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Everyone Will Suffer for His Own Sins

18 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “What do you mean when you use this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘Fathers have eaten sour grapes, and their children’s teeth are set on edge’? ³ As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, you will no longer use this proverb in Israel. ⁴ The life of every person belongs to me. Fathers and their children belong to me. The person who sins will die.

⁵ “Suppose a righteous person does what is fair and right. ⁶ He doesn’t eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He doesn’t dishonor his neighbor’s wife or have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is having her period. ⁷ He doesn’t oppress anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security for a loan. He doesn’t rob anyone. He gives food to people who are hungry, and he gives clothes to those who are naked. ⁸ He doesn’t lend money for interest or make an excessive profit. He refuses to do evil things, and he judges everyone fairly. ⁹ He lives by my rules and obeys my laws faithfully. This person is righteous. He will certainly live,” declares Adonay Yahweh.

¹⁰ “But suppose this person has a son who robs and murders. The son does all the things ¹¹ that his father never did. He eats at the illegal mountain worship sites. He dishonors his neighbor’s wife. ¹² He oppresses the poor and needy. He robs. He doesn’t return the security for a loan. He looks to idols for help. He does disgusting things. ¹³ He lends money for interest and makes excessive profits. Will this person live? He will not live. He has done all these disgusting things. So he must die, and he will be responsible for his own death.

¹⁴ “But suppose this person has a son. The son sees all the sins that his father does. He is afraid, so he doesn’t do such things.^{[a] 15} He doesn’t eat at the illegal mountain worship sites or look for help from the idols of the nation of Israel. He doesn’t dishonor his neighbor’s wife. ¹⁶ He doesn’t oppress anyone. He doesn’t keep the security for a loan. He doesn’t rob anyone. He gives food to people who are hungry, and he gives clothes to those who are naked. ¹⁷ He refuses to hurt the poor. He doesn’t charge interest or make excessive profits. He obeys my rules and lives by my laws. He won’t die for his father’s sins. He will certainly live. ¹⁸ But his father has oppressed others, robbed his relative, and done what is wrong among his people. So the father will die because of his sin.

¹⁹ “But you ask, ‘Why isn’t the son punished for his father’s sin?’ It is because the son has done what is fair and right. He obeyed my rules and followed them. He will certainly live. ²⁰ The person who sins will die. A son will not be punished for his father’s sins, and a father will not be punished for his son’s sins. The righteousness of the righteous person will be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked person will be his own.

²¹ “But suppose a wicked person turns away from all the sins that he has done. He obeys all my laws and does what is fair and right. He will certainly live. He will not die. ²² All the rebellious things that he did will not be remembered. He will live because of the right things that he did. ²³ I don’t want wicked people to die.” declares Adonay Yahweh. “I want them to turn from their evil ways and live.

²⁴ “But suppose a righteous person turns away from doing right and he does evil things. He does all the disgusting things that the wicked person did. Will he live? All the right things that he has done will not be remembered because of his unfaithfulness and because of his sin. He will die because of them.

²⁵ “But you say, ‘Adonay’s way is unfair.’ Listen, nation of Israel, isn’t my way fair? Isn’t it your ways that are unfair? ²⁶ When a righteous person turns away from doing right and does evil things, he will die. He will die because of the evil things he has done. ²⁷ When a wicked person turns away from the wicked things that he has done and does what is fair and right, he will live. ²⁸ He realized what he was doing and turned away from all the rebellious things that he had done. He will certainly live. He will not die.

²⁹ “But the nation of Israel says, ‘Adonay’s way is unfair.’ Isn’t my way fair, nation of Israel? Isn’t it your ways that are unfair?

³⁰ “That is why I will judge each of you by what you have done, people of Israel,” declares Adonay Yahweh. “Change the way you think and act. Turn away from all the rebellious things that you have done so that you will not fall into sin. ³¹ Stop all the rebellious things that you are doing. Get yourselves new hearts and new spirits. Why do you want to die, nation of Israel? ³² I don’t want anyone to die,” declares Adonay Yahweh. “Change the way you think and act!”

Funeral Songs for Israel’s Princes

19 Sing a funeral song for the princes of Israel. ² Say:

This is a funeral song. It is to be used as a funeral song.

Christ Offered a Superior Sacrifice

9 The first promise had rules for the priests’ service. It also had a holy place on earth. ² A tent was set up. The first part of this tent was called the holy place. The lamp stand, the table, and the bread of the presence were in this part of the tent. ³ Behind the second curtain was the part of the tent called the most holy place. ⁴ It contained the gold incense burner and the ark of the Lord’s promise. The ark was completely covered with gold. In the ark were the gold jar filled with manna, Aaron’s staff that had blossomed, and the tablets on which the promise^[a] was written. ⁵ Above the ark were the angels^[b] of glory with their wings overshadowing the throne of mercy. (Discussing these things in detail isn’t possible now.)

⁶ That is how these two parts of the tent were set up. The priests always went into the first part of the tent to perform their duties. ⁷ But only the chief priest went into the second part of the tent. Once a year he entered and brought blood that he offered for himself and for the things that the people did wrong unintentionally. ⁸ The Holy Spirit used this to show that the way into the most holy place was not open while the tent was still in use.

⁹ The first part of the tent is an example for the present time. The gifts and sacrifices that were brought there could not give the worshiper a clear conscience. ¹⁰ These gifts and sacrifices were meant to be food, drink, and items used in various purification ceremonies. These ceremonies were required for the body until God would establish a new way of doing things.

⁴² Then I will rest from my fury against you, and I will stop being angry. I will be at peace. I will no longer be angry.

⁴³ “‘You didn’t remember the time when you were young, and you made me very angry with all these things. So I will pay you back for what you have done, declares Adonay Yahweh. Didn’t you make wicked plans in addition to all your disgusting practices?

⁴⁴ “‘Everyone who uses proverbs will speak the following saying against you: Like mother, like daughter. ⁴⁵ You are your mother’s daughter. She rejected her husband and her children. You are exactly like your sisters. They rejected their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite.

⁴⁶ “‘Your older sister was Samaria. She and her daughters lived north of you. Your younger sister is Sodom. She lives south of you with her daughters. ⁴⁷ You didn’t follow their ways. You didn’t do the same disgusting things that they did. It only took you a little time to be more corrupt than they ever were. ⁴⁸ As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done. ⁴⁹ This is what your sister Sodom has done wrong. She and her daughters were proud that they had plenty of food and had peace and security. They didn’t help the poor and the needy. ⁵⁰ They were arrogant and did disgusting things in front of me. So I did away with them when I saw this.

