¹Then some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me .

²The LORD ’s word came to me , saying ,

³“Son of man , these men have taken their idols into their heart , and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face . Should I be enquired of at all by them ?

⁴Therefore speak to them and tell them , ‘The Lord GOD says : “Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face then comes to the prophet , I the LORD will answer him there according to the multitude of his idols ,

⁵that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart , because they are all estranged from me through their idols .”’

⁶“Therefore tell the house of Israel , ‘The Lord GOD says : “Return , and turn yourselves from your idols ! Turn away your faces from all your abominations .

⁷“‘“For everyone of the house of Israel , or of the strangers who live in Israel , who separates himself from me and takes his idols into his heart , and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face , and comes to the prophet to enquire for himself of me , I the LORD will answer him by myself .

⁸I will set my face against that man and will make him an astonishment , for a sign and a proverb , and I will cut him off from amongst my people . Then you will know that I am the LORD .

⁹“‘“If the prophet is deceived and speaks a word , I , the LORD , have deceived that prophet , and I will stretch out my hand on him , and will destroy him from amongst my people Israel .

¹⁰They will bear their iniquity . The iniquity of the prophet will be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him ,

¹¹that the house of Israel may no more go 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 ,” says the Lord GOD .’”

¹²The LORD ’s word came to me , saying ,

¹³“Son of man , when a land sins against me by committing a trespass , and I stretch out my hand on it , and break the staff of its bread and send famine on it , and cut off from it man and animal—

¹⁴though these three men , Noah , Daniel , and Job, were in it , they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness ,” says the Lord GOD .

¹⁵“If I cause evil animals to pass through the land , and they ravage it and it is made desolate , so that no man may pass through because of the animals —

¹⁶though these three men were in it , as I live ,” says the Lord GOD , “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters . They only would be delivered , but the land would be desolate .

¹⁷“Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword , go through the land, so that I cut off from it man and animal’—

¹⁸though these three men were in it , as I live ,” says the Lord GOD , “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters , but they only would be delivered themselves .

¹⁹“Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood , to cut off from it man and animal—

²⁰though Noah , Daniel , and Job, were in it , as I live ,” says the Lord GOD , “they would deliver neither son nor daughter ; they would deliver only their own souls by their righteousness .”

²¹For the Lord GOD says : “How much more when I send my four severe judgements on Jerusalem —the sword , the famine , the evil animals , and the pestilence —to cut off from it man and animal !

²²Yet , behold , there will be left a remnant in it that will be carried out , both sons and daughters . Behold , they will come out to you , and you will see their way and their doings . Then you will be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem , even concerning all that I have brought on it .

²³They will comfort you , when you see their way and their doings ; then you will know that I have not done all that I have done in it without cause ,” says the Lord GOD .