Ezekiel:14

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* Some of Israel 's elders came to me and sat down in front of me . * Jehovah then spoke his word to me : * »Son of man , these people are devoted to their idols . They allow themselves to sin . Should they be allowed to ask me for anything ? * »Speak to them . Tell them , ‘This is what Jehovah says : Suppose an Israelite is devoted to idols and allows himself to sin . Suppose he goes to a prophet to ask for my help . I , Jehovah , will give that Israelite an answer , the answer that his many idolaters deserve . * »‘I will do this to recapture the hearts of the nation of Israel . They have deserted me because of their disgusting idols .’« * »Therefore tell the nation of Israel : This is what the Lord Jehovah says : »Change the way you think and act ! Turn away from your idols , and do not return to any of your disgusting things . * ‘»Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to sin . If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help , I , Jehovah , will give him an answer . * ‘»I will set my face against him , and I will make an example of him . I will exclude him from my people . Then you will know that I am Jehovah .’« * »‘If a prophet is tricked into giving a prophecy , it is I , Jehovah , who tricked the prophet . I will use my power against you and destroy you from among my people Israel . * ‘»Both of you will suffer for your sins . The prophet will be as guilty as you are when you ask for his help . * ‘»The people of Israel will no longer wander away from me . They will no longer dishonor me with all their sins . Then they will be my people , and I will be their God , declares the Lord Jehovah .« * Jehovah continued to speak his word to me , He said : * »Son of man , suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me . I will stretch out my hand against it , cut off its food supply , send a famine to it , and destroy its people and animals .« * ‘»Even if these three men , Noah , Daniel , and Job , were in that country , they would , by their righteousness , rescue only themselves ,’ declares the Lord Jehovah .« * ‘»If I send wild animals through that country and they make it childless and turn it into such a wasteland that no one travels through it because of the animals . * ‘»As I live , declares the Lord Jehovah , ‘not even Noah , Daniel , and Job could rescue their own sons or daughters . They could rescue only themselves and the country would become a wasteland .’« * ‘»What if I bring a war against that country by saying I will let a war go throughout this country . And then I destroy the people and the animals in it . * ‘»As I am alive , declares the Lord Jehovah , not even Noah , Daniel , and Job could rescue their sons or daughters . They alone would be saved .’« * ‘»Let us say I send a plague into that country or pour out my fury on it by killing people and destroying animals . * As I am alive , declares the Lord Jehovah , not even Noah , Daniel , and Job could , by their righteousness , rescue their sons or daughters . They could rescue only themselves .« ’ * ‘»This is what the Lord Jehovah says : ‘I will surely send four terrible punishments against Jerusalem . I will send wars , famines , wild animals , and plagues . They will destroy people and animals . * ‘»And yet some people will survive . Some of your sons and daughters will be brought out . When they come out to you , you will see how they live . Then you will be comforted after the disasters that I will bring on Jerusalem , after every disaster that I will bring against it .’« * ‘»You will be comforted when you see how they live . Then you will know that everything I have done was done for a reason ,’ declares the Lord Jehovah .’«

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