⁵¹ “‘Samaria didn’t commit half the sins you did. You have done many more disgusting things than they ever did. Because of all the disgusting things that you have done, you make your sisters look innocent. ⁵² You will have to suffer disgrace because you accused your sisters. Yet, your sins are more disgusting than theirs. They look like they are innocent compared to you. Be ashamed of yourself and suffer disgrace, because you have made your sisters look like they are innocent.

⁵³ “‘I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and Samaria and her daughters. I will also restore your fortune along with theirs. ⁵⁴ You will have to suffer disgrace and be ashamed of everything you have done, including comforting them. ⁵⁵ When Sodom and her daughters and Samaria and her daughters return to what they once were, you and your daughters will return to what you once were. ⁵⁶ You didn’t mention your sister Sodom when you were arrogant. ⁵⁷ You didn’t mention her before your wickedness was revealed. Now the daughters of Aram^[a] and their neighbors despise you. The daughters of the Philistines also despise you. Those around you hate you. ⁵⁸ You must suffer because of all the crude and disgusting things you have done, declares Yahweh.

⁵⁹ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I will give you what you deserve. You despised your marriage vows and rejected my promise.^{[b] 60} I will remember the promise that I made with you when you were young, and I will make it a promise that will last forever. ⁶¹ Then you will remember what you have done. You will be ashamed when I return your older and younger sisters to you. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of my promise with you. ⁶² Then I will make my promise with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh. ⁶³ You will remember and be ashamed. You will never again open your mouth because of your disgrace when I forgive you for everything you did, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

Judah Is Compared to a Tree

17 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, tell this riddle. Give this illustration to the nation of Israel. ³ Say, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: A large eagle came to Lebanon. It had large wings with long, colorful feathers. It took hold of the top of a cedar tree. ⁴ It broke off the highest twig and carried it to a country of merchants. It planted the twig in a city of merchants.

⁵ “‘Then it took a seedling from that country and planted the seedling in fertile soil. The eagle planted the seedling like a willow where there was plenty of water. ⁶ The plant sprouted and grew into a low vine that spread over the ground. Its branches turned upward toward the eagle, but its roots grew downward. So it became a vine, producing branches and growing shoots.

⁷ “‘There was another large eagle with large wings and many feathers. Now, the vine stretched its roots toward this eagle and sent its branches toward the eagle so that the eagle could water it. The vine turned away from the garden where it was planted. ⁸ It was planted in good soil beside plenty of water so that it could grow branches, bear fruit, and become a wonderful vine.’

⁹ “Tell the nation of Israel, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Will this vine live and grow? Won’t the first eagle uproot it and tear off its fruit? Then it will wither. All the leaves on its branches will wither. It won’t take much strength or many people to pull the vine up by its roots. ¹⁰ It might be planted again, but will it live and grow? It will wither completely when the east wind blows on it. It will certainly wither in the garden where it is growing.’”

¹¹ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹² “Ask these rebellious people, ‘Don’t you know what this means?’ Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured its king and its leaders. He brought them home with him to Babylon. ¹³ Then he took someone from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and made him promise to be loyal. He took away the leading citizens from Judah ¹⁴ so that it would remain a humiliated country and be unable to regain its power. The country could only survive by keeping the treaty. ¹⁵ But the king of Judah rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his messengers to Egypt to get horses and many soldiers. Will the king of Judah succeed? Will anyone who does such things escape? He can’t break a treaty and go unpunished.

¹⁶ “‘As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, the king of Judah will die in Babylonia. He will die in the country of the king who appointed him king of Judah. The king of Judah broke his promise and his treaty with the king of Babylon. ¹⁷ Even with a large army and many people, Pharaoh will not be able to help him in battle when the Babylonians put up dirt ramps and set up blockades to kill many people. ¹⁸ The king of Judah broke the promise and the treaty that he pledged to keep. He did all these things, and he can’t go unpunished.

¹⁹ “‘So this is what Adonay Yahweh says: As I live, I will certainly punish you for rejecting my promise and hating my treaty. ²⁰ I will spread my net over you to catch you in my trap. I will take you to Babylon and judge you there for rebelling against me. ²¹ The best of your troops will die in battle. Anyone who remains will be scattered in every direction that the wind blows. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.

²² “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I, too, will take hold of the top of a cedar tree. I will break off the highest twig and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ I will plant it on a high mountain in Israel. It will grow branches and produce fruit. It will become a magnificent cedar tree. Every kind of bird will nest in it and find a home in the shelter of its branches. ²⁴ Then all the trees in the field will know that I am Yahweh. I cut down tall trees, and I make small trees grow tall. I dry up green trees, and I make dry trees grow. I, Yahweh, have spoken, and I will do it.’”

Jesus’ Priestly Work Is Superior to Other Priests’ Work

8 The main point we want to make is this: We do have this kind of chief priest. This chief priest has received the highest position, the throne of majesty in heaven. ² He serves as priest of the holy place and of the true tent set up by the Lord and not by any human.

³ Every chief priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices. Therefore, this chief priest had to offer something. ⁴ If he were on earth, he would not even be a priest. On earth other priests offer gifts by following the instructions that Moses gave. ⁵ They serve at a place that is a pattern, a shadow, of what is in heaven. When Moses was about to make the tent, God warned him, “Be sure to make everything based on the plan I showed you on the mountain.”

⁶ Yeshua has been given a priestly work that is superior to the Levitical priests’ work. He also brings a better promise^[a] from God that is based on better guarantees. ⁷ If nothing had been wrong with the first promise, no one would look for another one. ⁸ But God found something wrong with his people and said to them,

¹³ God made this new promise and showed that the first promise was outdated. What is outdated and aging will soon disappear.

¹² Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹³ “Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals. ¹⁴ Even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in that country, they would, by their righteousness, rescue only themselves,” declares Adonay Yahweh.

¹⁵ “Suppose 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. ¹⁶ As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, 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.

¹⁷ “Suppose I bring a war against that country by saying, ‘I will let a war go throughout this country.’ Suppose I destroy the people and the animals in it. ¹⁸ As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves.

¹⁹ “Suppose I send a plague into that country or pour out my fury on it by killing people and destroying animals. ²⁰ As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, not even Noah, Daniel, and Job could, by their righteousness, rescue their sons or daughters. They could rescue only themselves.

²¹ “This is what Adonay Yahweh 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. ²² But 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. ²³ 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 Adonay Yahweh.

Jerusalem Is Compared to Wood from a Wild Vine

15 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, what good is the wood from a vine? Is it better than the wood from a tree in the forest? ³ Do people use it to make something? Do they make a peg from it to hang things on? ⁴ No! It is only thrown into the fire as fuel. The fire burns up both its ends and chars its middle. Then can it be used to make anything? ⁵ When the vine was in perfect condition, it couldn’t be made into anything. How can it be used to make anything after the fire has burned and charred it?

