h

4 9

2 1

The earth is moved at the noise of their fall; at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.

2 2

Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

The Prophecy concerning Damascus

¶ Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings: they are faint-hearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

2 4

Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in

travail.

2 5

How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!

2 6

Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord of hosts.

2 7

And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.

The Prophecy concerning Kedar and Hazor

2 8

¶ Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the L o r d ; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east.

Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.

3 0

Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the Lord; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you.

3 1

Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone.

1 7 2 5

J e r e m i a h

5 0

3 2

And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the Lord.

3 3

And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.

The Prophecy concerning Elam

3 4

¶ The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

3 5

¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.

3 6

And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come.

3 7

For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the Lord; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:

3 8

and I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the Lord.

¶ But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord.

The Prophecy concerning Babylon

The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

¶ Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded,

1 7 2 6

J e r e m i a h

5 0

Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

¶ In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.

They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

¶ My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.

All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.

¶ Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.

For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

1 0

And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.

1 1

¶ Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

1 2

your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

1 7 2 7

J e r e m i a h

5 0

Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.

1 5

Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

1 6

Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

1 7

¶ Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

1 8

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

2 0

In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.

2 1

¶ Go up against the land of Merathaim [of the rebels], even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod [visitation]: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

2 2

A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!

how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

1 7 2 8

J e r e m i a h

5 0

2 4

I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.

2 5

The Lord hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.

2 6

Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

2 7

Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

2 8

The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.

¶ Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.

3 0

Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.

3 1

Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

3 2

And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

3 3

¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.

3 4

Their Redeemer is strong; The Lord of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

3 5

¶ A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

1 7 29

J e r e m i a h

5 0

3 6

A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.

3 7

A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

3 8

A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

4 1

¶ Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

4 2

They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not show mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

4 3

The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

4 4

Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time?

and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

4 5

Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.

At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

1 7 3 0

J e r e m i a h

5 1

The Lord’s Judgment on Babylon

Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;

and will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.

Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.

For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the Lord of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

¶ Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

1 0

The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.

1 1

¶ Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.

1 7 3 1

J e r e m i a h

5 1

1 2

Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the Lord hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.

O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

The Lord of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillars; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.

1 5

¶ He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

1 6

When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

1 7

Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

1 8

They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the Lord of hosts is his name.

2 0

¶ Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; 2 1

and with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider; 2 2

with thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

1 7 3 2

J e r e m i a h

5 1

2 4

And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the Lord.

2 5

¶ Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the L o r d , which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

2 6

And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the Lord.

2 7

¶ Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillars.

2 8

Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the L o r d shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

3 0

The mighty men of Babylon have forborne to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwelling places; her bars are broken.

3 1

One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

3 2

and that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

3 3

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

3 4

¶ Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.

1 7 3 3

J e r e m i a h

5 1

3 5

The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

3 6

Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

3 7

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and a hissing, without an inhabitant.

3 8

They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions’ whelps.

In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the Lord.

I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.

4 1

¶ How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

4 2

The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

4 3

Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

4 4

And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him; yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

4 5

¶ My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.

And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumor that shall be heard in the land; a rumor shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumor, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

4 7

Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

1 7 3 4

J e r e m i a h

5 1

Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord.

As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

5 0

¶ Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

5 1

We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces; for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the L o r d ’s house.

5 2

Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

5 3

Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.

5 4

¶ A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

5 5

because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:

5 6

because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the L o r d God of recompenses shall surely requite.

5 7

And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is The L o r d of hosts.

5 8

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

¶ The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah

1 7 3 5

J e r e m i a h

5 2

the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.

6 0

So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.

6 1

And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;

6 2

then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

6 3

And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:

and thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary.

¶ Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

The Reign of Zedekiah

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

The Fall of Jerusalem

¶ And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

1 7 3 6

J e r e m i a h

5 2

So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain.

But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him.

Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

1 0

And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes: he slew also all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

1 1

Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

The Captivity of Judah

1 2

¶ Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,

and burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:

and all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

1 5

Then Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that

1 7 3 7

J e r e m i a h

5 2

remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude.

1 6

But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

1 7

¶ Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon.

1 8

The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

And the basins, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.

