NAS - Ezekiel Chapter 12 to 13

12 Ezekiel Prepares for Exile

¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²"Son of man, you live in the midst of the rebellious house, who have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. ³"Therefore, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; even go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand though they are a rebellious house. ⁴"Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you will go out at evening in their sight, as those going into exile. ⁵"Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and go out through it. ⁶"Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a sign to the house of Israel."

⁷I did so, as I had been commanded. By day I brought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight.

⁸In the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁹"Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, `What are you doing?' ¹⁰"Say to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are in it."' ¹¹"Say, `I am a sign to you. As I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity.' ¹²"The prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out. He will cover his face so that he can not see the land with his eyes. ¹³"I will also spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, though he will die there. ¹⁴"I will scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. ¹⁵"So they will know that I am the LORD when I scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries. ¹⁶"But I will spare a few of them from the sword, the famine and the pestilence that they may tell all their abominations among the nations where they go, and may know that I am the LORD."

¹⁷Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me saying, ¹⁸"Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. ¹⁹"Then say to the people of the land, `Thus says the Lord GOD concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel, "They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because their land will be stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. ²⁰"The inhabited cities will be laid waste and the land will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the LORD."'"

²¹Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²²"Son of man, what is this proverb you people have concerning the land of Israel, saying, `The days are long and every vision fails'? ²³"Therefore say to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel." But tell them, "The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision. ²⁴"For there will no longer be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵"For I the LORD will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it," declares the Lord GOD.'"

²⁶Furthermore, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ²⁷"Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, `The vision that he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies of times far off.' ²⁸"Therefore say to them, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,"'" declares the Lord GOD.

13 False Prophets Condemned

¹Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, ²"Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, `Listen to the word of the LORD! ³`Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing. ⁴"O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins. ⁵"You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD. ⁶"They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, `The LORD declares,' when the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word. ⁷"Did you not see a false vision and speak a lying divination when you said, `The LORD declares,' but it is not I who have spoken?"'"

⁸Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you," declares the Lord GOD. ⁹"So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am the Lord GOD. ¹⁰"It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, `Peace!' when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will break out. ¹²"Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, `Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?'" ¹³Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and hailstones to consume it in wrath. ¹⁴"So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be consumed in its midst. And you will know that I am the LORD. ¹⁵"Thus I will spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, `The wall is gone and its plasterers are gone, ¹⁶ along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,' declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁷"Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are prophesying from their own inspiration. Prophesy against them ¹⁸and say, `Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the women who sew magic bands on all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to hunt down lives! Will you hunt down the lives of My people, but preserve the lives of others for yourselves? ¹⁹"For handfuls of barley and fragments of bread, you have profaned Me to My people to put to death some who should not die and to keep others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies."'"

²⁰Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you hunt lives there as birds and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let them go, even those lives whom you hunt as birds. ²¹"I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands to be hunted; and you will know that I am the LORD. ²²"Because you disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him grief, but have encouraged the wicked not to turn from his wicked way and preserve his life, ²³therefore, you women will no longer see false visions or practice divination, and I will deliver My people out of your hand. Thus you will know that I am the LORD."