⁶ “So this is what Adonay Yahweh says: As a vine is taken from among the trees in the forest to be used to feed the fire, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem to punish them. ⁷ I will turn against the people of Jerusalem. Even though they have escaped one fire, another fire will burn them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because I will turn against them. ⁸ I will turn the country into a wasteland because they have been unfaithful,” declares Adonay Yahweh.

A Description of Jerusalem’s Sins

16 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, make known to the people of Jerusalem the disgusting things they have done. ³ Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem: Your birthplace and your ancestors were in the land of the Canaanites. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ When you were born, your umbilical cord wasn’t cut. You weren’t washed with water to make you clean. You weren’t rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloth. ⁵ No one who saw you felt sorry enough for you to do any of these things. But you were thrown into an open field. You were rejected when you were born.

⁶ “‘Then I went by you and saw you kicking around in your own blood. I said to you, “Live.” ⁷ I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew up, matured, and became a young woman. Your breasts developed, and your hair grew. Yet, you were naked and bare.

⁸ “‘I went by you again and looked at you. You were old enough to make love to. So I spread my robe over you, and covered your naked body. I promised to love you, and I exchanged marriage vows with you. You became mine, declares Adonay Yahweh.

⁹ “‘Then I bathed you with water, and I washed off your blood. I poured olive oil over you. ¹⁰ I put an embroidered dress on you and fine leather sandals on your feet. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with silk. ¹¹ I gave you jewelry. I put bracelets on your wrists and a necklace around your neck. ¹² I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. ¹³ So you wore gold and silver jewelry. You were dressed in fine linen, silk, and embroidered clothes. Your food was flour, honey, and olive oil. You were very beautiful, and eventually you became a queen. ¹⁴ You became famous in every nation because of your beauty. Your beauty was perfect because I gave you my glory, declares Adonay Yahweh.

¹⁵ “‘But you trusted your beauty, and you used your fame to become a prostitute. You had sex with everyone who walked by. ¹⁶ You took some of your clothes and made your worship sites colorful. This is where you acted like a prostitute. Such things shouldn’t happen. They shouldn’t occur. ¹⁷ You took your beautiful gold and silver jewelry that I had given you and made male idols for yourself. Then you committed adultery with them. ¹⁸ You took off your embroidered clothes and covered the idols with them. You offered my olive oil and incense in their presence. ¹⁹ You also offered them sweet and fragrant sacrifices. You gave flour, olive oil, and honey—all the food that I gave you to eat. This is what happened, declares Adonay Yahweh.

²⁰ “‘You took your sons and daughters, who belonged to me, and you sacrificed them as food to idols. Wasn’t your prostitution enough? ²¹ You slaughtered my children and presented them as burnt offerings to idols. ²² With all the disgusting things that you did and all your acts of prostitution, you didn’t remember the time when you were young. You didn’t remember when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your own blood.

²³ “‘How horrible! How horrible it will be for you! declares Adonay Yahweh. After all your wickedness, ²⁴ you built yourself platforms and illegal worship sites in every city square. ²⁵ You also built worship sites at the head of every street. You used your beauty to seduce people there. You offered your body to everyone who passed by. You increased your acts of prostitution. ²⁶ You had sex with your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians. You used your prostitution to make me angry.

²⁷ “‘So I used my power against you. I took away some of your land, and I handed you over to your greedy enemies, the Philistines, who were ashamed of what you had done.

²⁸ “‘You had sex with the Assyrians because you weren’t satisfied. You still weren’t satisfied. ²⁹ So you increased your acts of prostitution to include the land of the merchants, the Babylonians. Even after that, you weren’t satisfied.

³⁰ “‘You have no will power! declares Adonay Yahweh. You do everything a shameless prostitute does. ³¹ You build your platforms at the head of every street and place your illegal worship sites in every square. Yet, you aren’t like other prostitutes, because you don’t want to be paid. ³² You are an adulterous wife who prefers strangers to her husband. ³³ All prostitutes get paid. But you give gifts to all your lovers and bribe them to come to you from all directions to have sex with you. ³⁴ You are a different kind of prostitute. No one goes after you for favors. You are the opposite. You pay them, and you don’t accept payment.

Jerusalem’s Punishment

³⁵ “‘Listen to the word of Yahweh, you prostitute. ³⁶ This is what Adonay Yahweh says: You exposed yourself and uncovered your naked body when you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols. You also killed your children and sacrificed their blood to these idols. ³⁷ That is why I will gather all your lovers with whom you found pleasure. I will have all those who love you and hate you gather around. I will uncover your body for them, and they will see you naked. ³⁸ I will punish you the same way that those who are guilty of prostitution and murder are punished. I will give you the death penalty in my fury and burning anger. ³⁹ I will hand you over to your lovers. They will destroy your platforms and tear down your illegal worship sites. They will tear off your clothes, take away your beautiful jewelry, and leave you naked and bare. ⁴⁰ They will also bring a mob against you. They will stone you and cut you into pieces with their swords. ⁴¹ They will burn your houses and punish you in the presence of many women. I will put an end to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay others.

¹⁸ The former requirements are rejected because they are weak and useless. ¹⁹ Moses’ Teachings couldn’t accomplish everything that God required. But we have something else that gives us greater confidence and allows us to approach God.

²⁰ None of this happened without an oath. The men from the tribe of Levi may have become priests without an oath, ²¹ but Yeshua became a priest when God took an oath. God said about him, “The Lord has taken an oath and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever.” ²² In this way Yeshua has become the guarantee of a better promise.^[a]

²³ There was a long succession of priests because when a priest died he could no longer serve. ²⁴ But Yeshua lives forever, so he serves as a priest forever. ²⁵ That is why he is always able to save those who come to God through him. He can do this because he always lives and intercedes for them.

²⁶ We need a chief priest who is holy, innocent, pure, set apart from sinners, and who has the highest position in heaven. ²⁷ We need a priest who doesn’t have to bring daily sacrifices as those chief priests did. First they brought sacrifices for their own sins, and then they brought sacrifices for the sins of the people. Yeshua brought the sacrifice for the sins of the people once and for all when he sacrificed himself. ²⁸ Moses’ Teachings designated mortals as chief priests even though they had weaknesses. But God’s promise, which came after Moses’ Teachings, designated the Son who forever accomplished everything that God required.

Psalm 106

Ezekiel Plays Out Israel’s Exile

12 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear because they are rebellious people.

³ “Son of man, pack your bags as if you were going into exile. Let the people see you leave in the daylight. March like a captive from your place to another place as they watch. Maybe they will understand, even though they are rebellious people. ⁴ Let them see you in the daylight. Bring out your bags as if you were going into exile. In the evening let them see you leave like a captive going into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall of your house, and leave through it. ⁶ Let them see you put your bags on your shoulders and carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so that you won’t see the land. I’ve made you a sign to warn the nation of Israel.”