2 0

The two pillars, one sea, and twelve brazen bulls that were under the bases, which king Solomon had made in the house of the L o r d : the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

2 1

And concerning the pillars, the height of one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a fillet of twelve cubits did compass it; and the thickness thereof was four fingers: it was hollow.

2 2

And a chapiter of brass was upon it; and the height of one chapiter was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the chapiters round about, all of brass. The second pillar also and the pomegranates were like unto these.

And there were ninety and six pomegranates on a side; and all the pomegranates upon the network were a hundred round about.

2 4

¶ And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: 2 5

he took also out of the city a eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city.

2 6

So Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.

1 7 3 8

J e r e m i a h

5 2

2 7

And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

2 8

¶ This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty: 29

in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons: 3 0

in the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar, Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.

Jehoiachin Released and Honored in Babylon

3 1

¶ And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

3 2

and spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, 3 3

and changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.

3 4

And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

The

Lamentations of Jeremiah

[Lamentations]

The Sorrows of Captive Zion

How doth the city sit solitary,

that was full of people!

How is she become as a widow!

She that was great among the nations,

and princess among the provinces,

how is she become tributary!

She weepeth sore in the night,

and her tears are on her cheeks:

among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her:

all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.

Judah is gone into captivity

because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen,

she findeth no rest:

all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

The ways of Zion do mourn,

because none come to the solemn feasts:

all her gates are desolate:

her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted,

and she is in bitterness.

Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions:

her children are gone into captivity before the enemy.

And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture,

1 74 0

L a m e n tat i o n s

and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.

Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries

all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her:

the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths.

Jerusalem hath grievously sinned;

therefore she is removed:

all that honored her despise her,

because they have seen her nakedness:

yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.

Her filthiness is in her skirts;

she remembereth not her last end;

therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter.

O Lord, behold my affliction:

for the enemy hath magnified himself.

1 0

The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things:

for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation.

1 1

All her people sigh, they seek bread;

they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O Lord, and consider; for I am become vile.

1 2

Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?

Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me,

wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.

From above hath he sent fire into my bones,

and it prevaileth against them:

he hath spread a net for my feet,

he hath turned me back:

he hath made me desolate and faint all the day.

The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand:

1 74 1

L a m e n tat i o n s

they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall,

the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

1 5

The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me:

he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

1 6

For these things I weep;

mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water,

because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate,

because the enemy prevailed.

1 7

Zion spreadeth forth her hands,

and there is none to comfort her:

the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob,

that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them.

1 8

The Lord is righteous;

for I have rebelled against his commandment:

hear, I pray you, all people,

and behold my sorrow:

my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.

I called for my lovers, but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls.

2 0

Behold, O Lord; for I am in distress:

my bowels are troubled;

mine heart is turned within me;

for I have grievously rebelled:

abroad the sword bereaveth,

at home there is as death.

2 1

They have heard that I sigh;

there is none to comfort me:

1 74 2

L a m e n tat i o n s

all mine enemies have heard of my trouble;

they are glad that thou hast done it:

thou wilt bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me.

2 2

Let all their wickedness come before thee;

and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions:

for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

Zion’s Sorrows Come from the Lord

How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger,

and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!

The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied:

he hath thrown down in his wrath the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;

he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof.

He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

He hath bent his bow like an enemy:

he stood with his right hand as an adversary,

and slew all that were pleasant to the eye in the tabernacle of the daughter of Zion:

he poured out his fury like fire.

The Lord was as an enemy:

he hath swallowed up Israel,

he hath swallowed up all her palaces:

1 74 3

L a m e n tat i o n s

he hath destroyed his strongholds,

and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.

And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden;

he hath destroyed his places of the assembly:

the Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion,

and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

The Lord hath cast off his altar,

he hath abhorred his sanctuary,

he hath given up into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces;

they have made a noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a solemn feast.

The Lord hath purposed to destroy

the wall of the daughter of Zion:

he hath stretched out a line,

he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying:

therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.

Her gates are sunk into the ground;

he hath destroyed and broken her bars:

her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more;

her prophets also find no vision from the Lord.

