33 Ezekiel

III

I~

1363 I t.

I

IK

EZEKIE L

3:3

Above the vault over their heads was something that looked like a sapphire ; it was shaped like a throne and high u p on this thro ne was a being that looked like a ma n.• I saw him shine like bronze, and close to and all around him from what seemed his loins upw ards was what looked like fire ; and from what seemed his loins downwards I saw what looked like fire, a nd a light all ro und -Iike a bow in the clouds on rain y days ; that is how th e surro unding light a ppeared. It was something that looked like the glory of Yahweh! I looked, and pro strated myself, and I heard a voice spea king.

I

I

? R v 4 :2-3

Ex 24:10 8:2

G n 9: 13-15 Si 43:11 1:11: 8 :4; 10:4, 18 Ex 24: 16+ D n 8:17 » R v 1:17

The vision of the scroll"

I

2

EZEK IEL

Iili:

INTROD UCTION 4 3:3 O n 10:5

8:1 I K 18:46 Si 49: 8 10

R v4

10:8-22 Ex 25: 18+ " Rv 4:6-8

Is 6:2

Ex 19:18 Ps 104:4 10 :9- 13

Zc 4 :10 /' Rv 4:8 10:16

10:1

Ex 24: 10

/' Rv 4:6

10:5 Gn 17:1 +

In the th irtieth year , on t he fift h day of th e fourth month , as I was among t he exiles on th e ban k of the river C hebar, heaven opened a nd I saw visions from God. 'On t he fifth of the mo nth-it was the fifth yea r of exile for K ing leho iachin- -t he word of Ya hwe h was add ressed to the priest Eze kiel son of Buzi, in the lan d of the Chaldaeans , on th e bank of t he river C hebar.v

l

1

The vision of the 'Cha riot of Yahweh '> There th e hand of Ya hweh ca me o n me.' · 1 look ed ; a sto rmy wind blew fr om the north, a great clou d wit h light around it, a fire from which flashes of lightning da rted, a nd in t he cent re a sheen like bron ze at the hea rt of th e fire.• In the cen tre I saw what seemed four a nima ls. Th ey lo oked like thi s. T hey were of hum an form.• Eac h had fo ur faces, eac h had four wings. •T heir legs were stra ight; they had hooves like oxen , glitte ring like polished brass. • Huma n hands sho wed under their wings; the fac es of a ll fo ur were turned to the fou r quarters." -Thcir wing s tou ched each other ; th ey d id not turn as they moved ; each o ne went straigh t forw a rd. -As to what th ey looked like, th ey had human faces, an d all four had a lion 's face to the righ t, a nd all four had a bull's fac e to the left , a nd all four had an eagle's face. e • Their wings ! were spre ad upwards; each had two wings that touched, and two wings that cov ered his body ; -and t hey all went straight forward; they went where the spirit urged them ; they did not turn as they moved. Between the se animals someth ing could be seen v like flaming brands o r torches, darting between the animals; the fire flashed light, and lightn ing streaked from the fire. 'And the crea tures ran to a nd fro« like thunderbo lts. I loo ked at the animals; there was a wheel on the ground by each of them, o ne beside ea ch of the fOUL ' -The wheels/ glittered as if made of chrysol ite. All fou r looked a like, a nd seemed to be made o ne inside the oth er. -They went forward four way s- a nd ke pt t heir course un swer vingly. -T heir rims seemed enormous when I looked a t th em and all four rims had eyes ' all the way round . • When the animal s went forward , th e wheels went forward beside them ; and when the a nimals left the ground, the wheels to o left the gr ound.• Wh ere the spirit urged th em , the re th e Wheels went , m since th e spirit of the animal was in the wheels .• W hen the a nima ls moved on , th ey moved on; when the fo rmer halted, th e latter halted ; when the former left the gro und, the whee ls too left th e gro und, sinc e th e spirit of the a nimal was in the wheels . -Ov er th e heads of t he a nimals a sort of vault, gleam ing like crystal," arched above the ir heads; " •un der t his vaul t their wings stretched o ut to one anot her , a nd each had two co vering his body." I hea rd the no ise of th eir wing s as they moved ; it sounded like rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, a noise like a storm, like the noise of a camp; when th ey halted, they folded their wings, -and there was a noise. Q

10

11 12

13

14

IS 16 17 18 19

20 21

22 23

24

25

It sa id, 'S o n of man," stand up ; I a m going to spea k to you '. -As he said these wor ds t he spirit came into me and made me stand u p, and I heard him I speak ing to me.• He said, 'Son of ma n, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebe ls' who ha ve turned against me. T ill now they a nd t heir ancestors have ·1 been in revo lt agai nst me. -T he sons are defiant a nd o bsti na te; I am sending , yo u to th em, to say, "T he Lord Yahweh says this". •Whether th ey listen or ~ not, this set of rebels sha ll know there is a prophet among them. •And you, so n of ma n, do no t be afraid of them, do not be afraid when they say, "There are tho rn s all round you" and scorpions under you". There is no need to be afraid either of their words or of their loo ks, for they a re a set of rebels. You must de liver my words to them whether they listen or not, for they a re a set of rebels. e 'You, son of man , listen to the words I say ; do not be a rebel like tha t rebellio us set. Open your mo uth and eat what I am a bout to give you .' I;~ I loo ked. A han d was there, stretching out to me and ho lding a scroll . • He unrolled it in front of me; it was wr itten on back and front; on it was written! 'lamentat ions , 1 wa ilings, mo anings' . 3 He said , 'Son of man, eat what is given to you; eat this scro ll, t hen go a nd spea k to the House of Israel' . •1 opened my mouth; he gave I me the scroll to ea t •and said, 'Son of man, feed a nd be satisfied by the scroll I am givin g yo u'. I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey. " 1 •. Vv. I·] a ppe ar to juxt ap ose t wo dis tinct trurod uct ions. O ne, vv , 2-3a, spe aks of Ezekiel in the third perso n a nd serves as introduction to t he who le book , d nti ng the prophet's first vision to the 5th year of Jc hoiachin 's exile , 593-592. The other , v, I , may have Introd uced the vision of the 'c ha rio t of Ya hwe h' befo re this occ upied its present positi on , cf. lmr odu cri on to the Prophets. If so, the dat e Ctne th irt ieth yea r') is lJlI1lCUIt to int er pret, unles s we a me nd it to 'thir teen th vcut' (o f Jeh oiachin 's exile), i.e . summer of 585. b, T houg h some details a re obscu re , t he substantia l meanin g of the vision is cle ar , namely Yahweh's tra naceudence of place: he is no t tied to the Temple of Jer usa lem but ca n foll o w his peo ple into exile if he wishes . c. ' o n me' versio ns; 'on him' Hebr. A phrase co mmo nly used by Ezekiel to indicat e ecstasy , cf. 3:22 ; K: I : 33:22: 37:1 : 40: I. d, 'the races . fo ur Qua rt er s' corr. : 'towards the Io ur sides , and their faces , a nd their wings ' Hebr, e. T hese st ra nge a nima ls a rc reminiscen t of the Assyrian Karibu (a name akin to that of the cherubs o ver the ark , cr. Ex 25:18 + ), creat ures with th e head of a man, the body of a lio n, th e hoov es of a bull a nd th e wlugs of an eag le: their effigies stoo d guard o utside the nnlnces of Baby lo n. These se rva nts of t he pa gan gods M e her e sho wn harnessed to the cha rio t o r the Go d of Iaruel, a vivid illu str ation of Ya hweh 's tr an scen dence. T he Cha racteris t ics of these cre atu res were lat er used to describe the 'four living be ings' in Rv ( 4:7 ~ 8 et c.). In Ch rist ian tradition th ey have becom e sym bolic of t he fou r eva ngelists. r, 'Their wings' G reek. K, ' Between' versio ns; ' th e likeness of' He br . 'co uld be see n' Gre ek; 't heir appeara nce' He br , h. li t. ' went ' fo llo wing Vu IS.; Hebe . incomprehensible ,

Dn 8:17: 10:1 1 1 :14

D t 9:7,24

12:2: 33:33 D t 18:21-24 Jr 28:9

Jr 1:8 Jr 1:8,1 7

Ps 106:8

Zc 5:2 ?

Rv5:1; 10:2

Jr 1: 9

/' Rv 10:8- 11

R v 10:10

i , 'each of the four ' cor r. following versio ns j. Hebr. add s ' a nd thei r co nst ruc tion' .

k . ' fo ur wa ys' vers io ns . He be. inserts 'go ing ' . l , Tex t obsc ure : tra nslat io n unc ert ain , rn. Heb r. adds 't he spiri t to go' .

n. Hebe. 'lik e terr ible cr ystal' . o. T he th rone of Ya hweh is ther efo re supported, ra the r than d raw n a lo ng , by these an ima ls. Co mpare the ark of the cove na nt, Ex 25: 10 + ; there Yahweh is ' sea ted on the cher ubs' , 1 S 4:4, etc. n. He br . repeats 'each had two cove ring him '. q . Hebr. ad ds 'abo ve the vault o ver the ir heads, when they ha lted t hey fo lded t heir wings' . t, The ' glory of Ya hwe h' , Ex 24:16 + . is normall y described as a b rig ht cloud . Ex 16: 10 : Ezk 43: 1 ~5 : he re th e clo ud is accompanied b y a br illiant. lum inou s silhou ett e in huma n shape. 2 a . T he vision of the cha rio t of Yahweh is cont inued later, 3:12. It is here inte rru pt ed by the visio n of the book, wh ich was pr ob abl y Ezekie l's first vision (in 593) in which he recei ved his pro phetic ca ll, cf Int roductio n to th e Prop hets. b , The exp ress ion 'son of man' used bY Go d of his pro ph et is pecu lia r to Ez k ( D n 8: I7 exc ep ted >. It emph asises the dis ta nce betw een Go d a nd man. In Dn 7:13 the same express io n beco mes a mess ianic titl e whic h is la ter adopted bY Jes us, cf. Mt8:20 + . c. ' to th e rebe ls' Gr eek d . 'T here arc thorns a ll ro und yo u' cor r. following Greek . e . ' se t (lit. house) of rebels' Greek. t , 'o n it (was wr itt en)' co rr . 3 a . T he mou th of Isa iah had bee n touched by a ser aph , Is 6:5-7, tha t of Je rem iah by Ya hweh himself who 'put his words into the pro phe t's mout h' , J r 1:9, a n idea wh ich Ezekiel expresses even more rea listtcal ly,

~ z

;5

'II II

3:4 Is 28:9 -13: 33:19

Jon 3 M'1 2:38-42

Is 50 :7

I

8:3: 11:1,24: 37:1 I K 18: 12 + Lk 2:13- 14

I I

I I'

II

Ps 137:1

EZEKIEL

/ 3 65

/]64

Then he said, 'Son of man. go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said . •You are not being sent to a nation that speaks a difficult forei gn language; you are being sent to the House of Israel. • Not to big nations that spea k difficult foreign lan guage s, and whose words you would not und erst a ndif I sent you to them, t hey would listen to you ; • but the House of Israe l will not listen to yo u becau se it will not listen to me. The whole House of Israel is st ubbo rn and obstinate . • But now, I will make you as defiant as they are, an d as obstinate as they a re; •I am going to make your resolut ion as hard as a diamond and diam ond is har der than flint. So do not be af raid of them , do not be overaw ed by them for they are a set of rebels.' Then he said , 'Son of man , remember everything I say to you, listen closely, and go to your exiled countrymen and talk to them. Tell them, "T he Lor d Yahweh says this", whether they listen or not.' The spirit lifted me up , and behind me I could hear a tumultuous shouting, 'B lessed be the glory of Yahweh in his dwe lling place' .• This was t he sou nd o f the animals' wings beating against each other, a nd the sound of the wheels beside them; a tu mu ltuous shouting. -The spirit lifted me up and took me; my heart, as I went, overflowed with bitterness and anger, and the hand of Yahweh lay heavy on me. · 1 came to Tel Abib, to the exiles beside the river Cheba r where they were then living; and I stayed with them for seven days like a man stunned.

