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Idolatry Will Be Punished

¹Now ⚓some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ²And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³“Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them ⚓that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. ⚓Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?
⁴“Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’
⁶“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and ⚓turn your faces away from all your abominations. ⁷For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. ⁸⚓I will set My face against that man and make him a ⚓sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. ⚓Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
⁹“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord⚓have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. ¹⁰And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, ¹¹that the house of Israel may ⚓no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, ⚓but that they may be My people and I may be their God,“ says the Lord God.’ ”

Judgment on Persistent Unfaithfulness

¹²The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: ¹³“Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its ⚓supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. ¹⁴⚓Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves ⚓by their righteousness,” says the Lord God.
¹⁵“If I cause ⚓wild beasts to pass through the land, and they empty it, and make it so desolate that no man may pass through because of the beasts, ¹⁶even⚓though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be ⚓desolate.
¹⁷“Or if⚓I bring a sword on that land, and say, ‘Sword, go through the land,’ and I ⚓cut off man and beast from it, ¹⁸even ⚓though these three men were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only they themselves would be delivered.
¹⁹“Or if I send ⚓a pestilence into that land and ⚓pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, ²⁰even ⚓though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”
²¹For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when ⚓I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? ²²⚓Yet behold, there shall be left in it a remnant who will be ⚓brought out, both sons and daughters; surely they will come out to you, and ⚓you will see their ways and their doings. Then you will be comforted concerning the disaster that I have brought upon Jerusalem, all that I have brought upon it. ²³And they will comfort you, when you see their ways and their doings; and you shall know that I have done nothing ⚓without cause that I have done in it,” says the Lord God.

14

上帝斥责拜偶像的罪

¹有几个以色列的长老到我这里来，坐在我面前。 ²耶和华的话临到我，说： ³“人子啊，这些人在心中设立偶像，把陷自己于罪的绊脚石放在面前，我真的能让他们求问吗？ ⁴所以你要告诉他们，对他们说：‘主耶和华如此说：以色列家的人，凡在心中设立偶像，把陷自己于罪的绊脚石放在面前，却来到先知那里的，我─耶和华在他所求的事上，必因他拜许多偶像向他施行报应⚓， ⁵为要夺回以色列家的心，他们全都拜偶像，与我疏远了。’
⁶“所以你要对以色列家说：‘主耶和华如此说：回转吧！回转离开你们的偶像，转脸离开一切可憎的事。’ ⁷因为以色列家的人，或在以色列中寄居的外人，凡与我隔绝，在心中设立偶像，把陷自己于罪的绊脚石放在面前，却来到先知那里，要为自己的事求问我的，我─耶和华必亲自报应他。 ⁸我要向那人变脸，使他成为警戒和笑柄，并且我要把他从我民中剪除；你们就知道我是耶和华。 ⁹先知若被骗说了一句预言，是我─耶和华骗了那先知，我要伸手攻击他，把他从我百姓以色列中除灭。 ¹⁰他们必担当自己的罪孽。先知的罪孽和求问之人的罪孽都一样， ¹¹使以色列家不再走迷离开我，也不再因各样的罪过玷污自己，却要作我的子民，我也作他们的上帝。这是主耶和华说的。”

挪亚、但以理、约伯

¹²耶和华的话临到我，说： ¹³“人子啊，若有一国犯罪干犯我，我也伸手攻击它，断绝他们粮食的供应，使饥荒临到那地，将人与牲畜从其中剪除； ¹⁴虽有挪亚、但以理、约伯这三人在那里，他们只能因自己的义救自己的命。这是主耶和华说的。 ¹⁵我若使恶兽经过那地，大肆蹂躏，使地荒凉，以致因这些兽，人都不得经过； ¹⁶虽有这三人在其中，主耶和华说：我指着我的永生起誓，他们不能救儿子女儿，只有他们自己可以得救，那地仍然荒凉。 ¹⁷或者我使刀剑临到那地，说：‘让刀剑穿越那地’，以致我把人与牲畜从其中剪除； ¹⁸虽有这三人在其中，主耶和华说：我指着我的永生起誓，他们不能救儿子女儿，只有他们自己可以得救。 ¹⁹或者我叫瘟疫流行那地，把我的愤怒带着血倾在其中，好使人与牲畜从其中剪除； ²⁰虽有挪亚、但以理、约伯在那里，主耶和华说：我指着我的永生起誓，他们不能救儿子女儿，只能因自己的义救自己的命。
²¹“主耶和华如此说：我若将这四样大灾，就是刀剑、饥荒、恶兽、瘟疫降在耶路撒冷，将人与牲畜从其中剪除，岂不是更严重吗？ ²²看哪，在那里必有幸免于难的人带着儿子女儿；看哪，他们来到你们这里；你们看见他们的所作所为，就会因我降给耶路撒冷的灾祸，因我降给它的一切，得到安慰。 ²³你们因看见他们的所作所为，得到安慰，就会知道我在耶路撒冷所做的并非毫无缘故。这是主耶和华说的。”