Ezekiel 11

Judgment on Israel's Leaders
 ¹  Then the Spirit lifted me and brought me to the east gateway of the LORD's Temple, where I saw twenty-five prominent men of the city. Among them were Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders among the people.
   ²  The Spirit said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who are planning evil and giving wicked counsel in this city.  ³  They say to the people, `Is it not a good time to build houses? This city is like an iron pot. We are safe inside it like meat in a pot. [3] '  ⁴  Therefore, son of man, prophesy against them loudly and clearly."
   ⁵  Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon me, and he told me to say, "This is what the LORD says to the people of Israel: I know what you are saying, for I know every thought that comes into your minds.  ⁶  You have murdered many in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
   ⁷  "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: This city is an iron pot all right, but the pieces of meat are the victims of your injustice. As for you, I will soon drag you from this pot.  ⁸  I will bring on you the sword of war you so greatly fear, says the Sovereign LORD.  ⁹  I will drive you out of Jerusalem and hand you over to foreigners, who will carry out my judgments against you.  ¹⁰  You will be slaughtered all the way to the borders of Israel. I will execute judgment on you, and you will know that I am the LORD.  ¹¹  No, this city will not be an iron pot for you, and you will not be like meat safe inside it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel,  ¹²  and you will know that I am the LORD. For you have refused to obey my decrees and regulations; instead, you have copied the standards of the nations around you."
   ¹³  While I was still prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah suddenly died. Then I fell face down on the ground and cried out, "O Sovereign LORD, are you going to kill everyone in Israel?"

Hope for Exiled Israel
 ¹⁴  Then this message came to me from the LORD:  ¹⁵  "Son of man, the people still left in Jerusalem are talking about you and your relatives and all the people of Israel who are in exile. They are saying, `Those people are far away from the LORD, so now he has given their land to us!'
   <sup>16</sup>  "Therefore, tell the exiles, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile.  ¹⁷  I, the Sovereign LORD, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.'
   ¹⁸  "When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols.  ¹⁹  And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, [19]   ²⁰  so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.  ²¹  But as for those who long for vile images and detestable idols, I will repay them fully for their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"

The LORD's Glory Leaves Jerusalem
 ²²  Then the cherubim lifted their wings and rose into the air with their wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.  ²³  Then the glory of the LORD went up from the city and stopped above the mountain to the east.
   ²⁴  Afterward the Spirit of God carried me back again to Babylonia, [24]  to the people in exile there. And so ended the vision of my visit to Jerusalem.  ²⁵  And I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.

Ezekiel 12

Signs of the Coming Exile
 ¹  Again a message came to me from the LORD:  ²  "Son of man, you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. For they are a rebellious people.
   ³  "So now, son of man, pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile could carry, and leave your home to go somewhere else. Do this right in front of the people so they can see you. For perhaps they will pay attention to this, even though they are such rebels.  ⁴  Bring your baggage outside during the day so they can watch you. Then in the evening, as they are watching, leave your house as captives do when they begin a long march to distant lands.  ⁵  Dig a hole through the wall while they are watching and go out through it.  ⁶  As they watch, lift your pack to your shoulders and walk away into the night. Cover your face so you cannot see the land you are leaving. For I have made you a sign for the people of Israel."
   ⁷  So I did as I was told. In broad daylight I brought my pack outside, filled with the things I might carry into exile. Then in the evening while the people looked on, I dug through the wall with my hands and went out into the night with my pack on my shoulder.
   ⁸  The next morning this message came to me from the LORD:  ⁹  "Son of man, these rebels, the people of Israel, have asked you what all this means.  ¹⁰  Say to them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: These actions contain a message for King Zedekiah in Jerusalem [10]  and for all the people of Israel.'  <sup>11</sup>  Explain that your actions are a sign to show what will soon happen to them, for they will be driven into exile as captives.
   <sup>12</sup>  "Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving.  <sup>13</sup>  Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, [13]  though he will never see it, and he will die there.  <sup>14</sup>  I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them.  <sup>15</sup>  And when I scatter them among the nations, they will know that I am the LORD.  <sup>16</sup>  But I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
   <sup>17</sup>  Then this message came to me from the LORD:  <sup>18</sup>  "Son of man, tremble as you eat your food. Shake with fear as you drink your water.  <sup>19</sup>  Tell the people, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says concerning those living in Israel and Jerusalem: They will eat their food with trembling and sip their water in despair, for their land will be stripped bare because of their violence.  ²⁰  The cities will be destroyed and the farmland made desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"

A New Proverb for Israel
 ²¹  Again a message came to me from the LORD:  ²²  "Son of man, you've heard that proverb they quote in Israel: `Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing.'  <sup>23</sup>  Tell the people, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it.' Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: `The time has come for every prophecy to be fulfilled!'
   <sup>24</sup>  "There will be no more false visions and flattering predictions in Israel.  <sup>25</sup>  For I am the LORD! If I say it, it will happen. There will be no more delays, you rebels of Israel. I will fulfill my threat of destruction in your own lifetime. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!"
   <sup>26</sup>  Then this message came to me from the LORD:  <sup>27</sup>  "Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, `He's talking about the distant future. His visions won't come true for a long, long time.'  ²⁸  Therefore, tell them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: No more delay! I will now do everything I have threatened. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!'"