1 0

The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence:

they have cast up dust upon their heads;

they have girded themselves with sackcloth:

the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.

1 1

Mine eyes do fail with tears,

my bowels are troubled,

my liver is poured upon the earth,

1 74 4

L a m e n tat i o n s

for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.

1 2

They say to their mothers, Where is corn and wine?

when they swooned as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was poured out into their mothers’ bosom.

What thing shall I take to witness for thee?

What thing shall I liken to thee,

O daughter of Jerusalem?

What shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion?

For thy breach is great like the sea:

who can heal thee?

Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity;

but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

1 5

All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

1 6

All thine enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth:

they say, We have swallowed her up:

certainly this is the day that we looked for; we have found, we have seen it.

1 7

The Lord hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old:

he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied:

and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine adversaries.

1 8

Their heart cried unto the Lord,

O wall of the daughter of Zion,

let tears run down like a river day and night:

1 74 5

L a m e n tat i o n s

give thyself no rest;

let not the apple of thine eye cease.

Arise, cry out in the night:

in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord:

lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.

2 0

Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done this.

Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long?

Shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

2 1

The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.

2 2

Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the Lord’s anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed.

Hope of Relief through God’s Mercy

I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light.

Surely against me is he turned;

he turneth his hand against me all the day.

My flesh and my skin hath he made old;

he hath broken my bones.

He hath builded against me,

and compassed me with gall and travail.

He hath set me in dark places,

as they that be dead of old.

He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out:

1 74 6

L a m e n tat i o n s

he hath made my chain heavy.

Also when I cry and shout,

he shutteth out my prayer.

He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone;

he hath made my paths crooked.

1 0

He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

1 1

He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate.

1 2

He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

I was a derision to all my people;

and their song all the day.

1 5

He hath filled me with bitterness,

he hath made me drunken with wormwood.

1 6

He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

1 7

And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

1 8

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord: 19

remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

2 0

My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

2 1

This I recall to my mind,

therefore have I hope.

2 2

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness.

2 4

The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;

therefore will I hope in him.

2 5

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

2 6

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

1 74 7

L a m e n tat i o n s

2 7

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

2 8

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence,

because he hath borne it upon him.

He putteth his mouth in the dust;

if so be there may be hope.

3 0

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.

3 1

For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

3 2

but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

3 3

For he doth not afflict willingly,

nor grieve the children of men.

3 4

To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, 3 5

to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, 3 6

to subvert a man in his cause,

the Lord approveth not.

3 7

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

3 8

Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good?

Wherefore doth a living man complain,

a man for the punishment of his sins?

Let us search and try our ways,

and turn again to the Lord.

4 1

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.

4 2

We have transgressed and have rebelled:

thou hast not pardoned.

4 3

Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied.

4 4

Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud,

that our prayer should not pass through.

4 5

Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people.

All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

4 7

Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water

1 74 8

L a m e n tat i o n s

for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission,

5 0

till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven.

5 1

Mine eye affecteth mine heart,

because of all the daughters of my city.

5 2

Mine enemies chased me sore,

like a bird, without cause.

5 3

They have cut off my life in the dungeon,

and cast a stone upon me.

5 4

Waters flowed over mine head;

then I said, I am cut off.

5 5

I called upon thy name, O Lord,

out of the low dungeon.

5 6

Thou hast heard my voice:

hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry.

5 7

Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.

5 8

O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong:

judge thou my cause.

6 0

Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me.

6 1

Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord,

and all their imaginations against me;

6 2

the lips of those that rose up against me,

and their device against me all the day.

6 3

Behold their sitting down, and their rising up;

I am their music.

Render unto them a recompense, O Lord,

according to the work of their hands.

6 5

Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them.

6 6

Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the L o r d .

1 74 9

L a m e n tat i o n s

The Punishment of Zion Accomplished

How is the gold become dim!

How is the most fine gold changed!

The stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street.

The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers,

the work of the hands of the potter!

Even the sea monsters draw out the breast,

they give suck to their young ones:

the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst:

the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them.

They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.

