Information Retrieved -> Ezekiel 20 - 23(NLT)

Book Chapter Verse Text
Ezekiel 20 1 On August 14, during the seventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, some of the leaders of Israel came to request a message from the LORD. They sat down in front of me to wait for his reply.
Ezekiel 20 2 Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 20 3 "Son of man, give the leaders of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: How dare you come to ask for my help? As surely as I live, I will tell you nothing. This is the word of the Sovereign LORD!
Ezekiel 20 4 "Son of man, bring judgment against them and condemn them. Make them realize how loathsome the actions of their ancestors really were.
Ezekiel 20 5 Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: When I chose Israel and revealed myself to her in Egypt, I swore that I, the LORD, would be her God.
Ezekiel 20 6 I promised that I would bring her and her descendants out of Egypt to a land I had discovered and explored for them--a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the best of all lands anywhere.
Ezekiel 20 7 Then I said to them, `Each of you, get rid of your idols. Do not defile yourselves with the Egyptian gods, for I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel 20 8 "But they rebelled against me and would not listen. They did not get rid of their idols or forsake the gods of Egypt. Then I threatened to pour out my fury on them to satisfy my anger while they were still in Egypt.
Ezekiel 20 9 But I didn't do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. That way the surrounding nations wouldn't be able to laugh at Israel's God, who had promised to deliver his people.
Ezekiel 20 10 So I brought my people out of Egypt and led them into the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20 11 There I gave them my laws so they could live by keeping them. Yes, all those who keep them will live!
Ezekiel 20 12 And I gave them my Sabbath days of rest as a sign between them and me. It was to remind them that I, the LORD, had set them apart to be holy, making them my special people.
Ezekiel 20 13 "But the people of Israel rebelled against me, and they refused to obey my laws there in the wilderness. They wouldn't obey my instructions even though obedience would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So I threatened to pour out my fury on them, and I made plans to utterly consume them in the desert.
Ezekiel 20 14 But again I held back in order to protect the honor of my name. That way the nations who saw me lead my people out of Egypt wouldn't be able to claim I destroyed them because I couldn't take care of them.
Ezekiel 20 15 But I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful place on earth.
Ezekiel 20 16 I told them this because they had rejected my laws, ignored my will for them, and violated my Sabbath days. Their hearts were given to their idols.
Ezekiel 20 17 Nevertheless, I pitied them and held back from destroying them in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20 18 "Then I warned their children and told them not to follow in their parents' footsteps, defiling themselves with their idols.
Ezekiel 20 19 `I am the LORD your God,' I told them. `Follow my laws, pay attention to my instructions,
Ezekiel 20 20 and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the LORD your God.'
Ezekiel 20 21 "But their children, too, rebelled against me. They refused to keep my laws and follow my instructions, even though obeying them would have given them life. And they also violated my Sabbath days. So again I threatened to pour out my fury on them in the wilderness.
Ezekiel 20 22 Nevertheless, I withdrew my judgment against them to protect the honor of my name among the nations who had seen my power in bringing them out of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20 23 But I took a solemn oath against them while they were in the wilderness. I vowed I would scatter them among all the nations
Ezekiel 20 24 because they did not obey my laws. They scorned my instructions by violating my Sabbath days and longing for the idols of their ancestors.
Ezekiel 20 25 I gave them over to worthless customs and laws that would not lead to life.
Ezekiel 20 26 I let them pollute themselves with the very gifts I had given them, and I allowed them to give their firstborn children as offerings to their gods--so I might devastate them and show them that I alone am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20 27 "Therefore, son of man, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Your ancestors continued to blaspheme and betray me,
Ezekiel 20 28 for when I brought them into the land I had promised them, they offered sacrifices and incense on every high hill and under every green tree they saw! They roused my fury as they offered up sacrifices to their gods. They brought their perfumes and incense and poured out their drink offerings to them!
Ezekiel 20 29 I said to them, `What is this high place where you are going?' (This idol shrine has been called Bamah--`high place'--ever since.)
Ezekiel 20 30 "Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign LORD: Do you plan to pollute yourselves just as your ancestors did? Do you intend to keep prostituting yourselves by worshiping detestable idols?
