Idolaters Condemned
1Some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat down in front of me. 2Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? 4Therefore speak to them and tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When any of the Israelites set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet, I the Lord will answer them myself in keeping with their great idolatry. 5I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.’
6“Therefore say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
7“ ‘When any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing in Israel separate themselves from me and set up idols in their hearts and put a wicked stumbling block before their faces and then go to a prophet to inquire of me, I the Lord will answer them myself. 8I will set my face against them and make them an example and a byword. I will remove them from my people. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
9“ ‘And if the prophet is enticed to utter a prophecy, I the Lord have enticed that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand against him and destroy him from among my people Israel. 10They will bear their guilt—the prophet will be as guilty as the one who consults him. 11Then the people of Israel will no longer stray from me, nor will they defile themselves anymore with all their sins. They will be my people, and I will be their God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”
Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable
12The word of the Lord came to me: 13“Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, 14even if these three men—Noah, Daniel14:14 Or Danel, a man of renown in ancient literature; also in verse 20 and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15“Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, 16as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
17“Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, 18as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, 20as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
21“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! 22Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. 23You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
斥责拜偶像的以色列人
1那时，几位以色列的长老到我这里来，坐在我面前。 2耶和华对我说： 3“人子啊，这些人在心里立起偶像，把导致犯罪的绊脚石放在自己面前，我岂能让他们来求问？ 4你告诉他们，主耶和华这样说，‘任何以色列人若在心里立起偶像，把导致犯罪的绊脚石放在自己面前，又来求问先知，我耶和华必按他心中偶像的数目亲自用惩罚回答他， 5好夺回以色列人的心，他们都因为拜偶像而远离我。’
6“因此，你要告诉以色列人，主耶和华这样说，‘你们要悔改，离弃你们的偶像，离弃一切可憎之事。 7因为任何以色列人或是在以色列定居的外族人若背弃我，在心中树立偶像，把导致犯罪的绊脚石放在自己面前，又来向先知求问我的旨意，我耶和华必亲自用惩罚回答他。 8我必严惩他，使他成为众人的鉴戒和笑柄。我必将他从我的子民中铲除。这样，你们就知道我是耶和华。 9如果先知受迷惑说预言，那是我耶和华任他受迷惑，我必伸手惩治他，把他从我的以色列百姓中除灭。 10他们必担当自己的罪过，假先知与求问的人要担当同样的罪过。 11这样，以色列人便不再偏离我，不再犯罪玷污自己。他们要做我的子民，我要做他们的上帝。这是主耶和华说的。’”
12耶和华对我说： 13“人子啊，若有国家犯罪背叛我，我必伸手断绝他们的粮源，使饥荒遍地，毁灭人和牲畜。 14即使挪亚、但以理和约伯三人在那里，他们也只能因义行而自己得救。这是主耶和华说的。 15倘若我使猛兽在那里横行、肆虐，以致那里荒凉、人踪绝迹， 16纵然这三个义人在那里，我凭我的永恒起誓，他们也不能救自己的儿女，只能自己得救，那里却要荒凉。这是主耶和华说的。 17倘若我使刀剑临到那里，让刀剑横扫那里，毁灭人和牲畜， 18纵然这三个义人在那里，我凭我的永恒起誓，他们也不能救自己的儿女，只能自己得救。这是主耶和华说的。 19倘若我叫瘟疫在那里肆虐，在杀戮中倾倒我的烈怒，毁灭那里的人和牲畜， 20纵然挪亚、但以理和约伯在那里，我凭我的永恒起誓，他们也不能救自己的儿女，只能因义行而自己得救。这是主耶和华说的。
21“主耶和华说，‘我要把刀剑、饥荒、猛兽和瘟疫这四大刑罚降在耶路撒冷，毁灭人和牲畜。 22然而，其中仍有幸免的人带着儿女逃出来。他们会逃到你们这里，你们看见他们的所作所为，便会对我在耶路撒冷所降的一切灾难感到欣慰。 23你们看见他们的所作所为，就知道我不是无缘无故地惩罚耶路撒冷。’这是主耶和华说的。”