Ezekiel 13

Judgment against False Prophets
 ¹  Then this message came to me from the LORD:  ²  "Son of man, prophesy against the false prophets of Israel who are inventing their own prophecies. Say to them, `Listen to the word of the LORD.  <sup>3</sup>  "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits the false prophets who are following their own imaginations and have seen nothing at all!"    <sup>4</sup>  "O people of Israel, these prophets of yours are like jackals digging in the ruins.  <sup>5</sup>  They have done nothing to repair the breaks in the walls around the nation. They have not helped it to stand firm in battle on the day of the LORD.  <sup>6</sup>  Instead, they have told lies and made false predictions. They say, `This message is from the LORD,' even though the LORD never sent them. And yet they expect him to fulfill their prophecies!  ⁷  Can your visions be anything but false if you claim, `This message is from the LORD,' when I have not even spoken to you?
   <sup>8</sup>  "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because what you say is false and your visions are a lie, I will stand against you, says the Sovereign LORD.  <sup>9</sup>  I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel's record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.
   <sup>10</sup>  "This will happen because these evil prophets deceive my people by saying, `All is peaceful' when there is no peace at all! It's as if the people have built a flimsy wall, and these prophets are trying to reinforce it by covering it with whitewash!  ¹¹  Tell these whitewashers that their wall will soon fall down. A heavy rainstorm will undermine it; great hailstones and mighty winds will knock it down.  ¹²  And when the wall falls, the people will cry out, `What happened to your whitewash?'
   <sup>13</sup>  "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury.  <sup>14</sup>  I will break down your wall right to its foundation, and when it falls, it will crush you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  <sup>15</sup>  At last my anger against the wall and those who covered it with whitewash will be satisfied. Then I will say to you: `The wall and those who whitewashed it are both gone.  ¹⁶  They were lying prophets who claimed peace would come to Jerusalem when there was no peace. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!'

Judgment against False Women Prophets
 ¹⁷  "Now, son of man, speak out against the women who prophesy from their own imaginations.  ¹⁸  This is what the Sovereign LORD says: What sorrow awaits you women who are ensnaring the souls of my people, young and old alike. You tie magic charms on their wrists and furnish them with magic veils. Do you think you can trap others without bringing destruction on yourselves?  ¹⁹  You bring shame on me among my people for a few handfuls of barley or a piece of bread. By lying to my people who love to listen to lies, you kill those who should not die, and you promise life to those who should not live.
   ²⁰  "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against all your magic charms, which you use to ensnare my people like birds. I will tear them from your arms, setting my people free like birds set free from a cage.  ²¹  I will tear off the magic veils and save my people from your grasp. They will no longer be your victims. Then you will know that I am the LORD.  ²²  You have discouraged the righteous with your lies, but I didn't want them to be sad. And you have encouraged the wicked by promising them life, even though they continue in their sins.  ²³  Because of all this, you will no longer talk of seeing visions that you never saw, nor will you make predictions. For I will rescue my people from your grasp. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

<<  11:3 Hebrew This city is the pot, and we are the meat.
<<  11:19 Hebrew a heart of flesh.
<<  11:24 Or Chaldea.
<<  12:10 Hebrew the prince in Jerusalem; similarly in 12:12.
<<  12:13 Or Chaldeans.

James 1

Greetings from James
 ¹  This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
  I am writing to the "twelve tribes"—Jewish believers scattered abroad.
  Greetings!

Faith and Endurance
 ²  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  ³  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  ⁴  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
   ⁵  If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.  ⁶  But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  ⁷  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.  ⁸  Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
   ⁹  Believers who are [9]  poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them.  ¹⁰  And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field.  ¹¹  The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.
   ¹²  God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  ¹³  And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, [13]  and he never tempts anyone else.  ¹⁴  Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  ¹⁵  These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
   ¹⁶  So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.  ¹⁷  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  ¹⁸  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. [18] 

Listening and Doing
 ¹⁹  Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  ²⁰  Human anger [20]  does not produce the righteousness [20]  God desires.  ²¹  So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
   ²²  But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  ²³  For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.  ²⁴  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  ²⁵  But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
   ²⁶  If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  ²⁷  Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

<<  1:2 Greek brothers; also in 1:16, 19.
<<  1:9 Greek The brother who is.
<<  1:13 Or God should not be put to a test by evil people.
<<  1:17a Greek from above, from the Father of lights. 1:17b Some manuscripts read He never changes, as a shifting shadow does.
<<  1:18 Greek we became a kind of firstfruit of his creatures.
<<  1:20a Greek A man's anger. 1:20b Or the justice.