Read the Tanach ONLINE - Ezekiel

1:1 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 Chebar that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

1:2 In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

1:3 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.

1:4 And I looked, and, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire flashing up, so that a brightness was round about it; and out of the midst thereof as the colour of electrum, out of the midst of the fire.

1:5 And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.

1:6 And every one had four faces, and every one of them had four wings.

1:7 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 colour of burnished brass.

1:8 And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and as for the faces and wings of them four,

1:9 their wings were joined one to another; they turned not when they went; they went every one straight forward.

1:10 As for the likeness of their faces, they had the face of a man; and they four had the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four had also the face of an eagle.

1:11 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.

1:12 And they went every one straight forward; whither the spirit was to go, they went; they turned not when they went.

1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like coals of fire, burning like the appearance of torches; it flashed up and down among the living creatures; and there was brightness to the fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

1:14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.

1:15 Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel at the bottom hard by the living creatures, at the four faces thereof.

1:16 The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl; and they four had one likeness; and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel within a wheel.

1:17 When they went, they went toward their four sides; they turned not when they went.

1:18 As for their rings, they were high and they were dreadful; and they four had their rings full of eyes round about.

1:19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went hard by them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the bottom, the wheels were lifted up.

1:20 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, as the spirit was to go thither, so they went; and the wheels were lifted up beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

1:21 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 beside them; for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

1:22 And over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of a firmament, like the colour of the terrible ice, stretched forth over their heads above.

1:23 And under the firmament were their wings conformable the one to the other; this one of them had two which covered, and that one of them had two which covered, their bodies.

1:24 And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a noise of tumult like the noise of a host; when they stood, they let down their wings.

1:25 For, when there was a voice above the firmament that was over their heads, as they stood, they let down their wings.

1:26 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 a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above.

1:27 And I saw as the colour of electrum, as the appearance of fire round about enclosing it, from the appearance of his loins and upward; and from the appearance of his loins and downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him.

1:28 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 spoke.

2:1 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak with thee.'

2:2 And spirit entered into me when He spoke unto me, and set me upon my feet; and I heard Him that spoke unto me.

2:3 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to rebellious nations, that have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day;

2:4 and the children are brazen-faced and stiff-hearted, I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD.

2:5 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.

2:6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though defiers and despisers be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

2:7 And thou shalt speak My words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most rebellious.

2:8 And thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee: be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house; open thy mouth, and eat that which I give thee.'

2:9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was put forth unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

2:10 and He spread it before me, and it was written within and without; and there was written therein lamentations, and moaning, and woe.

3:1 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.'

3:2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll.

3:3 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.

3:4 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with My words unto them.

3:5 For thou art not sent to a people of an unintelligible speech and of a slow tongue, but to the house of Israel;

3:6 not to many peoples of an unintelligible speech and of a slow tongue, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee.

3:7 But the house of Israel will not consent to hearken unto thee; for they consent not to hearken unto Me; for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart.

3:8 Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads.

3:9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.'

3:10 Moreover He said unto me: 'Son of man, all My words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears.

3:11 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 L-rd GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.'

3:12 Then a spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing: 'Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place';

3:13 also the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.

3:14 So a spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.

3:15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar, and I sat where they sat; and I remained there appalled among them seven days.

3:16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

3:17 'Son of man, I have appointed thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; and when thou shalt hear a word at My mouth, thou shalt give them warning from Me.

3:18 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 way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand.

3:19 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.

3:20 Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, I will lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

3:21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and thou hast delivered thy soul.'

3:22 And the hand of the Lord came there upon me; and He said unto me: 'Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there speak with thee.'

3:23 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 Chebar; and I fell on my face.

3:24 Then spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and He spoke with me, and said unto me: 'Go, shut thyself within thy house.

3:25 But thou, son of man, behold, bands shall be put upon thee, and thou shalt be bound with them, and thou shalt not go out among them;

3:26 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.

3:27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD; he that heareth, let him hear, and he that forbeareth, let him forbear; for they are a rebellious house.

4:1 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem;

4:2 and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

4:3 And take thou unto thee an iron griddle, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

4:4 Moreover lie thou 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.

4:5 For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be unto thee a number of days, even three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

4:6 And again, when thou hast accomplished these, thou shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; forty days, each day for a year, have I appointed it unto thee.

4:7 And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.

4:8 And, behold, I lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast accomplished the days of thy siege.

4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, 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, even three hundred and ninety days, shalt thou eat thereof.

4:10 And thy food which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time shalt thou eat it.

4:11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time shalt thou drink.

4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that cometh out of man.'

4:13 And the Lord said: 'Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations whither I will drive them.'

4:14 Then said I: 'Ah L-rd 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 of beasts; neither came there abhorred flesh into my mouth.'

4:15 Then He said unto me: 'See, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread thereon.'

4:16 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 anxiety; and they shall drink water by measure, and in appalment;

4:17 that they may want bread and water, and be appalled one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.

