Ezekiel 14

Idolatrous Elders Condemned

1 Then some 1elders of Israel came to me and 2sat down before me.
2 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
3 "Son of man, these men have 3set up their idols in their hearts and have 4put right before their faces the stumbling block of their iniquity. Should I be 5consulted by them at all?
4 "Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Any man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will be brought to give him an answer in the matter in view of the 6multitude of his idols,
5 in order to lay hold of 7the hearts of the house of Israel who are 8estranged from Me through all their idols."'
6 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "9Repent and turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your 10abominations.
7 "For anyone of the house of Israel or of the 11immigrants who stay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, puts right before his face the stumbling block of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, 12I the LORD will be brought to answer him in My own person.
8 "I will 13set My face against that man and make him a 14sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from among My people. So you will know that I am the LORD.
9 "But if the prophet is prevailed upon to speak a word, it is I, the LORD, who have prevailed upon that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and 15destroy him from among My people Israel.
10 "They will bear the punishment of their iniquity; as the iniquity of the inquirer is, so the iniquity of the prophet will be,
11 in order that the house of Israel may no longer 16stray from Me and no longer 17defile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be 18My people, and I shall be their God,"' declares the Lord GOD."

The City Will Not Be Spared

12 Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,
13 "Son of man, if a country sins against Me by 19committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its 20supply of bread, send famine against it and cut off from it both man and beast,
14 even 21though these three men, 22Noah, 23Daniel and 24Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver 25themselves," declares the Lord GOD.
15 "If I were to cause 26wild beasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so * that no one would pass through it because * of the beasts,
16 though these three men were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. 27They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate.
17 "Or if I should 28bring a sword on that country and say, 'Let the sword pass through the country and 29cut off man and beast from it,'
18 even though these three men were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
19 "Or if I should send a 30plague against that country and pour out My wrath in blood on it to cut off man and beast from it,
20 even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness."
21 For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more * when 31I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!
22 "Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will 32see their conduct and actions; then you will be 33comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.
23 "Then they will comfort you when you see their conduct and actions, for you will know that I have not done 34in vain whatever * I did to it," declares the Lord GOD.

Cross References 34

  • 1. 2 Kings 6:32; Ezekiel 8:1; Ezekiel 20:1
  • 2. Isaiah 29:13; Ezekiel 33:31, 32
  • 3. Ezekiel 20:16
  • 4. Ezekiel 7:19; Ezekiel 14:4, 7; Zephaniah 1:3
  • 5. Isaiah 1:15; Jeremiah 11:11; Ezekiel 20:3, 31
  • 6. 1 Kings 21:20-24; 2 Kings 1:16; Isaiah 66:4
  • 7. Jeremiah 17:10; Zechariah 7:12
  • 8. Isaiah 1:4; Jeremiah 2:11; Zechariah 11:8
  • 9. 1 Samuel 7:3; Nehemiah 1:9; Isaiah 2:20; Isaiah 30:22; Isaiah 55:6, 7; Ezekiel 18:30
  • 10. Ezekiel 8:6; Ezekiel 14:4
  • 11. Exodus 12:48; Exodus 20:10
  • 12. Ezekiel 14:4
  • 13. Jeremiah 44:11; Ezekiel 15:7
  • 14. Isaiah 65:15; Ezekiel 5:15
  • 15. Jeremiah 6:14, 15; Jeremiah 14:15
  • 16. Ezekiel 44:10, 15; Ezekiel 48:11
  • 17. Ezekiel 11:18; Ezekiel 37:23
  • 18. Ezekiel 11:20; Ezekiel 34:30; Ezekiel 36:28
  • 19. Ezekiel 15:8; Ezekiel 20:27
  • 20. Leviticus 26:26; Isaiah 3:1; Ezekiel 4:16
  • 21. Jeremiah 15:1
  • 22. Genesis 6:8; Genesis 7:1; Hebrews 11:7
  • 23. Ezekiel 28:3; Daniel 1:6; Daniel 9:21; Daniel 10:11
  • 24. Job 1:1, 5; Job 42:8, 9
  • 25. Ezekiel 16:18, 20; Ezekiel 18:20
  • 26. Leviticus 26:22; Numbers 21:6; Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 14:21
  • 27. Genesis 19:29; Ezekiel 18:20
  • 28. Leviticus 26:25; Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 21:3, 4
  • 29. Ezekiel 25:13; Zephaniah 1:3
  • 30. Jeremiah 14:12; Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 14:21
  • 31. Ezekiel 5:17; Ezekiel 33:27; Amos 4:6-10; Revelation 6:8
  • 32. Ezekiel 12:16; Ezekiel 36:20
  • 33. Ezekiel 16:54; Ezekiel 31:16; Ezekiel 32:31
  • 34. Jeremiah 22:8, 9

Footnotes 12

Ezekiel 14 Commentaries

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.