For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment,

and no hands stayed on her.

Her Nazarites were purer than snow,

they were whiter than milk,

they were more ruddy in body than rubies,

their polishing was of sapphire:

their visage is blacker than a coal;

they are not known in the streets:

their skin cleaveth to their bones;

it is withered, it is become like a stick.

They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger:

1 7 5 0

L a m e n tat i o n s

for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

1 0

The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

1 1

The Lord hath accomplished his fury;

he hath poured out his fierce anger,

and hath kindled a fire in Zion,

and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.

1 2

The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.

For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her, 14

they have wandered as blind men in the streets, they have polluted themselves with blood,

so that men could not touch their garments.

1 5

They cried unto them, Depart ye;

it is unclean; depart, depart, touch not: when they fled away and wandered, they said among the heathen, They shall no more sojourn there.

1 6

The anger of the Lord hath divided them;

he will no more regard them:

they respected not the persons of the priests,

they favored not the elders.

1 7

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

1 8

They hunt our steps, that we cannot go in our streets: our end is near, our days are fulfilled; for our end is come.

Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

2 0

The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of whom we said,

1 7 5 1

L a m e n tat i o n s

Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.

2 1

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,

that dwellest in the land of Uz;

the cup also shall pass through unto thee:

thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

2 2

The punishment of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion;

he will no more carry thee away into captivity:

he will visit thine iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he will discover thy sins.

A Prayer for Mercy

Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us:

consider, and behold our reproach.

Our inheritance is turned to strangers,

our houses to aliens.

We are orphans and fatherless,

our mothers are as widows.

We have drunken our water for money;

our wood is sold unto us.

Our necks are under persecution:

we labor, and have no rest.

We have given the hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread.

Our fathers have sinned, and are not;

and we have borne their iniquities.

Servants have ruled over us:

there is none that doth deliver us out of their hand.

We gat our bread with the peril of our lives, because of the sword of the wilderness.

1 0

Our skin was black like an oven,

because of the terrible famine.

1 7 5 2

L a m e n tat i o n s

1 1

They ravished the women in Zion,

and the maids in the cities of Judah.

1 2

Princes are hanged up by their hand:

the faces of elders were not honored.

They took the young men to grind,

and the children fell under the wood.

The elders have ceased from the gate,

the young men from their music.

1 5

The joy of our heart is ceased;

our dance is turned into mourning.

1 6

The crown is fallen from our head:

woe unto us, that we have sinned!

1 7

For this our heart is faint;

for these things our eyes are dim.

1 8

Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it.

Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever;

thy throne from generation to generation.

2 0

Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever,

and forsake us so long time?

2 1

Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

2 2

But thou hast utterly rejected us;

thou art very wroth against us.

The Book of the Prophet

Ezekiel

[Ezekiel]

The Prophet’s Vision of the Divine Glory

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity,

the word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

¶ And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.

And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.

And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf’s foot: and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass.

And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their faces and their wings.

Their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

1 0

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

1 7 5 4

E z e k i e l

1 1

Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

1 2

And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

1 5

¶ Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.

1 6

The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

1 7

When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went.

1 8

As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up.

2 0

Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

2 1

When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

2 2

¶ And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

1 7 5 5

E z e k i e l

And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.

2 4

And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of a host: when they stood, they let down their wings.

2 5

And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.

2 6

¶ And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

2 7

And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

2 8

As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about.

¶ This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.

And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

The Call of Ezekiel

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

1 7 5 6

E z e k i e l

For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.

And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

¶ But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

1 0

and he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in

my mouth as honey for sweetness.

¶ And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;

not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

1 7 5 7

E z e k i e l

But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted.

Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

1 0

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

1 1

And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord G o d ; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

1 2

¶ Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.

1 5

Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

A Watchman to Israel

1 6

¶ And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the L o r d came unto me, saying,

1 7

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

1 8

When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked

1 7 5 8

E z e k i e l

way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

2 0

Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

2 1

Nevertheless, if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

The Prophet Made Dumb

2 2

¶ And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

2 4

Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

2 5

But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

2 6

and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

2 7

But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

1 7 5 9

E z e k i e l

The Siege of Jerusalem Portrayed

Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: 2

and lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

¶ Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.

