Ezekiel 14

1Then some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me.

2And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and have placed the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?

4Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Any man of the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart, and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and then comes to the prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the multitude of his idols.’

5so that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because all of them have turned away from me through their idols.

6Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Turn back, and turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.’

7For any man from the house of Israel, or from the foreigner who sojourns in Israel, who separates himself from following me and brings up his idols into his heart, and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of me through him, I, Yahweh, will answer him myself.

8And I will set my face against that man, and I will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

9And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10And they will bear their punishment; the punishment of the one who inquires will be the same as the punishment of the prophet.

11so that the house of Israel may no longer go astray from me, and may no longer defile themselves with all their transgressions, but may be my people, and I may be their God, declares the Lord GOD.

12And the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

13Son of man, if a land sins against me by acting unfaithfully, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast,

14even if these three men were in its midst—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Lord GOD.

15If I cause dangerous wild animals to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it becomes a desolation, without anyone passing through because of the animals,

16Even if these three men were in its midst, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be delivered, and the land would become a desolation.

17Or if I bring a sword against that land and say, ‘Let a sword pass through the land,’ and I cut off from it man and beast,

18And if these three men were in its midst, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would not deliver sons or daughters; they alone would be delivered.

19Or if I send a plague against that land and pour out my wrath on it with blood, to cut off from it man and beast,

20Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, they would deliver neither son nor daughter; by their righteousness they would deliver only themselves.

21For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send my four disastrous judgments against Jerusalem—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to cut off from it man and beast!

22Yet behold, a remnant will be left in it—those brought out, sons and daughters. Behold, they are coming out to you, and you will see their way and their deeds; and you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem, all that I brought upon it.

23And they will comfort you when you see their ways and their deeds, and you will know that I have not done without cause all that I did in it, declares the Lord GOD.