⁷ I did what I was ordered to do. During the day I brought out bags as if I were going into exile. In the evening I dug a hole through the wall. I brought out my bags in the dark. I let the people see me as I carried my bags on my shoulders.

⁸ The next morning Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ⁹ “Son of man, didn’t the rebellious nation of Israel ask you what you were doing?

¹⁰ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: This is the divine revelation about the prince from Jerusalem and about all the people of Israel who live there.’

¹¹ “Tell them, ‘I am your warning sign. What I have done will happen to you. You will go into exile and into captivity. ¹² The prince who is among you will put his bags on his shoulders in the dark and leave. People will dig holes in the wall to go through. The prince will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. ¹³ I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my net. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, but he will not see it. And that’s where he’ll die. ¹⁴ I will scatter in every direction all those who are around him—his staff and all his troops. I will pursue them with my sword. ¹⁵ Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because I will scatter them among the nations and force them into other countries. ¹⁶ However, I will spare a few of them from wars, famines, and plagues. Wherever they go among the nations, they will realize that everything they did was disgusting. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁸ “Son of man, shake as you eat your food. Tremble and be worried as you drink your water.

¹⁹ “Tell the people of this land, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says about the people who live in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will be worried as they eat their food and terrified as they drink their water. Their country will be stripped of everything because everyone who lives there is violent. ²⁰ The cities where people live will be destroyed, and the country will become a wasteland. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

²¹ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in Israel: ‘Days go by, and every vision comes to nothing’?

²³ “Tell the people, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I will put a stop to the use of this proverb. You will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Instead, tell them, ‘The time is near when every vision will come true. ²⁴ There will no longer be any false visions or flattering fortunetelling to the people. ²⁵ I, Yahweh, will speak. Everything that I say will happen without any more delay. I will say something, and it will happen during your lifetime, you rebellious people, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

²⁶ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ²⁷ “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘The vision that Ezekiel sees won’t happen for a long time. What he prophecies will happen in the distant future.’

²⁸ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Everything that I say will no longer be delayed. Whatever I say will happen, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

False Prophets Condemned

13 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel. Tell those who make up their prophecies, ‘Listen to the word of Yahweh.

³ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: How horrible it will be for the foolish prophets. They follow their own ideas, and they have seen nothing. ⁴ Israel, your prophets are like foxes among the ruins of a city. ⁵ They haven’t repaired the gaps in the wall or rebuilt the wall for the nation of Israel. So Israel will not be protected in battle on the day of Yahweh. ⁶ These foolish prophets see false visions, and their predictions don’t come true. They say, “Yahweh said this.” But Yahweh hasn’t sent them. Then they hope that their message will come true. ⁷ Prophets of Israel, haven’t you seen false visions and predicted things that don’t come true? Don’t you say, “Yahweh said this,” even though I haven’t said anything?

⁸ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Your predictions are false, and your visions are lies. That is why I’m against you, declares Adonay Yahweh. ⁹ I will use my power against the prophets who see false visions and predict things that don’t come true. They will not help my people make decisions or be recorded in the records of the nation of Israel. They won’t even enter Israel. Then you will know that I am Adonay Yahweh.

¹⁰ “‘They have deceived my people by saying that everything is alright, but it’s not alright. When someone builds a flimsy wall, the prophets cover it up with paint. ¹¹ Tell those who cover up the wall with paint that their wall will fall down. Rain will pour down, hailstones will fall on it, and stormy winds will break it to pieces. ¹² When the wall falls down, people will ask them, “Where’s the paint that you used to cover the wall?”

¹³ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: In my fury I’ll cause a storm to break out. In my anger rain will pour down, and hailstones will destroy the wall. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall that the prophets covered up with paint. I will level it and expose its foundation. When the wall falls, they will be destroyed by it. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵ I will unleash my fury on the wall and on those who covered it up with paint.

“‘Then I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who painted it. ¹⁶ The prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem are gone. Those who said that everything was alright, when it wasn’t alright, are gone, declares Adonay Yahweh.” ’

¹⁷ “Son of man, look at the women among your people who make up prophecies, and prophesy against them.

¹⁸ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: How horrible it will be for women who sew magic charms for people’s wrists and make magic veils of every size for people’s heads. You want to trap people. You want to control the lives of my people for your own profit. ¹⁹ You dishonor me in front of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who shouldn’t die, and you spare the lives of people who shouldn’t live. You lie to my people who are willing to listen.

²⁰ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I’m against the magic charms that you use to trap people like birds. I will tear them from your arms and free the people that you have trapped. ²¹ I will tear off your magic veils and rescue my people from your power so that they will no longer be under your control. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ²² You have discouraged righteous people with your lies, even though I hadn’t brought them any grief. You encouraged wicked people not to turn from their wicked ways to save their lives. ²³ That is why you will no longer see false visions or make predictions. I will rescue my people from your power. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of Israel’s leaders came to me and sat down in front of me. ² Then Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ³ “Son of man, these people are devoted to their idols, and they are allowing themselves to fall into sin. Should they be allowed to ask me for help?

⁴ “So speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Suppose an Israelite is devoted to idols and allows himself to fall into sin. Suppose he goes to a prophet to ask for my help. I, Yahweh, will give that Israelite an answer, the answer that his many idols deserve. ⁵ I will do this to recapture the hearts of the nation of Israel. They have deserted me because of their disgusting idols.’

⁶ “So tell the nation of Israel, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Change the way you think and act! Turn away from your idols, and don’t return to any of your disgusting things. ⁷ Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to fall into sin. If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help, I, Yahweh, will give him an answer. ⁸ I will reject him, and I will make an example of him. I will exclude him from my people. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁹ “‘If a prophet is tricked into giving a prophecy, it is I, Yahweh, who tricked the prophet. I will use my power against you and destroy you from among my people Israel. ¹⁰ Both of you will suffer for your sins. The prophet will be as guilty as you are when you ask for his help. ¹¹ Then 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 Elohim, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

Christ Is Superior to Melchizedek

7 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. He met Abraham and blessed him when Abraham was returning from defeating the kings. ² Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had captured.

In the first place, Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness. He is also called king of Salem (which means king of peace). ³ No one knows anything about Melchizedek’s father, mother, or ancestors. No one knows when he was born or when he died. Like the Son of God, Melchizedek continues to be a priest forever.

⁴ You can see how important Melchizedek was. Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had captured, even though Abraham was the father of the chosen people. ⁵ Moses’ Teachings say that members of the tribe of Levi who become priests must receive a tenth of everything from the people. The priests collect it from their own people, Abraham’s descendants. ⁶ Although Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi, he received a tenth of everything from Abraham. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had God’s promises. ⁷ No one can deny that the more important person blesses the less important person.

