1The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of Yahweh’s house, which faces east. There I saw twenty-five men at the gate's entrance. Among them were Jaazaniah, son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
2He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city.
3They say, ‘It’s not time yet to build houses. This city is like a cooking pot, and we are the meat inside it.’
4Therefore, prophesy against them, prophesy, son of man.”
5Yahweh’s Spirit came on me, and he said to me, “Speak. Tell them, ‘Yahweh says: “This is what you have said, house of Israel, but I know what you are thinking.
6You have killed many people in this city, and you have filled its streets with the dead.
7"'Therefore the Lord Yahweh says: 'The dead bodies you have laid in the city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but you will be brought out of it.'
8You have been afraid of the sword; and I will bring the sword against you,' says the Lord Yahweh.
9"I will bring you out of the city and hand you over to strangers, and I will carry out judgments against you.
10You will die by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel; and you will know that I am Yahweh.
11This will not be your pot, nor will you be the meat in it. I will judge you at the border of Israel.
12You will know that I am Yahweh, for you have not followed my laws or kept my commands, but you have followed the customs of the nations around you.'"
13While I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell face down, cried out loudly, and said, "Oh, Lord Yahweh! Are you going to completely destroy the rest of Israel?"
14The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
15"Son of man, your relatives—your brothers, and all the people of Israel—are the ones about whom the people of Jerusalem have said, 'Stay far away from Yahweh. This land has been given to us as our possession.'"
16"Therefore say, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: 'Although I have sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among different countries, I will still be a sanctuary for them for a short time in the countries where they have gone.'
17"Therefore say, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says: 'I will gather you from the peoples and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'
18"'They will come there and remove all its disgusting idols and dreadful practices from it.
19I will give them a new heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove the stubborn heart from their bodies and give them a tender heart,
20so that they may follow my laws, keep my commands, and obey them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
21But as for those whose hearts follow their disgusting idols and dreadful practices, I will bring the consequences of their actions down on their own heads,' says the Lord Yahweh."
22Then the cherubim lifted their wings, and the wheels moved with them; and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
23Yahweh's glory went up from the middle of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.
24The Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to Chaldea, to the exiles. So the vision I had seen left me.
25Then I told the exiles everything that Yahweh had shown me.