Ezekiel 20 31 For when you offer gifts to them and give your little children to be burned as sacrifices, you continue to pollute yourselves to this day. Should I listen to you or help you, O people of Israel? As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will not give you a message even though you have come to me requesting one.
Ezekiel 20 32 "You say, `We want to be like the nations all around us, who serve idols of wood and stone.' But what you have in mind will never happen.
Ezekiel 20 33 As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will rule you with an iron fist in great anger and with awesome power.
Ezekiel 20 34 With might and fury I will bring you out from the lands where you are scattered.
Ezekiel 20 35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face.
Ezekiel 20 36 I will judge you there just as I did your ancestors in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt, says the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 20 37 I will count you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant.
Ezekiel 20 38 I will purge you of all those who rebel and sin against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. And when that happens, you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20 39 "As for you, O people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: If you insist, go right ahead and worship your idols, but then don't turn around and bring gifts to me. Such desecration of my holy name must stop!
Ezekiel 20 40 For on my holy mountain, says the Sovereign LORD, the people of Israel will someday worship me, and I will accept them. There I will require that you bring me all your offerings and choice gifts and sacrifices.
Ezekiel 20 41 When I bring you home from exile, you will be as pleasing to me as an offering of perfumed incense. And I will display my holiness in you as all the nations watch.
Ezekiel 20 42 Then when I have brought you home to the land I promised your ancestors, you will know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 20 43 You will look back at all your sins and hate yourselves because of the evil you have done.
Ezekiel 20 44 You will know that I am the LORD, O people of Israel, when I have honored my name by treating you mercifully in spite of your wickedness, says the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 20 45 Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 20 46 "Son of man, look toward the south and speak out against it; prophesy against the fields of the Negev.
Ezekiel 20 47 Give the southern wilderness this message from the Sovereign LORD: Hear the word of the LORD! I will set you on fire, O forest, and every tree will be burned--green and dry trees alike. The terrible flames will not be quenched; they will scorch everything from south to north.
Ezekiel 20 48 And all the world will see that I, the LORD, have set this fire. It will not be put out."
Ezekiel 20 49 Then I said, "O Sovereign LORD, they are saying of me, `He only talks in riddles!'"
Ezekiel 21 1 Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 21 2 "Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.
Ezekiel 21 3 Give her this message from the LORD: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people--the righteous and the wicked alike.
Ezekiel 21 4 Yes, I will not spare even the righteous! I will make a clean sweep throughout the land from south to north.
Ezekiel 21 5 All the world will know that I am the LORD. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished.
Ezekiel 21 6 "Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart.
Ezekiel 21 7 When they ask you why, tell them, `I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will tremble and become as weak as water. And the Sovereign LORD says: It is coming! It's on its way!'"
Ezekiel 21 8 Then the LORD said to me,
Ezekiel 21 9 "Son of man, give the people this message from the LORD: A sword is being sharpened and polished.
Ezekiel 21 10 It is being prepared for terrible slaughter; it will flash like lightning! Now will you laugh? Those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power!
Ezekiel 21 11 Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished; it is being prepared for the executioner!
Ezekiel 21 12 "Son of man, cry out and wail; pound your thighs in anguish, for that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders--everyone will die!
Ezekiel 21 13 It will put them all to the test! So now the Sovereign LORD asks: What chance do they have?
Ezekiel 21 14 "Son of man, prophesy to them and clap your hands vigorously. Then take the sword and brandish it twice, even three times, to symbolize the great massacre they will face!
Ezekiel 21 15 Let their hearts melt with terror, for the sword glitters at every gate. It flashes like lightning; it is polished for slaughter!
Ezekiel 21 16 O sword, slash to the right, and slash to the left, wherever you will, wherever you want.
Ezekiel 21 17 I, too, will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 21 18 Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 21 19 "Son of man, make a map and trace two routes on it for the sword of Babylon's king to follow. Put a signpost on the road that comes out of Babylon where the road forks into two--
Ezekiel 21 20 one road going to Ammon and its capital, Rabbah, and the other to Judah and fortified Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 21 21 The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He will call his magicians to use divination. They will cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They will inspect the livers of their animal sacrifices.
