God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem
1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil and giving wicked advice in this city. 3They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot, and we are the meat in it.’ 4Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, son of man.”
5Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind. 6You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot, but I will drive you out of it. 8You fear the sword, and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord. 9I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners and inflict punishment on you. 10You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 11This city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. 12And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”
13Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?”
The Promise of Israel’s Return
14The word of the Lord came to me: 15“Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’
16“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’
17“Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’
18“They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
22Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23The glory of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. 24The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia11:24 Or Chaldea in the vision given by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.
Hukumu Juu Ya Viongozi Wa Israeli
111:1 Eze 8:16; 43:4-5; 3:12-14; Yer 5:5Ndipo Roho akaniinua na kunileta mpaka kwenye lango la nyumba ya Bwana linalotazama upande wa mashariki. Pale kwenye ingilio la lango kulikuwepo wanaume ishirini na watano, nami nikaona miongoni mwao Yaazania mwana wa Azuri na Pelatia mwana wa Benaya, viongozi wa watu. 211:2 Isa 29:20; Nah 1:11Bwana akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, hawa ndio wafanyao hila na kutoa mashauri potovu katika mji huu. 311:3 Yer 1:13; Eze 24:3; 12:22, 27; Mik 3:3Wao husema, ‘Je, hivi karibuni hautakuwa wakati wa kujenga nyumba? Mji huu ni chungu cha kupikia, nasi ndio nyama.’ 411:4 Eze 3:4, 17Kwa hiyo toa unabii dhidi yao, tabiri, Ewe mwanadamu.”
511:5 Ebr 4:11; Za 26:2; Yer 17:10Kisha Roho wa Bwana akaja juu yangu, naye akaniambia niseme: “Hili ndilo Bwana asemalo: Hili ndilo ninyi mnalosema, ee nyumba ya Israeli, lakini ninajua mnalowaza mioyoni mwenu. 611:6 Eze 7:23; 22:6Mmewaua watu wengi katika mji huu na kujaza barabara zake maiti.
711:7 Mik 3:2-3; Eze 24:3-13; Yer 1:13“Kwa hiyo hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mwenyezi: maiti ulizozitupa huko ni nyama na mji huu ni chungu, lakini nitawaondoa mtoke huko. 811:8 Mit 10:24; Isa 66:4; Law 26:25; Yer 42:16Mnaogopa upanga, nao upanga huo ndio nitakaouleta juu yenu, asema Bwana Mwenyezi. 911:9 Za 106:41; Eze 5:8; Kum 28:36Nitawaondoa mtoke katika mji na kuwatia mikononi mwa wageni nami nitawaadhibu. 1011:10 Yer 39:6; 2Fal 14:25Mtaanguka kwa upanga, nami nitatimiza hukumu dhidi yenu katika mipaka ya Israeli. Ndipo mtajua kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana. 1111:11 Eze 24:6Mji huu hautakuwa chungu kwa ajili yenu, wala hamtakuwa nyama ndani yake. Nitatoa hukumu dhidi yenu katika mipaka ya Israeli. 1211:12 Law 18:4; Eze 18:9; 8:10; 6:7Nanyi mtajua ya kuwa Mimi ndimi Bwana, kwa kuwa hamkufuata amri zangu wala kuzishika sheria zangu, bali mmefuata mwenendo wa mataifa yanayowazunguka.”
1311:13 Eze 9:8; Amo 7:2Basi nilipokuwa ninatoa unabii, Pelatia mwana wa Benaya akafa. Ndipo nikaanguka kifudifudi, nikalia kwa sauti kuu nikasema, “Ee Bwana Mwenyezi! Je utaangamiza kabisa mabaki ya Israeli?”
14Neno la Bwana likanijia kusema: 1511:15 Eze 33:24“Mwanadamu, ndugu zako, ndugu zako ambao ni wa uhusiano wa damu na nyumba yote ya Israeli, ndio wale ambao watu wa Yerusalemu wamesema, ‘Wako mbali na Bwana; nchi hii tulipewa sisi kuwa milki yetu.’
Ahadi Ya Kurudi Kwa Israeli
1611:16 Za 31:20; Isa 8:14; Za 91:9; Isa 4:6“Kwa hiyo sema, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Ingawa niliwapeleka mbali miongoni mwa mataifa na kuwatawanya katika nchi mbalimbali, lakini kwa kitambo kidogo mimi nimekuwa mahali patakatifu kwao katika nchi walizokwenda.’
1711:17 Neh 1:9; Yer 24:5-6; 3:18; 31:16; Eze 20:41; 28:25; 34:13“Kwa hiyo sema: ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo: Nitawakusanyeni kutoka mataifa na kuwarudisha kutoka nchi ambazo mmetawanywa, nami nitawarudishia nchi ya Israeli.’
1811:18 Eze 5:11; 37:2311:18 Eze 5:11; 37:23“Watairudia nchi na kuondoa vinyago vyote vya upotovu na sanamu zote za machukizo. 1911:19 Za 86:11; Yer 32:36; Zek 7:12; Yer 24:7; Rum 2:5; 2Kor 3:3; Eze 36:26; 18:31; 2Nya 30:12Nitawapa moyo mmoja na kuweka roho mpya ndani yao, nitaondoa kutoka ndani yao moyo wa jiwe na kuwapa moyo wa nyama. 2011:20 Za 105:45; Kut 6:7; Ebr 8:10; Yer 11:4; 32:38; Eze 36:26-28Kisha watafuata amri zangu na kuwa waangalifu kutii sheria zangu. Watakuwa watu wangu nami nitakuwa Mungu wao. 2111:21 Yer 16:11; Eze 16:43; Ebr 3:12; Eze 9:10Lakini kwa wale ambao mioyo yao imeambatana na vinyago vyao vya upotovu na sanamu zao za machukizo, nitaleta juu ya vichwa vyao yale waliyotenda asema Bwana Mwenyezi.”
2211:22 Eze 9:3; 10:19; Kut 24:16Ndipo wale makerubi, wenye magurudumu pembeni mwao, wakakunjua mabawa yao, nao utukufu wa Mungu wa Israeli ulikuwa juu yao. 2311:23 Eze 1:28; 8:4; Zek 14:4; Eze 10:4Basi utukufu wa Bwana ukapaa juu kutoka mji, ukatua juu ya mlima ulio upande wa mashariki ya mji. 2411:24 2Kor 12:2; Eze 8:3Roho akaniinua na kunileta mpaka kwa watu wa uhamisho huko Ukaldayo nikiwa katika yale maono niliyopewa na Roho wa Mungu.
Ndipo maono niliyokuwa nimeyaona yakanitoka, 2511:25 Eze 3:4, 11; Mdo 20:20nami nikawaeleza wale watu wa uhamisho kila kitu Bwana alichokuwa amenionyesha.
