¶ Then came certain¹ of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat² before me.

³And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, these men⁴ have set up their idols in their heart, and put⁵ the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should⁶ I be enquired of at all by them?

Therefore speak⁷ unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD⁸ will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

That I may⁹ take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged¹⁰ from me through their idols.

Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent¹¹, and turn yourselves¹² from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger¹³ that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth¹⁴ himself from me, and setteth¹⁵ up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh¹⁶ to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by¹⁷ myself:

And I will set¹⁸ my face against that man, and will make him a sign¹⁹ and a proverb, and I will cut²⁰ him off from the midst of my people; and ye²¹ shall know that I am the LORD.

And if the²² prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the²³ LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will²⁴ stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

¶ And they shall²⁵ bear the punishment²⁶ of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

That the house²⁷ of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither²⁸ be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they²⁹ may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

¶ The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

Son of man, when³⁰ the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break³¹ the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut³² off man and beast from it:

Though these³³ three men, Noah³⁴, Daniel³⁵, and Job³⁶, were in it, they should deliver³⁷ but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

If I cause noisome³⁸ beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil³⁹ it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

Though these⁴⁰ three men were in it⁴¹, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall⁴² deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

Or if I bring⁴³ a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that⁴⁴ I cut off man and beast from it:

⁴⁵Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

Or if I⁴⁶ send a pestilence into that land, and pour⁴⁷ out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

¶ Though Noah⁴⁸, Daniel⁴⁹, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by⁵⁰ their righteousness.

For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when⁵¹ I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Yet, behold, therein⁵² shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see⁵³ their way and their doings: and ye shall be⁵⁴ comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not⁵⁵ done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.