1فَجَاءَ إِلَيَّ رِجَالٌ مِنْ شُيُوخِ إِسْرَائِيلَ وَجَلَسُوا أَمَامِي.2فَصَارَتْ إِلَيَّ كَلِمَةُ الرَّبِّ،3يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، هَؤُلاَءِ الرِّجَالُ قَدْ أَصْعَدُوا أَصْنَامَهُمْ إِلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَوَضَعُوا مَعْثَرَةَ إِثْمِهِمْ تِلْقَاءَ أَوْجُهِهِمْ. فَهَلْ أُسْأَلُ مِنْهُمْ سُؤَالاً.4لأَجْلِ ذَلِكَ كَلِّمْهُمْ وَقُلْ لَهُمْ، هَكَذَا قَالَ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ، كُلُّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ الَّذِي يُصْعِدُ أَصْنَامَهُ إِلَى قَلْبِهِ، وَيَضَعُ مَعْثَرَةَ إِثْمِهِ تِلْقَاءَ وَجْهِهِ، ثُمَّ يَأْتِي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ، فَإِنِّي أَنَا الرَّبُّ أُجِيبُهُ حَسَبَ كَثْرَةِ أَصْنَامِهِ5لِكَيْ آخُذَ بَيْتَ إِسْرَائِيلَ بِقُلُوبِهِمْ، لأَنَّهُمْ كُلَّهُمْ قَدِ ارْتَدُّوا عَنِّي بِأَصْنَامِهِمْ.6لِذَلِكَ قُلْ لِبَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، هَكَذَا قَالَ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ، تُوبُوا وَارْجِعُوا عَنْ أَصْنَامِكُمْ، وَعَنْ كُلِّ رَجَاسَاتِكُمُ اصْرِفُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ.7لأَنَّ كُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ مِنْ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ أَوْ مِنَ الْغُرَبَاءِ الْمُتَغَرِّبِينَ فِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، إِذَا ارْتَدَّ عَنِّي وَأَصْعَدَ أَصْنَامَهُ إِلَى قَلْبِهِ، وَوَضَعَ مَعْثَرَةَ إِثْمِهِ تِلْقَاءَ وَجْهِهِ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ لِيَسْأَلَهُ عَنِّي، فَإِنِّي أَنَا الرَّبُّ أُجِيبُهُ بِنَفْسِي.8وَأَجْعَلُ وَجْهِي ضِدَّ ذَلِكَ الإِنْسَانِ وَأَجْعَلُهُ آيَةً وَمَثَلاً، وَأَسْتَأْصِلُهُ مِنْ وَسَطِ شَعْبِي، فَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي أَنَا الرَّبُّ.9فَإِذَا ضَلَّ النَّبِيُّ وَتَكَلَّمَ كَلاَماً فَأَنَا الرَّبَّ قَدْ أَضْلَلْتُ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ، وَسَأَمُدُّ يَدِي عَلَيْهِ وَأُبِيدُهُ مِنْ وَسَطِ شَعْبِي إِسْرَائِيلَ.10وَيَحْمِلُونَ إِثْمَهُمْ. كَإِثْمِ السَّائِلِ يَكُونُ إِثْمُ النَّبِيِّ.11لِكَيْ لاَ يَعُودَ يَضِلُّ عَنِّي بَيْتُ إِسْرَائِيلَ، وَلِكَيْ لاَ يَعُودُوا يَتَنَجَّسُونَ بِكُلِّ مَعَاصِيهِمْ، بَلْ لِيَكُونُوا لِي شَعْباً وَأَنَا أَكُونُ لَهُمْ إِلَهاً، يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ.12وَكَانَتْ إِلَيَّ كَلِمَةُ الرَّبِّ،13يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، إِنْ أَخْطَأَتْ إِلَيَّ أَرْضٌ وَخَانَتْ خِيَانَةً، فَمَدَدْتُ يَدِي عَلَيْهَا وَكَسَرْتُ لَهَا قِوَامَ الْخُبْزِ، وَأَرْسَلْتُ عَلَيْهَا الْجُوعَ، وَقَطَعْتُ مِنْهَا الإِنْسَانَ وَالْحَيَوَانَ،14وَكَانَ فِيهَا هَؤُلاَءِ الرِّجَالُ الثَّلاَثَةُ، نُوحٌ وَدَانِيآلُ وَأَيُّوبُ، فَإِنَّهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُخَلِّصُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِبِرِّهِمْ يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ.15إِنْ عَبَّرْتُ فِي الأَرْضِ وُحُوشاً رَدِيئَةً فَأَثْكَلُوهَا وَصَارَتْ خَرَاباً بِلاَ عَابِرٍ بِسَبَبِ الْوُحُوشِ،16وَفِي وَسَطِهَا هَؤُلاَءِ الرِّجَالُ الثَّلاَثَةُ، فَحَيٌّ أَنَا يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ إِنَّهُمْ لاَ يُخَلِّصُونَ بَنِينَ وَلاَ بَنَاتٍ. هُمْ وَحْدَهُمْ يَخْلُصُونَ وَالأَرْضُ تَصِيرُ خَرِبَةً.17أَوْ إِنْ جَلَبْتُ سَيْفاً عَلَى تِلْكَ الأَرْضِ وَقُلْتُ، يَا سَيْفُ اعْبُرْ فِي الأَرْضِ، وَقَطَعْتُ مِنْهَا الإِنْسَانَ وَالْحَيَوَانَ،18وَفِي وَسَطِهَا هَؤُلاَءِ الرِّجَالُ الثَّلاَثَةُ، فَحَيٌّ أَنَا يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ إِنَّهُمْ لاَ يُخَلِّصُونَ بَنِينَ وَلاَ بَنَاتٍ، بَلْ هُمْ وَحْدَهُمْ يَخْلُصُونَ.19أَوْ إِنْ أَرْسَلْتُ وَبَأً عَلَى تِلْكَ الأَرْضِ وَسَكَبْتُ غَضَبِي عَلَيْهَا بِالدَّمِ لأَقْطَعَ مِنْهَا الإِنْسَانَ وَالْحَيَوَانَ،20وَفِي وَسَطِهَا نُوحٌ وَدَانِيآلُ وَأَيُّوبُ، فَحَيٌّ أَنَا يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ إِنَّهُمْ لاَ يُخَلِّصُونَ ابْناً وَلاَ ابْنَةً. إِنَّمَا يُخَلِّصُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِبِرِّهِمْ.21لأَنَّهُ هَكَذَا قَالَ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ، كَمْ بِالْحَرِيِّ إِنْ أَرْسَلْتُ أَحْكَامِي الرَّدِيئَةَ عَلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ سَيْفاً وَجُوعاً وَوَحْشاً رَدِيئاً وَوَبَأً، لأَقْطَعَ مِنْهَا الإِنْسَانَ وَالْحَيَوَانَ،22فَهُوَذَا بَقِيَّةٌ فِيهَا نَاجِيَةٌ تُخْرَجُ بَنُونَ وَبَنَاتٌ. هُوَذَا يَخْرُجُونَ إِلَيْكُمْ فَتَنْظُرُونَ طَرِيقَهُمْ وَأَعْمَالَهُمْ، وَتَتَعَزَّوْنَ عَنِ الشَّرِّ الَّذِي جَلَبْتُهُ عَلَى أُورُشَلِيمَ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا جَلَبْتُهُ عَلَيْهَا.23وَيُعَزُّونَكُمْ إِذْ تَرَوْنَ طَرِيقَهُمْ وَأَعْمَالَهُمْ، فَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنِّي لَمْ أَصْنَعْ بِلاَ سَبَبٍ كُلَّ مَا صَنَعْتُهُ فِيهَا يَقُولُ السَّيِّدُ الرَّبُّ.
1Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.2And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?4Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh 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.6Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.7For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:8And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.9And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.10And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him ;11That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,13Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:14Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.15If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:16Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.17Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:18Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.19Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:20Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.21For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?22Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.23And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.