Ezekiel
Introduction
[The dates in the Book of Ezekiel are based on Jehoiachin's captivity and exile in 597 BC, see ; . The introduction (verses 1-3) is structured with parallelism and also has a chiastic pattern that moves inward from year to month and centrally to the day when Ezekiel saw visions from God.] 11And it came to pass in the 30th year [of Ezekiel's life] in the 4th [month] on the 5th [day] of the month, when I [Ezekiel] was among the captives by the river Chebar,
that the heavens were opened and I saw visions from God (Elohim).
2On the 5th [day] of the month [probably the 4th, which is tamuz – June/July], which was the 5th year of King Jehoiachin's captivity [July 593 BC].
3Then the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to the priest Ezekiel, son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans [Babylon] by the river Chebar, and the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) [power, see ; ] was upon him in that place. [Kevar was a branch of the Euphrates River, south of Babylon.]
[This is the second exile, and the author of the book, Ezekiel, is one of those who are also taken away. He was then 25 years old. Here in the introduction to the book, five years have passed since then and he is 30 years old. In the first exile (605 BC), a small group was taken away, including Daniel. At that time, Jehoiakim (Hebr. Jehojaqim) reigned in Judah, see . Now his son Jehoiachin (Hebr. Jehojachin; same name, but with an "n" at the end instead of an "m") is ruling. Here in Ezekiel, the spelling of Jehojachin is the similar Jojachin ().
Ezekiel was (like Jeremiah) of priestly descent and a descendant of Levi. His father Buzi is not mentioned elsewhere, but there may be a connection with the land of Boz (, ). Had Ezekiel not been taken away from Jerusalem, he would have begun serving as a priest in the temple when he turned 30 (). Instead, the Lord now calls him to be a prophet (). The phrase "the word of the Lord came" is used 50 times in the book.]First collection of messages (chapters 1-7)
First vision
4And I looked, and behold, a stormy wind came out of the north [storms often represent God's presence, see Jer. 23:19], a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually around it, and out of the midst of it came the color of glowing metal from the midst of the fire.Four living creatures
5[While the prophet was watching the approaching storm, four living creatures appeared. They are reintroduced in and , where they are called cherubim. These angelic beings had God's mission to guard God's holiness. They indicate that God's holiness is present in the storm. After Adam's fall, cherubim were stationed at the entrance to Eden to prevent sin from entering God's holiness, see . Verses 5-14 list ten descriptions of these beings. And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures [cherubim ], and their appearance (revelation) was like (Hebr. demot) that of a man.]
6And each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. [The four cherubim had a total of 16 faces and 16 wings.] 7And their feet were straight feet [without any joints], and the soles of their feet were like the soles of a calf's feet [hooves], and they sparkled like the colors of polished bronze []. 8And they [the four cherubim] had human hands under their wings on their four sides. And all four of them had their faces and wings as follows: 9Their wings were joined together [in the same way as the two cherubim in Solomon's temple, see ]. They did not turn when they walked, but each one walked straight ahead. 10[Their faces looked like this:]
Each one had faces like a human being,
and all four had the face of a lion on the right,
and all four had the face of an ox on the left,
all four also had the face of an eagle [on the back of their heads]. []
11These were their faces.
And their wings were stretched upward, two wings on each one joined together, and with two they covered their bodies. 12And they went straight ahead [in the direction their faces were turned], wherever the Spirit went, they went, they did not turn as they went. 13And the living creatures had an appearance like burning coals, like torches, blazing back and forth among the living creatures, and there was brightness in the fire, and out of the fire came lightning. 14And the living creatures moved quickly (ran) back and forth like the appearance of the light of lightning.The wheels
[Next to these cherubim, something resembling wheels is described. It is the same word (Hebr. ofan) that is used for wagon wheels, see . However, they are more complex and are described as "wheels within wheels," see . In later Jewish literature (the Books of Enoch, 1 Enoch 61:10 and 2 Enoch 29:3), ofannim (plural of ofan) develops into a third type of angel, along with seraphim and cherubim. The reason is that there are eyes on the "wheels," see . The most basic interpretation of the wheels that can move in all directions is to show God's omnipotence and ability to see and move everywhere on earth at the same time.] 15And I saw the living creatures, and behold, a wheel on the ground beside the living creatures at their four faces. 16The appearance of the wheels and their construction was like the color of chrysolite [probably yellow/gold-colored – Hebr. ; probably from the city of Tarshish, perhaps imported from afar; see also ; ; ], and the four looked alike, and their appearance and their construction were as if there were a wheel inside a wheel. [This allows movement in all directions. Perhaps it is some kind of gyroscopic construction with spherical wheels.] 17They [the wheels] could move in all four directions (sides) without turning. [They could change direction without turning around.] 18And their rims (rings; something arched – Hebr. gav) were high and they were terrifying (commanding respect), and their rims (rings) [the spherical wheels] were full of eyes [may refer to light, precious stones, real eyes] all around – all four [wheels or the four creatures]. [; ] 19And when the four living creatures moved, the wheels moved alongside them, and when the four creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose (with them). 20Wherever the Spirit wanted to go (over the place where the Spirit wanted to go), there they went, and the wheels were lifted up with them, for the spirit of the creatures [singular] was in the wheels. 21When these (creatures) walk, they (the wheels) walk, and when they stand (still), they stand. And when they are lifted up from the ground, the wheels are lifted up beside them, for the spirit of the living creatures is in the wheels.The platform
22Above the heads of the living creatures was something that resembled something stretched out (expanded), it shone with colors of ice and was stretched out over their heads.
[Here, the Hebrew word is used first, which means to expand, make larger, hammer out like a sheet of metal, and then the Hebrew word nata expand, stretch out, be stretched out. Here, more than the three dimensions of space and time are hinted at, see .] 23And beneath the stretched out (the extended arched mount, the expansion) were their wings stretched out toward each other (together; literally: "a woman to her sister"). Each had two [wings] covering [one side of their bodies], and each had two [wings] covering [the other side of] their bodies. [See also .] 24And when they walked, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty (Shaddaj), a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood (still), they lowered their wings. 25And there was a voice above the expanse that was above their heads. When they stood (still), they lowered their wings. 26Above the platform that was above their heads, there was something that resembled a throne. It looked like sapphire (blue gemstone). High above the throne sat one who resembled a human being in appearance. 27From what appeared to be his hips and upward, I saw something that resembled a shining bronze-colored ring of fire around him (shining like molten metal). From his hips and downward, I saw something that resembled fire, which gave a brilliant light around him. 28This glow around him looked like the rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was how the glory (honor, power) of the Lord appeared to me.
When I saw this, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of someone speaking.Calling
21He said to me, "Son of man (Hebr. ben-adam), stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." [The Lord uses the term ben adam, which means son of man or son of Adam, when addressing Ezekiel. The phrase is used 93 times.] 2While he was speaking to me, a spirit (wind) came into me and lifted me up on my feet, and I heard him speaking. 3He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the house of Israel, to the people who rebel against me. Both they and their fathers have rebelled against me to this day, 4and the sons have bronze-colored faces and stiff hearts. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh).' 5And whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are a rebellious house, they shall know that a prophet has been among them. 6And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or be dismayed at their words, though there are defiant and contemptuous men among you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7And you shall speak my words to them, whether they want to listen or not, for they are very rebellious. 8But you, son of man, hear now what I speak to you. Do not be rebellious like this rebellious people. Open your mouth and eat what I give you." [Listen now and receive my message, and then carry it out.] 9Then I looked and saw a hand stretched out toward me, and in it was a scroll. 10He unrolled it before me. On both the front and back were written Lam. (expressions of sorrow), sighs (expressions of pain), and wailing. [Usually, only the inside of the scroll was written on, but so great was Israel's sin and judgment that it was written on both sides of the scroll.] 31And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find, eat this scroll, and go and speak to the house of Israel." [] 2So I opened my mouth, and he made me eat the scroll. 3And he said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you." Then I ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey. [; , ] 4And he said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them, 5for you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and sluggish tongue, but to the house of Israel, 6not to many peoples with an obscure language and a sluggish tongue, whose words you cannot understand. If I had sent you to them, they would surely have listened to you. 7But the house of Israel will not agree to listen to you, for they will not agree to listen to me, because the whole house of Israel has a stubborn forehead and a stiff neck. 8See, I have made your face hard (firm – Hebr. ) against their faces and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9Like a diamond that is harder than flint, I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid (do not be dismayed, discouraged) of them, and do not be disheartened by their appearance (their faces), for they are a rebellious house (tribe)." [Three times Hebr. (hard) is repeated. The word alludes to Ezekiel's name (Hebr. ), which means "the Lord makes hard/strengthens."] 10And he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I speak to you, receive in your heart and hear with your ears. 11And go to the captive sons of your people and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), whether they will hear or refuse to hear.Second vision
12And I was lifted up by a spirit (wind), and I heard behind me the voice of a great noise: "Blessed is the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) from his place." 13and the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great movement (shaking, earthquake – ). 14And a spirit (wind) lifted me up and carried me away, and I went with a hot bitterness in my spirit, and the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) was strong upon me. 15And I came to them of the captives in Tel Aviv [in Babylon at that time] who lived by the river Kevar, and I sat where they sat and remained there, appalled among them for seven days [the time of mourning, see ; ; ; also the time of priestly ordination, see ]. [Tel Aviv in this verse is located in ancient Babylon and should not be confused with today's modern Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Sea. The Jewish captives lived by the river Kevar near Nippur, see . The name is related to the Akkadian expression meaning "the mound/deposits from the great river." The word tel is a term for a mound that has been created by repeated settlement. It may originate from an ancient settlement that the Jews were ordered to rebuild. In Hebrew, the basic meaning of aviv is the stage in the development of barley when the ears turn green and begin to ripen. The month of aviv is the spring month when barley reaches this stage, see ; . mentions a fertile valley, so the name may be related to harvest. In modern Hebrew, aviv means spring. The modern city of Tel Aviv, founded in 1909, was named after this place name in Babylon at that time and means "spring hill".] 16And it came to pass after the seven days that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 17"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman [whose task was to watch and warn of approaching danger – Hebr. tsafa] for the house of Israel, and when you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them the warning from me. [A watchman was stationed on the wall and his task was to keep watch and warn the leadership of dangers, see ; ; . Failure to carry out this task was often punishable by death. See also ; ; .] 18When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked ways to save his life, then the wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood shall be required at your hand. 19But if you warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness, from his wicked ways, he shall die in his sin, but you have saved your soul. 20And when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, I will put a stumbling block before him [that he will stumble over], and he shall die. Because you did not warn him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but I will require his blood from your hand. 21But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he was warned, and you have saved your life (your soul)."Third vision
22And the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) came upon me there, and he said to me, "Arise and go out into the plain, and there I will speak with you. 23And I arose and went out to the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) [his presence manifested] stood there like the glory I saw by the river (canal) Chebar [], and I fell on my face. 24And a spirit (wind) came and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, "Go and shut yourself in your house. 25But you, son of man, behold, chains shall be put on you, and you shall be bound with them, and you shall not go out among them, 26and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so that you will be mute and not rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house. [Ezek. was mute for about seven years until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, see , except for those occasions when the Lord opened his mouth to speak, see .] 27But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): He who hears, let him hear, and he who rejects, let him reject, for they are a rebellious house.Symbolic action – clay tablets
[The Lord continues to speak to Ezekiel in the third vision, see .] 41"And you, son of man, take a clay tablet and place it before you and draw on it a city, Jerusalem. 2And lay siege against it and build fortifications against it and cast up a siege ramp against it, set up camp against it and put battering rams around it. 3And take an iron plate and set it as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel. 4And you shall lie on your left side and lay the sin of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of days that you lie on it, you shall bear their sin. 5And I have given them the years of their sin to be a number of days to you, 390 days. So you shall bear the sin of the house of Israel. 6And when you have completed these, you shall lie on your right side and bear the sin of the house of Judah, 40 days, each day for a year I have given it to you. 7And you shall turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8And behold, I will bind you with bands, and you shall not turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege. 9And take wheat and barley and beans and lentils and millet and rye and put them in a vessel and make bread for yourself, according to the number of days that you shall lie on your side, 390 days you shall eat it. [Ezekiel lives in a symbolic siege and rations his food. A siege was particularly noticeable if it lasted longer than a year and no new supplies of grain could be brought in, see ; ; , . The 40 days in the next verse are not included in these 390 days.] 10And your bread that you shall eat shall be by weight, 20 shekels [230 grams] per day, from time to time you shall eat it. 11And you shall drink water by measure, 1/6 hin [0.6 liters], from time to time you shall drink it. 12And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it on dung (feces) from people before their eyes." 13And the Lord (Yahweh) said [added]: "In this way the sons of Israel shall eat their bread unclean [] among the nations where I drive them." 14But I replied, "Alas, Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), my soul has never been unclean (contaminated); from my youth until now, I have never eaten anything that died of itself or was torn by a wild animal, and nothing detestable has ever entered my mouth." 15Then he said to me, "See, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung (feces), and you shall bake your bread over it." 16And he said to me, "Son of man, behold, I will break the staff (the supply of food) in Jerusalem [the supply of bread is compared to a staff that provides support], and they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. 17otherwise they shall lack bread and water and be appalled, a man and his brother, and waste away (melt away) in their transgressions."Symbolic act – Ezekiel's hair
[The Lord continues to speak to Ezekiel in the third vision throughout this chapter, see . Shaving one's hair was not something a priest took lightly, see ; ; . Just as a razor cuts away hair from the face and head, so invading armies will cut away the people from the land.] 51"And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, like a barber's razor, and pass it over your head and over your beard. Then take the scales and weigh and divide the hair. 2A third you shall burn in the fire in the middle of the city when the days of the siege are completed,
and a third you shall strike with the sword around her,
and a third you shall scatter to the wind, and a sword shall pursue them.
[The explanation comes in .] 3You shall also take a few stalks of it and bind them in the corner of your shirt. 4And of them you shall take (some) and throw them into the middle of the fire and burn them in the fire, from there a fire shall spread throughout the house of Israel. 5Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): This is Jerusalem! I have set her in the midst of the nations, and the countries are around her. 6And she rebelled against my decrees (binding legal decisions) in doing more evil than the nations, and against my statutes (literally "things engraved") more than the countries around her, for they rejected my decrees (binding legal decisions) and my statutes (literally "things engraved") they have not walked after. 7Therefore, thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Because you have surpassed the countries around you in not walking according to my decrees (literally "things engraved") and have not done (followed) my statutes (binding legal decisions) and the statutes (binding legal decisions) of the nations around you, you have not done so either. 8Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against you, even I, and I will execute my judgments in your midst, in the sight of the peoples (in the sight of the nations). 9And I will do to you [Jerusalem] what I have never done before [worse than all previous judgments, see ; ; ] and that I will never do again, because of all your abominations (this abominable thing) [plural – idolatry, evil deeds, etc.]. [The prophecy includes the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD and the last attempt by the Antichrist, see ; as well as that by Nebuchadnezzar. See also .] 10Therefore, fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers, and I will execute judgment in your midst, and I will scatter all your survivors to every wind. 11As I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, I will surely diminish you and will not spare you, nor will I have pity. 12A third of you shall die by pestilence, and by famine shall they be consumed in your midst,
and a third shall fall by the sword around you,
and a third I will scatter to all the winds, and a sword shall pursue them. 13Thus my wrath shall be spent, and I shall satisfy my fury upon them, and I shall be satisfied, and they shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken in my zeal when I spent my fury upon them. 14I will make you a wonder and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all who pass by. 15So it shall be a reproach and a taunt (mockery), a lesson and a wonder to the nations around you, when I execute judgment on you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it. 16I will send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which I will send to destroy you, and I will multiply the famine upon you and break your staff of bread [the supply of food is compared to a staff that gives support], 17and I will send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall rob you of your children [make you childless, see also ], and pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will send the sword upon you. I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it."Message to the mountains of Israel
61The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2"Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel [where they have built places of sacrifice to idols, see ] and prophesy against them 3and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord (Adonai Yahweh): Thus says the Lord (Adonai Yahweh) to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys: Behold, I will come upon you with the sword and I will destroy your high places. [; ] 4Your altars shall be laid waste, and your sun images shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5And I will lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6In all the places where you live, the cities shall be laid waste and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars shall be destroyed and desolate, and your idols shall be broken and silenced, and your sun images shall be cast down, and your work shall be destroyed. 7And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 8And I will leave a remnant [] so that there will be some who escape the sword among the nations when you are scattered to the countries. 9And those of you who escape shall remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have grieved over their backsliding hearts that have turned away from me, and with their eyes they have gone after their idols. And they shall loathe themselves (literally: "be crushed/broken in their own faces") for the evil they have committed with all their abominations. 10And they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), I have not spoken in vain that I will do this evil to them. 11Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Strike with your hand and stamp with your foot, and say, "Woe (Hebr. ach) [expression of pain, used only here and in ; ]! For all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, for they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence [Ezek. 5:1-3; 12; Lev. 26:25-26]. 12He who is far away shall die of the pestilence, and he who is near shall fall by the sword, and he who remains and is besieged shall die of famine, so I will use (consume) my fury upon them. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) when their slain are among their idols around their altars on every high hill, on every mountain top, and under every green tree, and under every thick terebinth tree, the places where they offer sweet aroma to their idols. 14And I will stretch out my hand against them and make the land utterly desolate, more desolate than the wilderness of Zeboiim, in all the places where they dwell, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh)."Message of coming judgment on Israel
71The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 2And you, son of man, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh) to the land of Israel:
An end (Hebr. qets)
is coming (Hebr. bo)
the end (Hebr. ha´qets) [is coming] upon the four corners of the land.
3Now the end is upon you, and I will send my wrath upon you and judge you according to your ways, and I will give you all your abominations. 4And my eyes will not spare you, and I will have no pity, but I will repay you according to your ways (as you have walked, the choices you have made), your abominations will be in your midst, and you will know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 5Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Evil, an evil, behold, it is coming. [Here the word evil – Hebr. raa – is repeated twice, both times in the singular and with the addition of the word "an." Thus, it is made absolutely clear that it is a single evil that is being referred to.] 6An end (Hebr. qets)
is coming,
is coming
[makes] the end (Hebr. ha´qets)
it has been awakened (Hebr. qits) against you,
see, it is coming.
[The verse has a structure with an introductory chiasm, and the word "arise," which can also mean harvest time, is central, framed by the word "end." The words qets and qits are similar and provide rhythm and repetition.] 7Your turn has come, inhabitants of the land, the time has come, the day of turmoil is near, and not with shouts of joy on the mountains. 8Now I will quickly pour out my wrath upon you and complete my anger against you, and I will judge you according to your ways, and I will give you all your abominations. 9And my eyes shall not spare, and I shall have no pity, but I shall give you according to your ways (which you have walked, the choices you have made), your abominations shall be in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 10Behold the day! Behold, it is coming! The turning point is revealed, the rod has blossomed, pride (arrogance) has budded. 11Violence has risen up to a rod of wickedness, nothing comes from them, and no tumult (sound of great multitudes), and no multitude, and no lamentation among them. 12The time has come, the day is near, let not the buyers rejoice, nor the sellers mourn, for wrath is upon all their multitudes. 13For the seller shall not return to what is sold, even though it is still alive, for the vision concerns (affects) all its multitude that shall not return, and no man shall return to his sin alive, no one shall be strong (firm, secure, brave). 14They have blown (Hebr. taqa) the wind instrument (Hebr. taqoa) [the shofar] and made themselves ready, but no one has gone out to battle, for my wrath is upon all its multitude. 15The sword is outside and the plague and famine are inside; he who is in the field shall die by the sword, and he who is in the city shall be devoured by the plague and famine. 16And those of them who escape will come to the mountains like doves of the valley. They will all lament, each man for his sin. 17All hands will be limp (hanging down by their sides) and all knees will be weak as water. 18They shall gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them, and shame shall be on all faces, and baldness on all their heads. 19They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be an unclean thing. [The Hebrew term may refer to ritual impurity associated with menstruation; the word is also used in .] Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's (Yahweh's) wrath. They shall not satisfy their souls (throats; quench their thirst) or fill their bellies, for their sin has become a stumbling block [over which they stumble]. 20And their beautiful adornments were used as pride made into images of their abominations [figurines, see ] and their distasteful things [idols], therefore I have made it unclean for them. [] 21And I will give it into the hands of strangers for a prey, and to the wicked of the earth for a spoil, and they shall profane it. 22I will turn my face away from them, and they shall profane my secret (hidden) place, and robbers shall come in and profane it. 23Prepare (prepare) the chain [symbolic of captivity and exile], for the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of violence (lawlessness – Hebr. chamas). 24And I will release the worst [most evil/ruthless] nations, and they will possess their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their holy place will be desecrated. 25Terror will come, and they will seek peace (shalom) but find none. 26Disaster will follow disaster, and rumor will follow rumor, and they will seek a prophetic vision, but teaching has departed (no longer exists) from the priest, and counsel (no longer exists) from the elders. 27The king will mourn, and the princes will be clothed with terror, and the hands of the people in the land will become powerless; I will deal with them according to their ways (ways of living) and judge them according to their deeds, and they will know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Second collection of messages (chapters 8-13)
[It has been 14 months since the first recorded vision in .] 81And it came to pass in the sixth year [after King Jehoiachin's captivity, see ], in the sixth month [Elul] on the 15th day of the month [September 17, 592 BC], that I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, and the hand of the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh) fell upon me there.Part 1 – idolatry in the temple
2And I saw, and behold, something (someone) that looked like fire. From the waist down, it looked like fire, and from the waist up, it looked like the colors of the spectrum. 3And the form of a hand was stretched out, and I was taken by a lock on my head, and a spirit (wind) lifted me up between the earth and the heavens and brought me into a vision from God, to Jerusalem, to the opening of the gate of the inner court facing north. There was the throne of jealousy (envy) depicted, provoking (inciting) jealousy (envy). [; ; , ] 4And behold, the glory of the God of Israel (Elohim) was there, just as in the vision I saw in the field.The image of jealousy – Asherah
5He said to me, "Son of man, lift up your eyes toward the north." So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the gate of the altar was the throne of jealousy at the entrance.