4

7

8 9

10 II

12 D

14

15

The prophet as sentry b 33:1-9 Is 2 1:6; 8:1 1

Jr 6:17 Ho 8:1

Heb 13: 17

18:24 : 33:12-13 2 P 2:21

,

,I

After seven days the word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follow s, 'So n of man, I have appointed you as sentry to t he House of Israel. W henever you hear a word from me, warn them in my Name. •If I say to a wicked man: Yo u are to die, and you do not warn him; if you do not speak and warn him to renounce his evil ways and so live, then he shall die for his sin, but I will hold you respon sible for his death .• If, however, you do warn a wicked man and he doe s not renoun ce his wickedness and his evil ways, then he shall die for his sin , but you yourself will ha ve saved your life. •When the upr ight man renounces his integrity to do evil and I set a trap for him, he too shall die; since you failed to warn him, he shall die for his sin and the integrity he prac tised will no longer be remembered ; but I will hold you respo nsib le for his death .• If, however, you warn the upright man not to sin and he absta ins from sinn ing, he shall live, thanks to yo ur wa rning, and you too will ha ve save d your life.'

16

17 18

19

20

21

I. BEFORE THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM Ezekiel is str uck dumb 8:4

1:28 2:2

24:27; 33:22

Jr 18:1 + 26:8

While I was there the ha nd of Ya hweh ca me on me; he said, 'Get up, go out int o the valley ; I am goi ng to speak to you'. ·1 got up and went out into t he va lley; the glory of Ya hweh was rest ing there, like the glory I had seen by the river C hebar, and I prostrated myself. -The spirit of Ya hweh then entered me, and made me stand up, and spoke to me. He said, 'Go and shut you rself in you r house.• Son of man , bo nds are now about to be laid on you ;' you will be bound with them and not be able to mix with oth ers. ·1 am going to ma ke you r tongue st ick to th e roo f of you r mou th ; you will be dumb; you will stop warning them , for the y are a set of rebe ls.• When I spea k to yo u, I shall open your mouth and you will tell th em, "The Lord Yanweh says this" . Wh oever will listen, let him listen ; who ever will not , let him not; for they are a set of rebels. The siege of Jerusalem foretold 'Son of man , take a brick and lay it in front of you; on it scratch a city, 4 Jerusalem .• You a re then to besiege it, trench round it, build earthworks, pitch a

EZEKI EL

5:6

camps and bring up battering-rams all round.• The n take an iron pan and place it as if it were a n iron wall between you and the city. Th en turn to it; it is being besieged and you are besiegin g it. Th is is a sign for the Ho use of Israel. 'Lie dow n on your left side and take the sin of the House of Is rael on 5 yourself. b Iam maki ng you bear their sin for as many days as you lie there .• I myself have set the years the y will sin at a hundred and ninety days;' duri ng these you 6 are to bear the sin of the Hous e of Israe l. • And at the end of these days, yo u are to lie dow n again on your right side and bear t he sin of the Ho use of Ju da h for 7 fort y days." I have set the lengt h fo r you as one.day fo r one year. -And you are to turn towar ds the siege of Je rusalem, lift yo ur bare arm and prophesy aga inst it. 8 I have laid bonds on yo u, and yo u must not turn over until the period of your seclusion is finished . ' You must then take wheat, ba rley, bean s, lentil s, millet and spe1t; put them all in the same pot and make yourse lf some bread. You are to eat it for as man y 10 days as you have been lying o n your side, a hundred and ninety days.' -A s regards this food you are to measure out a dail y portion of twent y shekels and II make it last the who le day . -A nd you are to drink water spa ringly; your drink 12 is to be the sixth of a hin and to last the whole day . -Take thi s foo d in the shape I ) of a ba rley cake baked where the y can see you , over human dun g. -And say, "Yahweh, the God of Israel , says th is:" This is the way the Israelites will have to 14 eat their defiled food, wherever I disperse them among the nations".' ·1 then said, 'Lord Yahweh, my so ul is not de filed. From my childhood unt il now , I ha ve never eaten an anim al that has died a natural deat h or been savaged ; no unclean 15 flesh has ever entered my mouth .' · 'Very well,' he said ' I grant you cow's dung" I'. instead of human du ng; you are to bake your bread on that.' • He then said , 'Son of ma n, I mean to destroy the stock of bread " in Jerusalem ; in their distress they will eat bread st rictly weighed ; in terror they will drink water grudgi ngly 17 measured, -since bread and water will be scarce; they will all pine and waste away as a result of t heir sins. 1 'Son of man , take a sha rp blade, sharp as a barber's razor ; take it and use it on your head and bea rd . Then take sca les and divide the hair you have cut 2 off. •You are to set fire to a third in the cen tre of the city , while the time of the siege is workin g itself out. Then take ano ther t hird and toss it by sword poi nt a ll round the city. The last third you are to scat ter to the wind, while I unsheathe the 1 sword beh ind them ." -Then take a few ha irs" and wrap them in th e folds -I of your cloak ; -a nd of these aga in take a few, and th row them on the fire and burn them. Fro m them will issue fire,' and you a re to say to the entire Ho use of 5 Israe l," · "The Lord Ya hweh says this: T his is Je rusa lem, which I have placed " in the middle of the nat ions, surrou nded with foreign countries. -S he is so perverse that she has re belled more agai nst my obse rvances t han the nations, 3

21:27

3:25

E x 22:30 Lv 17:15: 22:8 D'1 4:3-21 AclO:14

L v 26:26 Ps 105: 16 /2 :18-/9 R v 6:6 Lv 26: 39

5

38: 12

22 23

24

25

26 27

b. In 33: 1-9 th e same th eme is developed m ore co he re n tly : it m ay have bee n re p rod uced , barely m odi ned. here, since it o ut li nes (he progra m me o f the pr op he t's fu tur e career. Ezek iel stresses th e indi vid ua l res po ns ib ility o f h is hea rers, ct . 14: 12 -:-. c . By 'b onds' so me und erst and a para lysis of SOme k ind , cr. 4 :4f, and that t his ph ysica l o rdeal acq u ires , by revela tion . a symbo lic meani n g incorpor at in g it int o t he n ron he n c message. cf. J r I S: 1-

stric t int er pr eta tio n o n these figures as p ro ph ecies of t he d uruuon o f th e respective e xiles o f Israel a nd J uda h. Presu mably t hey are o nly to be taken as t he pro phe cy o f a s iege, t hc d u rn uo n of which h as not bee n reve a led , des igned us p uni shmen t for the prot ra cted infid elit y of the t\ ...'o kingdo ms. c. ' u h und red an d nine ty ' G ree k; 't h ree hundr ed a nd ni net y ' H ebr . f. 's ay , . , God of Israe l' G reek . 4 a. Ezekiel is co m m an ded to mime th e for thcomlnu ~. D r ied d un g is use d as fue l in th e Eas t. siege of Jer usalem (the bri ck 'b esie ged ' , tile m o tionle ss h. Lit. ' t he s t aff of bread ' (l oa ves were lo ng and p ro p het, t he po or fo od a nd it s m ea gre rat io n . the hai r th in), cr. 5: 16; 14: 13, burn t o r sca tte red to (h e winds ), Fo r th ese sy m bo lic gestures. p arti cu la rly elabora te with Ezek iel, cf. 5 ;S. T he sieg e will end in m assacre : the mean ing of t he p ro phet's mim e is un mis ta ka ble . Ir IS: l + . b. T he ' re m nant ' tha t is s pa red a nd . af ter fu rt he r o rd ea l, sa ved , cr. Is 4:3 + . 1>. ' on Yo u rsel f ' corr. c . Mean in g ob scur e . Pos sib ly a gloss suggested by c. ' t he years t hey wi ll s in' co r r. : 't he two sins' I lebr. 'a hu nd re d and nin ety' Greek : ' th ree h un d red 19:14 . a nd ninety' He br . d . ' lire. A nd yo u will say to t he entire ' Greek : ' fire d. Un su ccessfu l a tte mp ts ha ve been made to p u t a fO T th e entire ' Hebr,

z

Cl

I~ 5:7

I

Mt 12:38-42

Jr 1:16

Lv 26:29 D t 28: 53 Jr 19 :9 Lm 2:20: 4 : 10 L~' 26:33

11

~I

7:4 : 8: 18: 9: 10 ; 24: 14

Ps 59: 13

22:4

Lv 26:32

Dt 32; 23

4 :16 R v 6;1

EZEK IE L

/ 36 7

/ 366

a nd more aga inst my laws tha n the surrou nding countries ; for she has rejected my observanc es a nd refused to keep my la ws. T herefore, the Lo rd Ya hweh says this: Since yo u are more reb elliou s' than th e nations ro und you, since yo u do no t keep my laws or respect my observances , and since you do not even respec t the o bservances of the surrou ndin g nat ion s, 'so then , the Lord Ya hweh says this: I have now set myself aga inst you, I will inflict punish ments! u pon you for all the natio ns to see. •On account of all you r filth y practi ces I will do thi ngs to you that I ha ve never done befor e and tha t I will never do again . • Fathers amo ng you will ea t t heir c hildren , an d children ea t their fat hers. I will inflict punishments on you and d isperse what remains of you to the winds. •Therefore, as I live-it is the Lord Yahweh who spea ks-as sure as you have defiled my sa nctuary with all your hor ro rs a nd al l yo ur filthy prac tices, I too will reject " pit ilessly : I will not spa re, ei ther. ·A third of yo ur inha bita nts shall d ie of plague or sta rve to dea th inside yo u; a t hird sha ll fall by the swo rd, outside you ; a thi rd I will sca tter to every wind, while I unshea the the swo rd beh ind them.• My a nge r will be sat isfied ; I mea n to sa tisfy my fury aga inst them a nd be ave nged; t hey will know that I, Ya hweh, ha ve s poken in my jealou sy, when I ha ve exha usted my fu ry aga inst them . • 1 mea n to red uce yo u to a ruin, a n o bject of con tem pt to surro unding nat ion s, in t he eyes of all wh o pass by. • Yo u will become a n o bject of co ntempt a nd sha me, an exa mple a nd a thi ng of horror , to a ll the sur ro und ing nat ions, when I execu te my ju dgements on you in a nger an d fury, wit h bitter pun ishments. I, Ya hweh, ha ve spoken . ·Aga inst you" I mea n to send the deadly ar ro ws of sta rvat ion -which will destroy yo u, since I shall send them to destr oy yo u-and I will de str oy yo ur stock of bread . -A gainst yo u I mea n to send fa m ine a nd wild a nimals, to ro b you of your c hild ren ; plag ue a nd blo od shed sha ll visit yo u. I will summo n the swo rd aga inst yo u. I, Ya hweh, ha ve spo ken ." ,

