Condemnation of Israel’s Idolatrous Elders

14 And men from the elders of Israel came to me, and they sat before me.^{[a] 2} And the word of Yahweh came^[b] to me, saying,^{[c] 3} “Son of man,^[d] these men took up their idols into their heart and they placed before themselves^[e] a stumbling block of their guilt.^[f] Should I really let myself be consulted by them?^{[g] 4} Therefore speak with them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Every person from the house of Israel who brings up his idols into his heart and places before himself^[h] a stumbling block of his guilt^[i] and yet he comes to the prophet, I Yahweh, I will respond to him through this act^[j] with respect to the multitude^[k] of his idols, ⁵ so that I may take hold of the house of Israel by their heart, those who are estranged from me, all of them, through their idols.’ ⁶ Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Return,^[l] and turn away from your idols and from all of your detestable things! Turn away your faces!”’ ⁷ For each person^[m] from the house of Israel, and from the alien who dwells as an alien in Israel, who separates himself from following me^[n] and brings up his idols into his heart and places before himself^[o] a stumbling block of his guilt^[p], and yet he comes to the prophet to consult him concerning me, I Yahweh will answer^[q] him myself. ⁸ And I will set my face against that person, and I will make him to^[r] be a sign and make him into^[s] the subject of proverbs; and I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and you will know I am Yahweh. ⁹ And the prophet, if he is deceived and he speaks a word, I Yahweh, I have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him, and I will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. ¹⁰ And they will bear their guilt, like^[t] the guilt of the inquirer so^[u] the guilt of the prophet will be, ¹¹ so that the house of Israel will not go astray again from me,^[v] and they will not make themselves unclean again with all of their transgressions, and they will be for me a people, and I will be for them as God,” declares^[w] the Lord Yahweh.

Jerusalem will not be Spared

¹² And the word of Yahweh came^[x] to me, saying,^{[y] 13} “Son of man,^[z] when a land sins against me by acting very unfaithfully,^[aa] then I will stretch out my hand against it, and I will break for it the supply of food,^[ab] and I will send against it famine, and I will cut it off, both human and animal. ¹⁴ And if even the three of these men were in the midst of it—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they, through their righteousness, would save only themselves!”^[ac] declares^[ad] the Lord Yahweh. ¹⁵ “If a fierce animal I should let cross through the land, and it should make it childless and it will be a desolation, so that there will not be one crossing over the land due to^[ae] the presence of the animal, ¹⁶ even if these three men were in the midst of it, as surely as I live,”^[af] declares^[ag] the Lord Yahweh, “surely they will not save sons and daughters; they themselves alone,^[ah] they will be saved, but the land will be a desolation. ¹⁷ Or, if I bring a sword over that land, and I say, ‘Sword, let it cross over into^[ai] the land!’ And I will cut off from it both human and animal. ¹⁸ And if these three men were in the midst of it, as surely as I live,”^[aj] declares^[ak] the Lord Yahweh, “they will not save sons and daughters, but they alone^[al] will be saved. ¹⁹ And if I were to send a plague to that land, and I pour out my rage on it with blood to cut it off, both human and animal, ²⁰ and if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in the midst of her, as surely as I live,”^[am] declares^[an] the Lord Yahweh, “surely not a son, surely not a daughter will they save by their righteousness; they would save themselves.”^{[ao] 21} For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “How much more when I send my four punishments—the evil sword, and famine, and a fierce animal, and a plague—to Jerusalem to cut it off, both human and animal! ²² But^[ap] look! A remnant will be left over in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out.^[aq] Look! They are coming out to you, and you will see their way, and with their deeds you will be consoled with respect to^[ar] the evil that I brought over Jerusalem, all of it that I brought over^[as] it. ²³ And they will console you when you see their way and their deeds, and you will know that not for nothing I did all that I did in it,” declares^[at] the Lord Yahweh.