[Previously, Manasseh had set up an image of the fertility goddess Asherah in the temple, as referred to in similar terms, see , . In the temple in Jerusalem, idolatry and daily sacrifices to pagan gods take place.] 6And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing? The great abominations that the house of Israel is committing here, so that I must go far away from my sanctuary? But you will see even greater abominations."Worship of animals
7And he brought me to the opening of the courtyard, and when I looked, I saw a hole in the wall. 8And he said to me, "Son of man, dig into the wall." When I dug into the wall, I saw an opening. 9And he said to me, "Go in and see the abominations that the wicked do here." 10So I went in and looked, and behold, [there were] all kinds of disgusting creeping things [unclean animals, see ] and animals and all the idols that the house of Israel had depicted on the wall all around. [Such images were idols, see ; . These were worshipped in Egypt and are depicted on their chamber walls.] 11And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazanjaho, the son of Shafan, each man with his censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense rose up. 12And he said to me, "Have you seen, son of man, what the elders of the sons of Israel are doing in the dark, each man in his idol chamber? For they say, 'The Lord (Yahweh) does not see us, the Lord (Yahweh) has forsaken the land. 13And he said to me, "You will see even greater abominations that they are doing."Worship of Tammuz
14Then he brought me to the entrance of the gate of the house of the Lord (Yahweh) that faces north, and behold, there sat the women weeping for Tammuz. 15And he said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? You will see even greater abominations than these."Sun worship
16And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), and behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord (Yahweh), between the porch and the altar, there were about 25 men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord (Yahweh) and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. [Turning your back on the temple is the same as turning your back on God. It is especially provocative when they worship the sun in the temple itself in this way.] 17And he said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a light thing that the house of Judah has committed the abominations they commit here, filling the land with violence and provoking me even more, and they put the branch to their nose. [The expression may allude to some occult ritual. There is an example of an Assyrian relief of a king holding a flower to his nose while worshipping the stars. The Greek translation Septuagint does not translate literally but more generally "they are mockers." It is probably a proverbial expression to mock God, corresponding to "haveing one's nose in the air" in English.] 18Therefore, I will act in wrath, my eyes will not spare, and I will have no pity, and even if they cry out in my ears with a loud (strong) voice, I will not hear (listen to) them."Part 2 – The inhabitants of Jerusalem
[This passage is about the judgment of the idolaters Ezekiel saw destroying the temple, see . The previous chapter ended with the proclamation of judgment, see , which is repeated at the end of this vision, see . But the judgment will only take place after the faithful have been marked. The passage is structured as a chiasm framed by the man in linen, see verses 1-3 and .
Later in the vision, it is suggested that these seven men can also be interpreted as angels. It is not unusual for angels to be called men, see ; ; . Babylonian mythology describes a group of seven beings subordinate to God, whose task is to punish and destroy. The Aramaic Sefire inscription from the 7th century (found in 1930 in Al-Safirah near Aleppo in Syria) mentions curses by "the seven" if a covenant is broken.] 91Then he cried out in my ears [the voice of God] with a loud voice and said:
Bring the city's guardians (those who rule, but also discipline – Hebr. ) close,
each man with his weapon of destruction (deadly weapon – Hebr. machet) in his hand. 2And behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate that is on the north [built by Jotham, see 2 Kings 15:35; the same area where Ezekiel saw sun worshippers, see Ezekiel 8:16],
each man with his weapon of destruction (deadly weapon) in his hand.
And a man in the midst of them [with three men on either side] who was clothed in white linen with a scribe's writing kit (Hebr. qeset) [Egyptian loanword for portable box with pens, palette, and containers with probably both black and red ink] at his side (tied to his belt at the hip). And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar []
3And the glory of the God of Israel (Elohim) had risen from the cherubim
where it had been and (moved) to the threshold of the house, and he called to the man who was dressed in white linen with a scribe's writing case at his side [verses 2 and 11]. 4And the Lord (Yahweh) said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark [Hebr. tav; the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet whose pictogram is a cross] on the forehead of all the men who sigh and cry out because of all the abominations that are done in its midst. [; ; ; ; ]
[Now that those who mourned over what was described as happening in the temple in chapter 8 have been marked by the man in linen, the six other men go on to carry out the judgment. Cf. .] 5And to the other [six] he said, so that I heard it: Go through the city after him and strike, do not let your eyes spare, and have no pity. 6Slaughter completely, old men, young men, virgins, and little ones and women, but do not come near any man who has the mark, and begin at my sanctuary.
Then they began with the elders who were in front of the house. 7And he said to them, Defile the house [make it ritually unclean] and fill the courtyard with the slain,
go out.
And they went out and slew in the city. 8And it came to pass, when they slew, that I was left (alone at the temple), and I fell on my face and cried out, saying, "Alas (oh no), Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh), will you destroy all that remains of Israel when you pour out your wrath on Jerusalem?" 9And he said to me, "The sin of the house of Hos and Judah is very great, and the land is full of blood, and the city is full of corruption, for they say, 'The Lord (Yahweh) has forsaken the land, and the Lord (Yahweh) does not see. 10And I also will not let my eyes spare, and I will have no pity, but I will repay their ways upon their heads (let them receive the same treatment they themselves have practiced in the form of oppression, bloodshed, greed, and all the other sins they have committed). 11And behold, the man in linen clothing who had the writing kit at his side (tied to his belt at his hip) [see verses 2 and 3] reported and said, "I have done everything you commanded me.Part 3 – Jerusalem is burned
101Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse [] that was above the heads of the cherubim, there appeared above them as it were a sapphire stone, a stone resembling a throne in appearance. 2And he spoke to the man clothed in linen and said: Go in between the wheels under the cherubim and fill both your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim and throw it toward the city. And he went before my eyes. 3And the cherubim stood on the right side of the house when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4And the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) rose from the cherubim to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud [], and the courtyard was full of the light (glory, brilliance) of the Lord's (Yahweh's) glory. 5And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard in the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty (El Shaddai) when he speaks. 6And it came to pass, when he [the Lord] commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, "Take fire [] from between the wheels, from between the cherubim," that he [the man clothed in linen] went and stood beside one of the wheels. 7And the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire that was between the cherubim and took some of it and put it in the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and went out. 8And there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man's hand under their wings. 9And I looked, and behold, there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside one cherub and one wheel beside another cherub, and the appearance of the wheels was like the color of chrysolite [probably yellow/gold-colored – Hebr. tarsis]. 10And the appearance had a form to the four, as if a wheel were inside a wheel. 11When they walked, they walked toward their four sides; they did not turn when they walked, but to the place where their heads looked, they followed it; they did not turn when they walked. 12And their whole body and their backs and their hands and their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around to their four wheels. 13As for the wheels, I heard them called (in my ears they were called) "rolling whirlwinds" (Hebr. galgal). 14And each one had four faces, the first face was the face of a cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle. 15And the cherubim rose up, these are the living creatures that I saw by the river Chebar. 16And when the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them, and when the cherubim lifted their wings to rise from the earth, the wheels did likewise and did not leave their side. 17When they stood (still), these (the wheels) stood, and when they rose, they rose with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in them (the wheels). 18And the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) went forth from the threshold of the house and stood above the cherubim. 19And the cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the earth before my eyes, and they went forward, and the wheels beside them, and they stood in the opening of the east gate of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), and the glory of the God of Israel (Elohim) was above them. 20These are the living creatures that I saw under the God of Israel (Elohim) by the river Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21Each one had four faces and each one had four wings, and what looked like a human hand was under their wings. 22And the likeness of their faces was the likeness of the faces of the cherubim, which I saw by the river Chebar; their appearance and themselves, they went every one straight forward. Part 4 – Judgment on Israel's leaders
111Then a spirit (wind) lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), which faces east, and behold, in the doorway of the gate were 25 men. [Cf. the 25 men mentioned in .] And I saw in their midst Jazaniah, the son of Azor, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, princes of the people. [During excavations in the City of David in Jerusalem, hundreds of clay seals (Latin: bulla) have been found from the period just before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The names of Jaazaniah and Pelatiah were found among them. The names of Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch have also been found.] 2And he said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give evil counsel in this city [Jerusalem]. 3which says: 'The time is not right to build houses [start a family]. []
She [this city—Jerusalem] is the pot, and we are the meat.'
[A similar image of a pot is used in , , see also .]
4Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man." 5And the Spirit of the Lord (Yahweh) fell upon me [stronger expression than ; ] and he said to me, "Speak: 'Thus says the Lord (Yahweh): You, O house of Israel, have said (thought) this, for I know what you are thinking (I know what is in your spirit). [] 6You have multiplied your slaughter in this city and filled its streets with the slain. 7Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it are flesh, and this city is a pot, but you shall be taken away from its midst. 8You are afraid of the sword, and the sword shall come upon you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 9And I will take you away from its midst and give you into the hands of strangers, and I will execute judgment among you. 10You shall fall by the sword, and I will judge you at the border of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 11Though this city shall not be your pot, you shall be the meat in its midst. I will judge you at the border of Israel, 12and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), for you have not walked in my statutes (literally: things engraved) and have not executed my judgments (binding legal decisions), but have acted according to the judgments of the nations that are around you." 13And it came to pass, when I prophesied, that Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Ah (oh no), Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?"God will restore Israel
14The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said 15"Son of man, your brothers, your brothers [], the men of your redemption, and the whole house of Israel, to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Go far away from the Lord (Yahweh). This land has been given to us as a possession. 16Therefore, say: 'This is what the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh) says: Although I have scattered them far among the nations and dispersed them among the countries, I have been to them like a small sanctuary in the countries where they have gone. 17Therefore, say: 'Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): I will gather you from among the peoples and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18When they return there, they shall remove all the detestable idols and all their abominations [associated rituals and worship] that are there. 19I will give them an undivided (new) heart [that is not torn between idolatry and true worship] and fill them with a new spirit. I will remove the stony heart from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, 20so that they will follow my commands and keep (guard, protect, preserve) my statutes and live by them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God (Elohim). 21But for those who follow (walk after) distasteful things and their abominations in their hearts, I will bring their way upon their heads (they themselves will suffer from the abominations they engage in), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh)." 22Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel (Elohim) was above them. 23And the glory of the Lord (Yahweh) went up from the middle of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city (the Mount of Olives). 24And a spirit (wind) lifted me up [] and carried me in the vision by the Spirit of God (Elohim) to the Chaldeans, to the captives. Then the vision that I had ascended from me. 25Then I spoke to all the captives, all the words (things) that the Lord (Yahweh) had shown me.Symbolic action – Ezekiel's baggage
121And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me, saying: 2"Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house that has eyes to see but does not see, ears to hear but does not hear [; ], for they are a rebellious house. 3And you, son of man, prepare for yourself what you need for exile and move as if for exile in the daytime before their eyes, and you shall move from your place to another place before their eyes, perhaps they will see (take notice) for they are a rebellious house. 4You shall carry your luggage (packing) by day before their eyes [so that all may see], as luggage for exile [consisting of the bare necessities for a journey—water skin, bedding, and a food bowl], and you shall depart by yourself in the evening, before their eyes, as when one goes into exile. [The evening was not the usual time to begin a long journey. Here we see a reflection of what happens to King Tsidqijaho, who flees at night from a besieged Jerusalem, see .] 5Dig through the wall in front of their eyes and carry it away that way. 6In front of their eyes, you shall carry it on your shoulders and carry it away in the darkness. You shall cover your face so that you do not see the ground, for I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel." 7And I did as I was commanded. I carried out my luggage by day, as the luggage of an exile, and I dug through the wall with my hand and carried it out in the dark and carried it on my shoulders before their eyes. 8And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me in the morning, saying: 9Son of man, has not the rebellious house of Israel said to you, 'What are you doing? 10Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Concerning the princes, this message (prophetic word, this burden) applies to Jerusalem and to the whole house of Israel among whom you are. 11Say: I am your sign. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity. 12And the prince [referring to the vassal king Tsidqijaho] who is among them shall carry [his belongings] on his shoulder and go forth in darkness; they shall dig through the wall to go out that way; he shall cover his face so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. [Ezekiel avoids the word king (Hebr. melek) and instead uses prince/leader (Hebr. nasi) about Zedekiah (Hebr. Tsidqijaho) who was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar (). Jeconiah (Hebr. Jehojachin) was the rightful king in exile. These words are fulfilled when Zedekiah's eyes are gouged out before he is taken away to Babylon, see ; .] 13I will spread my net over him and he will be caught in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, he will die there. 14And all who help him around him and all his troops I will scatter to the winds, and I will draw out the sword after them. 15And they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them in the countries. 16But I will leave a few of them alive after the sword, famine, and pestilence (epidemics, plagues, diseases), so that they may recount all their abominations among the nations where they go, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Symbolic act – Ezekiel's eating
17The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
18Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with trembling and anguish. 19And say to the people of the land: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh) to those who dwell in Jerusalem in the land of Israel. They shall eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with dread, for her land shall be desolate from all who are there, because of the violence of all who dwell there. 20And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Message about false prophecies and occultism
21The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
22Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, 'The days are prolonged, and every vision fails'? 23Therefore, say to them: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): I will make this proverb disappear, and they shall no longer use it as a proverb in Israel. But speak to them: The days are revealed, and the words in all visions. 24There shall be no more vain visions, no flattering divinations in the house of Israel. 25For I am the Lord (Yahweh). I will speak the words that I speak, and they shall be done. They shall no longer be delayed. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak words and I will perform them, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 26The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
27Son of man, behold those of the house of Israel who say, "The vision he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off. 28Therefore, say to them: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): None of my words shall be delayed any longer, but my words that I speak shall be fulfilled, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 131The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own hearts: Hear the word of the Lord (Yahweh): 3Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Woe to the worthless prophets who follow their own spirit and things they have not seen! 4Your prophets, O Israel, have become like foxes in the wilderness. 5You have not gone up to the breaches (cracks in the wall) and have not repaired the ramparts (defensive structures) of the house of Israel, to stand in battle on the day of the Lord (Yahweh). 6They have seen emptiness (falsehood, vanity) and lying divination (imaginary visions) that say, "Thus says (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh)," but the Lord (Yahweh) has not sent them. Yet they hope that the word will be confirmed. 7Have you not seen a vain vision, and have you not spoken a lying prophecy when you say, "Thus says the Lord (Yahweh)," when I have not spoken? 8Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Because you have spoken vanity and seen falsehood, therefore I am against you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh). 9And my hand shall be against the prophets who see emptiness (falsehood, vanity) and who prophesy lies. They shall not be in my people's council, nor shall they be written in the chronicles of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel, and they shall know that I am the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 10Therefore, because they have led my people astray and said, "Peace (shalom)," but there is no peace (shalom). [They say that all is peace and joy, when it is not so, see also .] And when I built a wall without mortar, which they cover with whitewash. 11Tell those who coat it with white lime that it will fall. There will be a downpour, and a great hailstorm will pour down, and a storm wind will break forth, 12and behold, when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the whitewash with which you whitewashed? 13Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): I will send a storm wind in my fury, and there shall be a flood in my wrath, and great hailstones shall devour it in fury. 14Thus I will break down the wall that you have whitewashed and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundations are laid bare, and it shall fall, and you shall be consumed in its midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 15And I will complete my fury upon the wall and upon those who have covered it with whitewash, and I will say to you: The wall is no more, nor those who covered it, 16the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem and see visions of peace (shalom), but there is no peace (shalom), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). [In addition to the false prophets, the false prophetesses are now also singled out in verses 17-19. This passage is one of four prophetic sections in the Old Testament that criticize women (; ; ). Four female prophets, all true prophets of God, are mentioned by name in the Old Testament: Deborah (), Huldah (), Miriam (), and Noadiah (). In contrast, the false prophetesses of Ezekiel's time suffered the same condemnation as their male counterparts. God preserved neither their names nor their specific offices ().] 17And you, son of man, set your face against [confront] the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own hearts, and prophesy against them 18and say: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Woe to you [women, see ] who sew anklets for all wrists [amulets, occult bands] and make [magical] headbands (veils) of various lengths to capture souls (human life). Will you capture the souls (lives) of my people but keep yourselves (your own souls) alive? 19You [women] have profaned me among my people for a handful of grain and a few morsels of bread. You slaughter souls [human lives] that should not die and save souls [human lives] that should not live, through your lies to my people who [willingly, gladly] listen to the lie. 20Thus says the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against your bracelets (amulets, occult bands) with which you capture (entrap) souls [human lives] like birds. And I will tear them from your arms, and I will let the souls spread out (bloom like a flower, become free), the souls that you have hunted like birds. 21I will tear your veils apart and rescue my people from your hand, and they shall no longer be in your hand to be hunted, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 22Because you have frightened the heart of the righteous with lies when I have not grieved him, and strengthened the hands of the wicked so that he does not return (turn back) from his wicked way so that he may be saved alive, 23therefore you shall no longer see emptiness (falsehood, vanity), nor prophesy. And I will rescue my people from your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Third collection of messages
Message against idolatry
[Chapter 14 contains two prophecies. The first (verses 1-11) is the conclusion to the message against false prophets/prophetesses in .] 141And some of the elders of Israel came and sat before me. 2And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and placed their sins as a stumbling block before their faces. Should I even be sought (asked, worshipped – Hebr. darash) by them? 4Therefore, speak to them and say: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Every man of the house of Israel who sets up his idols over his heart and places the stumbling block of his sins before his face and comes to the prophet, I, the Lord (Yahweh), will answer him in proportion to the multitude of his idols (according to the multitude of his idols), 5so that I will take the house of Israel in their own hearts, because they have all turned away from me to their idols. 6Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Return and repent from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7For every man of the house of Israel, or the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh idols to his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of sin before his face, and cometh to the prophet to seek (follow, ask, worship) me from him, I myself will answer him, 8and 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, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 9And the prophet who is led astray and speaks a word, I, the Lord (Yahweh), have led astray the prophet who prophesies, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among the people of Israel. 10And they shall bear their sin, the prophet's sin shall be like the sin of the seeker (follower, questioner, worshipper), 11so that the house of Israel may no longer stray from me and no longer defile themselves with their transgressions, but they may become my people and I may become their God (Elohim), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).Message of coming judgment and God's justice
12The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
13Son of man, when a country sins against me with painful transgressions, and I stretch out my hand against them and break their supply of bread and send famine upon them and exterminate (cut off) both people and animals, 14even if these three fragile men (Hebr. enósh) were there [in the land]—Noah, Daniel, and Job—they would only be able to save their own lives (souls—Hebr. nefesh) through their righteousness, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh). [Jeremiah has already said "even if Moses and Samuel stood before me," see . Noah and Job lived long before Ezekiel became a prophet. The two were examples of men who only managed to save those closest to them. When the flood came, the whole earth was affected, but Noah and his family were saved. Job prayed for his children, but they were struck by misfortune; however, Job and his wife survived. Daniel may be the contemporary biblical Daniel who was taken captive to Babylon, or the legend of a Daniel in the Ugaritic saga of Aqhat (1300 BC). In that case, three non-Jews from history are mentioned. A Daniel is also mentioned in .] 15If I let evil animals pass through the land and they plundered it and it became desolate, so that no one could pass through it because of the [evil] animals, 16even if these three men [Noah, Daniel, and Job] were in it (the land), as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), they would not be able to save sons or daughters; they would only be saved themselves, but the land would be desolate. 17Or if I let a sword pass through the land and said, Let a sword pass through the land to destroy (cut off) man and beast [all living things], 18even if these three [righteous] men were in it (the land), as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), they would not be able to save sons or daughters; they alone would be saved. 19Or if I sent a plague upon the land and poured out my wrath upon it in blood to destroy (cut off) man and beast, 20even if these three fragile men—Noah, Daniel, and Job []—were in it (the land), as surely as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), they would not be able to save sons and not daughters, they would only save their own souls with their righteousness. 21Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): How much more when I send my four judgments:
the evil sword [war]
and famine
and evil (wild) beasts
and pestilence upon Jerusalem
to cut off (cut away) man and beast. 22And behold, a remnant shall be left in it (the land), which shall bring forth both sons and daughters, and behold, when they come to you and you see their ways and their deeds, then you shall be comforted for the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon her (the city). 23And they shall comfort you when you see their ways and their deeds, and you shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I have not done this without reason, all that I have done in her (the city), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh).Parable – worthless wine
151The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Son of man, what is the vine more than any other tree, the vine branch that grows among the trees of the forest? 3Can wood be taken from it to make anything? Or can a peg [same word as tent peg] be taken from it to hang anything on it? 4Behold, it is thrown into the fire as fuel, the fire has consumed both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it fit for any work? 5Behold, when it was intact, it was not fit for any work [it was not useful as wood], how much less is it fit for anything when the fire has consumed it and it is burned! 6Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): As the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 7And I will set my face against them; they have come out of the fire, and the fire shall devour them, and they shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh), when I set my face against them. 8And I will make the land desolate, because they have acted deceitfully, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).Parable – an unfaithful wife
[This is the longest message in Ezekiel. Figuratively speaking, the vine has not only failed to bear good fruit, it has borne terrible, disgusting fruit. Israel is likened to an orphaned child who becomes the king's wife, but gives away all her gifts to become a prostitute.] 161The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:From orphan to queen
2Child of man, let Jerusalem know (become intimately acquainted with) her transgressions 3and say: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) to Jerusalem [and all Israel]: Your origin and your birth are in the land of the Canaanites; an Amorite was your [spiritual] father, and your [spiritual] mother was a Hittite. [; ] 4And at your birth, on the day you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, no one washed you in water to make you clean, you were not salted, and no one wrapped you [as was customary to protect and strengthen the arms and legs of infants, see , ]. 5No one looked at you (literally: 'no eye felt you') with compassion, to do even one of these things to spare you, but you were thrown out into the open field, because you were detested on the day you were born. 6And when I passed by you and saw you kicking (struggling) in your [newborn] blood, I said to you: "In your blood live (be alive, remain alive),"
and I said to you:
"In your blood live (be alive, remain alive)."