For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

¶ Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side; three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.

1 0

And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.

1 7 6 0

E z e k i e l

1 1

Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.

1 2

And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.

And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.

Then said I, Ah Lord God ! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

1 5

Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

1 6

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:

1 7

that they may want bread and water, and be astonished one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.

Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts.

Then take of them again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.

1 7 6 1

E z e k i e l

And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes, they have not walked in them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; 8

therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.

And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.

1 0

Therefore the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the winds.

1 1

Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither

shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.

1 2

A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.

¶ Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.

Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

1 5

So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the Lord have spoken it.

1 7 6 2

E z e k i e l

1 6

When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread:

1 7

so will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the Lord have spoken it.

The Prophecy against the Mountains of Israel

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

And I will lay the dead carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.

And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¶ Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.

And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their

1 7 6 3

E z e k i e l

eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

1 0

And they shall know that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

1 1

¶ Thus saith the Lord God; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

1 2

He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them.

Then shall ye know that I am the Lord, when their slain men shall be among their idols round about their altars, upon every high hill, in all the tops of the mountains, and under every green tree, and under every thick oak, the place where they did offer sweet savor to all their idols.

So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

The End Is Come

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2

Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.

And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¶ Thus saith the Lord God; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come.

1 7 6 4

E z e k i e l

An end is come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come.

The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.

Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations.

And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord that smiteth.

1 0

¶ Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded.

1 1

Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.

1 2

The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they were yet alive: for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any strengthen himself in the iniquity of his life.

¶ They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

1 5

The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.

1 6

But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.

1 7

All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.

1 8

They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.

1 7 6 5

E z e k i e l

They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

2 0

As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in majesty: but they made the images of their abominations and of their detestable things therein: therefore have I set it far from them.

2 1

And I will give it into the hands of the strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil; and they shall pollute it.

2 2

My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.

¶ Make a chain: for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

2 4

Wherefore I will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be defiled.

2 5

Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

2 6

Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall be upon rumor; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.

2 7

The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

The Prophet’s Vision of the Abominations in Jerusalem 1

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell there upon me.

1 7 6 6

E z e k i e l

Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the color of amber.

And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

¶ Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.

¶ And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.

1 0

So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

1 1

And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

1 2

Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the

1 7 6 7

E z e k i e l

chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord seeth us not; the L o r d hath forsaken the earth.

He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.

¶ Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.

1 5

Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.

1 6

¶ And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

1 7

Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

1 8

Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

The Slaughter of the Guilty

He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.

And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.

1 7 6 8

E z e k i e l

¶ And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side;

and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6

slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.

And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God ! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?

¶ Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not.

1 0

And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head.

1 1

¶ And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

1 7 6 9

E z e k i e l

1 0

God’s Glory Departs from the Temple

Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.

¶ And he went in in my sight.

Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord’s glory.

And the sound of the cherubim’s wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.

¶ And it came to pass, that when he had commanded the man clothed with linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim; then he went in, and stood beside the wheels.

And one cherub stretched forth his hand from between the cherubim unto the fire that was between the cherubim, and took thereof, and put it into the hands of him that was clothed with linen; who took it, and went out.

And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

¶ And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the color of a beryl stone.

1 0

And as for their appearances, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel.

1 7 7 0

E z e k i e l

1 0

1 1

When they went, they went upon their four sides; they turned not as they went, but to the place whither the head looked they followed it; they turned not as they went.

1 2

And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, were full of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four had.

As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O wheel.

And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

1 5

¶ And the cherubim were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.

1 6

And when the cherubim went, the wheels went by them: and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

1 7

When they stood, these stood; and when they were lifted up, these lifted up themselves also: for the spirit of the living creature was in

them.

1 8

¶ Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.

And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord’s house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

2 0

¶ This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubim.

2 1

Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

2 2

And the likeness of their faces was the same faces which I saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and themselves: they went every one straight forward.