⁸ Priests receive a tenth of everything, but they die. Melchizedek received a tenth of everything, but we are told that he lives. ⁹ We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything, Levi was giving a tenth of everything. Levi gave, although later his descendants would receive a tenth of everything. ¹⁰ Even though Levi had not yet been born, he was in the body of Abraham when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹ The people established the Levitical priesthood based on instructions they received. If the work of the Levitical priests had been perfect, we wouldn’t need to speak about another kind of priest. However, we speak about another kind of priest, a priest like Melchizedek, not a Levitical priest like Aaron.

¹² When a different kind of priesthood is established, the regulations for those priests are different. ¹³ The priest whom we are talking about was a member of a different tribe. No one from that tribe ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ Everyone knows that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. Moses never said anything about priests coming from that tribe. ¹⁵ The regulations were different. This became clear when a different priest who is like Melchizedek appeared. ¹⁶ That person is a priest, not because he met human requirements, but because he has power that comes from a life that cannot be destroyed. ¹⁷ The Scriptures say the following about him: “You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek was a priest.”

Ezekiel Plays Out Israel’s Exile

12 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they can’t see. They have ears, but they can’t hear because they are rebellious people.

³ “Son of man, pack your bags as if you were going into exile. Let the people see you leave in the daylight. March like a captive from your place to another place as they watch. Maybe they will understand, even though they are rebellious people. ⁴ Let them see you in the daylight. Bring out your bags as if you were going into exile. In the evening let them see you leave like a captive going into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall of your house, and leave through it. ⁶ Let them see you put your bags on your shoulders and carry them out in the dark. Cover your face so that you won’t see the land. I’ve made you a sign to warn the nation of Israel.”

⁷ I did what I was ordered to do. During the day I brought out bags as if I were going into exile. In the evening I dug a hole through the wall. I brought out my bags in the dark. I let the people see me as I carried my bags on my shoulders.

⁸ The next morning Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ⁹ “Son of man, didn’t the rebellious nation of Israel ask you what you were doing?

¹⁰ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: This is the divine revelation about the prince from Jerusalem and about all the people of Israel who live there.’

¹¹ “Tell them, ‘I am your warning sign. What I have done will happen to you. You will go into exile and into captivity. ¹² The prince who is among you will put his bags on his shoulders in the dark and leave. People will dig holes in the wall to go through. The prince will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. ¹³ I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my net. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, but he will not see it. And that’s where he’ll die. ¹⁴ I will scatter in every direction all those who are around him—his staff and all his troops. I will pursue them with my sword. ¹⁵ Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because I will scatter them among the nations and force them into other countries. ¹⁶ However, I will spare a few of them from wars, famines, and plagues. Wherever they go among the nations, they will realize that everything they did was disgusting. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁸ “Son of man, shake as you eat your food. Tremble and be worried as you drink your water.

¹⁹ “Tell the people of this land, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says about the people who live in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will be worried as they eat their food and terrified as they drink their water. Their country will be stripped of everything because everyone who lives there is violent. ²⁰ The cities where people live will be destroyed, and the country will become a wasteland. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

²¹ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ²² “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in Israel: ‘Days go by, and every vision comes to nothing’?

²³ “Tell the people, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I will put a stop to the use of this proverb. You will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Instead, tell them, ‘The time is near when every vision will come true. ²⁴ There will no longer be any false visions or flattering fortunetelling to the people. ²⁵ I, Yahweh, will speak. Everything that I say will happen without any more delay. I will say something, and it will happen during your lifetime, you rebellious people, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

²⁶ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ²⁷ “Son of man, the people of Israel are saying, ‘The vision that Ezekiel sees won’t happen for a long time. What he prophecies will happen in the distant future.’

²⁸ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Everything that I say will no longer be delayed. Whatever I say will happen, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

False Prophets Condemned

13 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel. Tell those who make up their prophecies, ‘Listen to the word of Yahweh.

³ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: How horrible it will be for the foolish prophets. They follow their own ideas, and they have seen nothing. ⁴ Israel, your prophets are like foxes among the ruins of a city. ⁵ They haven’t repaired the gaps in the wall or rebuilt the wall for the nation of Israel. So Israel will not be protected in battle on the day of Yahweh. ⁶ These foolish prophets see false visions, and their predictions don’t come true. They say, “Yahweh said this.” But Yahweh hasn’t sent them. Then they hope that their message will come true. ⁷ Prophets of Israel, haven’t you seen false visions and predicted things that don’t come true? Don’t you say, “Yahweh said this,” even though I haven’t said anything?

⁸ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Your predictions are false, and your visions are lies. That is why I’m against you, declares Adonay Yahweh. ⁹ I will use my power against the prophets who see false visions and predict things that don’t come true. They will not help my people make decisions or be recorded in the records of the nation of Israel. They won’t even enter Israel. Then you will know that I am Adonay Yahweh.

¹⁰ “‘They have deceived my people by saying that everything is alright, but it’s not alright. When someone builds a flimsy wall, the prophets cover it up with paint. ¹¹ Tell those who cover up the wall with paint that their wall will fall down. Rain will pour down, hailstones will fall on it, and stormy winds will break it to pieces. ¹² When the wall falls down, people will ask them, “Where’s the paint that you used to cover the wall?”

¹³ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: In my fury I’ll cause a storm to break out. In my anger rain will pour down, and hailstones will destroy the wall. ¹⁴ I will tear down the wall that the prophets covered up with paint. I will level it and expose its foundation. When the wall falls, they will be destroyed by it. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹⁵ I will unleash my fury on the wall and on those who covered it up with paint.

“‘Then I will say to you, “The wall is gone, and so are those who painted it. ¹⁶ The prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem are gone. Those who said that everything was alright, when it wasn’t alright, are gone, declares Adonay Yahweh.” ’

¹⁷ “Son of man, look at the women among your people who make up prophecies, and prophesy against them.

¹⁸ “Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: How horrible it will be for women who sew magic charms for people’s wrists and make magic veils of every size for people’s heads. You want to trap people. You want to control the lives of my people for your own profit. ¹⁹ You dishonor me in front of my people for a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who shouldn’t die, and you spare the lives of people who shouldn’t live. You lie to my people who are willing to listen.

²⁰ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I’m against the magic charms that you use to trap people like birds. I will tear them from your arms and free the people that you have trapped. ²¹ I will tear off your magic veils and rescue my people from your power so that they will no longer be under your control. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ²² You have discouraged righteous people with your lies, even though I hadn’t brought them any grief. You encouraged wicked people not to turn from their wicked ways to save their lives. ²³ That is why you will no longer see false visions or make predictions. I will rescue my people from your power. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Idolaters Condemned

14 Some of Israel’s leaders came to me and sat down in front of me. ² Then Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ³ “Son of man, these people are devoted to their idols, and they are allowing themselves to fall into sin. Should they be allowed to ask me for help?