[Here the same phrase is repeated twice, which is the Hebrew way of expressing that something is important.]
7I made you [Israel] multiply (grow) like the plants [that blossom] in the field. And you multiplied and grew up, and you developed into perfect beauty, your breasts were formed and your hair grew long, but you were naked and without clothes [exposed]. 8And I passed by you [again] and saw you, and behold, your time was ripe for love, and I spread my cloak [; ] over you and covered your nakedness, I gave my oath to you and entered into a covenant with you [], proclaims (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh) and you became mine. 9And I washed you in water, I washed away the blood from you, and I anointed you with oil. 10I clothed you in variegated garments and with leather shoes, and I bound fine linen around you and covered you with silk. 11And I also covered you with jewelry and put bracelets on your arms and a chain around your neck. 12And I put a ring in your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. 13And you were covered with gold and silver, and your clothes were of linen and silk and colorful fabrics, and you ate fine flour and honey and oil, and you were radiant (very, very) beautiful, and you were brought to royal dignity. 14And your fame went out among the nations for your beauty, because it was complete (flawless, perfect) through my radiance (glory) that I had placed upon you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh).From queen to prostitute
15But you [Israel] trusted in your own beauty and used your fame (your success) to become a prostitute, you offered your prostitution to (sold yourself to) everyone who passed by. They got everything. 16And you took off your clothes and made yourself high places covered with different colors, and you prostituted yourself on them; it shall not come to pass, nor shall it be so. 17You have also taken your beautiful jewels from my gold and from my silver that I have given you, and made for yourself images of men (male figurines; idols) and prostitute yourself with them [], 18and you take your colorful woven clothes and cover them and place my oil and my incense before them. 19And my bread that I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey that I let you eat, you have placed before them as a sweet aroma, and so it is, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 20And you have taken your sons and your daughters whom you have borne to me, and you have sacrificed them to them to be devoured. Is your prostitution a small thing— 21that you have slaughtered my children and given them by separating them (the children) to them (the idols)? [; ; ; ; ; ; ; ] 22And in all your abominations and in your prostitution, you have not remembered the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare [without clothes] and trampled (frolicked) in your blood. 23And after you have done all this evil—Woe, woe to you! declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 24And you have built yourself an arch [vaulted temple building – Hebr. gav] and made yourself a high place in every square (open place). 25You have built your high places on every main street and made yourself beautiful, an abomination, and you have opened (spread) your legs to everyone who passes by and multiplied your prostitution. 26You have also engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your neighbors with large flesh [large male organ], and have multiplied your prostitution to provoke me. [The word flesh (Hebr. basar) is used euphemistically for the male sexual organ. See also ; .] 27Therefore, I have stretched out my hand against you and reduced your sustenance and given you to those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who are ashamed of you because of your indecent ways. 28You have also prostituted yourself with Assyria without getting enough; yes, you have prostituted yourself with them and have not been satisfied. 29And you have multiplied your prostitution with the "Land of Merchants" (Hebr. ; alluding to the land of the Canaanites) as the Chaldeans, but even in this you have not had enough. 30How weak is your heart, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh), behold, you have done all these things like a reckless harlot, 31in building your vaults [vaulted temple buildings – Hebr. gav] at every street corner (literally: 'the head/beginning of all streets') and made high places (Hebr. rama) in every square (open place), and have not been like a prostitute who despises her wages. [Cultic and street prostitutes demanded payment for their services. Jerusalem's extramarital relationships gave no wages, and she gives herself away.] 32You woman who commits adultery and takes strangers instead of your husband, 33all harlots receive gifts, but you have given your gifts to all your lovers and have bribed those who come to you from all sides in your prostitution. 34Unlike other women who are recruited as whores, you are not recruited, and when they are paid, you are not paid.Repentance
35Therefore, you harlot, hear (listen to) the word of the Lord (Yahweh)! 36Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Because your lewdness (lust, impurity) was poured out and your nakedness exposed (revealed) through your prostitution with your lovers, and for all the abominations of your idols and for the blood of your children that you gave to them, 37therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers to whom you have been pleasing, and all those whom you have loved, and all those whom you have hated, I will gather them against you from all sides and will expose your nakedness to them so that they see all your nakedness. 38And I will judge you as women who break their marriage vows and shed blood. And I will bring upon you the blood of fury and jealousy. 39And I will deliver you into their hands, and they shall tear down your arches [vaulted temple buildings – Hebr. gav] and break down your high places, and they shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels, and they shall leave you naked and bare. 40They shall bring up a congregation against you and stone you with stones and pierce you with their swords. 41And they shall burn your houses with fire and execute judgment upon you before the eyes of many women, and I will cause you to cease your prostitution, and you shall no longer give any reward. 42And I will satisfy my fury upon you, and my jealousy will depart from you, and I will be silent and will no longer be angry. 43Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have troubled me with all these things, therefore I will also bring upon you all that you have done (bring your ways upon your head), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh), have you not committed this indecency upon all your abominations?To a proverb
44Behold, all who use proverbs will use this proverb against you and say, "Like mother, like daughter." 45You are your mother's daughter who despises her husband and her sons, and you are your sisters' sister who hates their husbands and their sons; your mother was a Hittite and your father was an Amorite. 46And your older sister is Samaria, she and her daughters who live on your left, and your younger sister lives on your right, Sodom and her daughters. 47And you have not walked in their ways and done according to their abominations, but for a short time you have acted worse than them in all their ways. 48As I live, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), Sodom, your sister, has not done, neither she nor her daughters, as you have done and your daughters. 49Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: pride, gluttony (literally: satiated with bread), and carefree idleness were in her and her daughters; she did not strengthen her hands for the poor or needy. 50They were haughty and committed transgressions before my face, therefore I removed them when I saw it. 51Samaria has not committed half your sins, but you have multiplied your abominations more than they have, and you have justified your sisters by all the abominations you have committed. 52You also bear your own shame in that you have given judgment for your sisters. Because of your sins, which you have committed more abominably than they, they are more righteous than you, therefore be ashamed and bear your shame in that you have justified your sisters.Vindication for her "three sisters"
53I will turn their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, and the captivity of your captives in their midst, 54so that you bear your own shame and be ashamed of all that you have done in comforting them. 55And your sisters Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former possessions, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former possessions, and you and your daughters shall return to your former possessions. 56And your sister Sodom was not heard (mentioned) by your mouth on the day of your pride. 57Before your wickedness was uncovered at the time of the mockery of the daughters of Aram and all those around her, the daughters of the Philistines who despise you all around, 58you have borne your indecency and your abominations, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh).Redemption
59Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): I will do to you as you have done, who have despised the oath and broken the covenant. 60Nevertheless, I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, your older sisters and your younger ones, and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 62And I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), 63that you may remember and be ashamed, and never again open your mouth because of your shame, when I forgive you for all that you have done, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).Parable – two eagles and the wine
171The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Son of man, present a riddle (Hebr. chod childah) and tell a parable (liken in a parable – Hebr. meshól mashal) to the house of Israel 3and say: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): A great eagle [Babylon, see Ezek. 16:29] with great wings and long wing feathers full of feathers of various colors [Ezek. 16:10] came to Lebanon and took the top of a cedar. 4He trimmed the top of its young branches and carried them to the land of Canaan; he planted them in a city of merchants. 5He also took some of the land's grain and planted it in fertile soil, placing it above many waters and setting it like a willow branch. 6And it grew and became a spreading vine of low height, whose branches turned toward him, and its roots were under him. So it became a vine and had branches and sent out shoots. 7There was also another great eagle [Egypt] with great wings and many feathers, and behold, this vine [Zedekiah, see ] turned its roots toward him and sent out its branches toward him from the place where it was planted, that he might water it. 8It was planted in fertile soil with plenty of water so that it could send out branches and bear fruit for a delicious wine. 9Say: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Shall it flourish? Shall he not pull up its roots and cut off its fruit so that it withers, withers in all its blossoming leaves? There shall be no great power (literally, no arm) and no multitude of people when it is pulled up with its roots. 10And behold, shall it flourish when it is transplanted? Shall it not wither when the east wind touches it? In the furrow where it grows, it shall wither. 11And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me, saying 12Say, I beg you, to the rebellious house: Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its princes and brought them to Babylon, 13and he took the royal seed and made a covenant with him and brought him under oath, and he carried away the mighty men of the land, 14so that it would be a lowly (small, insignificant) kingdom that could not rise up [revolt], but would be forced to keep (preserve) his covenant in order to survive. 15But he rebelled against him when he sent his messengers to Egypt to give him horses and many people. Shall he prosper? Shall he who does such things escape? Shall he break the covenant and succeed in escaping? 16As surely as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), in the place where the king who made him king lives, whose oath he despises and whose covenant he breaks with him in the midst of Babylon, he shall die. 17But Pharaoh, with his mighty army and large crowds, will not rescue him in battle when they throw up siege ramps and build fortresses to destroy (cut off) many human lives (souls). 18Yes, he [Zedekiah] despised the oath by breaking the covenant, see [pay attention to what will happen]—he gave his hand [confirmed the covenant] and did all this [treachery]—he shall not be able to escape. 19Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): As I live, my oaths which he has despised and my covenant which he has broken, I will bring upon his own head. 20And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be caught in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and judge him there for his treachery that he has committed against me. 21And all his mighty men in all his armies shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to all the winds, and you shall know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it. 22Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): And I, I will take the high tops of the cedars and plant them, I will prune from the tops of the young branches a humble one and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23In the mountains of Israel's heights I will plant it, and it shall sprout branches and bear fruit and become a majestic cedar. And under it birds of every kind (literally wings) shall dwell in its shade, and in its branches they shall dwell. 24And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have brought down the high trees and exalted the low trees, have dried up the green trees and made the dry trees flourish. I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken, and I have done it.Parable – individual responsibility for sin
181The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2What do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel and saying: The fathers have eaten sour (unripe) grapes
and the sons' teeth are set on edge (are on edge, worn, blunt – Hebr. qahah) [and thus sore]?
[Jeremiah has used the same proverb before ( and also in a similar form in ). The proverb probably has its origin in how Adam ate the forbidden fruit, see . Jeremiah also shows that this proverb does not apply (the taste in someone's mouth cannot be inherited). It is wrong to blame previous generations for their sins. The proverb shows man's tendency to want to be an innocent victim before an unjust God and not take responsibility for his own sin, see .]
3As surely as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh), you will no longer have reason to use this proverb in Israel. 4Behold, all human life (souls – Hebr. nefesh) belongs to me – the life (soul) of the father belongs to me, as does the life (soul) of the son. He who sins (the soul that sins) shall die. [] [Now follow three examples: a righteous person who does what is right (verses 5-9), an unrighteous son of a righteous father (verses 10-13), and a righteous son of an unrighteous father (verses 14-20). We can see three generations here, where the second turns away from God but the third turns back!]A righteous person
[The first example refers to a righteous man. He does what is right (verses 5 and 9), worships the Lord (does not worship idols, see ), is faithful in his marriage (), and treats his fellow man well (verses 7-8). The list begins and ends with general statements (verses 5 and 9), with twelve points in between (verses 6-8), ten of which are negations. There is a connection here to the Ten Commandments, see .] 5If a man who is righteous
and does what is right and just, 6and does not [sacrifice and] eat [meat to idols] on the mountains [part of the meat was sacrificed to idols on these high places, the rest was eaten by the worshipper or priest, see ; ; ; ]
and does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel
and does not defile his neighbor's wife []
and does not approach a woman in her uncleanness [],
7and the man who does no wrong to anyone
but pays his debts []
and does not rob (take by force; plunder and cause terror) [, ; ; ; ; ],
he gives his bread to the hungry
and covers the naked with a cloak.
8He does not charge interest
on what he lends. [; ; ]
He who withholds his hand from injustice
renders true judgments between people. 9He who walks in my statutes (literally "things engraved") and my ordinances (binding legal decisions)
and keeps (guards, protects, preserves) them to do them,
he is true, he is righteous,
he shall surely live (literally: "live in life"),
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh).An unrighteous son of a righteous father
10But if he begets a son who is a violent man (robber; literally: "breaker" – Hebr. paris) who sheds blood. Woe to such a one! [This Woe! is found only in Ezek. 6:11; 21:15. This violent man is someone who breaks both God's and man's commandments; here mainly in the sense of someone who openly robs and vandalizes and even kills people to take what he wants.] 11And he himself has not done all these things, for he too has [sacrificed to idols and] eaten on the mountains
and defiled his neighbor's wife,
12has wronged the poor and needy,
has stolen and not repaid his debt,
and has lifted up his eyes to the idols
and committed abominations,
13charged usury on what he borrows [in what should have been a loan of goodwill to help a vulnerable brother]. Shall he [that son] live? No, he shall not live. He has done all these abominations, therefore he shall surely die. His blood shall be upon him.A righteous son of an unrighteous man
14And behold, he begets a son who sees all the sins his father has committed and considers not doing the same, 15does not [sacrifice meat to idols and] eat on the mountains, does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel,
does not defile his neighbor's wife,
16does not wrong anyone
and does not take interest on a loan
and does not steal
but gives his bread to the hungry
and covers the naked with a cloak,
17and does not turn away his hand from the poor
and does not take bribes,
he has carried out my decrees (binding legal decisions) and has walked in my statutes (literally "things engraved"). He shall not die for his father's sins; he shall surely live. 18His father, because he has cruelly oppressed and stolen from his brother and has not done what is good among his people, behold, he shall die for his sin. 19And you ask: Why does the son not bear his father's sins with him? But the son has done what is right and just, all my statutes (literally "things engraved") he has kept (guarded, protected, preserved) and done, he shall live. 20The person (soul – Hebr. nefesh) who sins is the one who shall die. A son shall not bear [suffer for] his father's sins, and a father shall not bear [suffer for] his son's sins. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. [] 21But if a wicked person repents of all the wickedness he has done and keeps (guards, protects, preserves) all my statutes (literally "things engraved") and does what is right and just, he shall live and not die. 22None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him, for his righteousness that he has done he shall live. 23Would I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), and not rather in his turning from his ways and living? [It goes without saying that my great pleasure is in his turning.] 24But when the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin and does all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds he has done shall be remembered, for the transgressions he has committed and the sins he has sinned, for them he shall die. 25And you say, "The way of the Lord (Yahweh) is not just." Hear (listen) now, O house of Israel: Are my ways unjust? Are not your ways unjust? 26When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, he shall die for it; for the sin he commits, he shall die. 27And when the wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is right and just, he shall save his soul alive. 28Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions he has committed, he shall live and not die. 29But the house of Israel says, "The way of the Lord (Yahweh) is not just." O house of Israel, are my ways unjust? Are not your ways unjust? 30Therefore, I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one according to his deeds, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people). Turn back (come back)! Turn away from your crimes, so that they do not cause you to fall. 31Cast away all your transgressions that you have committed against me. Create for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why would you choose to die, O house of Israel? 32I take no pleasure in anyone's death, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh), so turn back and live! Lamentation for the king in exile
191And you, raise a lament for the princes of Israel 2and say: Was not your mother [Judah] a lioness
among the lions!
She lay in the midst of the young lions,
she nursed her cubs. 3And she brought up one of her cubs
and he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey,
he devoured men. 4When the nations gathered against him,
he was caught in their trap,
and they led him away with hooks [against his will, into captivity]
to the land of Egypt.
[This description fits Jehoahaz, see ; .]
5When she saw that her waiting was in vain and her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
6And he walked among the lions,
he became a young lion
and he learned to catch prey,
he devoured people. 7He violated (felt; lay with) their widows
and he destroyed their cities,
the land and everything in it (its fullness) became desolate
from his roaring.
8And the peoples cried out against him
from the provinces all around,
and they spread their net over him,
he was caught in their trap. 9And they put him in a cage
with hooks and brought him to the king of Babylon
and put him in secure custody
so that his voice could no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel. 10Your mother was like a vine, in your blood (your likeness),
planted by the water.
She was full of fruit and full of branches
because there was plenty of water.
11And she had strong stems,
to become shoots for those who bear the scepter,
and her erection was exalted
among the mighty branches
and she was seen in her height
with a multitude of sound.
12But she was torn up in fury,
she was thrown down to the ground
and the east wind
dried up her fruit.
Her strong trunks were broken and withered,
fire consumed her. 13And now she is planted in the desert
on dry and thirsty Mark.