7

Jr 8: 1-2

Is 2: 18

Jr 10: 14 - 15 M i 1:7

Is4:3 + Lv 26:40-4 1 DI 30:1-2 16:23 Ps 5 1:3

10

II

12

13

14 15

16

17

Ps 59: 13

T he Lord Ya hweh sa ys thi s: Cla p your ha nds , stam p yo ur feet, and say : Alas ! for a ll the a bomina ble sins of th e H ouse of Israel, which is abo ut to peri sh by swo rd, fa mine and plag ue. • Fa r off, th ey will d ie by plag ue; nea r at ha nd they will fall by the swo rd; th ose who a re spa red a nd besieged will d ie of hun ger, since I mea n to sa tisfy my fury agai nst them . • You will kno w th a t I a m Yahweh when their corpses, cut to pieces, lie there a mon g the ir ido ls, all ro und

Dt 12:2 +

E x 29: 18 +

Am 5:18 +

Th e word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as fo llows, ·' Son of man , say," T he Lo rd Ya hweh says th is to the la nd of Israe l: Finished ! T he end is 3 co ming fo r the four quarters of the land . • Now all is over with you ; I R v 7:1 mean to unleash my anger on yo u, an d judge yo u as yo ur co nd uct deser ves and = 7:8-9 4 forc e you to an swer for all your filthy prac tices . • ( mea n to show you no pity, 5:11 I will not spa re yo u ; I a m going to ca ll you to acco unt for yo ur cond uct a nd fo r the filthy pract ices that you pa rade; and so yo u will learn tha t I am Ya hweh . T he Lord Ya hweh says th is: Now d isaster is go ing to follow on disaster. b Is.»5:R R v 8:1 3 : T he en d is co ming, the end is comi ng for yo u ;' it is coming now.• Now it is 9: 12 ; 1 1: 14 your turn ," you who live in th is co untr y. The time has come, the da y is near; " no ~ 7: 3 -4 H joy now , o nly tumult, o n the mo unta ins. -Soo n I am go ing to pour out my fury on you a nd exha ust my ange r at yo u; I will judge yo u as your co nd uct <) deserves and call yo u to account fo r all your filt hy practices. • ( mean to show you neither pity nor mercy. since I am goin g to ca ll yo u to acco unt for /y our co ndu ct a nd for the filthy practices which yo u par ad e: a nd so yo u will lea rn that I am Ya hweh , an d tha t I strike. III Here is the day! It has co me: you r turn has co me, the sco urge is read y, fI pr ide : ~ is at its pea k. •Violence has risen to become th e scourge of wicked ness .. ." •The time has come and the day is nea r. Let neither buy er rejoice, no r seller regret , 13 for a nger ra ges against all alike.' -T he seller will no t reco ver what he has sold ; 14 they will all ca rryon sinning a nd be no ne th e stro nger for it. •T he t rumpe t will sound, all will be ready ; but no o ne will go into batt le, since my ang e r rages agai nst all alike.

7

T he sins of Israe l/ Outside, the sword; inside, plagu e a nd fam ine. Anyo ne who is found in the co untryside will die by the sword ; a nyo ne who is found in the city will I " be devo ured by fa mine and plagu e. -T hcir fug itives will run away a nd ma ke fo r the mo untains; I shall slaug hter them all" like do ves of the va lleys, each : ~ for his sin. -W ith limp ha nds and quakin g knees , - they will put on sackcloth ; a nd shudder all ove r. All their faces will be red with sha me a nd every head 1" will be shaved. ' -They will throw their silver down in the streets a nd their gold will fill the m with horror. '" Neve r ag ain will they have eno ugh to ea t, IS

4

5 6

7

8

10

Th e sins of Israel 22:13

their alt ars, on ever y high hill, on every mountain top, und er every spread ing tree, under every leafy oak, in fact whereve r they offer a n a ppeas ing frag ra nce to all th eir idols. · 1 mean to st retch out my ha nd aga inst them a nd red uce the cou ntry to an empt y was teland from the desert to Ri blah ,' the length and bread th of the country; a nd so they will lea rn that I a m Ya hweh." , The end is near

9

6

L v 26:30-3 1

7:19

8

Against the mountain s of Isra el T he wo rd of Ya hweh was add ressed to me as follows, · 'So n of ma n, turn toward s the moun tain s o f Israel an d pr oph esy ag ain st them. •Say , " Mo untains of Israe l, hea r the wo rd of the Lo rd Ya hweh. T he Lord Ya hweh says thi s to mo unta ins a nd hills a nd ravi nes and val leys: Listen : I a m going to summo n th e sword aga inst you and destroy your high places . • You r altars will be wrecked, and your incen se burners smas hed; yo ur inha bita nts a re go ing to be cut to pieces a nd t hrown down in front of you r ido ls, •"and their bo nes spread all round your a lta rs. •Throughou t your territ o ry the towns will be destroyed a nd the high pla ces wrecked, to thc ruin and wrec king of yo ur a lta rs, the s ha ttering a nd a bo lition of your idols, the sma shing of your incense bu rners a nd thc utt er destructi on of all yo ur work s. • Amo ng you men will fall , a nd be cut to pieces: a nd so you will learn that ( am Ya hwe h. " But I shall spa re so me of you ; they will esca pe the swo rd and be dispersed by me a mo ng the na tion s.• Yo ur survivo rs will remember me a mo ng t he na t io ns where they ha ve been de po rte d. I sha ll hav e broken " their wan to n hear ts for havi ng deserted me, a nd blinded thei r ad ultero us eyes fo r ha ving faw ned on ido ls. T hey will loath e th emselves for all the wrong th ey have ca used by th eir filt hy practices, -and so th ey will lea rn th at I a m Yahweh ; I have sa id, a nd I ha ve meant it, th at I a m go ing to inflict a ll the se disas ters o n them .

14

EZE K I E L

II

12

13

e . ' re be llio us' co rr .: ' t ur b ulen t ' H cbr . f. ' p un ishm en ts' co r r. 1:. ' reiecr' co rr.: ' sh a ve ' H ebr. h. ' Ag a ins t yo u' co rr .; ' ag a inst th em ' H cb r . () a . Hebr. insert s a t t he ope nin g o f th e ver se ' I a m ~ o i n ~ to la y th e co rpse s o f the Isra elit es in fron t o f thei r Id nls' , cr. Lv 26:30 . b. ' You arc go ing (0 lea rn tha t I a m Y ahweh ', a recurrent exp ression wit h Ezek ie l. Ya h weh 's d eed s fo rce men, how ever ill-d isp osed , lO ac kno wledge his om nlpol CI1Ce, c f. Is 4 2:8 -+- . c, ' I shall h ave bro ke n ' vers ion s ; '1 sha ll hav e bee n br ok en ' He br.

d . ' yo ur turn ' t ra ns la tio n cro w n' , So a lso i n v. 10.

Dt 32:25 ," M I24:16IH

21: 12 A m 8: 10

Ps 49 :7-8 Zp 1: 18

unce r ta in. lit. 'your

c. T he ' ue v of Yah we h ', cf. A m 5 : 1~ I . r. ' stu cc I a m J.:OiIlR to c al l yo u to acco unt f o r ' .:orr . ; 'I a m Roi ng to iudn c yo u accordi ng 10 ' He b r. /-: ' Te xt ve ry obscu re . We h ave tri ed III gtve a tra nslat ion co nsis ten t wit h v. 7. Lit e ra lly. t he Hcbr. wou ld Rive ' the cro wn has co me ou t, the sce p tre (or : r od ) h as b lossomed ' . h. Th e e nd of t his vers e is unint ctliui blc. Lit. ' no t (comi ng) f rom the m , n o r fr o m th ei r tumult o r their m ul ti tud e. a nd th ey a rc wort hless'. T he G ree k int e r pr ets the who le vers e 'H e will br eak th e pro p of the wicked , wit ho u t tum u lt , wit hou t h as te". i . Lit. ' ag a inst all it s (Jc rus alem's'h mul tit u de". So also i n v. I ~ . l . T his na ssa ee is th e seq ue l of 6: I I ·I ~ , k . ' I sha ll stuua ntcr the m a ll" G rce k : 'a ll m o an in g'

d. 'f ro m th e desert 10 Ri blnh ' som e MS S : 'a wast e m or e desolat e th an the d esert of R ibla h ' T ext, Rcc . Rt bl a h . cf . 2 K 23:3 3: 25:6f . here stands for t he m os t nor therl y po int of Pa lest ine , and 't he de se rt' is its so ut he rn bou nd a r y ; cf. J g 20 : 1+ . Hcbr . I , Siun of dis uracc . 7 a 's ay ' is a bse n t fro m He br. m. He br. ad ds 'Nei t he r the ir s ilver nor thei r gold b. 'd isa ster on d isaster' so me M SS and Svr. : ' a 1I l n ~ l e disaster , be ho ld a dis aste r co mes ' He br. will be ab le to res cue the m on t he day of th e wrat h of Yahweh', cf. ZP I: IS, c. Heb r. add s 'i t a wa ken s'

z

;5

Q

li t)