⁴ “So speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Suppose an Israelite is devoted to idols and allows himself to fall into sin. Suppose he goes to a prophet to ask for my help. I, Yahweh, will give that Israelite an answer, the answer that his many idols deserve. ⁵ I will do this to recapture the hearts of the nation of Israel. They have deserted me because of their disgusting idols.’

⁶ “So tell the nation of Israel, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Change the way you think and act! Turn away from your idols, and don’t return to any of your disgusting things. ⁷ Suppose an Israelite or a foreigner who lives in Israel deserts me by devoting himself to idols and by allowing himself to fall into sin. If he goes to a prophet to ask for my help, I, Yahweh, will give him an answer. ⁸ I will reject him, and I will make an example of him. I will exclude him from my people. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁹ “‘If a prophet is tricked into giving a prophecy, it is I, Yahweh, who tricked the prophet. I will use my power against you and destroy you from among my people Israel. ¹⁰ Both of you will suffer for your sins. The prophet will be as guilty as you are when you ask for his help. ¹¹ Then 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 Elohim, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

Christ Is Superior to Melchizedek

7 Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God. He met Abraham and blessed him when Abraham was returning from defeating the kings. ² Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had captured.

In the first place, Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness. He is also called king of Salem (which means king of peace). ³ No one knows anything about Melchizedek’s father, mother, or ancestors. No one knows when he was born or when he died. Like the Son of God, Melchizedek continues to be a priest forever.

⁴ You can see how important Melchizedek was. Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had captured, even though Abraham was the father of the chosen people. ⁵ Moses’ Teachings say that members of the tribe of Levi who become priests must receive a tenth of everything from the people. The priests collect it from their own people, Abraham’s descendants. ⁶ Although Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi, he received a tenth of everything from Abraham. Then Melchizedek blessed Abraham, who had God’s promises. ⁷ No one can deny that the more important person blesses the less important person.

⁸ Priests receive a tenth of everything, but they die. Melchizedek received a tenth of everything, but we are told that he lives. ⁹ We could even say that when Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything, Levi was giving a tenth of everything. Levi gave, although later his descendants would receive a tenth of everything. ¹⁰ Even though Levi had not yet been born, he was in the body of Abraham when Melchizedek met him.

¹¹ The people established the Levitical priesthood based on instructions they received. If the work of the Levitical priests had been perfect, we wouldn’t need to speak about another kind of priest. However, we speak about another kind of priest, a priest like Melchizedek, not a Levitical priest like Aaron.

¹² When a different kind of priesthood is established, the regulations for those priests are different. ¹³ The priest whom we are talking about was a member of a different tribe. No one from that tribe ever served as a priest at the altar. ¹⁴ Everyone knows that our Lord came from the tribe of Judah. Moses never said anything about priests coming from that tribe. ¹⁵ The regulations were different. This became clear when a different priest who is like Melchizedek appeared. ¹⁶ That person is a priest, not because he met human requirements, but because he has power that comes from a life that cannot be destroyed. ¹⁷ The Scriptures say the following about him: “You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek was a priest.”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves His Temple

10 As I looked at the dome over the heads of the angels,^[a] I saw something that looked like a throne made of sapphire. ² Yahweh said to the person dressed in linen, “Go between the wheels under the angels, and fill your hands with burning coals. Then scatter them over the city.” So he went between the wheels as I watched.

³ The angels were standing on the south side of the temple as the person went. A cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ Yahweh’s glory rose from the angels to the entrance of the temple, the cloud filled the temple, and the brightness of Yahweh’s glory filled the courtyard. ⁵ The sound of the angels’ wings was heard as far as the outer courtyard. It was like the sound of El Shadday when he speaks.

⁶ After Yahweh had commanded the person dressed in linen to take burning coals from between the wheels beside the angels, the person went in and stood beside one of the wheels. ⁷ One of the angels reached into the fire that was between the angels and took out some coals. This angel put them in the hands of the person dressed in linen. The person took them and left.

⁸ The angels appeared to have what looked like human hands under their wings. ⁹ As I looked, I saw four wheels beside the angels, one wheel beside each of the angels. The wheels looked like beryl. ¹⁰ All four wheels looked the same. Each was like a wheel within a wheel. ¹¹ Whenever the angels moved, they moved in any of the four directions without turning as they moved. They always moved in the direction they faced without turning as they moved. ¹² Their entire bodies, their backs, hands, wings, and wheels were covered with eyes. Each of the angels had a wheel. ¹³ I heard that the wheels were called the whirling wheels. ¹⁴ Each of the angels had four faces. The first was the face of an angel, the second was the face of a human, the third was the face of a lion, and the fourth was the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ The angels rose. These were the living creatures that I saw at the Chebar River. ¹⁶ When the angels moved, the wheels moved beside them. When the angels lifted their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels didn’t leave their side. ¹⁷ When the angels stood still, the wheels stood still. When the angels rose, the wheels rose with them. The spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. ¹⁸ Then the glory of Yahweh left the temple’s entrance and stood over the angels. ¹⁹ The angels lifted their wings and rose from the ground. I was watching them as they left with the wheels beside them. The angels stood at the door to the east gate of Yahweh’s temple, and the glory of the Elohim of Israel was above them.

²⁰ These are the living creatures that I saw under the Elohim of Israel at the Chebar River. I realized that they were angels. ²¹ Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings were what looked like human hands. ²² Their faces looked exactly like the faces that I saw by the Chebar River. Each one went straight ahead.

Judgment on the Rulers of Israel

11 Then the Ruach lifted me and took me to the east gate of Yahweh’s temple. (It’s the gate that faces east.) Twenty-five men were at the entrance of the gate. I saw among them Azzur’s son Jaazaniah and Benaiah’s son Pelatiah. They were leaders of the people.

² Then Yahweh said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give bad advice in this city. ³ They say, ‘It’s almost time to rebuild homes. This city is a cooking pot, and we’re the meat.’ ⁴ So prophesy against them. Prophesy, son of man.”

⁵ The Ruach Yahweh came to me and told me to say, “This is what Yahweh says: You are saying these things, nation of Israel. But I know what’s going through your mind. ⁶ You have killed many people in this city and have filled its streets with corpses.

⁷ “So this is what Adonay Yahweh says: The corpses that you put in the middle of the city are the meat, and the city is the cooking pot. I will force you out of the city. ⁸ You are afraid of swords, so I will bring swords to attack you, declares Adonay Yahweh. ⁹ I will force you out of the city. I will hand you over to foreigners, and I will punish you. ¹⁰ You will die in battle. I will judge you at Israel’s borders. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. ¹¹ The city will not be your cooking pot, and you will not be the meat in it. I will judge you at Israel’s borders. ¹² Then you will know that I am Yahweh. You haven’t lived by my laws, and you haven’t obeyed my rules. You have followed the standards set by the nations around you.”