1 7 7 1

E z e k i e l

1 1

Evil Princes Rebuked

Moreover the spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of the Lord’s house, which looketh eastward: and behold at the door of the gate five and twenty men; among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city:

which say, It is not near; let us build houses: this city is the caldron, and we be the flesh.

Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.

¶ And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron: but I will bring you forth out of the midst of it.

Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord God.

And I will bring you out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

1 0

Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

1 1

This city shall not be your caldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst thereof; but I will judge you in the border of Israel: 1 2

and ye shall know that I am the Lord: for ye have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.

¶ And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud

1 7 7 2

E z e k i e l

1 1

voice, and said, Ah Lord God ! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

The Promise of Restoration and Renewal

¶ Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 1 5

Son of man, thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the Lord: unto us is this land given in possession.

1 6

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

1 7

Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

1 8

And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:

2 0

that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

2 1

But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.

2 2

¶ Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city.

2 4

Afterward the spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.

1 7 7 3

E z e k i e l

1 2

2 5

Then I spake unto them of the captivity all the things that the L o r d had showed me.

Ezekiel Portrays the Removal into Captivity

The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

¶ And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

¶ And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying, 9

Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

1 0

Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

1 1

Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.

1 7 74

E z e k i e l

1 2

And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

1 5

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

1 6

But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

1 7

¶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 1 8

Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

and say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

2 0

And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

2 1

¶ And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 2

Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

2 4

For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

1 7 7 5

E z e k i e l

1 3

2 5

For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.

2 6

¶ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 7

Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

2 8

Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.

False Prophets Condemned

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.

Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith: and the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not

spoken?

¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God.

1 7 7 6

E z e k i e l

1 3

And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

1 0

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar:

1 1

say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

1 2

Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it.

So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the L o r d .

1 5

Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; 1 6

to wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord God.

1 7

¶ Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

1 8

and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you?

1 7 7 7

E z e k i e l

1 4

And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

2 0

¶ Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.

2 1

Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

2 2

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life;

therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

Judgment on Idolaters Who Consult a Prophet

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 heart, 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 G o d ; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, 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;

1 7 7 8

E z e k i e l

1 4

that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

¶ Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Repent, 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 stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to inquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will answer him by myself: 8

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 if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the L o r d have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

1 0

And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

1 1

that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord God.

The Justice of God’s Punishment of Jerusalem

1 2

¶ The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 13

Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

1 7 7 9

E z e k i e l

1 5

If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

1 6

though 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.

1 7

Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

1 8

though 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 themselves.

Or 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:

2 0

though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord G o d , they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

2 1

¶ For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

2 2

Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways 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.

Jerusalem like a Useless Vine

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

1 7 8 0

E z e k i e l

1 6

Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

Shall wood be taken thereof to do 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 devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work?

Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the L o r d , when I set my face against them.

And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.

Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness

Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2

Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3

and say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother a Hittite.

And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast

not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

1 7 8 1

E z e k i e l

1 6

¶ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

¶ Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware 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 thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

1 0

I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

1 1

I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

1 2

And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.

1 5

¶ But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

1 6

And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colors, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

1 7 8 2

E z e k i e l

1 6

1 7

Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

1 8

and tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savor: and thus it was, saith the Lord God.

2 0

Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, 2 1

that thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

2 2

And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.

¶ And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee!

saith the Lord God,)

2 4

that thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee a high place in every street.

2 5

Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

2 6

Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbors, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

2 7

Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.

2 8

Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.

Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.

1 7 8 3

E z e k i e l

1 6

3 0

¶ How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; 3 1

in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

3 2

but as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!

3 3

They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.

3 4

And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

3 5

¶ Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord: 3 6

Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; 3 7

behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

3 8

And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

4 1

And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to

1 7 8 4

E z e k i e l

1 6

cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.

4 2

So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

4 3

Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will

recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord God: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.

4 4

¶ Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

4 5

Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

4 7

Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.

As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

5 0

And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

5 1

Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.

5 2

Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

1 7 8 5

E z e k i e l

1 7

5 3

¶ When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:

5 4

that thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.

5 5

When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

5 6

For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,

5 7

before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.

5 8

Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the L o r d .

¶ For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

6 0

Nevertheless, I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

6 1

Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.

