Ezekiel:33-35

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* Again the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , speak to the children of thy people , and say unto them , When I bring the sword upon a land , if the people of the land take a man of their coasts , and set him for their watchman : * If when he seeth the sword come upon the land , he blow the trumpet , and warn the people ; * Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet , and taketh not warning ; if the sword come , and take him away , his blood shall be upon his own head . * He heard the sound of the trumpet , and took not warning ; his blood shall be upon him . But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul . * But if the watchman see the sword come , and blow not the trumpet , and the people be not warned ; if the sword come , and take any person from among them , he is taken away in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at the watchman 's hand . * So thou , O son of man , I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel ; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth , and warn them from me . * When I say unto the wicked , O wicked man , thou shalt surely die ; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way , that wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine hand . * Nevertheless , if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it ; if he do not turn from his way , he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul . * Therefore , O thou son of man , speak unto the house of Israel ; Thus ye speak , saying , If our transgressions and our sins be upon us , and we pine away in them , how should we then live ? * Say unto them , As I live , saith the Lord GOD , I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way and live : turn ye , turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die , O house of Israel ? * Therefore , thou son of man , say unto the children of thy people , The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression : as for the wickedness of the wicked , he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness ; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth . * When I shall say to the righteous , that he shall surely live ; if he trust to his own righteousness , and commit iniquity , all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered ; but for his iniquity that he hath committed , he shall die for it . * Again , when I say unto the wicked , Thou shalt surely die ; if he turn from his sin , and do that which is lawful and right ; * If the wicked restore the pledge , give again that he had robbed , walk in the statutes of life , without committing iniquity ; he shall surely live , he shall not die . * None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him : he hath done that which is lawful and right ; he shall surely live . * Yet the children of thy people say , The way of the Lord is not equal : but as for them , their way is not equal . * When the righteous turneth from his righteousness , and committeth iniquity , he shall even die thereby . * But if the wicked turn from his wickedness , and do that which is lawful and right , he shall live thereby . * Yet ye say , The way of the Lord is not equal . O ye house of Israel , I will judge you every one after his ways . * And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity , in the tenth month , in the fifth day of the month , that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me , saying , The city is smitten . * Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening , afore he that was escaped came ; and had opened my mouth , until he came to me in the morning ; and my mouth was opened , and I was no more dumb . * Then the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , they that inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak , saying , Abraham was one , and he inherited the land : but we are many ; the land is given us for inheritance . * Wherefore say unto them , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Ye eat with the blood , and lift up your eyes toward your idols , and shed blood : and shall ye possess the land ? * Ye stand upon your sword , ye work abomination , and ye defile every one his neighbour 's wife : and shall ye possess the land ? * Say thou thus unto them , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; As I live , surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword , and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured , and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence . * For I will lay the land most desolate , and the pomp of her strength shall cease ; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate , that none shall pass through . * Then shall they know that I am the LORD , when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed . * Also , thou son of man , the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses , and speak one to another , every one to his brother , saying , Come , I pray you , and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD . * And they come unto thee as the people cometh , and they sit before thee as my people , and they hear thy words , but they will not do them : for with their mouth they shew much love , but their heart goeth after their covetousness . * And , lo , thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice , and can play well on an instrument : for they hear thy words , but they do them not . * And when this cometh to pass , (lo , it will come ,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them . * And the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , prophesy against the shepherds of Israel , prophesy , and say unto them , Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds ; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed the flocks ? * Ye eat the fat , and ye clothe you with the wool , ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not the flock . * The diseased have ye not strengthened , neither have ye healed that which was sick , neither have ye bound up that which was broken , neither have ye brought again that which was driven away , neither have ye sought that which was lost ; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them . * And they were scattered , because there is no shepherd : and they became meat to all the beasts of the field , when they were scattered . * My sheep wandered through all the mountains , and upon every