5:1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp sword, as a barber's razor shalt thou take it unto thee, and cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard; then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

5:2 A third part shalt thou burn in the fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled; and thou shalt take a third part, and smite it with the sword round about her; and a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind, and I will draw out a sword after them.

5:3 Thou shalt also take thereof a few by number, and bind them in thy skirts.

5:4 And of them again shalt thou take, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire; therefrom shall a fire come forth into all the house of Israel.

5:5 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: This is Jerusalem! I have set her in the midst of the nations, and countries are round about her.

5:6 And she hath rebelled against Mine ordinances in doing wickedness more than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that are round about her; for they have rejected Mine ordinances, and as for My statutes, they have not walked in them.

5:7 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because ye have outdone the nations that are round about you, in that ye have not walked in My statutes, neither have kept Mine ordinances, neither have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you;

5:8 therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and I will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.

5:9 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.

5:10 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 unto all the winds.

5:11 Wherefore, as I live, saith the L-rd 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, and I also will have no pity.

5:12 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 a third part I will scatter unto all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them.

5:13 Thus shall Mine anger spend itself, and I will satisfy My fury upon them, and I will be eased; and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them.

5:14 Moreover I will make thee an amazement and a reproach, among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.

5:15 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;

5:16 when I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you; and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread;

5:17 and I will 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.'

6:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

6:2 'Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,

6:3 and say: Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the L-rd GOD: Thus saith the L-rd GOD concerning the mountains and concerning the hills, concerning the ravines and concerning the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.

6:4 And your altars shall become desolate, and your sun-images shall be broken; and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.

6:5 And I will lay the carcasses of the children of Israel before their idols; and I will scatter your bones round about your altars.

6:6 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 sun-images may be hewn down, and your works may be blotted out.

6:7 And the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

6:8 Yet will I leave a remnant, in that ye shall have some that escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries.

6:9 And they that escape of you shall remember Me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, how that I have been anguished with their straying heart, which hath departed from Me, and with their eyes, which are gone astray after their idols; and they shall loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.

6:10 And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

6:11 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Smite with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say: Alas! because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

6:12 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 spend My fury upon them.

6:13 And ye shall 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 leafy tree, and under every thick terebinth, the place where they did offer sweet savour to all their idols.

6:14 And I will stretch out My hand upon them, and make the land desolate and waste, more than the wilderness of Diblah, throughout all their habitations; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'

7:1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

7:2 'And thou, son of man, thus saith the L-rd GOD concerning the land of Israel: An end! the end is come upon the four corners of the land.

7:3 Now is the end upon thee, and I will send Mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.

7:4 And Mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity; but I will bring thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

7:5 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: An evil, a singular evil, behold, it cometh.

7:6 An end is come, the end is come, it awaketh against thee; behold, it cometh.

7:7 The turn is come unto thee, O inhabitant of the land; the time is come, the day of tumult is near, and not of joyful shouting upon the mountains.

7:8 Now will I shortly pour out My fury upon thee, and spend Mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways; and I will bring upon thee all thine abominations.

7:9 And Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; I will bring upon thee according to thy ways, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I the Lord do smite.

7:10 Behold the day; behold, it cometh; the turn is come forth; the rod hath blossomed, arrogancy hath budded.

7:11 Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; nought cometh from them, nor from their tumult, nor from their turmoil, neither is there eminency among them.

7:12 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.

7:13 For the seller shall not return to that which is sold, although they be yet alive; for the vision is touching the whole multitude thereof, which shall not return; neither shall any stand possessed of the iniquity of his life.

7:14 They have blown the horn, and have made all ready, but none goeth to the battle; for My wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.

7:15 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.

7:16 But they that shall at all escape of them, shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them moaning, every one in his iniquity.

7:17 All hands shall be slack, and all knees shall drip with water.

7:18 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.

7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be as an unclean thing; 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 hath been the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

7:20 And as for the beauty of their ornament, which was set for a pride, they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things thereof; therefore have I made it unto them as an unclean thing.

7:21 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 profane it.

7:22 I will also turn My face from them, and they shall profane My secret place; and robbers shall enter into it, and profane it.

7:23 Make the chain; for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence.

7:24 Wherefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses; I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.

7:25 Horror cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none.

7:26 Calamity shall come upon calamity, and rumour shall be upon rumour; and they shall seek a vision of the prophet, and instruction shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

7:27 The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with appalment, and the hands of the people of the land shall be enfeebled; 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.'

8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the L-rd GOD fell there upon me.

8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of electrum.

8:3 And the form of a hand was put forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head; and a 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 gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.

8:5 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 of the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.

8:6 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel do commit here, that I should go far off from My sanctuary? but thou shalt again see yet greater abominations.'

8:7 And He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.

8:8 Then said He unto me: 'Son of man, dig now in the wall'; and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.

8:9 And He said unto me: 'Go in, and see the wicked abominations that they do here.'

8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every detestable form of creeping things and beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed upon the wall round about.

8:11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, every man with his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.

8:12 Then said He unto me: 'Son of man, hast thou seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his chambers of imagery? for they say: the Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the land.'