II

7:2 0

Lm 4:13

nv 8; 13 Ps 74:8 Is 29: 14 Lm 1:1,' M i 3:6

1] 68

never again will they fill their bellies, since this has been the cause of t heir crimes . They used to pride themselves on the beauty of the ir jewellery, out of which they made their loathsome images and idols. That is why I mean to make it an object of ho rror to them. - [ intend to hand it over to be the plunder of foreigners and loot for local brigands, who will profane it. •I shall turn my face from them; my treasury " will be profaned ; barbarians will for ce their way in and pro fane it. Forge yourself a chain; 0 for the country is filled with bloody mur ders, the city is full of violent cr ime. ·1 am going to summon the cruellest of the nations to seize their houses . I will break the pride of their grandees ; their sanct ua ries will be profaned. -A nguish is on its way: they will look for peace and there will be no ne.• Disaste r will follow on disas ter, rumo ur on rum ou r ; they will pester the pro phet for a vision; the priest will be at a loss over the law an d the ciders on how to advise. -T he king will go into mourning," the prince be plunged in grief, the hand s of the co untry peo ple tremb le. I mean to treat them as their co nduct deserves, and judge them as their own verd icts merit ; and so t hey will learn that I am Ya hweh." ,

A vision of the sins of J erusalem In the sixth year , on the fifth d~y of the sixth month ,« I was s i tt i ~g at home 1:3 a nd the elders of Judah were sittmg With me, when the hand 0 1 the Lord Ya hweh fell on me. 1:26-28 I looked a nd saw something that looked like a man ." Downwards from what seemed to be his loins he was fire; and upwar ds fro m his loins he seemed to shine D n 1 1~;~ like po lished bron ze.' - He st retched out what seemed to be a hand and took 3: 12 me by t he hair ; and the spirit lifted me into the a ir and, in visions from God," took D' 31:1 / me to Jer usa lem, to the entrance of the inner nor th gate , where the ido l of i~2~~:~l~ f Jea lousy stands, prov oking jea lousy.' -There I saw the glory of t he G od of Israel, as I had seen it in the valley. - He said, 'Son of man , raise yo ur eyes to the north' . I raised my eyes to the no rth, a nd there, to the no rth of the a ltar gate, stood this statue of Jea lousy at the entra nce. • He said , 'So n of ma n, do you see what t hey are doing? Do you see all the filth practise d here by the House of Israel, to drive me out of my sanctuary? You will see filthier prac tices yet.' He next took me to the entra nce to t he court. I look ed ; t here was a hole in the wall. -He said, 'So n of ma n, brea k through the wall'. I brok e t hro ugh the wa ll; there was a door . •He said, 'G o in and look at the filthy thin gs they a re do ing inside' . ·1 went in a nd looked: all sorts of ima ges of snakes and repul sive animals and a ll the idols of the Ho use of Israel drawn on the wall all roun d. Seventy ciders of the Ho use of Israel were sta nd ing in front of the idols, among them Jaa zaniah son of Sha pha n, eac h one, censer in hand ; the fragran ce Ld6:1 of incense was rising. • He sa id, ' Son of man, have you seen what t he elders of t he Ho use of lsrael do in the dark, eac h in his paint ed room ? They say, " Yahweh I S 2"~I:~ ca nno t see us ; Yahweh has aba ndone d t he coun try" . ' · He sa id, 'Yo u will see them at filthier practices still'. He next took me to t he ent ra nce of the nort h gate of the Temple of Yahweh where women were sitt ing, weeping for Tam muzJ .He said, 'So n of ma n, do yo u see that ? Yo u will see even filthier th ings than that .' He then led me to the inner court of t he Temple of Yahweh. And there, at the entrance to the sanct uary of Ya hweh, between the porch and the alta r, there were a bo ut twent y-five men , with their bac ks to the san ctuary of Ya hweh Jb 31:26 a nd their faces turn ed to the east. They were bo wing to the east, towards the sun. He said to me, 'Son of man , do you see that? Is it not bad enou gh for the Ho use of Ju dah to do the filthy th ings that they are doing here? But they fill the co untry with violence an d pro voke my anger fur ther ; loo k at them now putti ng tha t J r I f: : ~ bra nch to thei r nost rils." • My anger forces me to it ; I will show neither pity nor mercy. They may sho ut as loud as they like ; I will not listen to t hem.' 14:1: 20:,1

fI

E Z EK I E L

8

13 69 20

2\

22

23 24

25 26

27

1

2

3

4 5

6

7

IU

II

12

EZEK IE L

10:9

The punishment " Then as I listened he shou ted, 'Come here, you scourges of the city, and brin g you r weapons of destruction' . - Im mediately six men advanced from Tb 5:4+ the upper north gate, each holding a deadly wea pon. In the middle of them was a man in white, with a scribe's ink horn in his belt. They came in an d halted in front of the bron ze altar. -The glory of the G od of Israel rose off the cherubs ~;~t l 8+ where it ha d been an d went up to the thr esho ld of the Temple. He called the man in white wit h a scribe's ink horn in his belt -and said, b 'G o all thr ough the city, all through Jerusalem, an d ma rk a cross ' on the foreheads of all who ~nf~?i~~ 5 deplore and disapprove of all the filth practised in it' . •I hea rd him say to the » Rv 7:2-3 ot hers, 'Follow him through the city, an d strike. Show neither pity nor mer cy; old men , young men , virgins, children, women, kill and exterminate them all. ~1,3A?l.8 But do not touch anyone with a cross on his forehe ad . Begin at my sanctuary.' /' R, 9:4 So they began with the old men in front of the Temple. -H e said to them , ' Defile the Te mple; fill the cou rts with corpses, an d go' . They went ou t an d hac ked the ir way t hro ugh the city. While they were hack ing them down , I stayed behind ; I fell face downwards Is11:13 6:1I Am 7:2.5 and exclaimed, 'Ah, Lo rd Ya hweh, are you go ing to annihilate all that is left 1< 4:3 of Israel as you turn your anger on Jerusalem?' -He said , 'The guilt of the House of Israel and Judah is immense, boundless ; the country is full of bloodshed, the 24:9 city overflows with wickedness, for they say, "Y ahweh has abandoned the ~nO:ll + 10 cou ntry, Yahweh ca nnot see" . -Right, then, I too will show no pity, I too will 5:1 1 I I not spare. I mean to call them to accou nt for all their behaviour.' -The man in white with the scribe 's ink horn in his belt the n came back an d mad e his report, ' I ha ve carried out your orders' . 01 looked, and I saw that abo ve the vault over the cherubs' head s t here 1:22 was something that loo ked like a sapp hire, a nd there showed a bove them /' R v 4:3 2 the semblance of a throne. - He then sa id to the man in white, 'G o unde r t he .16 chariot, beneath the cherubs ; ta ke a hand ful of burning coal fro m bet ween G28:14 o 19:24 Ps 11:6 the cherubs and scatter it over the city'. He went in as [ watched. .» R v 8:5 The cherubs were on the righ t of the Te mple as the man went in, and the 4 cloud filled the inner court. -The glory of Ya hweh rose off the cherubs and 1:28+ up to the threshold of the Temple; the Temple was filled with the cloud and EXJ\i~31: 5 the court was filled with the brightness of t he glory of Ya hweh. -The no ise of \ KR :IO-II the cherubs' wings cou ld be heard even in the out er court, like the thunder of ~;~9: 19 God Almight y when he spea ks. Ps 29:3f When he orde red the man in white to take the fire from under the chariot, 7 between the cheru bs, the man went and stopped by the wheel; -one cherub 28: 16 stretched his hand b towards the fire which was between t he cherubs, took some R and put it into t he ha nds of the man in white , who took it and went off. -I then saw' t hat the cheru bs had what seemed to be a human hand under their wings. 9 I looked; there were four wheels at the side of the cherubs, one wheel at the side 1:5-2 1

9

10

.3

14 15

n, Pos sibly th e city o f Je r usa lem . o , Perhaps a llud ing to th e com ing dep ort a tion ; but the text is doubtful. p . The se words. not in the G reek. ma y be a l ater

16

17

18

nddi tio n : referen ce 10 t he king is exc ep tio na l in E7k. S a . Sep tember-Oc to be r 592 . b. ' lik e a m an ' G ree k; ' like fire' Hebr. c. As in 1:26-28. Yahweh him self appe ars to th e prophe t. ln ' v . 4 it is onl y the ' glory of Ya hwe h' . cf. a lso 1:28 . d. These a re to show th e pr ophet th e gu ilt of Jerusa lem, no t fo r past sins or for a ny co llec tive ide nuIlcau on with sin ners who di srega rd t he Law . b u t for pr esen t and po sitive faul ts call in g for im med iate pun ishment , cf. 14:12 + . e . T he jea lousy of Yahweh aroused b y any form of idol atr y. This ' ido l of jea lousy' is perhaps the s tat ue o f Astarte set up in th e Temple by M an asse h, 2 K 21:7.

f. Assyro-Babv lon ia n de ity of popular origin, k nown in Med iterranea n m yth o lo gy as A do n is ('My Lord') . Mou rni ng was he ld for hi m every yea r in th e mo n th o f Ta m m u z to com mem or ate the pe ri od of h i s

sta y in th e u nd er worl d . R. T he cere mo ny referred to here cannot be iden t fftcd with am' cer tainty ,

9 a. The vision will s how t ha t the punish me n t w ill no t str ike indiscrim ina te ly; it will spare th e in nocent . cf .

14:12 + . b. '( he) sa id' G reek ; ' Ya hweh said ' Hebr. c. Lit. ' a tall' , as the Vu lg, translates. In th~ ancient scrip t this lett e r was crucifo rm . 10 a . Art er th e ma ssacre of th e inh abitants, the d est ru ction of the C1ty itsel f. b. He b r. ad ds ' betwee n the che r u bs ' . c . ' I saw ' vers io ns; ' he saw ' H eb r

z

(3

10: 10

Rv 4:8

Rv 4 :7

I

f

1:20

1:28 + Ex 24:16 + 4 3:3 L m 1:6

I :

~

Ii,

Is 6:2

EZEK IEL

137 0

of each cherub, and th e wheels glitte red as if made of chrysolite.• All four loo ked alike, and seemed to be one ins ide t he ot her. -T hey went forw ard four ways an d kept their course unswe rvingly, mo ving the way th ey faced and never swer ving off their co urse . -T heir bod ies, their backs, their hands , thei r wings, and the wheels- the wheels of all fou r-were covered in eyes all over. • I hea rd t hat the wheels were called 'galgal'.« -E ach cheru b ha d four faces: the first face was the face of the cheru b, the second face the face of a man, the th ird the face of a lion , the fourth the face of an eagle. ·The cher ubs rose ; this was the creature I had seen by the river Che ba r. -As the cheru bs went forward, t he whe els wen t forward beside them ; and the wheels did no t swerve' even when th e cherubs spread their wings to leave the gro und .• When the former stopp ed, the latt er stopped ; when the fo rmer rose, the latt er rose with them , since the spirit of the creature was in them.

