Ezekiel 11

1 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east facing gate of the LORD’s Temple. At the entrance of the gate I saw 25 men. Included among them were Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah, who were princes of the people.ISV — Ezekiel 11:1

2 Then he told me, “Son of Man, these men are plotting evil and are giving wicked advice in this city.ISV — Ezekiel 11:2

3 They keep saying, ‘The right time to build families ^{a11:3 Lit. houses} hasn’t yet arrived. The city is the pot and we are the meat.’ISV — Ezekiel 11:3

4 Therefore you are to prophesy against them. Prophesy, Son of Man!”ISV — Ezekiel 11:4

5 Just then the Spirit of the LORD took control of ^{b11:5 Lit. LORD fell on} me and told me, “You are to say, ‘This is what the LORD says: “You’ve said, O house of Israel, that I know what goes through your mind. ^{c11:5 Or spirit}ISV — Ezekiel 11:5

6 You’ve increased the number of fatally wounded in this city and you’ve filled your streets with the dead.”ISV — Ezekiel 11:6

7 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says, “The corpses that you’ve laid out in your midst are the meat, and this city is the cooking pot. But you’ll be taken out from the middle of it.ISV — Ezekiel 11:7

8 You’ve feared the sword, ^{d11:8 i.e. execution during military invasion; and so throughout the chapter} but I’m bringing violent death in your direction,” ^{e11:8 Lit. bringing the sword against you} declares the Lord GOD.ISV — Ezekiel 11:8

9 “I’m bringing you out from the middle of it and I’m going to deliver you into the hands of strangers, because I’m going to carry out my sentence against you.ISV — Ezekiel 11:9

10 You’re going to die violently, ^{f11:10 Lit. to fall by the sword} and I’ll judge you as far as the borders of Israel. Then you’ll learn ^{g11:10 Or know} that I am the LORD.ISV — Ezekiel 11:10

11 This city won’t be your cooking pot and neither will you be the meat in it, because I’m going to judge you as far as the borders of Israel.ISV — Ezekiel 11:11

12 Then you’ll learn ^{h11:12 Or know} that I am the LORD, because you didn’t live by my statues or obey my ordinances. Instead, you obeyed the ordinances of the nations around you.”’”ISV — Ezekiel 11:12

13 While I was prophesying, Benaiah’s son Pelatiah died, so I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice. “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “are you going to put an end to the survivors within Israel?”ISV — Ezekiel 11:13

14 Then this message came to me from the LORD:ISV — Ezekiel 11:14

15 “Son of Man, your brothers, your other relatives, your fellow exiles, ^{i11:15 So LXX and Syr; MT reads your redeemers} and the entire house of Israel are the people to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘They’ve abandoned the LORD. This land was given to us for an inheritance.’”ISV — Ezekiel 11:15

16 “Therefore you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says, “Although I’ve removed them far away to live among the nations, and although I’ve scattered them throughout the earth, yet I’ve continued to be their sanctuary, even for the short time that they will be living in the lands to which they’ve gone.”’ISV — Ezekiel 11:16

17 “Therefore you are to say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says, “I’m going to gather you from among the nations, assembling you from the lands among which you have been dispersed. I’ll give you the land of Israel.ISV — Ezekiel 11:17

18 When they return from there and cast away all of their loathsome things and detestable practices,ISV — Ezekiel 11:18

19 then I’ll give them a united heart, placing a new spirit within them. ^{j11:19 So LXX, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate; MT reads you (pl)} I’ll remove their stubborn heart ^{k11:19 Lit. heart from their flesh} and give them a heart that’s sensitive to me. ^{l11:19 Lit. heart of flesh}ISV — Ezekiel 11:19

20 When they live by my statutes and keep my ordinances by observing them, then they’ll be my people and I will be their God.ISV — Ezekiel 11:20

21 But to those whose hearts delight in loathsome things and detestable practices, I’ll bring the consequences of their behavior crashing down on their own heads,” declares the Lord GOD.’”ISV — Ezekiel 11:21

22 Then the cherubim arose, with their wheels alongside, and the glory of Israel’s God remained above and over them.ISV — Ezekiel 11:22

23 The glory of the LORD went up from the middle of the city and stood on the mountain, east of the city.ISV — Ezekiel 11:23

24 Then in a vision from the Spirit of God, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Chaldea. At that point, the vision that I had been observing ended.ISV — Ezekiel 11:24

25 Later, I spoke to the exiles concerning everything the LORD had spoken that I had witnessed.ISV — Ezekiel 11:25