8:13 He said also unto me: 'Thou shalt again see yet greater abominations which they do.'

8:14 Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord'S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz.

8:15 Then said He unto me: 'Hast thou seen this, O son of man? thou shalt again see yet greater abominations than these.'

8:16 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.

8:17 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 in that they fill the land with violence, and provoke Me still more, and, lo, they put the branch to their nose?

8:18 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.'

9:1 Then he called in mine ears with a loud voice, saying: 'Cause ye them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.'

9:2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lieth toward the north, every man with his weapon of destruction in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn on his side. And they went in, and stood beside the brazen altar.

9:3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house; and He called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn on his side.

9:4 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 are done in the midst thereof.'

9:5 And to the others He said in my hearing: 'Go ye through the city after him, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity;

9:6 slay utterly the old man, the young man and the maiden, 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 elders that were before the house.

9:7 And He said unto them: 'Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain; go ye forth.' And they went forth, and smote in the city.

9:8 And it came to pass, while they were smiting, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said: 'Ah L-rd GOD! wilt Thou destroy all the residue of Israel in Thy pouring out of Thy fury upon Jerusalem?'

9:9 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 wresting of judgment; for they say: the Lord hath forsaken the land, and the Lord seeth not.

9:10 And as for Me also, Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will bring their way upon their head.'

9:11 And, behold, the man clothed in linen, who had the inkhorn on his side, reported, saying: 'I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me.'

10:1 Then I looked, and, behold, upon the firmament that was over the head of the cherubim, there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.

10:2 And He spoke unto the man clothed in linen, and said: 'Go in between the wheelwork, even under the cherub, and fill both thy hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim, and dash them against the city.' And he went in in my sight.

10:3 Now the cherubim stood on the right side of the house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled the inner court.

10:4 And the glory of the Lord mounted up from the cherub to 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.

10:5 And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when He speaketh.

10:6 And it came to pass, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying: 'Take fire from between the wheelwork, from between the cherubim', that he went in, and stood beside a wheel.

10:7 And the 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 in linen, who took it and went out.

10:8 And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings.

10:9 And I looked, and behold four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub, and another wheel beside another cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

10:10 And as for their appearance, they four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been within a wheel.

10:11 When they went, they went toward 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.

10:12 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.

10:13 As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing The wheelwork.

10:14 And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the 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.

10:15 And the cherubim mounted up--this is the living creature that I saw by the river Chebar.

10:16 And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted up their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also turned not from beside them.

10:17 When they stood, these stood, and when they mounted up, these mounted up with them; for the spirit of the living creature was in them.

10:18 And the glory of the Lord went forth from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim.

10:19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight when they went forth, and the wheels beside them; and they 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.

10:20 This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.

10:21 Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.

10:22 And as for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight forward.

11:1 Then a 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; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

11:2 And He said unto me: 'Son of man, these are the men that devise iniquity, and that give wicked counsel in this city;

11:3 that say: The time is not near to build houses! this city is the caldron, and we are the flesh.

11:4 Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, O son of man.'

11:5 And the spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He 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.

11:6 Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain.

11:7 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the caldron; but ye shall be brought forth out of the midst of it.

11:8 Ye have feared the sword; and the sword will I bring upon you, saith the L-rd GOD.

11:9 And I will bring you forth out of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you.

11:10 Ye shall fall by the sword: I will judge you upon the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

11:11 Though this city shall not be your caldron, ye shall be the flesh in the midst thereof; I will judge you upon the border of Israel;

11:12 and ye shall know that I am the Lord; for ye have not walked in My statutes, neither have ye executed Mine ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you.'

11:13 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 voice, and said: 'Ah L-rd GOD! wilt Thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?'

11:14 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

11:15 'Son of man, as for thy brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, concerning whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said: Get you far from the Lord! unto us is this land given for a possession;

11:16 therefore say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they are come;

11:17 therefore say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.

11:18 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.

11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;

11:20 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.

11:21 But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their way upon their own heads, saith the L-rd GOD.'

11:22 Then did the cherubim lift up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above.

11:23 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.

11:24 And a spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from Me.

11:25 Then I spoke unto them of the captivity all the things that the Lord had shown me.

12:1 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying:

12:2 'Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the rebellious house, that have eyes to see, and see not, that have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house.

12:3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for exile, and remove as though for exile by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight; it may be they will perceive, for they are a rebellious house.

12:4 And thou shalt bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for exile; and thou shalt go forth thyself at even in their sight, as when men go forth into exile.

12:5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

12:6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulder, and carry it forth in the darkness; thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground; for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.'

12:7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for exile, and in the even I digged through the wall with my hand; I carried out in the darkness, and bore it upon my shoulder in their sight.

12:8 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying:

12:9 'Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee: What doest thou?

12:10 Say thou unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Concerning the prince, even this burden, in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel among whom they are,

12:11 say: I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them--they shall go into exile, into captivity.

12:12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder, and go forth in the darkness; they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby; he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

12:13 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.