137 1 10 II 17 12

13 14

18

15

20

19

16 21 17

The glor y of Yahweh leaves the Te mple The glory of Ya hweh ca me ou t from the Temple threshold a nd pa used over the cheru bs. -T he cher ubs spread their wings a nd ros e from the gro und to leave, and as I watched the wheels rose wit h the m. T hey paused at the entra nce to the east gate! of the Te mple of Ya hweh, and the glo ry of the God of Israe l hove red over them. -This was the creature tha t I had seen supporti ng the God of Israel beside the river Cheba r, and I was now certa in that these were cher ubs. -Each had fou r faces and four wings and what seemed to be human hands under thei r wings. -T heir faces were just as I had seen them beside th e river C heba r.v Each moved straight for ward .

22 18

24

2ll 21

22

The sins of Jerusalem (continued)" 3: 12

24 :1·14

DI22:29·30

9:8 +

I r 24

33:24

23

19

The spirit lifted me up and ca rried me to the east gate of the Tem ple of I Yah weh, t he gat e tha t looks eastwards. T here at the entra nce to the gate stood twen ty-five men , a mo ng whom I saw Jaazan iah son of Azzu r a nd Pelat ia h son of Benaiah , leaders of the people. •Ya hweh " said , 'Son of man, thes e ar e the wicked schemers who a re spreading their bad advi ce th ro ugh th is city. •T hey say, "Shall we not soon' be bu ilding houses ? Here is t he cook ing pot a nd we a re the meat.": -T herefore pro phesy against the m, pro phesy, son of man .' -T he ~ spirit of Ya hweh fell on me, and he said to me, 'Say, " Yahw eh says th is: I know what you are saying, H ouse of Israel , I kno w how inso len t you are . -You have filled thi s city with more and more cor pses of murdered men, you ha ve st rewn its str eets with yo ur victims. • And so, the Lord Ya hweh says this: The corpses 7 you have thrown into it a re the meat , and the city is the coo king pot ; but I mea n to d rive you out. ' •You are afraid o f the swo rd and I will summo n it agai nst yo u- 8 it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who spea ks. · 1 sha ll d rive you fro m the city a nd ha nd 9 you o ver to foreigners , and I shall carry out my sente nce on yo u; -you will fall 10 by the sword on the soil of Isra el; I shall execute j ustice o n you ; and so you will learn th at I am Ya hweh. -Th is city will be no cooking po t for you , and you II will never be the meat inside; I am going to exec ute justice on you on th e so il of Israel; -an d so you will learn that I am Ya hweh,whose laws you have not obeyed 12 and whose observances you have not kept ; instea d, yo u ha ve adopted the ma nners of the nations round you." , Now as I was prop hesying, Pela tia h son of Bena iah d ro pped dead . I prostra ted 13 myself and cried aloud, 'A h, Lo rd Ya hweh, are you going to wipe o ut a ll that is left of Israel?'

11

The new covena nt promised to the exiles Th e wo rd of Ya hweh was t hen add ressed to me as follows , · 'Son of man , : ~ you r brot her s, you r kinsmen, the whole Ho use of Israel, these a re to ld by the citizens of Je rusalem, "You have been sent away from Ya hweh; it is to us that the land was given as our do main". " -Say therefore, "T he Lord Yahweh says th is: 16

25

12: 10

EZE K I E L

Yes , I have sen t them far away amo ng the na tions an d I have dispe rsed them to for eign co untries ; an d for a while I have been a sanctua ry for th em in the co unt ry to which the y have go ne" . •Th en say, "T he Lo rd Ya hweh says thi s: I will gather you togethe r from t he peop les, I will br ing you all bac k from the cou ntri es where you have been scattered an d I will give you the land of Israel. T hey will come and will purge it of all th e horr or s and the filthy prac tices. ·1 will give them a single heart ' and I will put a new spirit in them ;" ·1 will remove th e heart of stone from their bodi es an d give th em a heart of flesh instead, -so th at t hey will keep my laws an d respect my o bser vances and put them into practice. Then they sha ll be my peopl e a nd I will be their G od . -B ut thos e whose ' hearts are set on their idols and th eir filthy practices I will call to acco unt for thei r conduct-it is t he Lo rd Yahw eh who spea ks." ,

36: 19

The glory of Yahweh leaves J erusalem The cherubs then spread their wings and th e wheels began to move wit h them, while t he glor y of th e God of Israel hove red over them . • And the glory of Yahwe h rose to leave the city and pa used o n the mo untain to the east of the city. T he spirit lifted me up in vision , in th e spi rit of G od, and to ok me to th e C haldaeans, awa y to the exiles, an d so the vision I had seen fad ed ; -an d t hen I told the exiles/ everything th at Ya hweh had shown me.

1:28 + Ex 2 4 : t 6 ~ Lm 1:6

T he mime of the emigrant" T he wo rd of Ya hweh was ad dress ed to me as follows, •'So n of man, you are living wit h that set of rebels who have eyes and never see, ears and never hear, fo r the y ar e a set of rebels. •You, so n of ma n, pack an exile's bund le and emig rate by da ylight when th ey ca n see you, em igrat e from where you are to so mewhe re else wh ile they watc h. Perhaps they will ad mit 4 then th at they are a set of rebe ls. -You will pack your baggage like an exile's bundle, by daylight , fo r them to see, and leave like an exile in the evening, mak ing sure that they are looking. •As t hey watch, make a hole in t he wa ll, and go " o ut thro ugh it." •As they watc h, you will sho ulder your pack and go out into the dar k ; you will co ver yo ur face so th at yo u can not see the country, since I have made you a symbol for the House of Israe l.' I did as I had been told . I pack ed my baggage like an exile's bundle, by day light; and in the evenin g I made a ho le t hrough th e wall wit h my han d. I went OuF into the da rk and shoul dered my pa ck as they watched. T he next morning the word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows, · ' Son of man, did not th e Ho use of Israel, did not th at set of rebels, ask you what III you were doing? -Say, "The Lord Ya hweh says this:" T his o racle is directe d

12

d . M ean ing un cer ta in, p ossibl y 'c hariot' or ' whi rlwino' . e. H e br. ad ds ' fro m besi d e t hem' . I. W hi ch overlooks t he K ed ron va lley to th e Mo unt of O lives, cf. 11:23. g. Hebr . adds two u nin telli gib le words. 11 a . Th is passa ge. 11:1-2 1. sh o uld be- attach ed to ch . 8 (p rior to t he destr uction o f t he cit y) un less it is a d oub let . cr. 8:7f. The vis io n of th e dep ar tur e of Y ahweh, cf. 10: 18-22, sho u ld have it s nor mal co n tinua tio n in 11:22-23. b. ' Yah weh' is a bse nt fro m Hebr. c . 'S ha ll we ( li t. ' thev') not soon' Greek. d. A pro verb. The cit ize ns of Jerusa lem believe themselves safe , protec ted by their ramparts as the p o t stand s be twee n t he mea t in it an d the lire . Ezek iel t urn s the: p rov erb: th e ci ty is indeed a Do t - full of men foull y m urdered . Ya hweh will d r ive {l U I those wh o think to sbe trer there. La ter th e p rophet o tte rs. aO\.I mimes. an o ther int er pretat io n of th e pro verb . 24: 1-1 4 . e . '1 mea n to dri ve' G re ek : ' yo u will be driv en' Te xt. nee .

36:24-25 DI30:3-5

39:29 : 44:, D t 30 :6-8 J r 4:4 + Zc 7:12 36:27 J r 31:31 ;+J r 30:22

43:3 Ps 85:9 M t 23:38 3:12

Jr 18:1 +

2:5-7 Jr 5:2 1 Mk 8:18

J r 18: 1+ Is 8:18 +

f . T he ci tize ns o f Jeru salem , sp ared fro m d ep ort atio n . co nsidered th em se lves t he cho sen o nes o f th e nati on . Jer e mi ah hall alr ea dy attacke d th is ass u mpt io n, pr o p he sying . Jr 24. t hat Ya hweh wo u ld u ltim at el y prefer th e exiles. Ezekie l adds th at po ssess ion o f th e Te m ple is o f litt le impo rta nce s inc e Ya hwe h ca n be a 'sanctuary' for his peo ple in a foreign co u ntry. cf.l:3 +

g . 'a stns te heart ' , or per ha ps 'a not her hear t ' (G reek ) : or ' a new heart ' (Sy r.). Cf. Jr4:4 +. h . ' i n them' versio ns. l. ' t hose whose ' co rr . j . Vv. 24-25 p resup pose th at Ezekiel is livin g in Ba b ylonia. If the hypo th esis o f a mi nistr y in Jer usa lem is to be m a int ai ned. th ese ver ses mu s t be regarded as add it io ns or ada p ta tions. 12 a. T his ne w sy m bolic actio n, mimed. in du mb -sh o w . for ete lls the a p n ro achi n g de port a ti o n of t he popu lat io n o f Jer usa lem . b.

' ~hl

z

;3

our' versions.

c. '1 we nt ou t' vers io ns . d, He bt . ins ert s ' t he crtnce' .

Q .I

12: I I

~ 1 7 : 20

H ab 1: 14

I

II

I Ii

~

L v 26: 33 T b 14:4

Is4:3 +

Ps 46:10 4: 16

EZEK IE L

against Jerusalem and the whol e Ho use of Israel wherever they are living ". Say , "I am a symbol for you; the th ing I ha ve done will be done to them ; they I I will go into exile, into bani shment" . •Their ruler will shou lder his pack in the 12 dark and go out through the wall: a hole will be made to let him out ; he will cover his face rather than see the country,' ·1 shall throw my net over him and 13 catch him in my mesh; I shall take him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldaeans, though he will not see it; and ther e he will d ie. -And all those who form his 14 court, his guards and all his troops, I shall scatter to all the winds and uns heathe the sword beh ind them. •They will learn t hat I am Yahweh, when I scatter 15 them throughout the natio ns and disperse them in foreign count ries. - However, 16 I intend to leave some of them unscat hed by swo rd, famine a nd plague, to describe all their filthy practices to th e peopl es among whom t hcy will go, so that these too may learn that I am Ya hweh.' T he word of Yahweh was addressed to me as fo llows, •'So n of man , you are : ~ to trem ble as you eat your brea d and to behave rest lessly and anx iously as you drink your water," -a nd you are to say to t he people of the country, "The 19 Lord Ya hweh says this to the citizens of Jerusalem scattered throughout Israel: The y are going to cat their bread in an xiety, and drink their water in fear, unti l the country and those who live in it a re free" of the viole nce of all its inhabitants. -T he inhabited towns a re going to be destroyed and the co unt ry 20 will be reduced to desert; an d so you will learn tha t I am Ya hweh." , P opula r proverbs

II ..

