Evil in High Places

1And the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me unto the east gate of Jehovah's house, which looketh eastward; and behold, at the door of the gate were 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. 2And he said unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise iniquity, and give wicked counsel in this city: 3who say, It is not the time to build houses: this is the cauldron, and we are the flesh. 4Therefore prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man.

5And the Spirit of Jehovah fell on me, and said unto me, Speak, Thus saith Jehovah: Thus have ye said, O house of Israel; and the things that come into your mind, I know them. 6Ye have multiplied your slain in this city, and ye have filled the streets thereof with the slain. 7Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Your slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are the flesh, and it is the cauldron; but you will I bring forth out of the midst of it. 8Ye have feared the sword, and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah. 9And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of strangers, and will execute judgments among you. 10Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the borders of Israel; and ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah. 11This shall not be your cauldron, neither shall ye be the flesh in the midst of it: I will judge you in the borders of Israel; 12and ye shall know that I [am] Jehovah, in whose statutes ye have not walked, neither have done mine ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you.

A Promise of Restoration

13And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. And I fell down on my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah, Lord Jehovah! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?

14And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 15Son of man, [it is] thy brethren, thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel, the whole of it, unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem say, Get you far from Jehovah: unto us is this land given for a possession. 16Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Although I have removed them far off among the nations, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries whither they are come. 17Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye are scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18And they shall come thither, and they shall take away from thence all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; 20that 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. 21But as for them whose heart walketh well-pleased with their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their heads, saith the Lord Jehovah.

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

22And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 23And the glory of Jehovah went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. 24And the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity; and the vision that I had seen went up from me. 25And I spoke unto them of the captivity all the things that Jehovah had shewn me.