Open English Translation EZE Chapter 11

11 Then the spirit lifted me up and brought me to the eastern gate of Yahweh’s temple, facing east, and wow, in the doorway of the gate there were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Azzur’s son Yaazanyah and Benayah’s son Felatyah, who were leaders of the people.

2 Yahweh told me, “Humanity’s child, these are the men who plan to do evil things and who make wicked plans in this city. 3 They’re saying, ‘This isn’t yet the time to build houses. This city is like a cooking pot, and we’re the meat.’ 4 So, prophesy against them, humanity’s child, start prophesying.”

5 Then Yahweh’s spirit came on me and told me to say: This is what Yahweh says, “That’s what you Israeli people are saying, because I know what goes through your mind. 6 You’ve killed many people in this city, and filled its streets with them.

7 Therefore the master Yahweh says: The people you’ve killed, whose bodies you’ve laid in the middle of Yerushalem, are the meat, and this city is the pot. But you people are going to be brought out from the centre of this city. 8 You’ve feared the sword, so I’m bringing the sword against you. That’s my master Yahweh’s declaration. 9 I’ll bring you out from the city, and put you into the hands of foreigners, because I’ll bring judgement against you people. 10 You’ll be killed by the sword. I’ll judge you within Yisrael’s borders so that you people will know that I am Yahweh. 11 This city won’t be your cooking pot, nor will you be the meat inside it. I’ll judge you people within Yisrael’s borders. 12 Then you’ll know that I am Yahweh, the one whose instructions you haven’t obeyed and whose regulations you haven’t followed. Instead, you people have imitated the wicked customs of the nations that surround you.”

13 Then as I was prophesying, Benayah’s son Felatyah died. So I fell to my knees with my face bowed low to the ground and cried out with a loud voice, “Oh no, my master Yahweh, will you completely eliminate the Israeli people?”

14 Then Yahweh gave me this message: 15 “Your brothers, humanity’s child, your brothers and all the Israeli people who were exiled—the ones living in Yerushalem say about them all, ‘They’re far away from Yahweh. This land was given to us as ours to own.’

16 So tell them, ‘My master Yahweh says this: ‘Although I’ve removed them far away to other nations, and though I’ve scattered them among those lands, I myself have been a place of security for them for a little while in the lands where they were taken.’

17 So explain to them, ‘My master Yahweh says this: ‘I’ll gather you from the people groups, and assemble you from the lands where you were scattered, and I’ll give you back the country of Yisrael.’ 18 Then they’ll go there and remove every detestable and disgusting thing from there, 19 and I’ll give them one heart, and I’ll put a new spirit in them. I’ll take the rock-hard heart out of them and give them a tender heart,[ref] 20 so that they’ll follow my instructions and obey my regulations. Then they’ll be my people, and I’ll be their god. 21 But to those who would rather happily choose their detestable and disgusting ways, I’ll make their actions bounce back onto their own heads. That’s the master Yahweh’s declaration.”

22 Then the winged creatures lifted up their wings and the wheels that were beside them, and the brilliant light of Yisrael’s god was up high over them.[ref] 23 Then it went up from the centre of the city and sat above the mountain to the east of the city. 24 The spirit lifted me up and brought me into Chaldea (Babylonia) to the exiles, in the vision from God’s spirit, and the vision that I’d been seeing left me, 25 and I told the exiles everything Yahweh had shown me.