12:14 And I will disperse toward every wind all that are round about him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

12:15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

12:16 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 nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'

12:17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

12:18 'Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with anxiety;

12:19 and say unto the people of the land: Thus saith the L-rd GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with appalment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

12:20 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.'

12:21 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

12:22 'Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying: The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

12:23 Tell them therefore: Thus saith the L-rd 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 word of every vision.

12:24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor smooth divination within the house of Israel.

12:25 For I am the Lord; I will speak, what word soever it be that I shall speak, and it shall be performed; it shall be no more delayed; for in your days, O rebellious house, will I speak the word, and will perform it, saith the L-rd GOD.'

12:26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

12:27 '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 times that are far off.

12:28 Therefore say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: There shall none of My words be delayed any more, but the word which I shall speak shall be performed, saith the L-rd GOD.'

13:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

13:2 'Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own heart: Hear ye the word of the Lord:

13:3 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Woe unto the vile prophets, that follow their own spirit, and things which they have not seen!

13:4 O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in ruins.

13:5 Ye have not gone up into the breaches, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, that say: the Lord saith; and the Lord hath not sent them, yet they hope that the word would be confirmed!

13:7 Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say: the Lord saith; albeit I have not spoken?

13:8 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the L-rd GOD.

13:9 And My hand shall be against the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies; they shall not be in the council of My people, neither shall they be written in the register of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the L-rd GOD.

13:10 Because, even because they have led My people astray, saying: Peace, and there is no peace; and when it buildeth up a slight wall, behold, they daub it with whited plaster;

13:11 say unto them that daub it with whited plaster, that it shall fall; there shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall, and a stormy wind shall break forth,

13:12 and, lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you: Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?

13:13 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: I will even cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in Mine anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it.

13:14 So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with whited plaster, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be uncovered; and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

13:15 Thus will I spend My fury upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with whited plaster; and I will say unto you: The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it;

13:16 to wit, the prophets of Israel that prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and that see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the L-rd GOD.

13:17 And thou, son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, that prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them,

13:18 and say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Woe to the women that sew cushions upon all elbows, and make pads for the head of persons of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of My people, and save souls alive for yourselves?

13:19 And ye have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for crumbs 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 hearken unto lies.

13:20 Wherefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I am against your cushions, wherewith ye hunt the souls as birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt as birds.

13:21 Your pads 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.

13:22 Because with lies ye have cowed the heart of the righteous, when I have not grieved him; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, that he be saved alive;

13:23 therefore ye shall no more see vanity, nor divine divinations; and I will deliver My people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.'

14:1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

14:2 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

14:3 'Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their mind, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face; should I be inquired of at all by them?

14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his mind, 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;

14:5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all turned away from Me through their idols.

14:6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

14:7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from Me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, that he inquire for him of Me--I the Lord will answer him by Myself,

14:8 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.

14:9 And when the prophet is enticed and speaketh a word, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of My people Israel.

14:10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him that inquireth;

14:11 that the house of Israel may go no more astray from Me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be My people, and I may be their God, saith the L-rd GOD.'

14:12 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

14:13 'Son of man, when a land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, and I stretch out My hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast;

14:14 though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the L-rd GOD.

14:15 If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it be desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts;

14:16 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the L-rd GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

14:17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say: Let the sword go through the land, so that I cut off from it man and beast;

14:18 though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the L-rd GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

14:19 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;

14:20 though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the L-rd GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

14:21 For thus saith the L-rd GOD: How much more when I send My four sore judgments against Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beasts, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast.

14:22 And, behold, though there be left a remnant therein that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters; behold, when they come forth unto you, and ye see their way and their doings, then ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it;

14:23 and they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings, and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the L-rd GOD.'

15:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

15:2 'Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any tree, the vine branch which grew up among the trees of the forest?

15:3 Shall wood be taken thereof to make any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

15:4 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire hath devoured both the ends of it, and the midst of it is singed; is it profitable for any work?

15:5 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work; how much less, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is singed, shall it yet be meet for any work?

15:6 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: As the vine-tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so do I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15:7 And I will set My face against them; out of the fire are they come forth, and the fire shall devour them; and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them.

15:8 And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted treacherously, saith the L-rd GOD.'

16:1 Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

16:2 'Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

16:3 and say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD unto Jerusalem: Thine origin and thy nativity is of the land of the Canaanite; the Amorite was thy father, and thy mother was a Hittite.

16:4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water for cleansing; thou was not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

16:5 No eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field in the loathsomeness of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

16:6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee wallowing in thy blood, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live;

16:7 I cause thee to increase, even as the growth of the field. And thou didst increase and grow up, and thou camest to excellent beauty: thy breasts were fashioned, and thy hair was grown; yet thou wast naked and bare.

16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, and, behold, thy time was the time of love, I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness; yea, I swore unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the L-rd GOD, and thou becamest Mine.

16:9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I cleansed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

16:10 I clothed thee also with richly woven work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I wound fine linen about thy head, and covered thee with silk.