14Fire has gone out from the branches of her trunk,
it has devoured her fruit,
so that there is no strong trunk
that can become a scepter to rule with. This is a lamentation intended for lamentation.Fourth collection of messages (chapters 20-24)
[Ezekiel's fourth collection of messages dates from the 7th to the 9th year after the exile, see and . As before, it focuses on Judah's guilt and impending judgment. Each of the seven messages begins with the phrase, "The word of the Lord came to me," and ends with the phrase, "declares the Lord," or a variation thereof, see , ; ; ; ; , .] 201And it came to pass in the 7th year [after Jehoiachin's captivity, see ; ] in the 5th month [of] on the 10th day of the month [August 15, 591], some of the elders of Israel came to seek (ask, appear before, worship – Hebr. darash) the Lord (Yahweh) and sat before me.Message – Israel's rebellion
2And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 3Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Have you come to seek (ask, worship) me? As I live, I will not be sought by you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 4Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Because they are intimately acquainted with the abominations of their fathers. 5And say to them: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): On the day when I chose Israel and lifted up my hand to the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up my hand to them and said, I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim), 6on the day I raised my hand to them to bring them out of the land of Egypt, into the land I had sought out for them (explored for them), flowing with milk and honey, the beauty of the lands, 7and I said to them, 'Cast away from your eyes the detestable things and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). 8But they rebelled against me and did not listen to me; every man cast away the detestable things from his eyes and did not forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said that I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9But I was zealous for my name, lest it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. 10So I let them go forth out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11And I gave them my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and taught them my ordinances (binding legal decisions) that if a person does them, she shall live by them. 12And I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, so that they might know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies them. 13But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not walk in my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and they rejected my ordinances (binding legal decisions) that when a person does them, he shall live by them, and they greatly profaned my Sabbaths. Then I said that I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness to consume them. 14But I acted [with zeal] for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the peoples who had seen me bring them out (in whose eyes I brought them out). 15And I also raised my hand to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the beauty of the lands, 16because they rejected my decrees (binding legal decisions) and did not walk in my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and profaned my Sabbaths, for their hearts went after their idols. 17Nevertheless, I showed them mercy (my eye spared them) and did not destroy them, nor did I completely wipe them out in the desert. 18And I said to their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, and do not keep (guard, protect, preserve) their decrees, and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). Walk in my statutes (literally, "things engraved") and keep (guard, protect, preserve) my commandments (binding legal decisions) and do them. 20And keep my Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God (Yahweh Elohim). 21But the sons rebelled against me [during the wilderness journey]. They did not walk in my statutes (literally "things engraved") and did not keep (guarded, protected, preserved) my ordinances (binding legal decisions) to do them—the man who does them shall live by (through) them. They profaned my Sabbaths, when I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and consume my anger against them in the wilderness. 22And I withdrew my hand, and I did it for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I brought them forth. 23I also lifted up my hand (as a warning) to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the countries, 24because they did not do my decrees (binding legal decisions) but rejected my statutes (literally "things engraved") and profaned my Sabbaths, and their eyes were set on the idols of their fathers. 25And I also gave them statutes (literally "things engraved") concerning what is not good, and commandments (binding legal decisions) concerning what they cannot live by. [In this verse, statutes and commandments are the warnings, concerning various wrong ways of living, found in the Torah.] 26And I defiled them with their own sacrifices that they set apart for everything that opens the womb, so that I might destroy them, that they might know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 27Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and say to them: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): In this your fathers have blasphemed me when they have acted treacherously against me (literally, when they have been treacherous traitors against me). 28And when I brought them into the land which I had sworn to give them, and they saw every high hill and every thick tree, they offered their sacrifices there and presented their provocative offerings, they made a sweet aroma and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29And I said to them, "What is the meaning of the high place to which you go?" And it was given (called) the name Bama to this day. [Bama means elevation or high place]Judgment and vindication
30Therefore, speak to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): When you defiled yourselves in the ways of your fathers and followed their abominations, 31and when you offered your gifts and let your sons pass through the fire, you defiled yourselves with all your idols to this day. Shall I then be held accountable by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), I will not be held accountable by you. 32And what you are thinking (what comes to your mind) will not happen at all when you say, "We will be like the nations, like the families of the nations that serve wood and stone." 33As I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh), I will surely be king over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with poured-out wrath. 34And I will bring you out from among the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, 35and I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face. 36As I judged your fathers in the wilderness of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 37And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. [Passing under the rod is associated with the shepherd whose rod guides the sheep.] 38And I will purge from among you the rebels and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they have been staying, but they shall not enter the land of Israel, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 39And you, house of Israel, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Go, every one of you, to his own idol, for you will not listen to me. But my holy name shall no longer be profaned by your gifts and your idols. 40For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), there the whole house of Israel, they shall all serve me in the land. There I will show them mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsa) and there I will accept your offerings and the first of your gifts and all your holy things. 41The sweet aroma will give you mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsa) when I bring you out from among the peoples and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered. And I will sanctify you before the eyes of the peoples. 42And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land that I raised my hand to give to your fathers. 43And there you shall remember your ways and what you have done when you defiled yourselves. And you shall loathe yourselves in your own eyes for all the evil that you have done. 44And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). I have done this for the sake of my name, not for your evil ways and not for your corrupt deeds, you house of Israel, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).Message – toward the south
45The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
46Son of man, set (turn) your face toward the south (Hebr. tejman) and preach to the south (Hebr. darom) and prophesy against the forests of the fields in the south (Hebr. negev). [Hebrew has several words for south, three of which are used in the same verse.] 47and say to the forest of the south: Hear the word of the Lord (Yahweh): Thus says the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and no dry tree shall be quenched, but it shall be a blazing flame, and all faces from south to north shall be burned by it. 48And all flesh shall see that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have kindled it; it shall not be quenched. 49And I said, "Alas (oh no), Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), these say to me, 'Is he not a storyteller (someone who makes up stories)?Message – The sword of the Lord
211The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: [This is now the sixth time the phrase "Son of man, set your face toward" appears in Ezekiel, see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; . The phrase is always used in connection with judgment, and here it refers to Jerusalem. There is a parallel in where Jesus "sets his face" to go to Jerusalem.] 2Son of man, set (turn) your face toward Jerusalem and preach toward the sanctuary and prophesy against the land of Israel 3and say to the land of Israel: Thus says the Lord (Yahweh): Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword [the Babylonian army] from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you. 4See then that I will destroy (cut off) the righteous and the wicked from you, therefore my sword shall go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north, 5and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have drawn my sword from its sheath, and it shall not return again. 6Sigh (groan, mourn), therefore, O daughter of man, with broken hips [total devastation, like a woman in labor], and in bitterness sigh (groan, mourn) before their eyes. [The expression "broken hips" describes both pain () and sorrow (; ). The strongest bones () are broken, expressing a complete inability to do anything in one's own strength.] 7And it shall be, when they say to you, "Why do you sigh?" that you shall say, "Because the message of it has come, and every heart shall melt, and every hand shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint (every spirit shall be weary), and every knee shall be weak [tremble, sweat, or wet with urine], behold, it shall come to pass, and it shall be done, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh)."The Song of the Sword
8The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said 9Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord (Adonai): A sword, a sword
has been sharpened and polished.
10It has been sharpened to carry out a great slaughter,
it has been polished to shine. Or shall we rejoice over my son's [Judah's] staff, which despises all trees? 11And it is given to be polished
so that it may be used,
the sword is sharpened, it is polished
to be given into the hands of your slaughterers.
12Cry and lament, O daughter of man,
for it is over my people,
it is over the princes of Israel,
they are struck down by the sword
[together] with my people,
therefore beat your breasts (hips). 13It is a trial (something that tests, examines – Hebr. bachan), and what (happens) if even the rod is despised? It shall be no more (alternative translation: It must not happen), proclaims (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 14And you, son of man, prophesy therefore
and clap your hands,
and the sword shall strike twice,
even three times,
the sword of the slain,
a sword for a great slaughter,
it surrounds them.
15I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
so that their hearts may melt [with anxiety—they cannot withstand the change]
and many shall stumble
and fall.
Woe! It has been made shiny,
it is sharpened for slaughter.
16Take a path to the right or turn yourself to the left,
wherever your face is turned,
17I will clap my hands
and I will satisfy my fury.
I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it. Nebuchadnezzar approaching
18The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said 19And you, son of man, make two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come upon, both of them coming out of one country. Make (carve) a road sign, make it clear at the main road to the city. 20You shall make one road so that the sword may come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon [the capital of the Amorites – modern Amman in Jordan], and to Judah in fortified Jerusalem. 21
Sacrifice in front of the Temple of Jupiter in Rom. around 120 CE. The priest examines the liver and consults the gods. The marble relief is in the Louvre in Paris.
A sword, a sword,
a drawn sword for slaughter,
it is polished to be sated
and to flash. 29While they see falsehood in you
when your divinations lie to you,
to lay you on the necks of the wicked
who are to be struck down,
whose days are coming
when it is time for sin to come to an end.
30Let it return to its sheath.
In the place where you were created,
in your country of origin,
I will judge you. 31And I will pour out my wrath upon you,
I will blow upon you with my fiery anger,
and I will deliver you into the hands of the brutal,
men skilled in destruction.
32You shall be fuel for the fire,
your blood shall be in the midst of the land,
you shall no longer be remembered,
for I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it. Message – Jerusalem is indicted
221The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Let her know all her abominations. 3And say: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): O city that sheds blood in your midst so that your time comes, and that makes idols for yourself to defile yourself. 4You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed and are defiled (desecrated) in your idols that you have made, you have brought your days to an end (made them few) and have come to your years (completed your time), therefore I have made you a reproach to the peoples and a mockery to all countries. 5Those who are near and those who are far from you shall mock you, you who are defiled among names and full of confusion (disorder, tumult). 6Behold, the princes of Israel, every man according to his power [his own arbitrary authority], have been with you [Jerusalem] and shed blood. 7They have taken lightly (despised) fathers and mothers in you, in your midst they have oppressed the stranger, in you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow. [; ; ; , , ] 8You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. 9In your midst, the gossipers have shed blood, and in you they have eaten on the mountains; in your midst they have committed adultery (sexual immorality). 10In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers. In you they have humiliated her who was unclean in her uncleanness (during her menstruation). 11And every man has committed adultery with his neighbor's wife, and every man has dishonored his daughter-in-law, and in you every man has humiliated his sister, his father's daughter. [, , ] 12In you they have taken gifts [bribes] to shed blood []. You have taken bribes and usury [, ; ] and you have greedily plundered your neighbors, and you forget me, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 13See [Jerusalem], therefore my hand has struck against your dishonest gains that you have taken and against your blood that is in your midst. 14Can your heart endure, or your hands be strong, in the days when I will deal with you? I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken, and I will do it. 15And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you among the countries, and I will consume your impurities (indecencies) from you. 16And you shall be profaned in yourself in the sight of the peoples, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 17The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
18"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me; they are all copper, tin, iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace. They are all dross of silver. 19Therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Since you have all become dross, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20As one gathers silver and copper and iron and lead and tin into the center of the smelting furnace to blow fire over it to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my fury, and I will throw you in and melt you. 21And I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall melt in its midst. 22As silver is melted in the midst of the smelting furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst, and you shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have poured out my fury upon you." 23The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
24Son of man, say to her: You are a land that is not purified, not showered (in rain) in the day of wrath. 25The prophets conspire in her midst, like a roaring lion roaring over its prey, so they have devoured souls, they take (steal) treasures and precious things, they have made widows many in her midst. 26Her priests have violated my teaching (Hebr. Torah) and have profaned my holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy (separate) and the common, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have closed their eyes to my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27Her princes in her midst are like wolves, howling over their prey, to shed blood and destroy souls for dishonest gain. 28And her prophets have whitewashed (smeared them with white paint) [trying to hide their actions, see ], seeing falsehood and lying divinations for them and saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh)," but the Lord (Yahweh) has not spoken. 29The people of the land have used oppression and practiced robbery and have done wrong to the poor and needy and have oppressed the stranger without justice. 30And I sought for a man among them who would restore justice [] and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found none. 31And I will pour out my wrath upon them in fire, I will destroy them in my anger, I will bring their ways upon their heads, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh).Parable – two women
231The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Children of men, there were two women, daughters of one mother, 3and they prostituted themselves in Egypt, they prostituted themselves in their youth, and there their wombs were pierced and their virgin breasts crushed. 4And their names were Oholah [Samaria – the northern kingdom], the elder, and her sister Oholivah. And they became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholivah. [Oholah means 'her own tent' and Oholivah means 'the woman of the tent' or 'the tent is in her'. The names are used for the northern and southern kingdoms.] 5And Oholah acted like a prostitute when she was mine, and she was fond of her lovers, the warriors of Assyria, 6clothed in blue, leaders and rulers, all of them handsome young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7And she offered her whoring services to them, all of them chosen men of Assyria, and whoever she was fond of, she defiled herself with their idols. 8And she has not forsaken her prostitution, which she brought up from Egypt, for in her youth they lay with her and crushed her virgin breasts, and they poured out their lust upon her. 9Therefore, I have given her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of Assyria, whom she loved. 10They uncovered her nakedness [], they took her sons and daughters, and they struck her with the sword, and she became a byword among women, for judgment was executed upon her. [Samaria, representing the Northern Kingdom (Israel), was taken into captivity in 722 BC. This happened 136 years before the Southern Kingdom, with Judah and Jerusalem, which was captured by Babylon in 605 BC and the people were taken into exile in 586 BC.] 11And her sister Oholivah [Jerusalem – the Southern Kingdom, Judah] saw this. Yet she was more corrupt in her depravity than she was, and in her prostitution more than her sister was in her prostitution. 12She was aroused by lust for the sons of Assyria—leaders and princes, perfectly dressed horsemen riding on horses, each of them handsome young men. 13And I saw that she was unclean, both taking the same path. 14But she [Jerusalem – Judah] grew in her prostitution, for she saw men depicted on the walls, images of the Chaldeans portrayed in red [], 15girded with girdles on their hips and with hoods on their heads, all of them commanders who looked like the sons of Babylon, though they were born in the land of the Chaldeans. 16And as soon as she saw them, she loved them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. [Describes Judah's attempt to ally itself with Babylon, see ; .] 17And the sons of Babylon came near her, to her bed of love, and they defiled her with their lust, and she was defiled with them, but her soul was cut off from them. 18She was stripped in her prostitution and exposed her nakedness, and my soul was separated from her, just as my soul was separated from her sister. 19But she multiplied her prostitution and remembered the days of her youth when she prostituted herself in the land of Egypt. 20And she was fond of her lovers, whose flesh [genitals] is like the flesh [genitals] of donkeys and whose semen is like the semen of horses. [The word flesh (Hebr. basar) is used here euphemistically (as a paraphrase) for the male genitals. See also ; . Here, the Hebrew is very frank and almost vulgar.] 21And you revived the indecency of your youth when they caressed your bosom and your youthful breasts from Egypt. 22Therefore, O Oholiba, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will raise up your lovers against you from those whom your soul has forsaken, and I will bring them against you from every side. 23The sons of Babylon and all the Chaldeans, the Pekodites, the Shoehites, and the Qoeites, all the sons of Assyria with them, chosen young men, governors and leaders, all of them, renowned captains, all of them riding on horses. 24And they shall come against you with armies, chariots, and wheels, and with a multitude of people, they shall set themselves in battle array against you with shields (Hebr. tsinah) and [smaller round] shields (Hebr. magen) and helmets all around, and I will deliver the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their decrees. 25And I will set my jealousy against you, and they shall act against you in fury; they shall take away your nose and your ears, and what remains of you shall fall by the sword. They shall take your sons and your daughters, and what remains shall be devoured by fire. 26They will strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewelry. 27And I will put an end to your lewdness and your prostitution will be removed from the land of Egypt, so that you will not lift your eyes toward them or remember Egypt anymore. 28Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will deliver you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those from whom your soul has turned away. 29And they shall deal with you in hatred and shall take away all your work and shall leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your prostitution shall be uncovered, both your indecency and your prostitution. 30This shall be done to you because you have gone after the nations and because you have defiled yourself with their idols. 31You have walked in your sister's way, therefore I will give her cup into your hand. 32Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): You shall drink your sister's cup, which is deep and large; you shall become a laughingstock (laughter – Hebr. tsechoq) and a reproach (ridicule) filled to the brim. 33Drunkenness and suffering shall fill you, the cup of dismay and destruction with your sister Samaria's cup. 34You shall drink it and empty it, and you shall break it into pieces and tear your breasts [with the pieces], for I, I speak, proclaim (say, declare) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 35Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Because you have forgotten me and cast me behind your back, therefore you also bear your indecency and your whoredom. 36And the Lord (Yahweh) said to me, "Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholivah [Samaria and Judah]? Tell them their abominations. 37For they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands, and with their idols they have committed adultery, and their sons whom they bore to me have also been set apart for them and devoured. 38Moreover, they have done this to me: they have profaned my sanctuary on the same day and have profaned my Sabbaths. 39And they have slaughtered their sons to their idols, and on the same day they have come to my sanctuary to profane it, and they have done this in the midst of my house. 40And besides that, they [Oholah and Oholiva] sent for men who come from afar, a messenger was sent to them, and they came. For them you [singular feminine, referring specifically to Oholivah (Judah)] washed yourself and painted your eyes and dressed yourself in jewelry, 41and sat down on a magnificent bed with a table set before it, on which you placed my incense and my oil. 42The sound of a carefree crowd was with her. Many of the men who came from the desert were drunk; they [the two sisters—Oholah and Oholiva (Samaria and Judah)] put bracelets on their hands and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43Then I said about her who is worn out by prostitution: Still they [the nations] commit prostitution with her—even her! 44And they went in to her as men go in to a prostitute, so they went in to Oholah and Oholivah, the indecent women. 45But righteous men shall judge them as adulterers are judged and as women who shed blood are judged, because they are adulterers and have blood on their hands. 46Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): An assembly shall be brought up against them, and they shall be given over to terror and destruction. 47And the assembly shall stone them with stones and kill them with their swords; they shall smite their sons and their daughters and burn their houses with fire. 48Thus I will put an end to your lewdness in the land, and all women shall be taught not to follow your lewdness. 49And your indecencies shall be brought back upon you, and you shall bear the sins of your idols, and you shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh).Parable – the boiling pot
241And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me in the ninth year [since Jehoiachin's exile, see ] in the 10th month [Tevet] on the 10th day of the month [January 15, 588 BC], saying:
2Son of man, write down the name of the day, this day, the same day that the king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. 3And speak in a parable to the rebellious house and say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Set the pot, set it
and pour water into it as well.
4Gather in it the pieces [of meat] that belong to it,
every good part [the finest parts], the thigh and the shoulder,
fill it with selected bones.
5Take the choice of the flock
and pile the wood under it,
let it boil thoroughly
so that its bones also simmer in its midst. 6Therefore, thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Woe to the bloody city,
the pot whose rust (impurity; the blue-green discoloration of copper – Hebr. chela) is inside it
and whose rust (impurity) has not gone out from it.
Bring it out piece by piece,
no part has fallen on it. [Hebr. chela is only used here and in and twice in . The meaning is not entirely clear, but from it should refer to the rust from the bronze vessel. The word has its root in Hebr. chala, which has to do with suffering, illness, and dying.] 7For her blood is in her midst,
she has placed it on the bare rock,
she pours it out on the ground
to cover it with earth,
8to let the fury come so that vengeance can be taken
I have placed her blood on the bare rock so that it will not be hidden. 9Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre great,
10pile up the wood,
light the fire so that the flesh may be consumed,
and prepare the mixture
so that even the bones may be burned. 11I will set it on the coals
so that it may be hot and its bottom burned
so that the impurity may melt in it
and its rust (discoloration, impurity) may be consumed.
12It has exhausted itself with hard work [being scrubbed clean],
yet its great rust (impurity, discoloration) has not come out of it
– into the fire [again] with its rust (impurity, discoloration). [The verse is difficult to translate. The last part may be an exhortation or a statement.] 13In the indecency of your impurity , I have purified you, but you will not be purified of your impurities until I have satisfied my fury against you. 14I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it, it shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will not take it back, I will not spare, nor will I regret it, according to your ways (ways of living) and according to your deeds I will judge you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh).Message concerning the death of Ezekiel's wife
15The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
16Son of man, I will take away from you the desires of your eyes in one stroke; you shall not mourn, nor shall you weep, nor shall your tears flow. 17Sigh in silence. Do not mourn [with loud lam] for the dead, bind your headband over you and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your upper lip and do not eat the bread of men. 18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning as I was commanded. 19And the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what these things mean to us, since you are doing this?" 20And I said to them, "The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me, saying 21Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the longing of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind shall fall by the sword. 22And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men, 23and your headbands shall be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall waste away in your sins and groan (lament) to one another. 24Thus Ezekiel shall be a sign to you; after all he has done, you shall do, and when it happens, you shall know (become intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 25And you, son of man, shall it not be so that on the day when I take away from them their stronghold, their joy of glory, the desire of their eyes, the longing of their soul, their sons and their daughters, 26on that day the one who has escaped will come to you to make you hear it with your own ears? 27On that day your mouth will be opened with the one who has escaped, and you will speak and no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Judgment on the Gentile Nations (chapters 25-32)
251The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: Ammon
2Son of man, set your face toward the sons of Ammon and prophesy against them. 3And say to the sons of Ammon: Hear the word of the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh):
Because you say, "Haha! (Hebr. heach – an expression of schadenfreude) over my sanctuary when it was desecrated, and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste, and over the house of Judah when they went into captivity, 4behold, therefore, I will give you to the sons of the east as a possession, and they shall set their camps in you and make their dwellings in you; they shall eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5And I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and the sons of Ammon a resting place for flocks, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 6Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all your soul in your contempt (mockery – Hebr. sheat) over the land of Israel, 7therefore I have stretched out my hand against you and will give you as plunder to the nations, and I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will destroy you from the lands, and I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Moab
8Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh):
Because Moab and Seir say, "Behold, as with all nations, so it is with the house of Judah," 9therefore I will open the flank of Moab on the side of the cities, on the side of his cities that are on his borders, the beautiful land, Beit-Jeshimot, Baal-Meon, and Kirjatajim 10together with the sons of Ammon to the sons of the east, and I will give them as a possession so that the sons of Ammon will no longer be remembered among the nations. 11And I will execute judgment upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Edom
12Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh):
Because Edom has acted with great vengeance against the house of Judah and has deeply insulted them and taken vengeance on them, 13therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off man and beast, and I will make it desolate. From Teman to Dedan they shall fall by the sword. 14And I will execute my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my fury, and they shall know my vengeance, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh).the Philistines
15Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh):
Because the Philistines have acted with vengeance and have taken revenge with contempt in their souls, with destruction for old hatred, 16therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh):
Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistine, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy the remnant of the coastland. 17And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebuke, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), when I lay my vengeance upon them.Tyre
[The previous four judgments have not been dated. The date here indicates even greater seriousness for this judgment. The 11th year is the number of years after Jehoiachin's exile ().] 261And it came to pass in the 11th year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me, saying: 2Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, 'Ha! (Hebr. heach – an expression of schadenfreude) She is broken, she was the gate of the people, she has turned to me, I will be filled with her who is destroyed. 3Therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, as the sea brings its waves. 4And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will also scrape the earth from her and make her a bare rock. 5She shall become a place where nets are spread out in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken it, declares the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh), and she shall become a prey to the nations. 6And her daughters who are in the fields shall be slain with the sword, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 7Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): See (Hebr. hinneh – refers to a future event), I will bring upon Tyre Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, from the north with horses and chariots and horsemen and a company of many people. 8He will strike down your daughters in the field with the sword, and he will build (throw up) siege ramps against you and pour up an earthen ramp against you and raise up [like a wall of] shields against you. [The author has detailed knowledge of siege warfare and ancient warfare. Excavations at Lachish in Judah have confirmed this type of earth ramp on the eastern side of the city. Tyre was difficult to capture because the city was located on an island near the coast. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Babylonian siege of Tyre lasted 13 years (c. 586-573 BC). A Babylonian text says that Nebuchadnezzar was present during the siege. The long siege ended with a peace treaty in which the royal family of Tyre was to be deported to Babylon. The king of Tyre was allowed to remain, but he was controlled by a Babylonian commissioner. Tyre's power was effectively exhausted by the long siege.] 9He will set his battering rams against your walls and break down your towers with his axes. 10Because his horses are many, their dust will cover you. At the sound of the horsemen and the wheels and the chariots, your walls will shake as he enters your gates, as men enter a conquered city (the fortified wall is broken down). 11He will trample all your streets with the hooves of his horses, he will strike your people with the sword, and your pillars of strength will fall to the ground. 12And they shall plunder your riches and take your merchandise as spoil, and they shall break down your walls and destroy your beloved houses, and your stones and your timber and your bricks they shall cast into the midst of the water. 13And I will silence the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps (kitharas – Hebr. kinnor) will no longer be heard. 14And I will make you a bare rock, you shall become a place where nets are spread out, you shall not be rebuilt, for I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 15Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) to Tyre: Shall not the islands shake at the sound of the groaning of your fallen ones, when the slaughterer slaughters in your midst? 16Then the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and strip off their richly woven garments; they will clothe themselves with terror (Hebr. ), they shall sit on the ground and tremble with fear (shiver with fear, Hebr. ) all the time (every moment), they shall be terrified (stunned with terror – Hebr. ) over you. 17And they shall raise a lamentation for you and say to you: How you [the wealthy port city of Tyre] have not been destroyed—you who sat enthroned by the sea (have risen up like a dwelling from the sea),
you, the famous city that was mighty on the sea,
you and your inhabitants who struck terror into all the inhabitants of the earth!