2 P 3: 3-4

Nb 11:23

.» Rv 10:6 Jr 1:11- 12

Jr 14: 13-16 ;

23:9-4 0 : 27:9-10. 16- I H: 28

1373

137 2

n

T he word of Yah weh was addressed to me as follows, -'So n of man , what do you mean by th is proverb co mmon th rougho ut the land of Israel: Days go by and visions fad e?" 'Very well, tell them, " T he Lo rd Ya hweh says th is: I will put an end to 23 this proverb; it sha ll never be heard in Israel again" . Instead, tell th em: "T he day is comi ng when every vision will come true." - From now o n th ere 24 will be no em pty vision, no dece itfu l prophecy in the House of Israel, -si ncc 25 it is I, Ya hweh, who will speak . What I say is sa id an d will soo n come tr ue; since wha t I pro no unce I will fulfil in your own lifetime , you set of rebels-it is t he Lo rd Ya hweh who spea ks.' Th e word of Ya hweh was add ressed to me as follows, · 'Son of man , the ~~ H o use of Israe l is saying, "The visio n that thi s man sees co ncerns thc dista nt fut ure; he is prophesyin g for tim es far ahead". -Very well, tell them, "T he Lord 2H Ya hwe h says t his: T here will be no furt her dela y in th e fulfilling of any of my words. What I say is sa id and will co me tr ue- it is the Lord Ya hweh who spea ks." ,

II

12

13

14

15

16

speaks. -I am going to stretch my hand ove r the prophets who have empty visions and give lying prediction s ; they will not be admitted to the co unci l of my peop le, thei r names will no t be entered in the Book of the House of Israel , they will not set foot on t he soil of Israel; and yo u will learn that I am the Lord Ya hweh, -since they have misled my people by saying: Peac e! b when there is no peace. Instead of my people rebui lding the wall, these men come and slap on plaster. c -Tell these plasterers:" It will rain har d, it will hail,' it will blow a gale, -and down will come the wall. Will not people ask : Where is the plaster you slapped on it? Well then, t he Lord Yahweh says this : I am going to unleash a stormy wind in my anger , torrential rain in my wra th, hailst one s in my destructive fury. ·1 mean to shatter the wall you slapped with plaster, to throw it down and lay its foun dations bare. It will fall and you will perish under it; and so you will learn that I am Yahweh. When I have exha usted my anger again st the wall and those who plastered it, I sha ll say to you: The wa ll is gone, and so are those who slapped it over with plaster, -t hese prophets of Israe l who prophesy about Jerusalem and have visions of peace for her when there is no peace -it is the Lord Ya hweh who speaks."

18

19

20

21

22

23

' And you, son of man, turn to the daughters of your peop le who make up pro phecies ou t of their own heads ; prop hesy agai nst them '! -Say, "T he Lord Ya hweh says this: Trouble is coming to the women who sew frills round wrists, " who mak e veils for peopl e of a ll sizes, the better to ensnare lives ! You ensnare th e lives of the men of my peop le while loo king after your own . - You dis ho nour me in fron t of my peo ple for a few ha ndfuls of barley, a few bits of bread, killing those who ought not to die and sparing those who ought not to live, lying to my peo ple who lo ve to listen to lies. Well th en, th e Lo rd Ya hweh says this. We sha ll see abo ut th ese frills you use for sna ring lives like birds. I intend to rip them off your arms, and free those lives you try to sna re like birds." .1 am goi ng to rip your veils to pieces and rescue my peop le fro m you; they will no longer be fair game for you . And so you will learn that I am Ya hweh. Since you dis tress with lies the heart ! of the up right man who m I would never distress, and since you encourage th e wicked man not to give up his wicked ways and find life again, -very well, you will have no more empty visions, and yo u will not ma ke any more predicti on s. I mean to rescue my peo ple from you , and then you will learn th at I am Ya hweh." ,

4

3

Ps 87:6 22:2 8 Jr 6:14 + Lm2:14 M17:27 Ac23 :3

Ps 59:13

1 59:7 +

Against idolatry When some elders of Israel had com e to my hou se and sat do wn with me, the word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows, · 'Son of man, these 14 peo ple have enshrined their own idols in their hearts, th ey cling to th e caus e

he wo rd of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows, · 'Son of man , 13 Tprophesy aga inst the prophets of Israel; pro phe sy, an d say to those who make up prop hecies out of their own heads, "Hear the word of Ya hweh. -T hc Lord Ya hweh says this: Woe to the foolis h prophets who follow their own spirit, without seeing anyt hing ! • Like jackals in a ru in, so ar e your prop hets, Isra el. You have never ven tured into the breach ; yo u have never bot hered to fort ify th e House of Israel, to hold fast in ba tt le on the day of Yahweh. •T hey have em pty visions a nd give lying prop hecies a nd say : It is Yahweh who spea ks, a lthough Ya hweh has no t sent them ; an d they a re still waiting for their word s to co me true. · Can you deny that you have only emp ty visio ns, that yo u utt er only lying prophecies whe n yo u say : It is Ya hweh who speaks, when I myself have not spoken? Very well, the Lo rd Ya hweh says this: Beca use of your em pty wo rds and lying visio ns, I have now set myself aga inst you -it is the Lord Yahweh who

14:4

The false prophetesses 17

Aga inst the false prophets a

Am 5: IH+

10

EZEKIEL

8:1; 20:1-4

of their sins; am I going to let myself be co nsulted by th em ? •Well th en, speak to them; tell them thi s, "T he Lord Ya hweh says this: Every memb er of the House of Israe l who enshrines his own idols in his heart, or who, clin ging to th e

4

5 6

7

8

e . Poss ibly fo re te lling two in cid en ts at once : th e a tte m p ted escape o f Ze dek ia h and hi s army t hrough a breach in t he wa lls, 2 K 25:4f. a nd the p utt ing ou t of his eyes before he was led captive to Baby lon . 2 K 25:7. r. Per haps a co mmand to perform a no the r sym bo lic ac tion. g. The tra ns lat io n foll o ws the G re ek . b . People had ev idently refused to believe Ezek iel 's p rophecies of disasrer : he no w turns th eir wor ds aga ins t t hem . 13 a . 'p ro p hesy' Greek : ' who prophesy' Hebr.

c. T he ill ust rat io n is pr es um ab ly tak en from real life: in a bo u t 590 B.C .. people we re pr eoc cupied with re p air ing th e def en ces of Jer usal em . Eze kiel dr a ws a m or a l lesso n : wh ere th e wa ll sho u ld hav e been rebu ilt . th e cracks h a ve m erel y bee n p laste red ov er ; a n im age of th e decepti ve o p tim ism o f th e false prophe ts. d . Hcbr. add s ' a nd it will fall ' , e . ' It will' Greek . Aft er ' ha il' Hebr . adds ' I shall se nd' . r. Fo llo wi ng th e co m p la ints aga ins t spuriou s pr op het s co me o bsc u re a llusio ns to wh a t appear to be m a gical o r idol a tro us pra ctices. b . T he wo rd 'peace' means no t mer el y the a bsence g . Lit. 'e very wris t' vers ions. of d an ger from ab road b ut prosperity and harmony h . ' like (birds)' co rr. wit hi n the commu nity . cf . Jr 6:14 + . L ' YOUdi str ess th e h eart' versi o ns.

z

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o

14:5

EZEKI EL

1374

cause of his sins, comes looki ng for th e prophet, will get his a nswer fro m me , Yahweh, o n acco unt of hi s hu ndred s of ido ls"; •a nd in th is way I ho pe to to uc h the hea rt o f th e House of Israel who ha ve dese rted me in fa vour of a pack of id ols. 'Say ther efo re to t he House of Israel, "The Lo rd Yahweh says this: Co me back, renounce your ido ls and give up a ll yo ur filt hy pr ac tices; -for if a ny member of the House of Israel-or even any fo reig ner livin g in Israelv--desc rts me to enshri ne his own ido ls in h is hear t, and, clinging to the cau se of his sins, th en comes looking fo r the prop het to consult me, he will get his a nswer from me , Yahweh." •I will tu rn ag a inst thi s man; I will ma ke him a n examp le a nd a bywo rd; I will cut him off from my peopl e; and you will learn th at ( a m Ya hweh. If th e prophet is led as tray a nd speaks , it is I, Ya hwe h, who ha ve led th at pro phe t as tra y;' ( will stretc h out my ha nd against him and will wipe him o ut from my peo ple Israel. •T hey will bear the weight o f the ir fa ult s, a nd the fault o f t he prophet will be as gr a ve as the fault of the man who con sult s him . So th e Ho use of Israe l will not de sert me a ny mo re ; it will not defile itse lf wit h a ny mo re o f the se sins. T hey sha ll be my people, a nd I will be th eir God- it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh w ho spea ks. " , 18 :33: I o-zo Jr 5: 1 R v6: 1

28:3 Gn I S:22-3J .l h 1: 1 Lv 2/l:22

Rv 6:8

Is 5: 1 + I n 15:6

)

II

)

10

An a llegorica l hist ory of Israel " II

The word o f Yahweh was addresse d to me as follows, ·'Son o f man , if a : ~ co untry were to sin ag a inst me by fait hlessness, and if I were to st retc h out my hand aga inst it a nd destroy its stoc k of bread a nd send fami ne to it to ki ll its me n a nd beas ts, -and if in tha t co u ntr y th ere were th ese thr ee men , Noa h, Da nel 14 a nd Jo b," th ese me n would hav e the ir lives spared because of th eir int egr ity - it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who spea ks.• We re I to unl ea sh wild a nima ls on th at 15 co untry to ro b it of its c hild ren and red uce it to suc h a dese rt that no one wo uld dare to cross it becau se of the a nima ls, -a nd if th ese th ree men we re in th a t 16 co u nt ry, the n, as I live-it is the Lo rd Ya hwe h who speaks- they wou ld not be ab le to save eithe r so n o r da ugh ter ; they a lone would be saved, a nd th e co unt ry wo u ld beco me a desert. ·11' I were tu br ing th e swo rd into tha t cou ntry a nd 17 say : Let the sword pass thr ou gh the cou ntry; I will strike down men a nd beasts wit h it, -a nd if these three men were in that count ry, then, as I live-i t I K is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks-t hey would not be a ble to save either so n o r daughte r ; th ey a lone wou ld be saved. · 11' I were to send the plague into t hat 19 cou ntry a nd sa tisfy my a nger with them by bloods hed, cu tt ing o lTmen a nd beasts, if N oah and Da ncl a nd Jo b were in the country, as I live-i t is the Lo rd Ya hwe h 20 who spea ks - they would not be a ble to sa ve either son or da ughte r, thou gh th ey wo uld sa ve th eir own lives becau se of the ir integrity . 'T he Lo rd Ya hweh says th is: Now, if I do send my four dr eadfu l sco urges 2\ aga inst Je rusa lem-swo rd, fam ine, wild a nima ls and plague- to cut ofT its men a nd bea sts, · and if an y surv ivo rs a rc left there to co ntrive th e escap e o ff 22 so n a nd dau ghter, th ey will com e fu r you to sec thei r conduct and actio ns a nd so be co m fo rte d in spite o f th e sco u rges I sha ll ha ve brou gh t on Jeru salem, in spite of eve rything I sha ll have bro ug ht on he r. •T hey will co mfort yo u, when 23 yo u see th eir co nd uc t a nd ac tions," a nd so you will learn that I have not do ne all I have do ne aga inst her fo r nothi ng-it is the Lord Ya hweh who speaks.'