16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

16:12 And I put a ring upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.

16:13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and richly woven work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil; and thou didst wax exceeding beautiful, and thou wast meet for royal estate.

16:14 And thy renown went forth among the nations for thy beauty; for it was perfect, through My splendour which I had put upon thee, saith the L-rd GOD.

16:15 But thou didst trust in thy beauty and play the harlot because of thy renown, and didst pour out thy harlotries on every one that passed by; his it was.

16:16 And thou didst take of thy garments, and didst make for thee high places decked with divers colours, and didst play the harlot upon them; the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

16:17 Thou didst also take thy fair jewels of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of men, and didst play the harlot with them;

16:18 and thou didst take thy richly woven garments and cover them, and didst set Mine oil and Mine incense before them.

16:19 My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savour, and thus it was; saith the L-rd GOD.

16:20 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. Were thy harlotries a small matter,

16:21 that thou hast slain My children, and delivered them up, in setting them apart unto them?

16:22 And in all thine abominations and thy harlotries thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast wallowing in thy blood.

16:23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness--woe, woe unto thee! saith the L-rd GOD--

16:24 that thou hast built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee a lofty place in every street.

16:25 Thou hast built thy lofty place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty an abomination, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy harlotries.

16:26 Thou hast also played the harlot with the Egyptians, thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast multiplied thy harlotry, to provoke Me.

16:27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out My hand over thee, and have diminished thine allowance, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, that are ashamed of thy lewd way.

16:28 Thou hast played the harlot also with the Assyrians, without having enough; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet thou wast not satisfied.

16:29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy harlotry with the land of traffic, even with Chaldea; and yet thou didst not have enough herewith.

16:30 How weak is thy heart, saith the L-rd GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of a wanton harlot;

16:31 in that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thy lofty place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot that enhanceth her hire.

16:32 Thou wife that committest adultery, that takest strangers instead of thy husband--

16:33 to all harlots gifts are given; but thou hast given thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hast bribed them to come unto thee from every side in thy harlotries.

16:34 And the contrary is in thee from other women, in that thou didst solicit to harlotry, and wast not solicited; and in that thou givest hire, and no hire is given unto thee, thus thou art contrary.

16:35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord!

16:36 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness uncovered through thy harlotries with thy lovers; and because of all the idols of thy abominations, and for the blood of thy children, that thou didst give unto them;

16:37 therefore behold, I will gather all thy lovers, unto whom thou hast been pleasant, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them against thee from every side, and will uncover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.

16:38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will bring upon thee the blood of fury and jealousy.

16:39 I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and break down thy lofty places; and they shall strip thee of thy clothes, and take thy fair jewels; and they shall leave thee naked and bare.

16:40 They shall also bring up an assembly against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.

16:41 And they shall burn thy houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women; and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou shalt also give no hire any more.

16:42 So will I satisfy My fury upon thee, and My jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

16:43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted Me in all these things; lo, therefore I also will bring thy way upon thy head, saith the L-rd GOD; or hast thou not committed this lewdness above all thine abominations?

16:44 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying: As the mother, so her daughter.

16:45 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children; your mother was a Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

16:46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, that dwelleth at thy left hand, she and her daughters; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

16:47 Yet hast thou not walked in their ways, nor done after their abominations; but in a very little while thou didst deal more corruptly than they in all thy ways.

16:48 As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.

16:49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and careless ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

16:50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.

16:51 Neither hath Samaria committed even half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters by all thine abominations which thou hast done.

16:52 Thou also, bear thine own shame, in that thou hast given judgment for thy sisters; through thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they, they are more righteous than thou; yea, be thou also confounded, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

16:53 And I will turn their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them;

16:54 that thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be ashamed because of all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.

16:55 And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

16:56 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride;

16:57 before thy wickedness was uncovered, as at the time of the taunt of the daughters of Aram, and of all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, that have thee in disdain round about.

16:58 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the Lord.

16:59 For thus saith the L-rd GOD: I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, who hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.

16:60 Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

16:61 Then shalt thou remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder sisters and thy younger; and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not because of thy covenant.

16:62 And I will establish My covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord;

16:63 that thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame; when I have forgiven thee all that thou hast done, saith the L-rd GOD.'

17:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

17:2 'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,

17:3 and say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar;

17:4 He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.

17:5 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters, he set it as a slip.

17:6 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose tendrils might turn toward him, and the roots thereof be under him; so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

17:7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.

17:8 It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a stately vine.

17:9 Say thou: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither, yea, wither in all its sprouting leaves? neither shall great power or much people be at hand when it is plucked up by the roots thereof.

17:10 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.'

17:11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

17:12 'Say now to the rebellious house: Know ye not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;

17:13 and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;

17:14 that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.

17:15 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? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?

17:16 As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.

17:17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company succour him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many souls;

17:18 seeing he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

17:19 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: As I live, surely Mine oath that he hath despised, and My covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.

17:20 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 treachery that he hath committed against Me.

17:21 And all his mighty men in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind; and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken it.