18Now the islands will shake on the day of your fall,
yes, the islands in the sea will be terrified
when you disappear (go out). 19Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): When I destroy your cities, so that they become like uninhabited cities, when I bring up the depths upon you and the great waters cover you, 20then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest parts of the earth, in places long desolate, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not be inhabited, and I will have my glory in the land of the living. 21I will make you a terror, and you will be no more; though you are sought, you will not be found again, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 271The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2And you, child of man, raise a lament over Tyre 3and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrance of the sea (at sunset, to the west), who are the merchants of the people, to the many islands: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Tyre has said: I am the perfection of beauty.
4Your borders are in the heart of the sea,
your builders have perfected your beauty. 5From the cypress trees of Senir [the Amorite name for Mount Hermon in northern Israel, see ]
they have made all your planks,
they have taken cedars from Lebanon
to make masts for you. 6From the oaks of Bashan
they have made your oars,
your deck they have made of ivory
inlaid in larch wood from the islands of Kittim [Cyprus, see ].
7Your sails are made of fine linen with variegated workmanship from Egypt
to be like a banner for you,
blue and purple
from the islands of Elisha was your covering.
8The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen,
your wise men, Tyre, which is in you, were your pilots.
9The elders of Gebal and their wise men
were the ones who caulked the leaks.
All the ships of the sea with their crews
served you in your trade.
10Persia and Lod and Put [present-day Libya – west of Egypt]
were in your army, the warriors.
They hung their shields and helmets on you
and they displayed your beauty.
11The men of Arvad and Chejlech
were on your walls all around
and the Gamadeans (warriors)
were in your towers.
They hung their shields on the walls all around.
They made your beauty complete. Trade with the whole world
[Now follows a list of 23 countries and cities. Tyre's business connections extended throughout the known world at that time.] 12Tarshish was your merchant because they had much of every kind of wealth, with silver, iron, tin, and lead, which they traded for your wars. 13Javan [Greece], Tubal (Hebr. Toval) [eastern Turkey], and Meshech [central Turkey] were merchants; they traded (bought) human souls (slaves) and bronze tools for your market (marketplace). 14Those of the house of Togarmah [eastern Turkey] traded for your wars with horses, horsemen, and mules. 15The men of Dedan [people of Arabia; present-day Saudi Arabia] were your merchants. Many islands were your trading places; they brought you ivory horns and ebony as tribute. 16Aram [present-day Jordan/Syria] were your merchants because they had great wealth; they traded for your wars with carbuncles, purple, and variegated works, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17Judah and the land of Israel were your merchants. They traded for your market with wheat from Minnit and baked goods and honey and oil and balm. 18Damascus [in Syria] was your merchant because of its great wealth; it had an abundance of riches in wine from Chelvon and white wool. 19Vedan and Javan traded in yarn for your wars, solid iron, cassia, and calamus were among their merchandise. 20Then your merchants were in expensive clothing for the horsemen. 21The Arabs and all the princes of Kedar were your merchants, with lambs, rams, and goats; in this they were your merchants. 22The merchants of Sheba and Raama, they are your merchants, they trade for your wars with all important spices and with all precious stones and gold. 23Haran (Hebr. Charan), and Kane, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Assyria, were your apprentices in trade. 24These were your merchants in fine fabrics, draperies of blue and variegated weaving, and chests of many garments, bound with cords and shod with cedar among your merchants.The destruction of the city
25Tarshish ships brought gifts to your merchants,
so you were filled and made very heavy in the heart of the seas. 26Your oarsmen have brought you to the great waters,
the east wind has broken you [so you suffered shipwreck] in the middle of the sea (in the heart of the seas).
27Your riches and your goods, your merchants,
and your sailors and your pilots, your weavers,
and the merchants' exchangeers, and all your warriors
who are in you with all their multitudes who are in your midst,
shall fall in the heart of the sea
on the day of your ruin. 28At the sound of the pilots' cries, the waves will tremble (become large and frightening).
29And all who handle the oars, the sailors, and all the pilots of the sea
shall come down from their ships and stand on the land.
30And they shall raise their voices over you
and cry bitterly
and throw dust on their heads,
they shall roll in ashes,
31and they shall make themselves completely bald [shave or pull out their hair] for you [this type of pagan ritual was forbidden among the Israelites, see ]
and clothe themselves in sackcloth
and they shall weep over you in the bitterness of their souls,
a bitter lament.
32And in their lamentation they shall raise a lamentation (Hebr. qina) over you
and chant (Lam.; sing monotonously and drawn out – Hebr. qinen) over you.
Who was like Tyre, silenced [now destroyed] in the midst of the sea?
33When your goods came from the sea,
you filled many peoples with the abundance of your riches,
and your merchants enriched the kings of the earth. 34Now you are broken by the sea [have suffered shipwreck], in the depths of the waters,
and your merchants and all your multitudes have fallen in your midst.
35All the inhabitants of the islands are appalled at you,
and their kings are terrified,
they have a troubled look on their faces. 36The merchants among the nations whistle at you,
you have become a terror and will never exist again.Prophecy against the leaders of Tyre
281The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre (exalted; literally: "the one who sets something high" – Hebr. nagid): Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh):
Because your heart is exalted (arrogant, proud)
and you have said, "I am a god (Hebr. el),
I sit on the throne of God (Elohim)
in the midst of the sea (literally: in the heart of the sea),
even though you are a man and not God (El),
yet you make your heart appear to be like the heart of God (Elohim).
3Behold, you are wiser than Daniel [may refer to the biblical Daniel, see Ezekiel 14:14, or Daniel in the Ugaritic tale of Aqhat],
there is no secret that can be hidden from you. 4Through your wisdom and discernment
you have gained riches
and you have acquired gold and silver
in your treasury.
5In your great wisdom, through your trade,
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become exalted (arrogant, proud)
because of your wealth. 6Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh):
Because you have set your heart
like the heart of a god (elohim) [because you think you are god],
7therefore I will bring strangers upon you [probably referring to the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar],
the dread of the nations,
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and they shall defile your splendor. 8They shall bring you down to the pit
and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the sea (literally, in the heart of the sea).
9Will you still say to the one who strikes you,
I am a god?
But you are a man and not God (El)
in the hand of the one who defiles you. 10You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of strangers
for I have spoken, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh). 11And the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 12Son of man, sing a lament over the king of Tyre and say to him: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh):
You were a perfect signet ring,
full of wisdom and perfect (excellent) in beauty.
13You were in Eden,
in the garden of God (Elohim),
covered with every precious stone: [1] Carnelian [red stone – Hebr. odem; the first stone in the breastplate, see ; describes God in the throne room, see .]
[2] Topaz [olive green, yellowish; the second stone in the breastplate, see ]
and
chalcedony [the last stone in the second row (the sixth stone), see . The Hebrew word comes from halam, which means to strike down, to break; it can describe that it is a harder stone, perhaps diamond.].
[3] Chrysolite [Hebr. tarshish; the first stone in the fourth row of the breastplate (the tenth stone), see ].
[4] Onyx [the second stone in the fourth row of the breastplate (the eleventh stone), see ]
and
jasper [the third stone in the fourth row of the breastplate (the twelfth stone), see ],
[5] Sapphire [Hebr. sapir, from the verb to write/tell; the second stone in the second row, see ].
[6] Carbuncle [the first stone in the second row of the breastplate (the fourth stone), see ]
and
emerald [Hebr. barqat, from baraq meaning sparkling, light. The word is only used here.]. [A total of nine stones are mentioned here. Between three of them appears the word "and", which groups three of them together, while three stand alone. This makes a total of six groupings. Several of the stones are also found in the priest's breastplate, see . In , twelve stones are mentioned in the wall.]
And you perfected your tambourines with gold
and your pipes,
on the day you were created, they were prepared.] 14You were the protective (guarding, covering), anointed (Hebr. mimshach) cherub
and I placed you
so that you spread yourself out over God's (Elohim's) holy mountain,
you walked among the stones of fire. [Two types of angels are mentioned in the Bible. The seraphim who are close to the throne, see , and the cherubim who have four wings and guard God's glory, see ; . The concept of "holy mountains" was common in the ancient world. A mountain peak was often visualized as the dwelling place of the deity. The mountain peaks and the heavens were linked together. In Ugaritic literature, Baal's home was said to be Mount Tsefon (). For the Israelites, the two most important holy mountains were Mount Sinai and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.]
15You were pure (ritually pure, perfect, blameless – Hebr. tamim) in all your ways
from the day you were created
until iniquity was found in you. 16Through your great (your abundance of) trade (commerce, buying and selling)
your inner being has been filled with violence (terror, lawlessness – Hebr. chamas)
and you have sinned (missed the mark – Hebr. chata).
Therefore, I have cast you out as defiled (contaminated) from God's (Elohim's) mountain
and I have destroyed you, you protective (guarding, covering) cherub, from among my stones of fire [sparkling stones].
17Your heart was lifted up (haughty, proud)
because of your beauty,
you have corrupted your wisdom
with your radiance (appearance, exterior, facade).
I have cast you to the ground.
I have laid you before kings so that they may stare at you. 18In the multitude of your sins in your unrighteous trade
you have defiled my sanctuary.
Therefore I have brought forth a fire from your midst
that has devoured you
and turned you to ashes on the ground
in the sight of all who see you. 19All who know you among the nations
will be appalled at you,
you have become a horror
and will never exist again. [There are several interpretations of this passage (verses 11-19). The first is that it is a description of the king of Tyre, but in bold and exaggerated terms. Others identify the form as allegory, where another real or simply familiar character (Satan or a pagan god) is directly addressed, making the connection to the king of Tyre more indirect or implied. Several of the Church Fathers see this as an account of Satan's fall, which is hinted at elsewhere, see . Ezekiel would have relied on his listeners/readers being familiar with such a story, and they would have understood the comparison between Satan's fall and the fall of the king of Tyre.] 20The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
21Son of man, set your face toward Sidon and prophesy against it 22and say: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh):
Behold, I am against you, Sidon,
and I will be glorified in your midst,
and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh)
when I execute judgments in her
and sanctify myself in her. 23For I will send pestilence
and blood upon her streets,
and the wounded shall fall in her midst
by the sword upon her on every side,
and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 24And there shall be no more a pricking brier against the house of Israel, nor a piercing thorn of any that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord (Adonai Yahweh). 25Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified among them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob. 26And they shall dwell securely there, and shall build houses and plant vineyards; yes, they shall dwell securely when I execute judgments upon all those who despise them around them, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) their God (Elohim).Egypt (chapters 29-32)
The sin of Egypt
[The message to Egypt is divided into seven parts.] 291In the 10th year, in the 10th month, on the 12th day of the month, the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 2Son of man, set your face toward Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against Egypt. 3Speak and say: Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
the great dragon lying in the midst of his rivers, who has said:
My river is my own
and I have made it for myself. 4I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish in your rivers stick (be as glued) to your scales,
and I will bring you up out of your rivers
and all the fish in your rivers will stick (be as glued) to your scales. 5And I will cast you into the wilderness,
you and all the fish in your rivers,
you shall fall upon the open field,
you shall not be picked up or gathered,
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the heavens
I have given you as food. 6And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), because they have become a rod of reed for the house of Israel. 7When they took hold of you with their hands, you broke, and all their shoulders were torn off; when they leaned on you, you broke, and all their loins (countries) were shattered. 8Therefore, thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and I will cut off (cut down) both man and beast from you. 9And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and ruined, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), because he has said, 'The river is mine, and I have made it. 10Therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly desolate and waste from Migdol to Sevene, even to the border of Cush [present-day Ethiopia and Sudan]. 11No human foot shall pass through it, nor shall any animal foot pass through it, and it shall not be inhabited for 40 years. 12And I will make the land of Egypt desolate among the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste for forty years, and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. 13Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): After forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they have been scattered, 14and I will turn the captives of Egypt (those who have been carried away into captivity) and bring them back to the land of Pathros [Upper Egypt; the valley along the Nile south of Cairo], to their original land, and they shall be a humble (lowly) kingdom. 15It shall be the humblest (lowest) of kingdoms, and they shall no longer exalt themselves above the nations, and I will make them small so that they shall no longer rule over the nations. 16And it shall no longer happen that the house of Israel shall trust in sin when they turn after them, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Adonai Yahweh).Egypt's defeat by Babylon
17And it came to pass in the 27th year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 18Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made his army wage a great war against Tyre, and every head was made bald and every shoulder was pierced, but he received no reward from Tyre or his army for the war he waged against it. 19Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall carry away her wealth and take her spoil and take her as booty. That shall be the reward of his army. 20I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for what he did, because they worked for me, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 21On that day I will cause a horn to sprout up for the house of Israel, and I will give you the power to speak in their midst, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).destructionof
[No date is given for this third prophecy, which gives details about the fall of Egypt. The message has four parts, each beginning with a similar phrase, see verses 2, 6, 10, and 13. The messages also end with a concluding phrase, see verses 6, 8, 12, and 19.] 301The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 2Son of man, prophesy and say:
Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): You shall lament!
Lam. to the day!
3For the day is near,
the day of the Lord (Yahweh) is near,
a day of clouds [a day of judgment, see ; ]
a time for the nations [not only Egypt, but all the peoples of the earth].
4And a sword [of judgment, see ] shall come upon Egypt
and convulsions shall come upon Cush [the African kingdom of Nubia; present-day Ethiopia/Sudan]
when the slain fall in Egypt,
and they shall take away her wealth
and her foundations shall be broken down.
5Cush [present-day Ethiopia and Sudan – south of Egypt]
and Put [present-day Libya – west of Egypt]
and Lod [probably on the other side of the Mediterranean – north of Egypt]
and all the mixed peoples (non-Jews)
and Cush [probably an area in Libya]
and the sons of the land who are in covenant [may refer to Jews living in Egypt],
shall fall with them by the sword. [Cush, Put, and Lod are also mentioned in .] 6Thus says the Lord (Yahweh): Those who uphold Egypt shall fall
and her pride of power shall come down,
from Migdol [the defensive stations in the north] to Sevene [Aswan; in the south]
they shall fall by the sword,
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh). [Hebr. migdol means "tower" and refers to one of Egypt's northeastern defense stations. Since Sevene (the modern city of Aswan) is mentioned as being located on Egypt's southern border with Kush, the phrase "from Migdol to Sevene" corresponds to the expression "all of Egypt, from north to south."] 7And they shall be desolate
in the midst of the desolate lands
and her cities
shall be in the midst of the lost cities. 8And they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh)
when I set a fire in Egypt
and all her helpers are destroyed. 9On that day messengers shall go forth before me in ships to make secure Kush [present-day Ethiopia and Sudan] fearful, and convulsions shall come upon them on the day of Egypt, for behold, it is coming. 10Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): And I will destroy the riches of Egypt
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 11He and his people with him—the feared nations—
shall be brought in to destroy the land,
and they shall draw their swords against Egypt
and fill the land with slain. 12And I will dry up the rivers [the Nile with all its tributaries]
and give the land into the hands of evil men
and I will make the land desolate and all who are in it,
by the hand of strangers.
I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it. 13Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): I will destroy the idols
and I will make the worthless things disappear from Nof [Memphis],
and no more leaders shall come from Egypt,
and I will bring fear upon the land of Egypt.
14And I will make Patros [Upper Egypt; the valley along the Nile south of Cairo] desolate
and I will set fire to Tsoan [a city in the eastern Nile delta]
and execute judgment in No [the city of Thebes in Upper Egypt; near the modern city of Luxor].
15And I will pour out my wrath upon Sin [Pelusium],
the stronghold of Egypt,
and I will cut off [put an end to] the abundance (the masses, the noise, the tumult) [the wealth – the people] in No.
16And I will start a fire in Egypt,
Sin will come in strong convulsions
and No will be torn apart
and in Nof the opponents will come in the middle of the day.
17Young men from On (Aven) [Heliopolis, city north of Cairo, see , ] and Piveset [Bubatis; city in northeastern Egypt, along one of the Nile rivers] shall fall by the sword
and its cities shall go into captivity.
[Hebr. aven means wickedness. Heliopolis was the center of sun worship of the sun god Ra.]
18And in Techafneches the day shall withdraw (hold back)
when I break Egypt's yoke there
and her pride of power shall cease in her,
a cloud shall cover her and her daughters shall go into captivity. [Techafneches was a village and border post in the eastern Nile Delta. During the exile, Jews settled here after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. They bring Jeremiah here, against his will, see .] 19Then I will execute judgments on Egypt,
and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). Scattered
20And it came to pass in the 11th year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month [April 29, 587 BC], that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 21Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and it has not been bandaged so that it can be healed, nor has it been splinted so that it can hold a sword. 22Therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong one and the one that was broken, and I will cause the sword to fall from his hand. 23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. 24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groaning of a mortally wounded man. 25And I will lift up the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out over Egypt. 26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).The similarity between Assyria and Egypt
311And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month [June 21, 587 BC], that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. [Barely two months after the previous message, see .] He said: 2Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitudes: Who is like you in your greatness []? [Now follows an allegorical story about a stately cedar tree, which is an image of the then-powerful Assyria. Even the most powerful nation can fall to an even greater power. There is also a Mesopotamian myth about a cosmic tree whose roots reach down into the realm of death and whose top reaches the sky, something Ezekiel alludes to here through this parable.] 3See (contemplate) Assyria [the great power of the time], which was a cedar in Lebanon
with fresh branches and (providing) abundant shade
and which is tallest
and its top is among the thick branches.
4The waters make it great,
the depths make it grow,
her rivers
flow around her planting
and she sends out her ditches (irrigation channels)
to all the trees of the field.
5Therefore, its stature is exalted
above all the trees of the field,
and its (thick) branches are multiplied
and its (less vigorous) branches have become long
because of the abundant supply of water when it shoots forth.
6All the birds of the heavens
build their nests in its branches,
and all the animals of the field
lead their young under its branches,
and in its shade
all the great nations dwell. [People in a kingdom are likened to birds and animals, see ; ; .]
7So it was honorable in its greatness
in the length of its branches,
for its roots spread out
to many waters. 8The cedar in God's (Elohim's) garden
could not hide it,
the cypress trees
were not like its branches
and the plane tree
was not like its branches,
no other tree in God's (Elohim's) garden
was like it in its beauty.
9I made it so beautiful,
with the multitude of branches (many dense, leafy branches)
that all the trees of Eden in the garden of God (Elohim)
envied it. 10Therefore, thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Because you [probably Egypt] are exalted in your stature and have placed his [Assyria's] top among the thick branches, and his heart is exalted (proud, haughty) in his loftiness, 11I will deliver him into the hands of the mighty nations, they shall surely take care of him, I will drive him out according to his wickedness. [The shift from second to third person (you and he) seems to indicate a shift from Egypt, referred to earlier, to the cedar tree, which is Assyria.] 12Foreign, brutal nations shall cut him down and cast him down; over the mountains and in all the valleys are his fallen branches, and his trunk lies broken in all the waterways of the land, and all the peoples of the earth go down from his shade and leave him. 13All the birds of the heavens will dwell on his carcass, and all the beasts of the field on his branches, 14until all the trees by the waters cease to exist, which exalt themselves in their stature, and they no longer place their tops among the thick trunks, and their mighty ones do not stand on their heights, all who drink water, for they are all delivered up to death, to the lowest parts of the earth, among the sons of men, with those who go down into the pit. 15Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): On the day when he [the cedar tree – Assyria] goes down to Sheol (the underworld, the place of the dead), I will cause the depths to mourn and close over him, and I will hold back its rivers and great waters will stand still, and I will cause Lebanon to mourn over him and all the trees of the field to fade for him. 16I will make the nations tremble at his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol (the underworld) with those who go down to the pit, and all the trees of Eden, the chosen and best of Lebanon, all who drink water, will be comforted in the lower parts of the earth. 17They too go down to Sheol (the underworld) with him, to those slain by the sword, those who were in his arms, who dwelt in his shadow among the nations. 18Who are you like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you shall lie among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh).The lamentation of Pharaoh
321And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month [Adar], on the first day of the month [March 3, 585 BC], that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 2Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say to him: You have likened yourself to a young lion [],
though you are like a dragon (crocodile) in the sea
and you surge forth with your rivers
and muddy (turn to mud) the waters with your feet
and muddy (corrupt) the rivers [literally: 'their rivers'].
3Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): Therefore I will spread my net over you,
with a multitude of peoples, and they shall bring you up in my net.
4And I will throw you onto the land,
I will hurl you across the open field
and let all the birds of the heavens build their nests on you
and I will fill (satisfy, satiate) the whole earth with your flesh.
5And I will lay your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your uncleanness.
6And I will water the land with the flow of your blood all the way to the mountains [, ; ],
and the channels will be filled with you.
7And when I destroy you, I will cover the heavens
and make their stars black (dark).
I will cover the sun with clouds
and the moon will not give its light. 8I will darken (make black) all the lights in the heavens over you
and bring darkness upon your land [cf. the ninth plague, see ], declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh). 9I will disturb the hearts of many peoples
when I bring your destruction among the nations to lands you do not know. 10I will make many nations afraid of you
and their kings will be terrified of you
when I swing my sword before them,
and they will tremble (be filled with fear) all the time (at every moment),
every man for his own life on the day of the fall. 11Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): The sword of the king of Babylon
shall come upon you. 12By the sword of the mighty I will cause your multitudes to fall,
they are all feared by the nations,
they shall destroy the pride of Egypt
and all its multitudes shall be ruined. 13I will destroy all its wild animals
[that graze] along the side of many waters,
human feet shall no longer trouble them,
no wild animal's hooves shall trouble them.
14Then I will make their waters calm
and their rivers flow like oil (flow gently), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 15When I make the land of Egypt desolate
and strip it of everything it was full of,
when I strike down all who lived there,
then they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 16This is the lament (Hebr. qina) that they shall chant (lament with; sing monotonously and drawn out – Hebr. qinen), the daughters of the peoples shall lament with it for Egypt, and her multitudes shall lament with it, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh).Egypt down to Sheol
17And it came to pass in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 18Son of man, lament for the multitudes of Egypt and cast them down, her and the daughters of the mighty nations, to the lower part of the earth, with those who go down to the pit. 19Who surpasses you in beauty? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised. 20They shall fall among those slain by the sword; she is given to the sword; drag her down and all her multitudes. 21The mighty among the mighty will speak of him from the midst of Sheol (the underworld, the place of the dead) with those who helped him; they have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised slain by the sword. 22Assyria is there and all her company, their graves are around them, all those slain who have fallen by the sword, 23whose graves are at the far end of the pit, and her multitudes are around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living. 24There is Elam and all her multitudes around her grave, all those slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower part of the earth, who caused terror in the land of the living; they have carried their shame with them as they go down into the pit. 25They have given her a bed among the slain, with all her multitudes; her graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because their terror was in the land of the living, and they carried their shame with them down to the pit; they are laid among the slain. 26There is Meshech and Tubal (Hebr. Toval) and all her multitudes, her graves are around them, all the uncircumcised slain with the sword, because they caused terror in the land of the living. 27And those who are inferior (worse than) the uncircumcised shall not lie among the mighty who have gone down to Sheol (the underworld, the place of the dead) with their weapons of war, whose swords are under their heads and whose sins are on their bones, because the terror of the mighty was in the land of the living. 28And you, among the uncircumcised, shall be broken and lie among those slain with the sword. 29There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who despite all their power have been laid with those slain by the sword; they shall lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit. 30There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians who have gone down with the slain, who are ashamed of all the terror they have caused through their mighty ones, and they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down into the pit. 31This shall Pharaoh see and be comforted over all his multitudes slain with the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 32I have given my terror in the land of the living, and he shall be laid among the uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh).Imminent judgment and future blessings (chapters 33-39)
Individual responsibility and the Lord's righteous judgment
331The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said: 2"Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them: When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from among them and set him as their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the shofar (ram's horn) to warn the people, 4and anyone who hears the sound of the shofar and does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. 5he heard the sound of the shofar and did not take warning. His blood shall be upon him. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his soul. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the shofar, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any souls from them, he will be taken away in his sin, but his blood will be required at the watchman's hand. 7And you, son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore, when you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn (enlighten, teach – Hebr. zahar) them from me. 8When I say to the wicked, "You wicked man, you shall surely die (dying you shall die)," [] and you do not speak to warn the wicked man from his way [destructive lifestyle leading to death], the wicked man shall die in his sin, but his blood I will require at your hand. 9But when you warn the wicked man of his way [destructive lifestyle], so that he may repent, but he does not turn from his way, then he shall die in his sin, but you have saved your life (your soul). 10Son of man, say to the house of Israel: You say, "Our transgressions and sins weigh us down (have overtaken us), and we are perishing (rotting, decaying) because of them. How can we live (come back to life)?" 11Answer them: As I live, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! Why should you choose to die [when you can live], O house of Israel? 12Son of man, say to the sons of your people (your countrymen): The righteousness of the righteous will not save him on the day he is unrighteous [rebels and abandons his faith], and the wickedness of the wicked will not lead to his downfall if he turns from his wickedness. The righteous cannot live by his righteousness if he sins (and misses the mark). 13If I promise life to the righteous, and he relies on his [own] righteousness [his reputation for doing what is right] and begins to act wrongly, then none of his righteous deeds will be remembered. He will die because of the wrong he has done. 14If I say to the wicked, "You will die," but he turns from his sin and does what is right and just: 15If he returns what he has taken as collateral.
[When borrowing, the debtor had to give up his cloak, but it had to be returned before sunset, see .]
If he returns what he has stolen (plundered).
If he lives according to the commandments of life (walks with God) without doing wrong.
Then he shall surely live, and he shall not die. 16None of his previous sins that he has committed shall be remembered or used against him. He has acted rightly and justly, and he shall truly live. 17And the sons of your people say, "The way of the Lord (Adonai) is not balanced (fair, equal for all), but their ways are not balanced (fair, equal for all)." 18When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, he shall die for it. 19And when the wicked man turns away from his wicked ways and does what is right and just, he shall live because of it. 20Yet you say, "The way of the Lord (Adonais) is not balanced (fair, equal for all). House of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his way."Message – the evening Jerusalem fell
21And it came to pass in the 12th year [since Jehoiachin's exile, see ] of our captivity, in the 10th month, on the 5th day of the month, that one who had fled from Jerusalem came to me and said, "The city is struck." 22And the hand of the Lord (Yahweh) was upon me the evening before the one who fled from Jerusalem came, and he opened my mouth to the one who came to me in the morning, and my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute. [] 23The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said 24"Son of man, those who dwell in this desolate land in the land of Israel speak and say, 'Abraham was one (person, one household), and he inherited the land, but we are many; the land has been given to us as an inheritance. 25Therefore, say to them: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): You eat blood [which is forbidden to do, see ] and lift up your eyes to the idols and shed blood. Shall you possess the land? 26You rely on (stand by, lean on) your swords, you commit abominations, and each of you dishonors his neighbor's wife. Shall you possess the land? 27Thus you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): As I live, those who dwell in ruins (Hebr. chorba – places destroyed by the sword) shall die by the sword (Hebr. cherev), and those who are in the open field I will give to the wild beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds [natural mountain strongholds – Hebr. masad; the same word as the famous ancient fortress Masada in the Negev desert] and in the caves shall die of pestilence. 28And I will make the land even more desolate, and the pride of her strength shall disappear, and the mountains of Israel shall become desolate so that no one passes by. 29And they shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh) when I have made the land utterly desolate because of all their abominations that they have committed. 30And you, son of man, the sons of your people who speak about you behind the walls and in the doors of the houses, each one to his brother, saying, "Come, I pray you, and hear the word that comes from the Lord (Yahweh), 31and come to you as the people come and sit before you as my people and listen to your words, but do not do them, for with their mouths they show much love [here a word for love (Hebr. agav) is used that emphasizes lust and desire], but their hearts follow (obey) their greed (desire, their own wishes). 32And you are to them like a serenade (love song), like someone who has a pleasant voice and can play well (is a virtuoso) on his instrument, so they hear your words but do not do them. 33And when this comes, for behold, it is coming, then they shall know (understand, be intimately acquainted with) that a prophet has been among them."Shepherds and sheep
341The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, and say to them, to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Woe to you, shepherds of Israel, who feed yourselves! Should not a shepherd feed the sheep? 3You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep. 4You have not strengthened the weak, nor have you healed the sick, nor have you bound up the broken. You have not brought back the strayed, nor have you sought the lost [; ], but with violence and harshness you have ruled over them. 5They are scattered because there is no shepherd, and they have become food for all the wild beasts of the field and are scattered. 6My sheep wander over all the mountains and over all the high hills; yes, over the whole face of the earth my sheep are scattered, and there is no one to search or seek them. 7Therefore, you shepherds (Hebr. roim) [leaders, kings, priests, so-called prophets], hear the word (Hebr. et dabar) of the Lord (Yahweh): 8As surely as I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), just as surely as my sheep have become prey and my sheep have become food for all the wild animals of the field because there is no shepherd, so my shepherds do not search for my sheep, but the shepherds feed themselves and do not feed my sheep. [Verses 7 and 9 are similar, but emphasizes "the Word" and emphasizes "the shepherds," which is in the definite form.] 9Therefore, you shepherds (Hebr. ha roim – the shepherds), hear the word (Hebr. dabar) of the Lord (Yahweh): 10Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand, and cause them to cease feeding the sheep; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, but I will save my sheep from their mouth, that they be not meat for them. 11This is what the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people) says: Behold, I myself will search for (take care of, be involved with) my sheep and look for them (care for them). 12As a shepherd searches for his flock when he comes to his scattered sheep, so will I take care of my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day. 13I will bring them out from among the nations and gather them from foreign lands. I will bring them to their own land. I will shepherd (lead, feed) them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and in the inhabited places of the land. 14I will let them eat in good pastures. The high mountains of Israel will be their pasture (home). There they will lie down in lush pastures, and they will eat succulent pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will lead my sheep to pasture, and I myself will make them lie down [to rest], declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts. [; ] 16I will seek out the lost and bring back those who have been driven away (forced away against their will). I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them with judgment (justice will be done). 17As for you, my sheep, says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people): I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. [] 18Is it not enough for you to graze on the best pasture, must you also trample what is left with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you also muddy what is left by trampling with your feet? 19Must my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 20That is why the Lord of Lords (Adonai Yahweh) says to them: Behold, I myself will judge between the fat sheep [the oppressors] and the lean sheep [the humble]. 21Because you elbow your way forward and push aside all the weak ones, and butt the weak sheep and push them away, 22therefore I will save my sheep; they shall no longer be prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23I will raise up a shepherd (a single, unique shepherd – Hebr. raah echad) over them [my sheep], and he shall feed them, namely my servant David [a type of Jesus, see ; ; ; ; ]. He will feed (nourish, guide, and protect) them and be their shepherd. [The Hebrew text is: et avi David, literally translated: "my servant alef-tav David." The letters alef-tav (pronounced "et") are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This little word is an object particle that indicates that the following word, which is David, is the object in the sentence. It is interesting to note that in Jesus has the corresponding title in Greek, "alpha and omega," the first and the last, see also .] 24I, the Lord (Yahweh), will be their God (Elohim), and my servant David will be prince among them. I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken. 25I will make a covenant of peace with them. I will rid the land of wild animals, so that people can live safely in the desert and even sleep in the forests. 26I will make them and the area around my mountain a blessing. I will send rain at the right time, showers that bring blessings. 27The trees of the field will bear their fruit, and the earth will yield its crops. They will live safely in their land. When I break their yoke and rescue them from those who have enslaved them, then they will know (understand, realize) that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 28No, they will never again be prey to other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will threaten them (frighten them). [When Jesus reigns as king in the millennial kingdom, see ; .] 29I will give them plantings that will make them famous [well-known throughout the world]. Never again will the land suffer famine. Never again will other nations mock them. 30They shall know (understand, realize) that I, the Lord (Yahweh), their God (Elohim), am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh). 31Yes, you are my flock (my sheep),
the flock (sheep) of my herd.
You are human beings (a human flock) [; ],
and I am your God,
declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh)."The fall of Edom and revival of Israel
351The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Seir [southeast of the Dead Sea—Edom] and prophesy against it 3and say to it: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir, and I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate waste. 4I will ruin your cities and you will be desolate, and you will know (become intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 5Because you have always hated and wielded the power of the sword against the sons of Israel in times of their misfortune [; ], at the time of the fulfillment (end) of sin [either when the transgression had reached its limit, or they received their full punishment]. 6As I live, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh), I will prepare blood, and blood shall pursue you as surely as you have hated your own blood. Therefore, blood shall pursue you. 7And I will make Mount Seir [Edom] a total destruction and exterminate (cut off) it from him (it) who passes through and him (it) who returns. 8And I will fill this mountain with his slain, on your hills and in your valleys and in all your streams they shall fall, those slain by the sword. 9I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities shall not be rebuilt (no one shall return), and you shall know (be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 10Because you have said, "These two peoples and these two lands shall be mine, and we shall possess them"—this even though the Lord (Yahweh) was there. 11Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), I will deal with you according to your anger and according to your envy that you have shown in your hatred toward them. And I will make myself known among them when I judge them. 12And you shall know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have heard all your blasphemies that you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'They are laid waste; they have been given to us to devour. 13And you have magnified yourselves against me with your mouth and have multiplied your words against me. I have heard it. 14Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): When the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate. 15As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will do to you. You shall be destroyed, O mountains of Seir, and all Edom, and all that is in it. And they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 361And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say to them: Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord (Yahweh): 2Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Because your enemies have said against you, "Haha!" (Hebr. heach – an expression of schadenfreude) and the ancient high places [occult sacrificial sites for Baal and Asherah] are ours, 3therefore prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Therefore, yes, because they have made you desolate and devoured you on every side, so that you become an inheritance for the remnant of (the other) nations, and come upon the lips of the talker (literally: upon a lip, a tongue) as [evil] slander (malicious gossip) about the people. 4Therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh)
to the mountains and to the hills
to the ravines and to the valleys
and to the ruined ruins
and to the abandoned cities
which have become a prey and a laughingstock to the countries around them.
[Six different words are used to describe the whole country.] 5Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Surely, in my burning zeal, I have spoken against the remnant of the peoples, and [especially] against Edom—all of it! With malicious joy and utter contempt (scorn of the soul), they have taken possession of my land (Hebr. erets) [Israel], so that the pastureland has been plundered. 6Therefore, prophesy over the land of Israel (country, earth – Hebr. adama) and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I have spoken in my zeal and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame of the nations. 7Therefore, thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): I have raised my hand, and surely the nations around you will bear their shame. 8But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your shoots and bring forth your fruit for me, O people of Israel, for they are about to come. [Verses 9-31 form a chiasm, with the central part in .] 9For behold, I am for you, and I will turn you around, and you shall be plowed and sown, 10and I will multiply people over you, the whole house of Israel, yes, the whole [land]. Yes, the cities will be inhabited and the wasted places will be rebuilt, 11and I will multiply (bring together) upon you people and animals, and they shall grow and be fruitful, and I will let you be inhabited as in former times and will do better than at the beginning, and you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 12I will let people tread upon you, my people Israel, and they shall occupy you, and you shall become their inheritance, and you shall no longer be childless. 13Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): Because it is said to you, Your land has become a devourer of men, and has become the sorrow of the nations. 14Therefore, you shall no longer devour people, and you shall no longer be the sorrow of the nations, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 15And you shall no longer hear the contempt of the nations against you, and you shall no longer bear the reproach of the peoples, and your people shall no longer stumble, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh). 16The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said 17Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18Therefore, I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood they had shed throughout the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. 19And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them for their ways and for their deeds. 20And when they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned my holy name, for people said of them, "These are the people of the Lord (Yahweh), and they have left his land. 21But I had mercy on my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they came. 22Therefore, say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): I am not doing this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you came. 23I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. And the nations shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), when I am sanctified in you before their eyes (before their eyes, in their sight). [The following passage is dominated by the verb form veqatal, the form that, more than the others, is constantly ongoing, without beginning and without end—the verb form of eternity. The Core Bible translates it with the present tense, which here includes both the past and the future, and indicates an ongoing process.] 24For I will take you from among the nations,
yes, I will gather you from all countries
and bring you to your [own] land. 25And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean;
from all your uncleanness (Hebr. tomah) [; ]
and from all your idols
I will cleanse (wash, renew) you. 26I will give you a new heart (mind, disposition) [a rebirth]
and a new spirit [with new, right motives] within you.
I will take (remove) the heart of stone from your body (your flesh)
and give you a heart of flesh.
[The hard heart—which cannot receive the good seed—is replaced with a new heart, open to God's word, see ; ; ; ; , , .] 27I will fill you with my own Spirit,
and I will make sure that you follow my decrees (literally "things engraved")
and keep (guard, protect, preserve) my commandments (binding legal decisions – Hebr. mishpat)
and do (live by) them. 28Then you shall dwell in the land I gave to your fathers,
and you shall be my people
and I will be your God. 29And I will save (rescue) you from all your impurities (Hebr. tomah).
I will call for the grain,
and let it grow abundantly,
and not let famine come upon you. 30And I will multiply the fruit of the trees and multiply the crops of the fields, so that you will no longer suffer the reproaches of the nations for famine. 31Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your sins and for your abominations. 32[Verses 32-38 form a chiasm, with at its center.] Not for your sake do I do this, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh), let it be known to you (be intimately familiar with). The house of Israel shall be ashamed and confounded for their ways (the way you have acted). 33Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh): On the day that I cleanse you from all your sins, I will cause the cities to be inhabited and the desolate places to be rebuilt. 34And the land that was desolate shall be tilled (plowed) where it was desolate in the sight of all who passed by. 35And they shall say, "This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the ruined and desolate cities are fortified and inhabited." 36And the lands that remain around you shall know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have rebuilt the ruins and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken it, and I will do it. 37Thus says the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh): I will again be asked by the house of Israel to do this for them. I will multiply them with people like a flock of sheep. 38Like the flock (sheep) of holy sacrificial animals, the flock in Jerusalem during her gatherings (special times, feasts – Hebr. moadim), so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh).Valley of dead bones
371The hand of the Lord (God's power and presence) came upon me, and by his Spirit I was led away to a valley, and it was full of [dried] bones. [Not whole skeletons, but dried human bone fragments. The picture that is painted is a forgotten war scene where a battle has been fought. No one has buried the bodies, and they have decayed, and bone fragments lie scattered about.] 2He led me around among them, and they were lying in large numbers all over the valley, completely dried up. [This is an image of a spiritual drought over a people, see . The bones represent death, and many bones represent widespread death, and according to Jewish tradition, it is abhorrent to leave bones exposed without burying them. A more hopeless situation than this is unimaginable.] 3He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live again?" I replied, "Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people), you know." 4Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them: You dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5This is what the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) says to these bones. Look at this, I will cause spirit (spirit) to enter into you, and you shall live. 6I will attach tendons to you, give you flesh and muscles, and cover you with skin. I will give you spirit, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh)." 7I prophesied as I was commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a [thundering] sound and a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8As I watched, I saw tendons and muscles appear, and skin covered them from above, but there was no spirit in them. 9Then he said to me, "Prophesy [a second time] and speak to the spirit—yes, prophesy, you son of man—and say to the spirit: This is what the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) says: Come from the four winds and breathe (breathe) on these dead bodies so that they may live!" 10I prophesied as I was commanded. Then the spirit entered them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 11And he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. See, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are completely cut off [like branches from a tree]. [Literally: 'cut off from us'. The bones are cut off and separated from each other. A completely impossible situation is described, see also where the same unusual word for 'cut off' is used about the Messiah.] 12Therefore, prophesy and say to them: "Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): I will open your graves and bring you up from them, my people, and bring you home to the land of Israel. 13Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them, my people. 14I will put my Spirit (wind) in you so that you may live again, and I will let you live in your land. Then you will know that I, the Lord (Yahweh), have spoken this, and that I have also done it," declares (says, proclaims) the Lord (Yahweh).A future nation under one king
15The word of the Lord came to me: 16Son of man, take a wooden rod and write on it [as was done before, see ]: "For Judah and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Southern Kingdom – the tribe of Judah together with some northern tribes (Benjamin, Levi, and parts of Simeon).]
Then take another wooden rod and write on it: "For Joseph, Ephraim, and all the Israelites who belong to him." [The Northern Kingdom – represented by Joseph or Ephraim () together with Manasseh.]
