3
"Son of man, thesemen have set up their idols in their hearts and have putrightbefore their faces the stumblingblock of their iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at all?
4
"Thereforespeak to them and tell them, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "Anyman of the house of Israelwhosets up his idols in his heart, putsrightbefore his face the stumblingblock 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 multitude of his idols,
6
"Thereforesay to the house of Israel, 'Thussays the LordGOD, "Repent and turnaway from your idols and turn your facesaway from all your abominations.
7
"For anyone of the house of Israel or of the immigrantswhostay in Israel who separates himself from Me, sets up his idols in his heart, putsrightbefore his face the stumblingblock of his iniquity, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me for himself, I the LORD will be brought to answer him in My own person.
8
"I will set My face against that man and make him a sign 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 handagainst him and destroy him from among My peopleIsrael.
11
in order that the house of Israel may nolongerstray from Me and nolongerdefile themselves with all their transgressions. Thus they will be My people, and I shall be their God,"' declares the LordGOD."
13
"Son of man, if a countrysins against Me by committingunfaithfulness, and I stretch out My handagainst it, destroy its supply of bread, sendfamine against it and cutoff from it both man and beast,
14
even though thesethreemen, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliverthemselves," declares the LordGOD.
15
"If I were to cause wildbeasts to pass through the land and they depopulated it, and it becamedesolateso* that noone would passthrough it because* of the beasts,
16
though thesethreemen were in its midst, as I live," declares the LordGOD, "they could not delivereither their sonsor their daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the country would be desolate.
18
even though thesethreemen were in its midst, as I live," declares the LordGOD, "they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters, but they alone would be delivered.
20
even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the LordGOD, "they could not delivereither their sonor their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness."
21
For thussays the LordGOD, "Howmuchmore*when I send My fourseverejudgmentsagainstJerusalem: sword, famine, wildbeasts and plague to cutoffman 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 comeforth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamitywhich I have broughtagainstJerusalem for everythingwhich 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 in vainwhatever* I did to it," declares the LordGOD.