17:22 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Moreover I will take, even I, of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent;

17:23 in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a stately cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

17:24 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 up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I the Lord have spoken and have done it.'

18:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

18:2 'What mean ye, that ye use this proverb in the land of Israel, saying: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?

18:3 As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

18:4 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.

18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

18:6 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 neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a woman in her impurity;

18:7 and hath not wronged any, but hath restored his pledge for a debt, hath taken nought by robbery, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

18:8 he that hath not given forth upon interest, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true justice between man and man,

18:9 hath walked in My statutes, and hath kept Mine ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the L-rd GOD.

18:10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth to a brother any of these things,

18:11 whereas he himself had not done any of these things, for he hath even eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,

18:12 hath wronged the poor and needy, hath taken by robbery, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination,

18:13 hath given forth upon interest, and hath taken increase; shall he then live? he shall not live--he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely be put to death, his blood shall be upon him.

18:14 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,

18:15 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 neighbour's wife,

18:16 neither hath wronged any, hath not taken aught to pledge, neither hath taken by robbery, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

18:17 that hath withdrawn his hand from the poor, that hath not received interest nor increase, hath executed Mine ordinances, hath walked in My statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18:18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, committed robbery on his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he dieth for his iniquity.

18:19 Yet say ye: Why doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father with him? 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.

18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father with him, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son with him; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

18:21 But if the wicked 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.

18:22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the L-rd GOD; and not rather that he should return from his ways, and live?

18:24 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? None of his righteous deeds that he hath done shall be remembered; for his trespass that he trespassed, and for his sin that he hath sinned, for them shall he die.

18:25 Yet ye say: The way of the L-rd is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is not equal? is it not your ways that are unequal?

18:26 When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall die therefor; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

18:27 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.

18:28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

18:29 Yet saith the house of Israel: The way of the L-rd is not equal. O house of Israel, is it My ways that are not equal? is it not your ways that are unequal?

18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the L-rd GOD. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so shall they not be a stumblingblock of iniquity unto you.

18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the L-rd GOD; wherefore turn yourselves, and live.

19:1 Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

19:2 and say: How was thy mother a lioness; among lions she couched, in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps!

19:3 And she brought up one of her whelps, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men.

19:4 Then the nations assembled against him, he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.

19:5 Now when she saw that she was disappointed, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

19:6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men.

19:7 And he knew their castles, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.

19:8 Then the nations cried out against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him, he was taken in their pit.

19:9 And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

19:10 Thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.

19:11 And she had strong rods to be sceptres for them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she was seen in her height with the multitude of her tendrils.

19:12 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 off and withered, the fire consumed her.

19:13 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.

19:14 And fire is gone out of the rod of her branches, it hath devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.' This is a lamentation, and it was for a lamentation.

20:1 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.

20:2 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

20:3 'Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Are ye come to inquire of Me? As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

20:4 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers;

20:5 and say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up My hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up My hand unto them, saying: I am the Lord your God;

20:6 in that day I lifted up My hand unto them, to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had sought out for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of all lands;

20:7 and I said unto them: Cast ye away every man the detestable things of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

20:8 But they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not every man cast away the detestable things of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

20:9 But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself known unto them, so as to bring them forth out of the land of Egypt.

20:10 So I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

20:11 And I gave them My statutes, and taught them Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them.

20:12 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.

20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they walked not in My statutes, and they rejected Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them, and My sabbaths they greatly profaned; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

20:14 But I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.

20:15 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 beauty of all lands;

20:16 because they rejected Mine ordinances, and walked not in My statutes, and profaned My sabbaths--for their heart went after their idols.

20:17 Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make a full end of them in the wilderness.

20:18 And I said unto their children in the wilderness: Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols;

20:19 I am the Lord your God; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them;

20:20 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.

20:21 But the children rebelled against Me; they walked not in My statutes, neither kept Mine ordinances to do them, which if a man do, he shall live by them; they profaned My sabbaths; then I said I would pour out My fury upon them, to spend My anger upon them in the wilderness.

20:22 Nevertheless I withdrew My hand, and wrought for My name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.

20:23 I lifted up My hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;

20:24 because they had not executed Mine ordinances, but had rejected My statutes, and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

20:25 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and ordinances whereby they should not live;

20:26 and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they set apart all that openeth the womb, that I might destroy them, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.

20:27 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: In this moreover have your fathers blasphemed Me, in that they dealt treacherously with Me.

20:28 For when I had brought them into the land, which I lifted up My hand to give unto them, then they saw every high hill, and every thick tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offering, there also they made their sweet savour, and there they poured out their drink-offerings.

20:29 Then I said unto them: What meaneth the high place whereunto ye go? So the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day.

20:30 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: When ye pollute yourselves after the manner of your fathers, and go after their abominations,

20:31 and when, in offering your gifts, in making your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, unto this day; shall I then be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, I will not be inquired of by you;

20:32 and that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all; in that ye say: We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.

20:33 As I live, saith the L-rd GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, will I be king over you;

20:34 and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out;

20:35 and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I plead with you face to face.