15

T he wo rd of Ya hweh was ad d ressed to me as follows: 'So n of man , how is the wood of the vine better tha n wood fro m th e bran ch of a forest tree? Do peo ple use its wood to ca rve it into something? Do the y mak e a peg o ut of it, a nd hang things on it? There it is, thrown o n th e fire fo r fuel. T he fire burns off bot h e nds ; the m iddl e is c harred ; is it fit for carving now?"

16:8

W hi le it was in tact, it was impossib le to carve; bu rne d a nd char red, will it be now fit for carvi ng? Therefo re, the Lord Ya hweh says this: As the wood of the vine among the forest trees, which I have thrown on the fire fo r fue l, so have I treated the citizens of Jeru salem. I ha ve turned my face agai nst the m. T hey ha ve escaped th e fire, but the fire will devour them yet. A nd yo u w ill learn th a t I am Ya hwe h, when I turn my face aga ins t them. ( mea n to reduce th e co untry to de ser t, to pu nish th ei r fait hlessness to me - it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks.'

Individual respo nsibility"

A para ble of the vine

EZEKIEL

13 75

T he wor d o f Ya hwe h was add resse d to me as follows , ·'Son o f man , co nfro nt Je rusa lem with her filth y crim es. • Say, "The Lo rd Ya hwe h says thi s: By or igin and bi rth yo u belong to the la nd o f Ca naan. Yo ur fat he r was an Amorite a nd yo ur mot her a Hi ttite. ·A t birt h, the very da y you were born , the re was no o ne to cut yo ur nave l-stri ng , or was h yo u in clea ns ing water, or ru b yo u with sa lt, or wra p you in na pkins . • No o ne lea ned ki nd ly over you to do a ny thing like th at fo r yo u. You were exposed in t he o pen fields ; you were as un loved as that on the da y yo u were bo rn. ( saw yo u st ruggling in yo ur blood as ( was pass ing, and I said to yo u as yo u lay in yo ur blood: " Live, •a nd grow like the grass of the fields. Yo u deve lo ped , yo u grew, you reac hed mar riagea ble age.' You r b reasts and yo ur hai r bo th grew , bu t yo u were q uite nak ed . •T hen I saw yo u as I was pa ss ing. Your time had co me,

16

14 a. In the lenistation o f Ezk , the fo re ien c r se u fiug in Isr ael . d. Ex 12 :4~H - . has the same le ga l sta tus as' a n Isr ael ite . Elk 47:22 . b. Ya hwe h refuses to Rive a n a nswe r thro u gh his prophet when t he a pos tate Isr aelit es co nsult him . li e will answer t hem him sel f by puni shi n u them . c. I.e . if t he pro p he t all ows him sel f to be led as tray , I m yself sh a ll ha ve permitt ed h im to be led as tra}.', becau se I have decided to destroy h im, d . W ith c h. 18 a nd 33: 10-20. t h is te xt m a rks a deci siv e ad va nce in the develo p me n t of moru t rea chi ng in the O.T. Ea rly texts were m a inl y co nce rn ed with the ind ividual as a n in teg ra l pa rt o f familv. tr ibe a nd . lat er . na ti o n , N ot o n ly N oa h b u t h is relatio ns to o a rc saved. G n 6: 18 : Ab ra ham is ca lled b)' God b u t h is wh ole cla n acco mp an ies hi m to C a naa n. G n 12. This o ut loo k a lso. co nJ it ioned co nce p ts o f res p o nsib ili ty and o f re tribut ion . Whe n A b ra ha m in te rce d es for So do r n. G n 18: 22-23. he is as king no t th at the goo d be isolated a nd spared b u t tha t, by vir tue of a soli d a ri ty that ca n work both ways. the eood sho uld ea rn Immunij v for t he wick ed . It had been ta ke n for granted tha t a ci ty or a na tion wo u ld be pu nis hed as o ne e nt ity, vir tuo us a nd sin ner a like . a nd a lso t ha t th e fa te of the c h ildre n wou ld co rrespo nd tr- th e beha vio u r of th eir fath er s. Ex 20:5 ; O t 5:9. cr. J r 31:29 = Ezk 18:2. But the prophet s we re la te r to lay st ress o n th e individu a l a nd thus co r rect the em phasis of the ea rli er te ach in g. Jeremiah ma y sec as some thing s till to co me the break wit h th is so lidar it y in si n uno punish ment between th e nenerunons.J r 31: 29-J O, bu t the Dcu tero no mist has a lready protested ag a inst th e puni shm e nt o f the ch ild ren fo r the sins o f th e fathe rs, D t 24: 16, cf. 2 K 14 :6. Eze kie l, co n vinced by the visio n of ch. H- IO th at the imminent punishment of Jerusa lem is d ue to her present s ins, bec om es th e cham pio n and ex po ne n t of the p rinci p le of ind ivid ua l resp on sibi lit y. A man's sa lva tio n o r ru in docs no t de pe nd o n a nces to r or associa tes : no t eve n on his ow n pas t life. Ya h we h is co nce rn ed o n ly with h is pr ese nt di spositions . T he se radi ca l asser ti o ns of indi vid ua lism will in t heir turn be qualifi ed by t he principl e of so lid ari ty as expresse d in th e fo u rth s ons of th e se rva n t of Yahweh , Is 52:13 -53:12, e~. Is 42: 1+. In a n)' case ,

23 Is 1:2 1 J r 2:2; 3:6f Ho 1:3 :vIt 22:2- 1.J; 25:1- 13 I n 3:29 Ep 5:25-.'0 Rv 17 ' 6: 45

Hn2:5

the se usscrttons , if stricl ly a nd e xcl usively app lied to human life in thi s world . are co ntra dic ted by e veryday ex pe rie nce (d. J ob) . a nd th is com radicticn ca lls fo r fu rth e r doctrinal ucvcton mcm effe c ted by the rcvelu lio n of sunc uo ns be yon d the grave (d. Inr rod uc tlo n to Wis dom Bunks). In th e end. th c N .T . (a mi especia lly St Paul) reso lves the ten sio n be tween Ih e indi vidualism of En'kiel and th e p rin c ip le of collec tive so lid a ri ty by sho wing how C hr ist ia n 11(Ipe is ba sed o n fa ith in t he ri se n C hr ist in uni on wit h whom m ankind . manki nd creat ed a nd sa ved b y (ind . is unit ed in red em p tio n as it was nrc vious ty in s in, v. lsructt tc tra d itio n wa s ev ide nt ly familiar with the D a ne l ce leb ra ted in t he Ras-Sh a m ra te xt s for h is wisd om a nd vir tue . f. ' conn- Ive t he esca pe of' ve rs ions . A. T he w icked de eds wh ich will conv ince the: exi les that Yahwe h has bee n fu lly jus tified in in f'licjing s uch tr cutmcru o n Jeru sal em . 1 5 a . If th e co m partso n is to be ur ged . Isra el has bee n de p rived o r th e te rrillll')' o r Su mar ta in 720 and of Ju da h in 5\)7. J er u sale m itsel f (t he ' m idd le') is no lo nge r "in tac t' since it 11:Is a lrea dY suffered siege a nd dc no rtat io u .

16 a . Israel, fai th less wife o f Ya hweh. ' who re ' o f ali e n go ds: a fami liar irnaue in pro p he tic liter a tur e from Ho o n wa rds, cf'. 110 1:2 t , Eze kiel deve lo ps il in a lo ng al kg l1ry (r esum ed in another form in "..h . ~ .~ ) s ll l"\'ey i n~ th e wh ole h ist\ll"Y (11' Isra e l tch . 20, c t . 22. is a dir ec t acc o un t o f th c sa me eve n ts). As in It o . thi s a lle gory e nds. vv. 6 ()-6 .~. wit h a free pa rdo n from t he h usb a nd who es ta blis hes a new co ven a nt. th us nr ctlgurtug the ma rr-iage o f G o d wit h his nc onle in mcssiu tuc dnvs. a th em e which is tak en u p in the N .T. b. II cbr. re peat s ' A nd I sa id til yo u : Liv e in yo u r b lood', The c hild rem ai ns po llu ted with b loo d a nd grows like a w-i11.1 plan t un til the covenan t of Sinai. repre se n te d lu-re as a wed d ing. vv. xf. c. ' grow lik e' Iolt owln g S}T,: He br . ins e rts ' I s hal l m ak e YOU' , ' o f m a rriagea ble aac ' corr . : 'w it h th e finest jewels' Hebr .