¹³ While I was prophesying, Benaiah’s son Pelatiah died.

I immediately bowed down and cried out, “Adonay Yahweh, will you completely destroy all the remaining people in Israel?”

The Lord’s Promise to Gather Israel from the Nations

¹⁴ Then Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹⁵ “Son of man, the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about your own relatives and about the entire nation of Israel. The people who live in Jerusalem say, ‘They are far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us as our own property.’

¹⁶ “So tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, I have been their sanctuary for a little while among the countries where they’ve gone.’

¹⁷ “So tell them, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I will bring them together from the nations and gather them from the countries where I’ve scattered them. I will give them the land of Israel. ¹⁸ They will come and remove all the disgusting and detestable things that are there. ¹⁹ I will give them a single purpose and put a new spirit in them. I will remove their stubborn hearts and give them obedient hearts. ²⁰ Then they will live by my laws and obey my rules. They will be my people, and I will be their Elohim. ²¹ But as for those whose minds are set on following detestable and disgusting idols, I will pay them back for what they have done, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”

The Glory of the Lord Leaves Jerusalem

²² Then the angels^[b] raised their wings, with the wheels beside them. The glory of the Elohim of Israel was above them. ²³ Yahweh’s glory left the middle of the city and stopped above the mountain east of the city.

²⁴ In this vision from the Ruach Elohim, the Ruach lifted me and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision I saw left me.

²⁵ I told the exiles everything Yahweh had shown me.

6 With this in mind, we should stop going over the elementary truths about Christ and move on to topics for more mature people. We shouldn’t repeat the basics about turning away from the useless things we did and the basics about faith in God. ² We shouldn’t repeat the basic teachings about such things as baptisms, setting people apart for holy tasks, dead people coming back to life, and eternal judgment. ³ If God permits, we will do this.

⁴ Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit. ⁵ They experienced the goodness of God’s word and the powers of the world to come. ⁶ Yet, they have deserted Christ. They are crucifying the Son of God again and publicly disgracing him. Therefore, they cannot be led a second time to God.

⁷ God blesses the earth. So rain often falls on it, and it produces useful crops for farmers. ⁸ However, if the earth produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

God Will Not Forget You

⁹ Dear friends, even though we say these things, we are still convinced that better things are in store for you and that they will save you. ¹⁰ God is fair. He won’t forget what you’ve done or the love you’ve shown for him. You helped his holy people, and you continue to help them. ¹¹ We want each of you to prove that you’re working hard so that you will remain confident until the end. ¹² Then, instead of being lazy, you will imitate those who are receiving the promises through faith and patience.

¹³ God made a promise to Abraham. Since he had no one greater on whom to base his oath, he based it on himself. ¹⁴ He said, “I will certainly bless you and give you many descendants.” ¹⁵ So Abraham received what God promised because he waited patiently for it.

¹⁶ When people take oaths, they base their oaths on someone greater than themselves. Their oaths guarantee what they say and end all arguments. ¹⁷ God wouldn’t change his plan. He wanted to make this perfectly clear to those who would receive his promise, so he took an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that we would be encouraged. God cannot lie when he takes an oath or makes a promise. These two things can never be changed. Those of us who have taken refuge in him hold on to the confidence we have been given. ¹⁹ We have this confidence as a sure and strong anchor for our lives. This confidence goes into the holy place behind the curtain ²⁰ where Yeshua went before us on our behalf. He has become the chief priest forever in the way Melchizedek was a priest.

All about Life

The Coming of the End

7 Then this message came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to Israel:

The Desolation of Israel

Idolatry in the Temple

8 Then on September 17,^[a] during the sixth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, while the leaders of Judah were in my home, the Sovereign Lord took hold of me. ² I saw a figure that appeared to be a man.^[b] From what appeared to be his waist down, he looked like a burning flame. From the waist up he looked like gleaming amber.^{[c] 3} He reached out what seemed to be a hand and took me by the hair. Then the Spirit lifted me up into the sky and transported me to Jerusalem in a vision from God. I was taken to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple, where there is a large idol that has made the Lord very jealous. ⁴ Suddenly, the glory of the God of Israel was there, just as I had seen it before in the valley.

⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and there to the north, beside the entrance to the gate near the altar, stood the idol that had made the Lord so jealous.

⁶ “Son of man,” he said, “do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!” ⁷ Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall. ⁸ He said to me, “Now, son of man, dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and found a hidden doorway.

⁹ “Go in,” he said, “and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!” ¹⁰ So I went in and saw the walls covered with engravings of all kinds of crawling animals and detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols^[d] worshiped by the people of Israel. ¹¹ Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads.

¹² Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see us; he has deserted our land!’” ¹³ Then the Lord added, “Come, and I will show you even more detestable sins than these!”

¹⁴ He brought me to the north gate of the Lord’s Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz. ¹⁵ “Have you seen this?” he asked. “But I will show you even more detestable sins than these!”

¹⁶ Then he brought me into the inner courtyard of the Lord’s Temple. At the entrance to the sanctuary, between the entry room and the bronze altar, there were about twenty-five men with their backs to the sanctuary of the Lord. They were facing east, bowing low to the ground, worshiping the sun!

¹⁷ “Have you seen this, son of man?” he asked. “Is it nothing to the people of Judah that they commit these detestable sins, leading the whole nation into violence, thumbing their noses at me, and provoking my anger? ¹⁸ Therefore, I will respond in fury. I will neither pity nor spare them. And though they cry for mercy, I will not listen.”

The Slaughter of Idolaters

9 Then the Lord thundered, “Bring on the men appointed to punish the city! Tell them to bring their weapons with them!” ² Six men soon appeared from the upper gate that faces north, each carrying a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man dressed in linen, who carried a writer’s case at his side. They all went into the Temple courtyard and stood beside the bronze altar.

³ Then the glory of the God of Israel rose up from between the cherubim, where it had rested, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. And the Lord called to the man dressed in linen who was carrying the writer’s case. ⁴ He said to him, “Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all who weep and sigh because of the detestable sins being committed in their city.”

⁵ Then I heard the Lord say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! ⁶ Kill them all—old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin right here at the Temple.” So they began by killing the seventy leaders.

⁷ “Defile the Temple!” the Lord commanded. “Fill its courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went and began killing throughout the city.

⁸ While they were out killing, I was all alone. I fell face down on the ground and cried out, “O Sovereign Lord! Will your fury against Jerusalem wipe out everyone left in Israel?”