Ezekiel 21 22 Then they will decide to turn toward Jerusalem! With battering rams they will go against the gates, shouting for the kill. They will put up siege towers and build ramps against the walls to reach the top.
Ezekiel 21 23 The people of Jerusalem will think it is a mistake, because of their treaty with the Babylonians. But the king of Babylon will remind the people of their rebellion. Then he will attack and capture them.
Ezekiel 21 24 "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Again and again your guilt cries out against you, for you are not ashamed of your sin. You don't even try to hide it! Wherever you go, whatever you do, all your actions are filled with sin. So now the time of your punishment has come!
Ezekiel 21 25 "O you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel, your final day of reckoning is here!
Ezekiel 21 26 Take off your jeweled crown, says the Sovereign LORD. The old order changes--now the lowly are exalted, and the mighty are brought low.
Ezekiel 21 27 Destruction! Destruction! I will surely destroy the kingdom. And it will not be restored until the one appears who has the right to judge it. Then I will hand it over to him.
Ezekiel 21 28 "And now, son of man, prophesy concerning the Ammonites and their mockery. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: My sword is drawn for your slaughter; it is sharpened to destroy, flashing like lightning!
Ezekiel 21 29 Your magicians and false prophets have given false visions and told lies about the sword. And now it will fall with even greater force on the wicked for whom the day of final reckoning has come.
Ezekiel 21 30 Should I return my sword to its sheath before I deal with you? No, I will destroy you in your own country, the land of your birth.
Ezekiel 21 31 I will pour out my fury on you and blow on you with the fire of my anger. I will hand you over to cruel men who are skilled in destruction.
Ezekiel 21 32 You are fuel for the fire, and your blood will be spilled in your own land. You will be utterly wiped out, your memory lost to history. I, the LORD, have spoken!"
Ezekiel 22 1 Now this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 22 2 "Son of man, are you ready to judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city of murderers? Denounce her terrible deeds in public,
Ezekiel 22 3 and give her this message from the Sovereign LORD: O city of murderers, doomed and damned--city of idols, filthy and foul--
Ezekiel 22 4 you are guilty of both murder and idolatry. Your day of destruction has come! You have reached the end of your years. I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world.
Ezekiel 22 5 O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will be mocked by people both far and near.
Ezekiel 22 6 "Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.
Ezekiel 22 7 Fathers and mothers are contemptuously ignored. Resident foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed.
Ezekiel 22 8 Inside your walls you despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest.
Ezekiel 22 9 People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who take part in lewd activities.
Ezekiel 22 10 Men sleep with their fathers' wives and have intercourse with women who are menstruating.
Ezekiel 22 11 Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors' wives, who defile their daughters-in-law or who rape their own sisters.
Ezekiel 22 12 There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere! They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 22 13 "But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.
Ezekiel 22 14 How strong and courageous will you be in my day of reckoning? I, the LORD, have spoken! I will do what I have said.
Ezekiel 22 15 I will scatter you among the nations and purge you of your wickedness.
Ezekiel 22 16 And when you have been dishonored among the nations, you will know that I am the LORD."
Ezekiel 22 17 Then this message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 22 18 "Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over--a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.
Ezekiel 22 19 So give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 22 20 I will melt you down in the heat of my fury, just as copper, tin, iron, and lead are melted down in a furnace.
Ezekiel 22 21 I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you,
Ezekiel 22 22 and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my fury on you."
Ezekiel 22 23 Again a message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 22 24 "Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will become like an uncleared wilderness or a desert without rain.
Ezekiel 22 25 Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They increase the number of widows in the land.
Ezekiel 22 26 Your priests have violated my laws and defiled my holy things. To them there is no difference between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that my holy name is greatly dishonored among them.
Ezekiel 22 27 Your leaders are like wolves, who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people's lives for profit!
Ezekiel 22 28 And your prophets announce false visions and speak false messages. They say, `My message is from the Sovereign LORD,' when the LORD hasn't spoken a single word to them. They repair cracked walls with whitewash!
Ezekiel 22 29 Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.
Ezekiel 22 30 "I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn't have to destroy the land, but I found no one.
Ezekiel 22 31 So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them in the fire of my anger. I will heap on them the full penalty for all their sins, says the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 23 1 This message came to me from the LORD:
Ezekiel 23 2 "Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.
Ezekiel 23 3 They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed themselves to be fondled and caressed.
Ezekiel 23 4 The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 23 5 "Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrians, her neighbors.
Ezekiel 23 6 They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, dashing about on their horses.
Ezekiel 23 7 And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.
Ezekiel 23 8 For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians satisfied their lusts with her and robbed her of her virginity.
Ezekiel 23 9 And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.
Ezekiel 23 10 They stripped her and killed her and took away her children as their slaves. Her name was known to every woman in the land as a sinner who had received what she deserved.
Ezekiel 23 11 "Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.
Ezekiel 23 12 She fawned over her Assyrian neighbors, those handsome young men on fine horses, those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms--all of them desirable.
Ezekiel 23 13 I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.
Ezekiel 23 14 "Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall--pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.
Ezekiel 23 15 Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.
Ezekiel 23 16 When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.
Ezekiel 23 17 So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. But later, she became disgusted with them and broke off their relationship.
Ezekiel 23 18 "So I became disgusted with Oholibah, just as I was with her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.
Ezekiel 23 19 But that didn't bother her. She turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.
Ezekiel 23 20 She lusted after lovers whose attentions were gross and bestial.
Ezekiel 23 21 And so, Oholibah, you celebrated your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed yourself to be fondled and caressed.
Ezekiel 23 22 "Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will send your lovers against you--those very nations from which you turned away in disgust.
Ezekiel 23 23 For the Babylonians will come with all the Chaldeans from Pekod and Shoa and Koa. And all the Assyrians will come with them--handsome young captains, commanders, chariot officers, and other high-ranking officers, riding their horses.
Ezekiel 23 24 They will all come against you from the north with chariots, wagons, and a great army fully prepared for attack. They will take up positions on every side, surrounding you with men armed for battle. And I will hand you over to them so they can do with you as they please.
Ezekiel 23 25 I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal furiously with you. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken away as captives, and everything that is left will be burned.
Ezekiel 23 26 They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels.
Ezekiel 23 27 In this way, I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you brought from Egypt. You will never again cast longing eyes on those things or fondly remember your time in Egypt.
Ezekiel 23 28 "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe.
Ezekiel 23 29 They will deal with you in hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you naked and bare. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world.
Ezekiel 23 30 You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols.
Ezekiel 23 31 Because you have followed in your sister's footsteps, I will punish you with the same terrors that destroyed her.
Ezekiel 23 32 "Yes, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: You will drink from the same cup of terror as your sister--a cup that is large and deep. And all the world will mock and scorn you in your desolation.
Ezekiel 23 33 You will reel like a drunkard beneath the awful blows of sorrow and distress, just as your sister Samaria did.
Ezekiel 23 34 In deep anguish you will drain that cup of terror to the very bottom. Then you will smash it to pieces and beat your breast in anguish. For I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!
Ezekiel 23 35 And because you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, says the Sovereign LORD, you must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution."
Ezekiel 23 36 The LORD said to me, "Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their awful deeds.
Ezekiel 23 37 They have committed both adultery and murder--adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning their children as sacrifices on their altars.
Ezekiel 23 38 Then after doing these terrible things, they defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day!
Ezekiel 23 39 On the very day that they murdered their children in front of their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house!
Ezekiel 23 40 "You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.
Ezekiel 23 41 You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my oil on a table that was spread before you.
Ezekiel 23 42 From your room came the sound of many men carousing. They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your heads.
Ezekiel 23 43 Then I said, `If they really want to sleep with worn-out, old prostitutes like these, let them!'
Ezekiel 23 44 And that is what they did. They slept with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes, with all the zest of lustful young men.
Ezekiel 23 45 But righteous people will judge these sister cities for what they really are--adulteresses and murderers. They will sentence them to all the punishment they deserve.
Ezekiel 23 46 "Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered.
Ezekiel 23 47 For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes.
Ezekiel 23 48 In this way, I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my judgment will be a warning to others not to follow their wicked example.
Ezekiel 23 49 You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution--your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty! Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD."
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