17Join them together into one staff, so that they become one in your hand. 18And whoever says to you when the sons of your people say, "Won't you tell us what this means?" 19Speak to them: "Thus says the Lord of hosts (Adonai Yahweh, the supreme almighty God, who despite his greatness is still present among his people): Behold, I will take the rod of Joseph that is in the hand of Ephraim and all the Israelites who belong to him, and I will put it on the rod of Judah, and make them one rod—they shall be one in my hand." 20Hold the wooden staffs you have written on in your hand before them. 21Then speak to them: This is what the Lord of lords (Adonai Yahweh) says: Behold, I will bring the Israelites from the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all sides and bring them to their land. 22I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall reign over them all. They shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms. 23They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all the places where they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God (Elohim). 24And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my statutes (binding legal decisions) and keep (guard, protect, preserve) my ordinances (literally "things engraved") and do (live by) them. 25And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob, where your fathers dwelt, and they shall dwell there, they and their children and their children's children forever. And my servant David shall be their prince forever. 26And I will make a covenant of peace with them, it shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will plant them and multiplythem, and I will set my sanctuary in their midst forever. 27My tabernacle (my dwelling place – Hebr. mishkan) shall be over them, and I will be their God (Elohim), and they shall be my people. 28And the nations shall know that I am the Lord (Yahweh) who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forever.Gog and Magog
381The word of the Lord (Yahweh) came to me. He said:
2"Son of man, set your face toward Gog in the land of Magog [present-day Turkey], the leader of Rosh, Meshech [people of eastern Asia Minor], and Tubal (Hebr. Toval) [Cappadocia, also in present-day Turkey, see ], and prophesy against him 3and say: Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Behold, I am against you, Gog, leader of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal (Hebr. Toval). [The Hebrew word rosh is common and means head. It can either be the name of a country or interpreted as an intensifying adjective to the word leader in verses 1-2, making Gog a grand prince. When the Greek translation Septuagint was made around 250 BC in Alexandria, rosh was not translated as head, but as the land area Rosh, which was known at the time. However, when the Latin translation was made in the Middle Ages, it was decided to interpret the word as "head." This led to the English King James translation rendering it as chief prince. Ancient sources, however, describe a country called Resh. Even from a purely grammatical point of view, the construction suggests that three countries are mentioned.] 4I will lead you [Gog] around and put hooks in your jaws. I will bring you out with your whole army, horses and riders, all dressed in full armor, a huge crowd, armed with large and small shields, and all with swords in their hands. 5Persia [present-day Iran], Cush [present-day Ethiopia and Sudan], and Put [present-day Libya] are with them, all with shields and helmets, 6Gomer [areas in present-day central Turkey] and all its armies, the people (house) of Togarmah [Hebr. Bet Togarmah – eastern part of present-day Turkey] in the far north and all its armies – many peoples are with you. [This coalition of seven nations in verses 2-6 represents the north (Meshek, Tubal, Gomer, Togerma), the southwest (Sudan, Libya), and the east (Persia/Iran).] 7Get ready [Gog] and prepare yourself with all the hordes that have gathered around you, and take command of them. 8After a long time, you will be called to service. In the coming years, you will march into a land that has been at peace from the sword. [Israel will live in peace.] Those who live there have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which have long been desolate. They have been brought out from among the nations, and all now live there in safety. 9There you shall go up. You shall come like a storm and be like a cloud covering the land, you with all your armies and with the many peoples who follow you." [The Hebrew word for "go up" is alija, see, for example, . In modern Hebrew, the word is used for someone who returns to Israel, who makes "alija." Between 1948 and 2021, over 3 million Jews have made alija. In 2021, there were 15 million Jews in total in the world (of whom about 15,000 lived in Sweden), and just under half (6.9 million) lived in Israel. In Sweden, increased anti-Semitism has led to more and more Jews choosing to move to Israel.] 10Thus says the Lord God: "On that day, thoughts will come into your heart [you, leader Gog], and you will devise evil plans. 11You will say, 'I will march against the land of unwalled villages; I will attack those who live in security, all who live without walls, bars, or gates. [Until the 18th century, new cities were planned with ring walls. Gates with bars served as defenses until World War I, when new weapons were developed that rendered them ineffective. The old city of Jerusalem was fortified with walls until 1898, when an opening was made in the wall, next to the Jaffa Gate, in preparation for a visit by the German Emperor Wilhelm II.] 12You want to plunder and rob and turn your hand against ruined places that are now inhabited again, and against a people gathered from the nations, who now have livestock and possessions where they live in the navel of the land (raised plateau; central parts, middle). [Since the Six-Day War in 1967, many Jews live in Jerusalem and more centrally in the country.] 13Then Sheba (Saba) and Dedan [present-day Saudi Arabia; Hebr. Sheba and Dedan, see ; ] and the merchants of Tarshish [in the west, near Gibraltar] and its young lions [young leaders – a young nation] will ask you, "Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to take silver and gold, to take cattle and goods, to take great spoil?" 14Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: In that day, when my people Israel dwells securely, you shall know it. 15You will come from your land in the far north, you and many peoples with you, all riding on horses—a great horde, a mighty army. 16You will come up against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land. In the days to come, this will happen. I will let you come against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you, Gog. 17Thus says the Lord God: Are you not the one I spoke of in former times through my servants, the prophets of Israel? Year after year they prophesied that I would let you come upon them. 18And it shall come to pass in the day when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh), that my fury shall come up within me. 19For in my zeal and in the fire of my wrath I have spoken: Surely, on that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel, 20so that the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and the wild animals on the land and everything that crawls on the ground and all the people on the face of the earth will be shaken by my revelation (presence), and the mountains will be thrown down and the steep places will fall and every wall will fall to the ground. 21And I will call the sword upon him throughout all my mountains, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). Every man's sword shall be turned against his brother. 22And I will be zealous against him with pestilence and with blood, and I will rain upon him and upon his army and upon the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain and great hailstones, fire and sulfur. 23Thus I will glorify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known (intimately familiar) in the eyes of many peoples, and they shall know (be familiar with, be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh)." 391And you, son of man [], prophesy against Gog and say: "Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Here I am against you, Gog, leader of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal (Hebr. Toval) [], 2and I will turn you around and lead (draw; drive) you onward, and I will bring you from the farthest (remote) parts of the north, and I will bring you up on the mountains of Israel, 3and I will strike your bow from your left hand, and I will make your arrows fall from your right hand. 4You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, all your armies and the people who are with you. I will give you to all kinds of ravenous birds, and the beasts of the field shall devour you. 5You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken it, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 6And I will send a fire upon Magog and upon those who dwell securely in the islands, and they shall know (be familiar with, be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh). 7And I will make known (make intimate knowledge of) my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer allow my holy name to be profaned (blasphemed), and the nations shall know (be familiar with, be intimately acquainted with) that I am the Lord (Yahweh), the Holy One in Israel. 8Behold, it is coming and it shall be done (really happen), declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). This is the day of which I have spoken (told). 9Those who live in the cities of Israel shall go out and make fires with the weapons and use them as fuel, both the large shields and the small shields, the bows and arrows, and the daggers and spears, and they shall burn them for seven years (uninterrupted fire), 10so that they will not need to use any of the trees of the field for wood, nor will they need any trees in the forest (for wood), for they will burn their weapons, and those who took you as spoil you shall now take as spoil, and those who plundered you you shall now plunder, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 11And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place for burial in Israel, their valley that passeth on the east of the sea [probably east of the Dead Sea and the king's highway from Amman, via Petra to Egypt], and it shall hinder (stop) those who pass by, and there they shall bury Gog and his multitudes, and they shall call (name) it "Hamon Gog's valley." [Hebr. hamon means "large quantity" but also noise, tumult, roar, and thunder. The meaning could be the valley where Gog's entire numerous army is buried, or the valley where Gog's last roar was heard.] 12For seven months the house of Israel shall bury them, so that the land may be (ritually) clean. 13Yes, all the people of the land shall bury them, and it shall become a name to them on the day when I am glorified, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 14And they shall set apart men for this task (to do this continuously), who shall walk through the land together with those who shall bury those who remain on the ground (the face of the land) and purify it [ritually]. After the seven months, they shall explore [search through the land]. 15And when those who walk through the land see human bones, they shall set up a marker so that those who bury may bury them in the valley of Hamon Gog. 16Hamona ("a great multitude") shall also be the name of a city. Thus shall they purify the land (ritually). [Hamona is the feminine form of the word for "a great multitude," see also . The Greek translation renders it with the Greek word "burial place."] 17Son of man, thus says the Lord God: Say to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: Assemble yourselves, come here, and gather from every direction to my sacrifice, to a great sacrifice that I am preparing for you on the mountains of Israel. You shall eat flesh and drink blood. 18You shall eat the flesh of heroes and drink the blood of princes of the earth, of rams and lambs, of goats and bulls, all fattened in Bashan. 19You shall eat your fill of fat and drink your fill of blood from the sacrifice I am preparing for you. 20You will be satisfied at my table with horses and riders, with heroes and all kinds of warriors, declares the Lord God. 21I will reveal my glory among the nations, so that they may all see my judgment that I have executed and how I have laid my hand upon them. 22The people of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God, from that day and forever. 23The nations shall know that the people of Israel were taken into captivity for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to me, so that I had to hide my face from them. I then delivered them into the hands of their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. 24I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and I hid my face from them. 25Therefore, says the Lord God, I will now put an end to Jacob's captivity and have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they have shown me, for they will live in safety in their land, with no one to frighten them. 27When I bring them back from the nations and gather them from the lands of their enemies, I will show my holiness through them in the sight of many nations. 28Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them into captivity among the nations and then gathered them back to their own land, leaving none behind. 29I will no longer hide my face from them, for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God." God's glory returns to the temple
The temple is measured
Ezek.'s vision of the new temple is well structured in seven parts that form a chiasm. The first, central, and last parts deal with how the land is measured out.
A The temple is measured,
B God's glory from the east,
C Regulations for temple service,
D The measurements of the land,
C´ Statutes for temple service,
B´ The double river to the east,
A´ The borders of the land,
401 In the 25th year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year [the spring month of Aviv/Nisan, see ], on the 10th day of the month [when the Passover lamb was to be chosen, see ] in the 14th year since the city had been captured [April 10, 573 BC], on that very day the hand of the Lord came upon me, and he took me there. 2In visions from God, he brought me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. On this mountain, to the south, was something that resembled a city. 3He brought me there, and behold, I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze [he shone and glowed]. In his hand he had a linen cord [for measuring long distances, perhaps similar to the measuring cord in ] and a measuring rod [for measuring gates and walls, see ]. He stood at the gate. [Measuring rod is composed of the word for rod (Hebr. qaneh) and the word for measure (Hebr. middah). The word for rod, which can also mean branch or reed, has also become a Gk. loanword kanna and kanon. The word has come to mean a measuring rod and is used for the books of the Bible and the Christian canon.] 4The man spoke to me: "Son of man, see with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I may show you this. Tell the house of Israel everything you see."The wall
5And behold, there was a wall around the temple. The measuring rod that the man had in his hand was 6 cubits [a total of 3.1 meters] long, each cubit being a handbreadth [about 7-8 cm] longer than a regular cubit.
Heavenly cubit
A regular (human) cubit was 44.5 cm long and corresponds to the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, see . Here, a "heavenly cubit" is used, which is a hand's breadth (7-8 cm) longer, making the new long cubit 52 cm long. The total length of the measuring rod is then 3.1 meters. Most likely, all measurements in chapters 40-48 are measured with this longer heavenly cubit.
The Book of Revelation mentions the measurements of angels and humans (), which may refer to these different measurements.
He measured the width of the wall, which was one cubit [3.1 meters wide], and the height, which was also one cubit [3.1 meters high]. 6Then he went to a gate facing east and climbed its steps. He measured one threshold of the gate, which was one cubit [3.1 meters] wide, and then the other threshold, which was also one cubit [3.1 meters] wide. 7Each guard chamber was one cubit [3.1 meters] long and one cubit [3.1 meters] wide, and the distance between the guard chambers was 5 cubits [2.6 meters with the new longer cubit measurement, the measuring rod is 6 cubits long, see ]. The threshold at the gatehouse on the inside was one cubit [3.1 meters].The east gate
8He measured the gatehouse on the inside. It was one cubit [3.1 meters]. 9He measured the gatehouse. It was 8 cubits [4.2 meters with the new longer heavenly cubit], and the pillars were 2 cubits [1 meter]. The gatehouse was on the inside. 10There were three guard rooms on each side of the gate to the east. All three were the same size, and the pillars on both sides were the same size. 11He measured the width of the gate opening, which was 10 cubits [5.2 meters], and the length of the gate, which was 13 cubits [7 meters]. 12In front of the guardrooms was a wall that was 1 cubit [0.5 meters]. And 1 cubit [0.5 meters] was also the wall on the opposite side. Each guardroom on both sides was 6 cubits [3.1 meters]. 13He measured the gate from the roof of one guard chamber to the other. Itwas 25 cubits [13 meters] wide, and door was opposite door. 14He measured the pillars to be 60 cubits [31 meters]. The front yard around the gate building reached up to the pillars. 15The distance between the front of the entrance gate and the front of the front building at the inner gate opening was 50 cubits [26 meters]. 16There were barred windows to the guard chambers and to their pillars inside the gate all around, and likewise in the front buildings. The windows were all around inside, and the pillars were adorned with palm trees.The forecourt
17He brought me to the outer courtyard, and I saw that it was covered with a stone floor, and 30 temple chambers were built on the stone floor. 18This ran along the side walls of the gates, so that it corresponded to the length of the gates. This was the lower stone floor. 19Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the outer side of the inner courtyard. It was 100 cubits [52 meters] on both the east side and the north side.The northern gate
20Then he also measured the length and width of the gate that faced north on the outer courtyard. 21It also had three guard chambers on each side, as well as pillars and a porch, the same size as the previous gate. It was 50 cubits [26 meters] long and 25 cubits [13 meters] wide. 22The windows, porch, and palm decorations in it were the same size as in the gate facing east, and one ascended to it by seven steps, and the porch was in front of these. 23A gate to the inner courtyard was opposite this gate. It was in the north as in the east, and he measured the distance from one gate to the other. It was 100 cubits [52 meters].The south gate
24Then he brought me to the south side, and I saw a gate facing south. He measured its pillars and porch. They were the same size as the others. 25There were windows on it and on the porch around it, similar to the other windows. It was 50 cubits [26 meters] long and 25 cubits [13 meters] wide. 26The stairway leading up to it consisted of seven steps, and the porch was in front of them. It was adorned on both sides with palm trees on its pillars. 27There was also a gate to the inner courtyard on the south side. He measured the distance from one gate to the other on the south side. It was 100 cubits [52 meters].The gates to the courtyard
28Then he took me to the inner courtyard through the south gate. He measured the south gate, and it was the same size as the others. 29The guard chambers, pillars, and front building were the same size as the others, and it had windows like the front building around it. It was 50 cubits [26 meters] long and 25 cubits [13 meters] wide. 30All around were porticoes, 25 cubits [13 meters] long and 5 cubits [2.6 meters] wide. 31The porch faced the outer courtyard, and the pillars were decorated with palm trees. The entrance to it consisted of eight steps. 32Then he took me to the east side of the inner courtyard and measured the gate there. It was the same size as the others. 33The guardrooms, pillars, and porch were the same size as the others, and there were windows on it and on the porch around it. It was 50 cubits [26 meters] long and 25 cubits [13 meters] wide. 34The porch faced the outer courtyard, and the pillars were decorated with palm trees on both sides. The entrance to it consisted of eight steps. 35Then he took me to the north gate and measured it. It was the same size as the others. 36So were the guardrooms, the pillars, and the porch, and there were windows all around it. It was 50 cubits [26 meters] long and 25 cubits [13 meters] wide. 37There were pillars at the outer courtyard, and they were decorated with palm trees on both sides. The entrance to it consisted of eight steps.Room for preparing the sacrifices
38There was a temple chamber with an entrance by the pillars at the gates. There, the burnt offerings were to be washed. 39In the front hall of the gate there were two tables on each side, on which the burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings were to be slaughtered. 40On the outer side wall facing north as one ascended to the entrance of the gate, there were two tables, and on the other side wall of the gatehouse there were also two tables. 41There were four tables on each side of the side walls of the gate, or a total of eight tables where the sacrificial animals were to be slaughtered. 42For the burnt offering, there were also four tables made of hewn stones, 1.5 cubits [0.8 meters] long, 1.5 cubits [0.8 meters] wide, and 1 cubit [0.5 meters] high. On them, the tools used to slaughter the burnt offering animals and the slaughtered animals were to be placed. 43Double hooks, a hand's breadth [8-9 cm] long, were attached to the inside of the house all around, and the sacrificial meat was to be placed on the tables.The priests' rooms
44Outside the inner gate, in the inner courtyard, there were two temple chambers for the singers. One was located on the side wall of the north gate, facing south, and the other was located on the side wall of the east gate, facing north. 45He said to me, "The temple chamber facing south is for the priests who perform the service inside the house. 46The temple chamber facing north is for the priests who perform the service at the altar, that is, for the sons of Zadok, who are the descendants of Levi who may come before the Lord to serve him." 47He measured the front courtyard: it was 100 cubits long and 100 cubits wide [52 x 52 meters]—a square. The altar stood in front of the temple.The Temple
48Then he brought me to the front of the house, and he measured the pillars of the front. They were 5 cubits [2.6 meters] on each side, and each of the two gateways was 3 cubits [1.6 meters] wide. 49The front part was 20 cubits [10.4 meters] long and 11 cubits [5.7 meters] wide at the steps leading up to it. There was a pillar on each side of the doorposts. 411Then he brought me to the temple hall, where he measured the pillars. On both sides they were 6 cubits [3.1 meters] wide—that was the width of the tabernacle. 2The entrance was 10 cubits [5.2 meters] wide, and the side walls at the entrance were 5 cubits [2.6 meters] on each side. Then he measured the length of the hall. It was 40 cubits [20.8 meters], and its width was 20 cubits [10.4 meters]. 3Then he went into the innermost room, and he measured the pillars at the entrance. They were 2 cubits [1 meter], and the entrance was 6 cubits [3.1 meters]. The width of the entrance was 7 cubits [3.6 meters]. 4He measured its length. It was 20 cubits [10.4 meters], and its width in front of the temple hall was 20 cubits [10.4 meters]. He said to me, "This is the most holy place." 5Then he measured the temple wall. It was 6 cubits [3.1 meters] thick, and the width of the side chambers was 4 cubits [2 meters] around the entire building. 6The side chambers were on three floors, one above the other, with 30 chambers on each floor. And on the wall that extended inside the side chambers all around, there were ledges on which they rested, for they were not to be fixed to the wall of the house itself. 7In this way, the side chambers became wider the higher they were around the building. For the temple's surrounding building extended with upper floor upon upper floor around the building. Therefore, the width grew inward as the floor was higher up. From the lowest floor, one ascended to the top floor through the middle floor. 8I saw that the temple stood on a raised base that extended all around it. The foundations of the side chambers were a whole cubit [] high, 6 cubits [3.1 meters] to the edge. 9The outer wall of the side rooms was 5 cubits [2.6 meters] thick. The open space between the side rooms of the temple 10and the other rooms was 20 cubits [10.4 meters] wide around the entire temple. 11The entrances to the side chambers were on the outside of the open space, one entrance to the north and one entrance to the south. The open space was 5 cubits [2.6 meters] wide all around. 12The building facing the separate temple courtyard on the west side was 70 cubits [36.4 meters] wide, and the wall of the building was 5 cubits [2.6 meters] thick all around and 90 cubits [46.8 meters] long. 13Then he measured the building. It was 100 cubits [52 meters] long. The temple courtyard and the building with the walls together were 100 cubits [52 meters]. 14The width of the front of the temple and the temple courtyard to the east together was 100 cubits [52 meters]. 15He also measured the length of the building adjacent to the temple courtyard, at its rear, as well as the projections on its facade on both sides: they were 100 cubits [52 meters].
Then he measured the temple hall, the inner part and the vestibule facing the front courtyard, 16the thresholds and the lattice windows and the galleries around their three floors. In front of the threshold there was a wooden panel all around, from the floor to the windows, and the windows were covered. 17From the place above the doorway and all the way to the inner and outer rooms of the temple, and on all the walls around the inner and outer rooms, there were cherubim and palm trees at regular intervals. 18cherubim and palm trees. Each palm tree stood between two cherubim, and each cherub had two faces, 19a human face toward the palm tree on one side and a lion's face toward the palm tree on the other side. This was the case throughout the entire building. 20From the ground up to the entrance, there were images of cherubim and palm trees on the walls of the temple. 21The doorway of the temple hall was square, and the front of the Holy of Holies had the same appearance. 22The altar was made of wood, 3 cubits [1.6 meters] high and 2 cubits [1 meter] long. The corners, the top, and the sides were made of wood. He said to me, "This is the table that is to be before the Lord." 23Both the temple hall and the holy of holies had two doors. 24Each door had two door panels, two hinged door panels. One door had two door panels and the other had two. 25On the doors of the temple hall were images of cherubim and palm trees, as on the walls. On the front of the porch, on the outside, was a staircase made of wood. 26There were barred windows and palm trees on both sides of the side walls of the front building, as well as in the side chambers of the building and in the stairwells.The priests' rooms
421Then the man took me out to the outer courtyard on the road that leads north. He led me to the building with temple chambers that was opposite the separate temple courtyard and opposite the temple building to the north, 2to the long side measuring 100 cubits [52 meters], with its entrance to the north and a width of 50 cubits [26 meters]. 3Facing the 20 cubits [10.4 meters] wide space of the inner courtyard and facing the stone floor of the outer courtyard were the ledges of the front wall of one house opposite the ledges of the front wall of the other house in three stories. 4In front of the temple chambers was a 10 cubits [5.2 meters] wide passageway to the inner courtyard, a path of 1 cubit [0.5 meters], and the entrances faced north. 5But the upper temple chambers were smaller than the others, because the ledges on the front wall took up more space from them than from the lower and middle chambers of the building. 6The chambers were on three floors and had no pillars like the courtyards did. Therefore, the chambers on the top floor were more recessed than those on the bottom and middle floors. 7An outer dividing wall ran along the temple chambers toward the outer courtyard, in front of the temple chambers, and it was 50 cubits [26 meters] long. 8The length of the temple chamber building towards the outer courtyard was 50 cubits [26 meters], but it extended 100 cubits [52 meters] to the temple. 9Below these temple chambers was the entrance from the east, when one wanted to reach them from the outer courtyard. 10The wall of the courtyard was widest on the east side, and there were temple chambers opposite the temple courtyard and also opposite the temple building. 11In front of the chambers was a passageway, as was the case with the temple chambers on the north side, and these were of the same length and width. All the exits here were the same as there in terms of doors and other fixtures. 12As with the doors of the temple chambers to the south, there was also a door here at which a road began, the road that followed the dividing wall to the east, when one entered the temple chambers. 13Then he said to me, "The northern and southern temple chambers opposite the temple courtyard shall be the holy temple chambers, where the priests who appear before the Lord shall eat the most holy things. There they shall store the most holy things, both food offerings and sin offerings and guilt offerings, for it is a holy place. 14When the priests have entered, they shall not go out directly to the outer court unless they have left the clothes they wore for service there, for these are holy. Only when they have put on other clothes may they go out to the place for the people." 15When he had finished measuring the inner temple area, he brought me out to the gate facing east. There he measured the area around it. 16He [the angel] measured the east side with his measuring rod [which was 3.2 m long, see ]:
500 cubits, according to the cubit measurement all around. [The east side was 1.6 km long.]
