¹ Then came there unto me men, of the elders of Israel,—and sat before me—

² And the word of Yahweh came unto me, saying:

³ Son of man These men have brought up their manufactured gods upon their hear, And their stumbling-block of iniquity, have they set straight before their face, —Shall I be at all enquired of by them?

⁴ Therefore speak unto them and say unto them, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, Any man whatsoever of the house of Israel Who shall bring up his manufactured gods upon his heart, And set, his stumbling-block of iniquity, straight before his face, And then come in unto the prophet, I Yahweh, have myself answered him thereby. By the multitude of his manufactured gods:

⁵ To the end the house of Israel may be taken by their own hearts,—in that they have estranged themselves from me, through their manufactured gods—all of them!

⁶ Therefore, say thou unto the house of Israel, Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Turn ye—and make good your return—from your manufactured gods; And, from all your abominations, make good the turning away of your faces.

⁷ For what man soever of the house of Israel Or of the sojourners who sojourn in Israel, Who shall estrange himself from following me And who shall bring up his manufactured gods, on his heart, And whose stumbling-block of iniquity, he shall set straight before his face, And then come in unto the prophet, to enquire by him of me, I Yahweh, will myself answer him, on my own account;

⁸ And will set my face against that man And will make of him a sign and a proverb, And will cut him off out of the midst of my people: So shall ye know that, I, am Yahweh.

⁹ Yea the prophet himself when he suffereth himself to be deceived, and speaketh a word, I Yahweh, have suffered that prophet to be deceived, Then will I stretch forth my hand against him, and destroy him out of the midst of my people. Israel:

¹⁰ So shall they bear their punishment, As the punishment of him that enquireth, So shall the punishment of the prophet be:

¹¹ That the house of Israel may no more go astray from following me, And no more defile themselves by any of their transgressions,— But may become my people, and I, may become their God, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

¹² And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

¹³ Son of man, When a land, shall sin against me by committing treachery, and I shall stretch out my hand against it, And break for it the staff of bread, And send thereon famine, And cut off therefrom man and beast,

¹⁴ Then should these three men be in the midst thereof, Noah, Daniel, and Job, they by their righteousness should deliver their own lives— Declareth My Lord, Yahweh.

¹⁵ If a mischievous wild beast, I suffer to pass through the land, and that beast bereave it, so that it become too desolate for any man to pass through, by reason of the wild beast,

¹⁶ [Were] these three men in the midst thereof, As I live, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Surely neither sons nor daughters, should they deliver, They alone should be delivered, But the land, should become a desolation.

¹⁷ Or, a sword, I should bring upon that land, and should say. O sword! thou shalt go through the land, and so I should cut off therefrom, man and beast,

¹⁸ Were these three men in the midst thereof, As I live! Saith My Lord Yahweh, They should deliver neither sons nor daughters,— For they alone, should be delivered.

¹⁹ Or pestilence, I, should send into that land,—and should pour out mine indignation thereon in blood, to cut off therefrom man and beast

²⁰ Were Noah, Daniel and Job in the midst thereof, As I live, Declareth My Lord Yahweh, Surely neither son nor daughter, should they deliver, They, by their righteousness should deliver only their own lives.

²¹ For thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, How much less [should they avail] when my four calamitous judgments, sword and famine and mischievous wild beast and pestilence I have sent against Jerusalem,—to cut off therefrom man and beast?

²² Yet lo! there hath been left therein a remnant of fugitives to be brought forth —sons and daughters— There they are! coming forth unto you, And so ye shall see their way, and their doings, and be consoled over the calamity which I have brought in upon Jerusalem even all that I have brought in upon her.

²³ Yea they shall console you, when ye see their way and their doings,— So shall ye know that not without cause, have I done, anything that I have done with her, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.