Commentary on Ezekiel - Volume 2

1Then the spirit raised me up, and brought me To the eastern gate of Jehovah’s house; and lo! At the threshold of the gate, five and twenty men; Then I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah, son of Asur; And Pelthiah, son of Benaiah, princes of the people.

2Then he said to me, Son of man, these men divine vanity, And plan perverse counsel in this city;

3Who say, It is not near; let us build houses: The city is the caldron, and we are the flesh:

4Wherefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man.

5Then the Spirit of Jehovah fell upon me, and said to me, Say, Thus saith Jehovah, Thus have you spoken, O house of Israel, The mountings of your spirit, I know them:

6You have multiplied your slain in this city, And you have fined its streets with the slain.

7Wherefore, thus says the Lord Jehovah, Your slain, Whom you placed in the midst — they shall be the flesh, And the city the caldron; and I will cast you forth from the midst of it:

8You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, saith the Lord Jehovah:

9And I will eas, you out of the midst of it. And will deliver you h, to the hand of strangers, And will exercise judgments against you.

10Then you shall fall by the sword: in the border of Israel Will I judge you; and you shall know that I am Jehovah.

11It shall not be your caldron, And you shall not be in the midst of it for flesh; In the border of Israel will I judge you.

12And you shall, Know that I am Jehovah; Because you ha, re not; walked in my statutes, And have not executed my judgments; But you have done according to the judgments of the nations around you.

13And it happened, while I prophesied, That Phalatias, the son of Benaiah, died: Then I fell upon my face, and cried with loud voice, and said, Ah! Lord Jehovah! will you consume the remnant of Israel!

14Then the word of Jehovah came to me again, saying,

15Son of man, thy brethren, thy brethren, Thy kindred, and all the whole house of Israel, To these the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Depart you far from Jehovah, the land is given as an heritage to us.

16Wherefore say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Because you have been east far away among the Gentiles, And dispersed through the lands, Therefore will I be to them a sanctuary of fewness ³¹⁶ In the lands to which they have come.

17Wherefore you shall say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah, I will gather you out of the peoples, and collect you out of the lands To which you have been driven, and I will give you the land of Israel.

18And they shall come there, and take away all its idols, And all its abominations out of it.

19Then I will give them one hear, and will put a new Spirit within them; And I will take away the stony heart from their flesh, And will give them a heart of flesh:

20That. they may walk in my statutes, And keep my judgments, and do them: Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

21Then I will repay on their own head the way of those Whose heart walks after, heart of foulness ³¹⁷ and grossness, Saith the Lord Jehovah.

22Then the cherubim raised their wings, and the wheels beside them, And the glory of the God of Israel was over above them.

23And the glory of Jehovah ascended out of the midst of the city, And stood over the mount on the east of the city.

24Then the spirit raised me, and brought me to Chaldsea, To the captivity, In a vision, in t. he Spirit of God. Then the vision which I saw went up from me.

25And I spoke to the captivity All the words of Jehovah which he had shown me.