20:36 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the L-rd GOD.

20:37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;

20:38 and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

20:39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the L-rd GOD: Go ye, serve every one his idols, even because ye will not hearken unto Me; but My holy name shall ye no more profane with your gifts, and with your idols.

20:40 For in My holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the L-rd GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve Me in the land; there will I accept them, and there will I require your heave-offerings, and the first of your gifts, with all your holy things.

20:41 With your sweet savour will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.

20:42 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I lifted up My hand to give unto your fathers.

20:43 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have polluted yourselves; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

20:44 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for My name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the L-rd GOD.'

21:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

21:2 'Son of man, set thy face toward the South, and preach toward the South, and prophesy against the forest of the field in the South;

21:3 and say to the forest of the South: Hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree, it shall not be quenched, even a flaming flame; and all faces from the south to the north shall be seared thereby.

21:4 And all flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.'

21:5 Then said I: 'Ah L-rd GOD! they say of me: Is he not a maker of parables?'

21:6 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

21:7 'Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

21:8 and say to the land of Israel: Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth My sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

21:9 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall My sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north;

21:10 and all flesh shall know that I the Lord have drawn forth My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.

21:11 Sigh therefore, thou son of man; with the breaking of thy loins and with bitterness shalt thou sigh before their eyes.

21:12 And it shall be, when they say unto thee: Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt say: Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be slack, and every spirit shall be faint, and all knees shall drip with water; behold, it cometh, and it shall be done, saith the L-rd GOD.'

21:13 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

21:14 'Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord: Say: A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished:

21:15 It is sharpened that it may make a sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter--or shall we make mirth? --against the rod of My son, contemning every tree.

21:16 And it is given to be furbished, that it may be handled; the sword, it is sharpened, yea, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

21:17 Cry and wail, son of man; for it is upon My people, it is upon all the princes of Israel; they are thrust down to the sword with My people; smite therefore upon thy thigh.

21:18 For there is a trial; and what if it contemn even the rod? It shall be no more, saith the L-rd GOD.

21:19 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of those to be slain; it is the sword of the great one that is to be slain, which compasseth them about.

21:20 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied; ah! it is made glittering, it is sharpened for slaughter.

21:21 Go thee one way to the right, or direct thyself to the left; whither is thy face set?

21:22 I will also smite My hands together, and I will satisfy My fury; I the Lord have spoken it.'

21:23 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

21:24 'Now, thou son of man, make thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they twain shall come forth out of one land; and mark a signpost, mark it clear at the head of the way to the city.

21:25 Thou shalt make a way, that the sword may come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.

21:26 For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shaketh the arrows to and fro, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.

21:27 In his right hand is the lot Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth for the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.

21:28 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, who have weeks upon weeks! but it bringeth iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

21:29 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that your sins do appear in all your doings; because that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

21:30 And thou, O wicked one, that art to be slain, the prince of Israel, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end;

21:31 thus saith the L-rd GOD: The mitre shall be removed, and the crown taken off; this shall be no more the same: that which is low shall be exalted, and that which is high abased.

21:32 A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, will I make it; this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it him.

21:33 And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their taunt; and say thou: O sword, O sword keen-edged, furbished for the slaughter, to the uttermost, because of the glitterings;

21:34 While they see falsehood unto thee, while they divine lies unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are to be slain, whose day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end!

21:35 Cause it to return into its sheath! --In the place where thou wast created, in the land of thine origin, will I judge thee.

21:36 And I will pour out My indignation upon thee, I will blow upon thee with the fire of My wrath; and I will deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy.

21:37 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land, thou shalt be no more remembered; for I the Lord have spoken it.'

22:1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

22:2 'Now, thou, son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? then cause her to know all her abominations.

22:3 And thou shalt say: Thus saith the L-rd GOD: O city that sheddest blood in the midst of thee, that thy time may come, and that makest idols unto thyself to defile thee;

22:4 thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and art defiled in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years; therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the nations, and a mocking to all the countries!

22:5 Those that are near, and those that are far from thee, shall mock thee, thou defiled of name and full of tumult.

22:6 Behold, the princes of Israel, every one according to his might, have been in thee to shed blood.

22:7 In thee have they made light of father and mother; in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger; in thee have they wronged the fatherless and the widow.

22:8 Thou hast despised My holy things, and hast profaned My sabbaths.

22:9 In thee have been talebearers to shed blood; and in thee they have eaten upon the mountains; in the midst of thee they have committed lewdness.

22:10 In thee have they uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in thee have they humbled her that was unclean in her impurity.

22:11 And each hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and each hath lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and each in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter.

22:12 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken interest and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by oppression, and hast forgotten Me, saith the L-rd GOD.

22:13 Behold, therefore, I have smitten My hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.

22:14 Can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.

22:15 And I will scatter thee among the nations, and disperse thee through the countries; and I will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

22:16 And thou shalt be profaned in thyself, in the sight of the nations; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.'