17He measured the north side:
500 cubits, according to the cubit measurement all around. [The north side was 1.6 km long.]
18He measured the south side:
500 cubits, according to the cubit measurement. [The south side was 1.6 km long.]
19He turned to the west side and measured it:
500 rods, according to the rod's measurement. [The west side was 1.6 km long.] 20He measured the four sides of the place. It was surrounded by a wall. The length of the place was 500 measuring rods [1.6 km] and its width 500 measuring rods [1.6 km]. It was to separate the holy from the unholy.The glory of God from the east
431He let me go to the gate, the gate facing east. 2And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters, and the earth was illuminated by his glory. 3The vision I saw was like the one I saw when I [I saw the vision where the Lord] came to destroy the city []. It was a vision like the one I saw by the river Chebar []. And I fell on my face. 4The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. 5And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 6Then I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple, while a man stood beside me. 7He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne, the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell among the children of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no longer defile my holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their whoring and the corpses of their kings and their high places. 8Those who set their threshold beside my threshold and their doorpost beside my doorpost, so that only the wall was between me and them, and who defiled my holy name with their abominations, I have destroyed in my anger. 9But now they must remove their unfaithful lives and the dead bodies of their kings from me. Then I will dwell among them forever. 10But you, son of man, tell the house of Israel [about this temple] so that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them measure its [the building's] perfection. 11If they are ashamed of all that they have done, then enlighten them and describe to their eyes the plan and furnishings of the temple, with exits and entrances, all forms and all his ordinances (literally "things engraved") and his instructions (Hebr. Torah) that apply, so that they pay attention to its entire form and all his ordinances (literally "things engraved") concerning it and follow them. 12This is the teaching about the temple: At the top of the mountain, the entire area around it shall be most holy. This is the law of the temple.Statutes for temple service
The altar
13These were the measurements of the altar in cubits, each cubit being a handbreadth [7-8 cm] longer than a regular cubit. [The royal longer cubit is used here, see the heavenly cubit introduced in Ezek. 40:5.] Its base was 1 cubit [0.5 meters] high and 1 cubit [0.5 meters] wide, and the border on the frame, around the edge, was 1 span [about 23 cm] high. This was the base of the altar (back; support – Hebr. gav). 14The distance from the base at the ground up to the lower ledge was 2 cubits [1 meter], and the width was one cubit. The distance from the smaller ledge up to the larger one was 4 cubits [2.1 meters], and the width was 1 cubit [0.5 meters]. 15The altar hearth was 4 cubits [2.1 meters] high, and from the altar hearth stood the four horns. 16The altar hearth was 12 cubits long and 12 cubits wide [6.2 x 6.2 meters], so that its four sides formed a square. 17The ledge was 14 cubits [7.3 meters] long and 14 cubits [7.3 meters] wide along its four sides. The rim around it was 0.5 cubits [26 cm], and its base extended 1 cubit [52 cm] around it. The steps of the altar faced east. 18Then he said to me, "Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: These are the regulations for the altar on the day it is built, so that burnt offerings may be offered on it and blood may be sprinkled on it. 19Then you shall give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests, who are of the family of Zadok and who may come near to minister before me, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 20And you shall take some of the blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the ledge and on the rim all around. In this way you shall purify it and make atonement for it. 21Then you shall take the bull of the sin offering [] and burn it outside the sanctuary in a designated place belonging to the temple area. 22The next day, you shall bring a flawless goat as a sin offering, and you shall purify the altar with it in the same way that you purified it with the bull. 23When you have finished making atonement, you shall bring a young bull without blemish and a ram without blemish from the flock. 24You shall bring them before the Lord, and the priests shall sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 25For seven days you shall offer a goat as a sin offering each day. A young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish, shall also be offered. 26For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and purify it and consecrate it. 27But after these days are over, on the eighth day and in the future, the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. And I will be gracious to you, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh)." 441
The Golden Gate is now closed, just as Ezekiel writes.
The dimensions of the land
451When you divide the land by lot, you shall give a holy portion of the land as an offering to the Lord. This portion shall be 25,000 cubits [13 km] long and 10,000 cubits [5.2 km] wide, and shall be holy in its entirety. 2From this, a square measuring 500 cubits in length and 500 cubits in width [260 x 260 meters] shall be taken for the sanctuary, with a free space around it of [an additional] 50 cubits [26 meters]. 3From the sacred area, you shall set aside a portion, 25,000 cubits [13 km] in length and 10,000 [5.2 km] in width, and there shall be the sanctuary, the most holy place. 4This is a holy part of the land, and it shall belong to the priests who serve in the sanctuary, those who are allowed to come forward to serve before the Lord (Yahweh). This shall be a place for them for their houses, but also a holy place for the sanctuary. 5And a piece of land, 25,000 cubits [13 km] long and 10,000 [5.2 km] wide, shall belong to the Levites who serve in the temple, in addition to the 20 temple chambers, as their property. 6You shall give the city an area 5,000 cubits [2.6 km] wide and 25,000 cubits [13 km] long, bordering the holy sacrificial area. It shall belong to the whole house of Israel. 7The prince shall have an area on both sides of the sacred precinct and the property of the city. It shall border the sacred precinct and the property of the city, on the west side to the west and on the east side to the east. In length, it shall be equal to the length of a tribal lot from the western border to the eastern border. 8This shall be his possession in Israel. My princes shall no longer oppress my people, but they shall let the house of Israel keep their land as it has been divided among their tribes. 9Thus says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): Enough, O princes of Israel! Cease your violence and oppression, and act justly and righteously. Drive my people no longer from their homes, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh): 10You shall have a true balance, a true ephah [22-36 liters], and a true bath [about 30 liters]. 11The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath shall hold a tenth of a homer, just as the ephah holds a tenth of a homer, for the homer shall be the standard measure. [A homer is equivalent to several hundred liters – the word comes from the word for donkey and the weight it could carry.] 12The shekel shall contain 20 gera [equivalent to one shekel, see ]. 20 shekels, 25 shekels, and 15 shekels [20 + 25 + 15 = 60 shekels] shall be in your mina (unit of measurement – Hebr. maneh). [• An ephah is a unit of volume measuring 22-26 liters.
• A chomer was a large measure of several hundred liters – the word comes from the word for donkey and the weight it could carry.
• A shekel is equivalent to 11.5 grams.
• A gera is 1/20 of a shekel, equivalent to 0.6 grams.
• A mina was probably a standard weight (about 0.5 kg) that could be checked against three coins. The Greek translation Septuagint translates: "50 shekels shall be your mina."]Statutes for temple service
13This is the offering you shall give: one-sixth of an ephah [about 5 liters] of wheat per homer [a donkey load] and one-sixth of an ephah [about 5 liters] of barley per homer [a donkey load], 14in addition to the prescribed (mandatory) gift of oil, measured in baths [approx. 30 liters]: one-tenth of a bath [3 liters] of each kor [a barrel; 390 liters] – which is a measure of ten baths and equal to one homer [a donkey load]. Ten baths make up one homer [a donkey load]. 15In addition, from the water-rich pastures of Israel, from every flock of 200 small livestock, you shall give one [sheep] for a food offering, a burnt offering, and a fellowship offering to make atonement for the people, says the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh). 16All the people of the land must give this offering to the prince of Israel. 17But the prince must bring the burnt offering, grain offering, and drink offering on the high holidays, new moons, and Sabbaths, on all the appointed feasts of Israel. He shall provide the sin offering, grain offering, burnt offering, and fellowship offering to make atonement for the house of Israel. 18This is what the Lord God says: On the first day of the first month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and purify the sanctuary. 19The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the altar, and on the doorposts of the gate of the inner court. 20You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned unintentionally or through ignorance. In this way you shall make atonement for the temple. 21On the 14th day of the first month, you shall celebrate the Passover. For seven days you shall celebrate the feast, and you shall eat unleavened bread. 22On that day the prince shall offer a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. 23But during the seven days of the feast, he shall offer seven bulls and seven rams, all without blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord, and one goat daily as a sin offering. 24As a food offering, he shall offer an ephah [22-36 liters] for each bull and an ephah [22-36 liters] for each ram, and a hin [3.5 liters] of oil for each ephah. 25On the 15th day of the 7th month [Tishri – Sept/Oct] and during the seven days of the feast, he shall offer the same sacrifices, the same sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the same amount of oil. 461Thus says the Lord God: The gate of the inner court, which faces east, shall be shut during the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened. Likewise, it shall be opened on the new moon day. 2Then the prince shall enter from outside through the vestibule of the gate and stand at the doorposts of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his fellowship offering, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out. But the gate shall not be closed until evening. 3The people of the land shall worship before the Lord at the entrance of the same gate on the Sabbaths and new moons. 4The burnt offering that the prince shall bring to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall consist of six lambs without blemish and one ram without blemish. 5As a grain offering, he shall bring an ephah for the ram and as much as he wishes to offer for the lambs, and for each ephah he shall offer a hin [3.5 liters] of oil. 6On the day of the new moon, he shall bring a flawless young bull, six lambs, and a ram, all flawless. 7As a food offering, he shall offer one ephah for the bull and one ephah for the ram and as much as he wishes for the lambs, and for each ephah he shall offer a hin [3.5 liters] of oil. 8When the prince enters, he shall go through the vestibule of the gate, and by the same way he shall go out. 9When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed times, those who have entered through the north gate to worship shall go out through the south gate, and those who have entered through the south gate shall go out through the north gate. No one shall return through the gate by which he entered, but shall go out through the opposite gate. 10When they enter, the prince shall enter with them. When they go out, they shall go out together. 11At feasts and festivals, the food offering shall be one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, and as much as he wishes to give for the lambs, and one hin [3.5 liters] of oil for each ephah. 12When the prince wants to offer a voluntary sacrifice, whether it is a burnt offering [] or a fellowship offering [] as a voluntary offering to the Lord, the gate facing east shall be opened for him, and he shall offer his burnt offering and his fellowship offering as he usually does on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and the gate shall be shut behind him. 13Every day you shall bring a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. You shall offer one every morning. 14With it, you shall present a sixth of an ephah [4 liters] of flour and a third of a hin [1.2 liters] of oil to moisten the flour. This food offering to the Lord shall be a permanent statute and shall apply forever. 15They shall offer the lamb and the grain offering and the oil every morning as a continual burnt offering. 16Thus says the Lord God: If the prince gives any of his sons a gift from his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property as an inheritance. 17But if he gives a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall belong to the servant until the year of release. Then it shall return to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons. It shall belong to them. 18The prince shall not take any of the people's inheritance so that he dispossesses them of their property. Only from his own property shall he let his sons inherit, so that none of my people shall be dispossessed of the property that is his." 19He brought me through the entrance beside the gate of the holy temple chambers designated for the priests, which faced north, and I saw that there was a place at the far end toward the west. 20He said to me, "This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not have to carry it out to the outer court and thus make the people holy." 21Then he brought me out to the outer court and had me walk to the four corners of the court, and I saw that in each corner of the court there was a courtyard. 22In the four corners of the courtyard were enclosed courtyards, 40 cubits long and 30 cubits wide. The four corner courtyards were of equal size. 23Around them was a wall, around all four, and at the bottom of the wall around them were fireplaces for cooking. 24He said to me, "These are the kitchens where the servants of the temple will cook the sacrifices of the people."The water from the temple
471Then he [the angel who led Ezekiel] brought me back to the entrance of the temple. Then I saw water (double water) flowing under the threshold and flowing eastward, for the front of the temple was on the east side. The water came from the right side of the temple and flowed on the south side of the altar. [] 2He brought me out through the north gate [of the temple; the east gate was closed, see ; ] and led me to the outer gate, which faces east [the city gate facing the Kidron Valley]. And behold, water (double water) was flowing from the south (right) side. [In addition to singular and plural, Hebrew also has dual, which means two, indicated by the ending "-jim." The dual form is used for both "water" and "river" in this chapter.] 3The man [the angel] began to walk eastward with a measuring line in his hand. He measured 1,000 cubits [520 meters along the water to the east]
and led me [let me walk] through the water—which reached me to my ankles.
4He measured 1,000 [cubits] to [now a total of 1,040 meters east of the temple along the water]
and led me [let me wade out] through the water—which now reached my knees.
He measured 1,000 [cubits] to [now a total of 1,560 meters east of the temple along the water],
and led me [let me wade] through the water – which now reached my waist.
5He measured 1,000 [cubits] to [now a total of 2,080 meters east of the temple along the water],
it was now a river (a stream – Hebr. nachal) that I could not cross,
for the water (the double waters) was high – water to swim in,
a river that could not be crossed [waded across]. 6He [the angel who led Ezekiel in the heavenly vision] said to me, "Son of man, have you seen this?"
Then he brought me back to the shore. 7When I returned, I discovered an enormous number of trees along both sides of the river [something I had not noticed before]. 8He said to me: "These two waters (the two streams – Hebr. majim) flow eastward through the land and then descend into the desert (Hebr. Arava) [the Judean desert east of Jerusalem]. When they then flow into the sea [the Dead Sea] – where the water is stagnant – it becomes fresh (healed). [Today, there are no fish or other living creatures in the Dead Sea due to its high mineral content.] 9
Ein Gedi on the western side of the Dead Sea.
The borders of the land
13This is what the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh) says: These are the boundaries (territory) that shall apply when you divide the land among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. 14You shall receive it as an inheritance, one tribe as well as the other. Because I raised my hand in promise to give it to your fathers, this land shall be your inheritance. 15This shall be the border of the land on the north side []: From the Great Sea [Mediterranean Sea] along the road to Hethlon, which goes to Zedad [city in northeastern Syria], 16Hamat, Berothah, Sibraim, which lies between Damascus and the territory of Hamath, the middle part of Chazer, which lies on the border of Havah [the region south of Damascus and east of the Sea of Galilee]. 17The border shall run from the sea to Chasar-Enon at the border of Damascus and continue northward to the border of Chamat. This is the northern side. 18On the eastern side, the border shall begin between Havran and Damascus and run between Gilead and the land of Israel, consisting of the Jordan River. From the northern border down to the eastern sea, you shall measure it out. This is the eastern side. 19On the south side, the border shall run from Tamar to the waters of Meriboth at Kadesh, along the stream [Egypt's stream – Wadi al Arish] to the Great Sea. This is the southern border. 20On the west side, the border shall be the Great Sea, running from the southern border to a point opposite the place where the road goes to Hamath [in Syria]. This is the west side. 21You shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. 22You shall divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves and for the strangers who live among you and bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel. They shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. 23In the tribe where the stranger lives, you shall give him his inheritance, declares the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh).The allotment of the seven northern tribes
481These are the names of the tribes:
On the northern border, along the road to Hamath, which goes to Hamath, and on to Hazer-Enan, with Damascus on the north and along Hamath, Dan shall have a lot, so that the entire stretch from the east side to the west belongs to him. 2Next to Dan's territory, Asher shall have a lot from the east side to the west.
3Next to Asher's territory, Naphtali shall have a portion from the east side to the west.
4Next to Naphtali's territory, Manasseh shall have a portion from the east side to the west.
5Next to Manasseh's territory, Ephraim shall have a lot from the east side to the west.
6Next to Ephraim's territory, Reuben shall have a lot from the east side to the west.
7Next to Reuben's territory, Judah shall have a lot from the east side to the west side. The priests' and Levites' allotment
8Next to the territory of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the territory that you shall give as a gift to the Lord (Yahweh). You shall give as a gift 25,000 [cubits; 13 km] in width and the same in length as a tribal lot from the east side to the west side. The sanctuary shall be located there in the middle. 9The area you give as a gift to the Lord shall be 25,000 [cubits; 13 km] in length and 10,000 [5.2 km] in width. 10Of this sacred area that you give as a gift, a portion shall belong to the priests, 25,000 cubits [13 km] in the north [cubits; 13 km] in length, 10,000 [5.2 km] in width on the west, 10,000 [5.2 km] in width on the east, and 25,000 [13 km] in length on the south, and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the center of it. 11It shall belong to the priests, the sons of Zadok, who have been consecrated and who have served me and who did not go astray as the Levites did when the other Israelites went astray. 12Therefore, a special portion of the offering set apart from the land shall belong to them as a most holy area adjacent to that of the Levites. 13But the Levites shall have an area equal to that of the priests, 25,000 [cubits; 13 km] and 10,000 [5.2 km] in width, the length everywhere 25,000 [13 km] and the width 10,000 [5.2 km]. 14They shall not sell or exchange any of it. Nor shall they otherwise transfer the best of the land to anyone else, for it is consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh). 15But the 5,000 [cubits; 2.6 km] that remain on the width next to the 25,000 [13 km] shall be common land for the city, partly for living on and partly as outlying land. And the city shall be located there in the middle. 16These are the measurements of the city: the north side 4,500 [cubits; 2.3 km], the south side 4,500 [2.3 km], the east side 4,500 [2.3 km], and the west side 4,500 [2.3 km]. 17The city shall have an outfield extending 250 [cubits; 130 meters] to the north, 250 [130 meters] to the south, 250 [130 meters] to the east, and 250 [130 meters] to the west. 18The remainder of the land along the sacred area shall be 10,000 [cubits; 5.2 km] to the east and 10,000 [5.2 km] to the west, and it shall extend along the sacred area. The produce of this area shall serve as food for the inhabitants of the city. 19The workers of the city from all the tribes of Israel shall cultivate it. 20The entire area that you shall set apart shall be 25,000 [cubits; 13 km] long and 25,000 [13 km] wide, forming a square. You shall give this sacred gift to the city as its property.The prince's area
21The prince shall receive what remains on both sides of the sacred area and the city area. This applies to the land up to the 25,000 [cubits; 13 km] wide sacred area, all the way to the eastern border, and likewise to the west, the land up to the 25,000 [13 km] wide area, all the way to the western border. Both of these areas, which run parallel to the tribal lots, shall belong to the prince. The sacred area with the sanctuary shall be located between them. 22From the territory of the Levites and from the territory of the city, which lies between the territories of the prince, the area between the southern border of Judah and the northern border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.The allocation of the five southern tribes
23Then come the remaining [five] tribes. First, Benjamin shall have a lot, from the east side to the west.
24Next to Benjamin's territory, Simeon shall have a lot, from the east side to the west.
25Next to Simeon's territory, Issachar shall have a lot, from the east side to the west.
26Next to Issachar's territory, Zebulun shall have a lot, from the east side to the west. 27Next to Zebulun's territory, Gad shall have a lot, from the east side to the west. 28Next to Gad's territory, on its southern side, the border shall run from Tamar across the waters of Meribah at Kadesh and on to the stream [Egypt's stream – Wadi al Arish] to the Great Sea. 29This is the land that you shall divide by lot as an inheritance for the tribes of Israel.
These shall be their tribal lots, declares (says, proclaims) the Lord God (Adonai Yahweh).The holy city
30The city shall have the following exits: On the north side it shall measure 4,500 [cubits; 2.3 km], 31and of the gates of the city, named after the tribes of Israel, three shall be on the north: the first is the gate of Reuben, the second the gate of Judah, and the third the gate of Levi. 32On the east side it shall also measure 4,500 cubits [2.3 km], and have three gates: the first is the gate of Joseph, the second the gate of Benjamin, and the third the gate of Dan. 33Similarly, the south side shall also measure 4,500 cubits [2.3 km] and have three gates: the first shall be the gate of Simeon, the second the gate of Issachar, and the third the gate of Zebulun. 34The west side shall measure 4,500 [cubits; 2.3 km] and have three gates: the first is the gate of Gad, the second the gate of Asher, and the third the gate of Naphtali. 35The city shall measure 18,000 [cubits; 9.3 km] around, and from that day on, the name of the city shall be:
"The Lord is there (here)." [The Hebrew phrase JHVH shammah can also be translated as "The Lord is here."]