high hill : yea , my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth , and none did search or seek after them . * Therefore , ye shepherds , hear the word of the LORD ; * As I live , saith the Lord GOD , surely because my flock became a prey , and my flock became meat to every beast of the field , because there was no shepherd , neither did my shepherds search for my flock , but the shepherds fed themselves , and fed not my flock ; * Therefore , O ye shepherds , hear the word of the LORD ; * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I am against the shepherds ; and I will require my flock at their hand , and cause them to cease from feeding the flock ; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more ; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth , that they may not be meat for them . * For thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I , even I , will both search my sheep , and seek them out . * As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered ; so will I seek out my sheep , and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day . * And I will bring them out from the people , and gather them from the countries , and will bring them to their own land , and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers , and in all the inhabited places of the country . * I will feed them in a good pasture , and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a good fold , and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel . * I will feed my flock , and I will cause them to lie down , saith the Lord GOD . * I will seek that which was lost , and bring again that which was driven away , and will bind up that which was broken , and will strengthen that which was sick : but I will destroy the fat and the strong ; I will feed them with judgment . * And as for you , O my flock , thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , I judge between cattle and cattle , between the rams and the he goats . * Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture , but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures ? and to have drunk of the deep waters , but ye must foul the residue with your feet ? * And as for my flock , they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet ; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet . * Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them ; Behold , I , even I , will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle . * Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder , and pushed all the diseased with your horns , till ye have scattered them abroad ; * Therefore will I save my flock , and they shall no more be a prey ; and I will judge between cattle and cattle . * And I will set up one shepherd over them , and he shall feed them , even my servant David ; he shall feed them , and he shall be their shepherd . * And I the LORD will be their God , and my servant David a prince among them ; I the LORD have spoken it . * And I will make with them a covenant of peace , and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land : and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness , and sleep in the woods . * And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing ; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season ; there shall be showers of blessing . * And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit , and the earth shall yield her increase , and they shall be safe in their land , and shall know that I am the LORD , when I have broken the bands of their yoke , and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them . * And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen , neither shall the beast of the land devour them ; but they shall dwell safely , and none shall make them afraid . * And I will raise up for them a plant of renown , and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land , neither bear the shame of the heathen any more . * Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them , and that they , even the house of Israel , are my people , saith the Lord GOD . * And ye my flock , the flock of my pasture , are men , and I am your God , saith the Lord GOD . * Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me , saying , * Son of man , set thy face against mount Seir , and prophesy against it , * And say unto it , Thus saith the Lord GOD ; Behold , O mount Seir , I am against thee , and I will stretch out mine hand against thee , and I will make thee most desolate . * I will lay thy cities waste , and thou shalt be desolate , and thou shalt know that I am the LORD . * Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred , and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity , in the time that their iniquity had an end : * Therefore , as I live , saith the Lord GOD , I will prepare thee unto blood , and blood shall pursue thee : sith thou hast not hated blood , even blood shall pursue thee . * Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate , and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth . * And I will fill his mountains with his slain men : in thy hills , and in thy valleys , and in all thy rivers , shall they fall that are slain with the sword . * I will make thee perpetual desolations , and thy cities shall not return : and ye shall know that I am the LORD . * Because thou hast said , These two nations and these two countries shall be mine , and we will possess it ; whereas the LORD was there : * Therefore , as I live , saith the Lord GOD , I will even do according to thine anger , and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them ; and I will make myself known among them , when I have judged thee . * And thou shalt know that I am the LORD , and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel , saying , They are laid desolate , they are given us to consume . * Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me , and have multiplied your words against me : I have heard them . * Thus saith the Lord GOD ; When the whole earth rejoiceth , I will make thee desolate . * As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel , because it was desolate , so will I do unto thee : thou shalt be desolate , O mount Seir , and all Idumea , even all of it : and they shall know that I am the LORD . * Also , thou son of man , prophesy unto the mountains of Israel , and say , Ye mountains of Israel , hear the word of the LORD :

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