| Chapter
14 |
| 1 | Then
came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. |
| 2 | And the word of the LORD came unto
me, saying, |
| 3 | 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 enquired of at all by them? |
| 4 | Therefore speak unto them,
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel
that setteth up his idols in his 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; |
| 5 | That I may take the house of Israel in
their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their
idols. |
| 6 | 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. |
| 7 | 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 enquire 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. |
|
9 | And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken
a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand
upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. |
| 10 | 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; |
| 11 | 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. |
| 12 | 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: |
| 14 | 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. |
|
15 | 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: |
| 16 | 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. |
| 17 | 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: |
| 18
| 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. |
| 19 | 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: |
| 20
| Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord
GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their
own souls by their righteousness. |
|
21 | 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? |
| 22 | 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. |
| 23 | 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. |