22:17 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

22:18 'Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross unto Me; all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

22:19 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

22:20 As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in Mine anger and in My fury, and I will cast you in, and melt you.

22:21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you with the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

22:22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out My fury upon you.'

22:23 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

22:24 'Son of man, say unto her: Thou art a land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

22:25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls, they take treasure and precious things, they have made her widows many in the midst thereof.

22:26 Her priests have done violence to My law, and have profaned My holy things; they have put no difference between the holy and the common, neither have they taught difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

22:27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey: to shed blood, and to destroy souls, so as to get dishonest gain.

22:28 And her prophets have daubed for them with whited plaster, seeing falsehood, and divining lies unto them, saying: Thus saith the L-rd GOD, when the Lord hath not spoken.

22:29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have wronged the poor and needy, and have oppressed the stranger unlawfully.

22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the breach before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.

22:31 Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their own way have I brought upon their heads, saith the L-rd GOD.'

23:1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying:

23:2 'Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother;

23:3 and they committed harlotries in Egypt; they committed harlotries in their youth; there were their bosoms pressed, and there their virgin breasts were bruised.

23:4 And the names of them were Oholah the elder, and Oholibah her sister; and they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah.

23:5 And Oholah played the harlot when she was Mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians, warriors,

23:6 clothed with blue, governors and rulers, handsome young men all of them, horsemen riding upon horses.

23:7 And she bestowed her harlotries upon them, the choicest men of Assyria all of them; and on whomsoever she doted, with all their idols she defiled herself.

23:8 Neither hath she left her harlotries brought from Egypt; for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised her virgin breasts; and they poured out their lust upon her.

23:9 Wherefore I delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

23:10 These uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, and her they slew with the sword; and she became a byword among women, for judgments were executed upon her.

23:11 And her sister Oholibah saw this, yet was she more corrupt in her doting than she, and in her harlotries more than her sister in her harlotries.

23:12 She doted upon the Assyrians, governors and rulers, warriors, clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them handsome young men.

23:13 And I saw that she was defiled; they both took one way.

23:14 And she increased her harlotries; for she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion,

23:15 girded with girdles upon their loins, with pendant turbans upon their heads, all of them captains to look upon, the likeness of the sons of Babylon, even of Chaldea, the land of their nativity.

23:16 And as soon as she saw them she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

23:17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust; and she was polluted with them, and her soul was alienated from them.

23:18 So she uncovered her harlotries, and uncovered her nakedness; then My soul was alienated from her, like as My soul was alienated from her sister.

23:19 Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.

23:20 And she doted upon concubinage with them, whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

23:21 Thus thou didst call to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth, when they from Egypt bruised thy breasts for the bosom of thy youth.

23:22 Therefore, O Oholibah, thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy soul is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side:

23:23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, governors and rulers all of them, captains and councillors, all of them riding upon horses.

23:24 And they shall come against thee with hosts, chariots, and wheels, and with an assembly of peoples; they shall set themselves in array against thee with buckler and shield and helmet round about; and I will commit the judgment unto them, and they shall judge thee according to their judgments.

23:25 And I will set My jealousy against thee, and they shall deal with thee in fury; they shall take away thy nose and thine ears, and thy residue shall fall by the sword; they shall take thy sons and thy daughters, and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire.

23:26 They shall also strip thee of thy clothes, and take away thy fair jewels.

23:27 Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy harlotry brought from the land of Egypt, so that thou shalt not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

23:28 For thus saith the L-rd GOD: Behold, I will deliver thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from whom thy soul is alienated;

23:29 and they shall deal with thee in hatred, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare; and the nakedness of thy harlotries shall be uncovered, both thy lewdness and thy harlotries.

23:30 These things shall be done unto thee, for that thou hast gone astray after the nations, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

23:31 In the way of thy sister hast thou walked; therefore will I give her cup into thy hand.

23:32 Thus saith the L-rd GOD: Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup, which is deep and large; thou shalt be for a scorn and a derision; it is full to the uttermost.

23:33 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and appalment, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.

23:34 Thou shalt even drink it and drain it, and thou shalt craunch the sherds thereof, and shalt tear thy breasts; for I have spoken it, saith the L-rd GOD.

23:35 Therefore thus saith the L-rd GOD: Because thou hast forgotten Me, and cast Me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy harlotries.'

23:36 the Lord said moreover unto me: 'Son of man, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholibah? then declare unto them their abominations.

23:37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery; and their sons, whom they bore unto Me, they have also set apart unto them to be devoured.

23:38 Moreover this they have done unto Me: they have defiled My sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned My sabbaths.

23:39 For when they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into My sanctuary to profane it; and, lo, thus have they done in the midst of My house.

23:40 And furthermore ye have sent for men that come from far; unto whom a messenger was sent, and, lo, they came; for whom thou didst wash thyself, paint thine eyes, and deck thyself with ornaments;

23:41 and sattest upon a stately bed, with a table prepared before it, whereupon thou didst set Mine incense and Mine oil.

23:42 And the voice of a multitude being at eas