6 2

And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:

6 3

that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

1 7 8 6

E z e k i e l

1 7

Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

and say, Thus saith the Lord God; A great eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 4

he cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were 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 her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation.

It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

Say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof.

1 0

Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the furrows where it grew.

1 1

¶ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 1 2

Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem,

and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

and hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:

1 7 8 7

E z e k i e l

1 7

that the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

1 5

But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break

the covenant, and be delivered?

1 6

As I live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

1 7

Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:

1 8

seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.

2 0

And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

2 1

And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

2 2

¶ Thus saith the Lord God; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his

young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent:

in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

2 4

And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried

1 7 8 8

E z e k i e l

1 8

up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the L o r d have spoken and have done it.

The Soul That Sins Shall Die

The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 2

What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?

As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

¶ But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6

and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7

and hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8

he that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.

1 0

¶ If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 1 1

and that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor’s wife,

1 2

hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

1 7 8 9

E z e k i e l

1 8

hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

¶ Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father’s sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 1 5

that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor’s wife,

1 6

neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 1 7

that hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

1 8

As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

¶ Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father?

When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

2 0

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

God’s Way Is Just

2 1

¶ But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

2 2

All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

1 7 9 0

E z e k i e l

1 9

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord G o d : and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

2 4

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

2 5

¶ Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

2 6

When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

2 7

Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

2 8

Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O

house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

3 0

¶ Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

3 1

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

3 2

For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord G o d : wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

A Lamentation for the Princes of Israel

Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, 2

and say,

1 7 9 1

E z e k i e l

1 9

What is thy mother? A lioness:

she lay down among lions,

she nourished her whelps

among young lions.

And she brought up one of her whelps:

it became a young lion,

and it learned to catch the prey;

it devoured men.

The nations also heard of him;

he was taken in their pit,

and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

Now when she saw that she had waited,

and her hope was lost,

then she took another of her whelps,

and made him a young lion.

And he went up and down among the lions,

he became a young lion,

and learned to catch the prey,

and devoured men.

And he knew their desolate palaces,

and he laid waste their cities;

and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring.

Then the nations set against him

on every side from the provinces,

and spread their net over him:

he was taken in their pit.

And they put him in ward in chains,

and brought him to the king of Babylon:

they brought him into holds,

that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

1 0

Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood,

planted by the waters:

she was fruitful and full of branches

1 7 9 2

E z e k i e l

2 0

by reason of many waters.

1 1

And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.

1 2

But she was plucked up in fury,

she was cast down to the ground,

and the east wind dried up her fruit:

her strong rods were broken and withered;

the fire consumed them.

And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches,

which hath devoured her fruit,

so that she hath no strong rod

to be a sceptre to rule.

¶ This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation.

God’s Dealing with Israel

And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

Then came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to inquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause

them to know the abominations of their fathers:

and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God;

1 7 9 3

E z e k i e l

2 0

in the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands: 7

then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the L o r d your God.

But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

¶ Then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

1 0

Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

1 1

And I gave them my statutes, and showed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

1 2

Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted.

¶ Then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But I wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

1 5

Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

1 7 9 4

E z e k i e l

2 0

1 6

because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

1 7

Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

1 8

¶ But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;

2 0

and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.

2 1

Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths.

¶ Then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

2 2

Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;

2 4

because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.

2 5

Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live;

2 6

and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

2 7

¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me.

1 7 9 5

E z e k i e l

2 0

2 8

For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering: there also they made their sweet savor, and poured out there their drink offerings.

Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go?

And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

3 0

Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

3 1

For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day: and shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel?

As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

3 2

¶ And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

3 3

¶ As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

3 4

and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

3 5

And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.

3 6

Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God.

3 7

And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:

3 8

and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

¶ As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not

1 7 9 6

E z e k i e l

2 0

hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols.

¶ For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

4 1

I will accept you with your sweet savor, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen.

4 2

And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.

4 3

And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

4 4

And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

The Prophecy against the South

4 5

¶ Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 46

Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;

4 7

and say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.

1 7 9 7

E z e k i e l

2 1

Then said I, Ah Lord God ! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?

The Lord’s Sharpened Sword