⁹ Then he said to me, “The sins of the people of Israel and Judah are very, very great. The entire land is full of murder; the city is filled with injustice. They are saying, ‘The Lord doesn’t see it! The Lord has abandoned the land!’ ¹⁰ So I will not spare them or have any pity on them. I will fully repay them for all they have done.”

¹¹ Then the man in linen clothing, who carried the writer’s case, reported back and said, “I have done as you commanded.”

5 Every high priest is a man chosen to represent other people in their dealings with God. He presents their gifts to God and offers sacrifices for their sins. ² And he is able to deal gently with ignorant and wayward people because he himself is subject to the same weaknesses. ³ That is why he must offer sacrifices for his own sins as well as theirs.

⁴ And no one can become a high priest simply because he wants such an honor. He must be called by God for this work, just as Aaron was. ⁵ That is why Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God, who said to him,

⁶ And in another passage God said to him,

⁷ While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. ⁸ Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. ⁹ In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. ¹⁰ And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

A Call to Spiritual Growth

¹¹ There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. ¹² You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.^[c] You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. ¹³ For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. ¹⁴ Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Psalm 105

A Watchman for Israel

¹⁶ After seven days the Lord gave me a message. He said, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. ¹⁸ If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ¹⁹ If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.

²⁰ “If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. ²¹ But if you warn righteous people not to sin and they listen to you and do not sin, they will live, and you will have saved yourself, too.”

²² Then the Lord took hold of me and said, “Get up and go out into the valley, and I will speak to you there.” ²³ So I got up and went, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar River. And I fell face down on the ground.

²⁴ Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go to your house and shut yourself in. ²⁵ There, son of man, you will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. ²⁶ And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. ²⁷ But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.

A Sign of the Coming Siege

4 “And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it. ² Show the city under siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp, and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams. ³ Then take an iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will be a warning to the people of Israel.

⁴ “Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. ⁵ I am requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days—one day for each year of their sin. ⁶ After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days—one day for each year of Judah’s sin.

⁷ “Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction. ⁸ I will tie you up with ropes so you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have been completed.

⁹ “Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side. ¹⁰ Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces^[a] of food for each day, and eat it at set times. ¹¹ Then measure out a jar^[b] of water for each day, and drink it at set times. ¹² Prepare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat the bread.” ¹³ Then the Lord said, “This is how Israel will eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which I will banish them!”

¹⁴ Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law.”

¹⁵ “All right,” the Lord said. “You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung.” ¹⁶ Then he told me, “Son of man, I will make food very scarce in Jerusalem. It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be rationed out drop by drop, and the people will drink it with dismay. ¹⁷ Lacking food and water, people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.

A Sign of the Coming Judgment

5 “Son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a razor to shave your head and beard. Use a scale to weigh the hair into three equal parts. ² Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and chop it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword. ³ Keep just a bit of the hair and tie it up in your robe. ⁴ Then take some of these hairs out and throw them into the fire, burning them up. A fire will then spread from this remnant and destroy all of Israel.

⁵ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations, ⁶ but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow.

⁷ “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You people have behaved worse than your neighbors and have refused to obey my decrees and regulations. You have not even lived up to the standards of the nations around you. ⁸ Therefore, I myself, the Sovereign Lord, am now your enemy. I will punish you publicly while all the nations watch. ⁹ Because of your detestable idols, I will punish you like I have never punished anyone before or ever will again. ¹⁰ Parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter to the winds the few who survive.

¹¹ “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with your vile images and detestable sins. ¹² A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword. ¹³ Then at last my anger will be spent, and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided, all Israel will know that I, the Lord, have spoken to them in my jealous anger.

¹⁴ “So I will turn you into a ruin, a mockery in the eyes of the surrounding nations and to all who pass by. ¹⁵ You will become an object of mockery and taunting and horror. You will be a warning to all the nations around you. They will see what happens when the Lord punishes a nation in anger and rebukes it, says the Lord.

¹⁶ “I will shower you with the deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. The famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone. ¹⁷ And along with the famine, wild animals will attack you and rob you of your children. Disease and war will stalk your land, and I will bring the sword of the enemy against you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Judgment against Israel’s Mountains

6 Again a message came to me from the Lord: ² “Son of man, turn and face the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. ³ Proclaim this message from the Sovereign Lord against the mountains of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring war upon you, and I will smash your pagan shrines. ⁴ All your altars will be demolished, and your places of worship will be destroyed. I will kill your people in front of your idols.^{[c] 5} I will lay your corpses in front of your idols and scatter your bones around your altars. ⁶ Wherever you live there will be desolation, and I will destroy your pagan shrines. Your altars will be demolished, your idols will be smashed, your places of worship will be torn down, and all the religious objects you have made will be destroyed. ⁷ The place will be littered with corpses, and you will know that I alone am the Lord.

⁸ “But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world. ⁹ Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins. ¹⁰ They will know that I alone am the Lord and that I was serious when I said I would bring this calamity on them.

¹¹ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Clap your hands in horror, and stamp your feet. Cry out because of all the detestable sins the people of Israel have committed. Now they are going to die from war and famine and disease. ¹² Disease will strike down those who are far away in exile. War will destroy those who are nearby. And anyone who survives will be killed by famine. So at last I will spend my fury on them. ¹³ They will know that I am the Lord when their dead lie scattered among their idols and altars on every hill and mountain and under every green tree and every great shade tree—the places where they offered sacrifices to their idols. ¹⁴ I will crush them and make their cities desolate from the wilderness in the south to Riblah^[d] in the north. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Promised Rest for God’s People

4 God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. ² For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.^{[a] 3} For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said,

even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. ⁴ We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”^{[c] 5} But in the other passage God said, “They will never enter my place of rest.”^[d]

⁶ So God’s rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. ⁷ So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:

⁸ Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. ⁹ So there is a special rest^[f] still waiting for the people of God. ¹⁰ For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. ¹¹ So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.

¹² For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

Christ Is Our High Priest

¹⁴ So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

3 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and^[a] are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger^[b] and High Priest. ² For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire^[c] house.

³ But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. ⁴ For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.

⁵ Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. ⁶ But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.^[d]

⁷ That is why the Holy Spirit says,

¹² Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.^[f] Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. ¹³ You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. ¹⁴ For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. ¹⁵ Remember what it says:

¹⁶ And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? ¹⁷ And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? ¹⁹ So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

Psalm 104

God’s Anger Satisfied

Prayer for Restoration

A Warning against Drifting Away

2 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. ² For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. ³ So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? ⁴ And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.

Jesus, the Man

⁵ And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. ⁶ For in one place the Scriptures say,

Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. ⁹ What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. ¹⁰ God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.

¹¹ So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.^{[d] 12} For he said to God,

¹³ He also said,

¹⁴ Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had^[g] the power of death. ¹⁵ Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

¹⁶ We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters,^[h] so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Psalm 103

A psalm of David.