z

~

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r

16:9

'I

I

I

•

1:1

D t 23:1 T

EZEKIEL

/ 3 76

the t ime for lov e. I spread part of my cloak over you and covered your nakedness ; I bo u n d mysel f by o a t h, I made a cov e na n t with yo u-it is t he Lord Yahweh who speaks-a nd you became mine. ·1 bathed yo u in water, I washed t he b lood P s ~5:1 -l - 15 o ff yo u, I a no inte d yo u w it h oil. . 1 gave yo u embroide red dresses, fine leather 10 shoes, a li nen head band a nd a cloa k of s ilk .• I loaded yo u w it h j ewels, gave you II bracelets for yo ur wrists and a necklace for you r throat . • I gav e yo u no se-ring 12 1 Th 2 14 and ea rrings ; I p ut a beauti fu l d ia de m on your head. - Y ou we re loaded with 13 gold a nd silver, a nd dressed in fine lin en an d embro idered s ilks. You r fo od was Dl32: 13 t he fines t flou r, hon ey a nd o il. Y o u grew m ore and more beautiful ; and yo u rose to be queen .• T he fa me o f yo ur beauty s p rea d t h ro ugh the nati on s, s ince it was 14 perfect, bec au se I had cl oth ed yo u with my own splendour-it is the Lo rd Yahwe h w ho spe a ks . D I .H : 16 ; Y ou ha ve bec o me infatuated with you r own beauty; yo u ha ve used yo ur 15 32: 15 J J t X: l lJ fame to make yo u rse lf a p ro stit ut e; yo u ha ve offered yo u r se rv ices to a ll Is 57:X co me rs .. ." • You hav e taken yo u r clot he s to bri g hten your h igh p laces" and th ere 16 E.\ .\ 1:2 yo u hav e p lay ed t he w hore .. .! • You ha ve taken m y present s of go ld and s ilver 17 J r 2:20 H n 2: I O jewe lle ry a nd made yo u rse lf human images to use in yo u r whorings. • You ha ve I X ta ken yo ur e m b ro ide red cl othes and put th em on the ima ges , a nd the o il and incen se whi ch are rig htl y mine yo u ha ve offered to them . •T he bread I ga ve 19 you , t he finest flou r, oil and ho ney wi t h w hich I used to feed you, you ha ve now offered to t hem as a n a ppeas ing fragrance. Y ou ha ve even - it is t he Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho spea ks-·taken the sons and 20 Lv I X:2 1 1 dau ghters yo u bore me and sa cr ificed t hem as fo o d to t he ima ges. Was it not enou gh for yo u ju st to be a w hore?· You ha ve slaughtered my c hild ren an d ha nd ed 2 1 them over a s a burnt offering to them , -and in a ll your filthy pract ices and 22 y o ur whoring s you ha ve neve r rem em be red yo u r yout h or th e tim e w hen you were quite naked a nd str ugg ling in yo ur own b lood . i'I :2 1 To crown yo u r w icked ness - t ro ub le fo r yo u , it is th e Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho 23 II I 12:2 · s pea ks -s- vyo u ha ve bu ilt yo u rse lf a mou nd and m ade a hig h p lace at every c ross- 24 road s. ·At t he beg inning o f e very road yo u ha ve b uil t a hig h place to defi le yo ur 25 beaut y t here and to g ive your body to every come r; you ha ve pil ed w ho ri ng on Is 30:3 1 w ho ri ng .• Yo u ha ve lai n down for th o se big-membered ne igh bours, th e Egy pt ia ns; 26 yo u ha ve piled w horing o n w horing to pr o voke me , -a n d n ow I ha ve ra ised my 27 hand ag a ins t yo u. I ha ve ra t io ned your food, I ha ve han d ed yo u o ver to th e me rcy of yo u r e nem ies , t he daug hters o f th e Ph ilist ines, " who a re s ick o f yo u r 2tf,lrt'--t'(~ filt hy ways . -S t ill un sa tisfi ed , you ha ve prostituted yourse lf to t he Ass yr ia n s; yo u 2M ha ve p la yed th e w hore a nd not been sa tisfied eve n th en. " - Y o u ha ve p iled w ho r- 29 17:4 in g o n wh o rin g wi t h C a na a n ite and C ha ld a ea n, and even t hen n ot been sa t isfied . H ow eas ily led yo u wer e i- i t is the Lord Y a hweh w ho s pea ks - to be have 30 no bet ter th an a bo ld- faced w ho re ! - W hen yo u bu ilt y o u rse lf a mo und a t the 3 1 begin nin g o f eve ry ro ad a nd m ad e a high p lac e a t eve ry cr o ssr oad s, yo u wer e not , lik e the w hore, o ut for money ; ' 'a n adu lteress we lco mes st ra nge rs in st ea d J2 H o M:9 -'- o f he r h usb an d ; 'a pr ostitute is paid . Bu t you , in you r w ho ring, ha ve give n yo ur .1.1 pr esents away to a ll yo u r lo ver s; yo u have o ffe red t hem gifts to a tt ra ct t hem from eve ryw he re. • In you r wh orin g yo u ha ve done t he exact o p pos ite from 34 o t her wo me n ; no o ne was runnin g after you , s o yo u went a nd paid t hem ; they d id no t pay you s ince your beh av iour was so o u trageous. W e ll th en , w hore, hear t he word o f Ya hweh . • T he Lo rd Y a hwe h sa ys t his: ~ ~ Fo r h av ing u nd ressed a n d let yourself be see n n aked wh ile w ho ring with yo u r / R v 17:5-6 lo ve rs a nd wit h your filt hy id o ls, a n d for gi ving them your c h ildre n's b lo od ' for a ll t h is, I am go ing t o band toget her a ll t he lo vers w ho ha ve ple a su red you, 37 both those yo u liked a nd th ose yo u di sliked, I am going to ba nd t he m to ge t he r i.:n4?~ aga in st y ou from a ll a ro u n d; I will strip you in front of t hem , and let t he m see you ~~", f: ~ nak ed . · A nd I mea n to pu nish yo u like wo me n w ho co m m it ad u lte ry a nd murder ; 38 I intend to ha nd yo u over to fu ry and jea lo usy ; I w ill ha nd yo u ov e r to th em; t hey 39 w ill leve l yo u r m ound and de m o lish yo u r h ig h p laces ; t hey will tear yo u r clothes Ex 19: 1 +-

.'

/377

EZ EKI EL

16:6 1

off, ta ke yo ur j ewel s and lea ve yo u completel y n a ked . •T hey will then w h ip up th e crowd ag ainst yo u; you will be stoned and run th ro ugh with a swo rd ; 41 t hey w ill se t your houses on fire a nd execute j u st ice on yo u with crowds of wo men lo ok in g on ; I will put a n e nd to yo u r whoring: no m ore paid lo ver s for yo u. 4 2 I w ill exhau st m y fury a ga ins t yo u . M y je alousy w ill th en leave you ; I sha ll 43 be appeased and my anger w ill st o p. • Since yo u have never remembered your you th , s ince in all t hi s yo u ha ve done nothin g but pro voke me, I in m y turn intend to bring your cond uct down on your ow n head -it is th e Lo rd Yahweh who speaks. Have you not b ee n di sgusti ng w it h a ll your filt hy practices?" 44 Now all the proverb-makers will make up a p rove r b about yo u: L ike m other, 4 5 like daug hter. • Yes ; you are a t ru e da ug ht er of yo ur mothe r, who hated her husband and her children ; a true sister of yo u r s isters, " who hated their h u sba n ds and t heir child ren . Your mo the r was a Hitti te a n d your fa th er a n Amo rite . 4 6 Your elder s ister is Samaria , who lives on yo u r left with he r daughters. Your 47 yo u n ge r s iste r is Sadam , who lives on yo u r r ig ht " with her dau ghters.• You have not failed to copy t heir behaviou r ; " thro ugho ut yo u r career yo u ha ve 48 shown yourself more corrupt than they were. • A s I live- it is the Lord Yah weh who speaks-your sister Sadam and her dau ghters ha ve not been a s bad a s you 44 and you r daughters . •The crime of your siste r So do m was pride, glu tto ny, a rro gance, compl acency ; such were the sin s o f Sod om and her daughters. They ne ver' 50 helped the poor and needy; -they we re pro ud and engaged in filt hy practices in 5 1 front of me; t hat is why I ha ve swe pt t hem away as you ha ve seen. 'I -A nd yet Samaria ne ver committed half the c ri mes tha t you ha ve . You have done far filthi er thin gs t ha n they did . By you r filt hy p rac tices 52 you have made your sis te rs see m a lm ost innoce nt , -and now yo u ha ve to bear the shame for a ll those fault s o f w h ich yo u ha ve c lea red yo u r sisters ; s ince the grossness of t he s ins for which yo u bear the gu ilt is mo re horr ib le than t he irs, they now appea r more virt uo us t han yo u a re . Be a shamed, th en : bear t he shame of ha ving put your s iste rs in t he r ig ht. ' 53 I will resto re t he m . I w ill restore Sod o m an d he r da ug hter s. I will res tore Sa maria an d her daughte rs; and, after t hat , I will resto re you a lo ng wi th th em , 54 that yo u may bea r you r s ha me a nd be as ha me d of a ll yo u ha ve do ne, a nd so 5 5 con sole the m . • Y ou r s iste r Sod o m a nd he r d a ug hte rs w ill be restored to w hat they we re. Sa ma r ia a nd he r da ug h te rs w ill he re stored to w ha t t hey were. Yo u 56 a nd yo ur dau ghter s will be res to red t o w hat yo u wer e. • D id yo u nor - g lo at 57 ov er yo u r siste r So d o rn w hen yo u we re st ill in your finer y, • before you we re str ip pe d na ke d ? N o w t he da ug hters o f Edo rn a nd a ll the wo me n a ro u n d are j eering a t you, ' a nd the daughters o f th e Ph ilist ines a re treat in g yo u like so met hing 5" be nea t h t he m, a n d so a re all yo u r ne ig hb o u rs. • You ha ve b ro ught it o n yo urse lf by your braze nness and filt h - it is the Lo rd Yah weh w ho spea ks. 59 For the Lo rd Ya hw eh sa ys this: I wi ll trea t yo u as yo u dese rve , yo u who /,n have d espi sed yo ur oat h eve n to t he extent of b reaki ng a cove na n t, • hut I will remember t he cove nan t t hat I mad e with yo u w hen yo u were a gir l, an d I wi ll '01 conclude a cove na nt with yo u t ha t sha ll la st for eve r . • A nd yo u for yo u r pa rt w ill re member yo ur past behaviour and be cove red w ith shame w hen I take " 40

J6 d . Hc br . adds two uni nt elli aib le words ab sent from th e vers ions. c . Possiblv t his mean s ' tcn ts on the high p laces' , r. Fo ur unt ra nsl atable word s . lit. ' they do not co me a nd it will no ! be so'. g. T he Phil istine th reat was renewed lo n e after the

m. ' on rour OWI1 head' ve rsi o ns .

[. ' built' and "o u t fo r': vers ions .

.~

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2 1: 1

(in ]\)

20:.19 3fJ:21 L \' 211 :41 J r 3 1 : 3 . 3 1~ q

Ho

2 : 1 6· 2 ~

36: 3 1

" l ave Y\lU not'

co r r. 11.

' o f yo ur siste rs ' co rr.: ' of your si ster ' H eb r.

0 , The ' Jcf't' a nd 'rig h t' as o ne fuccs ca st, i.c. no rt h a nd so u th . p , Tr nn ..lation co ni. II, ' vo u h av e see n' ClHT.: "l have see n ' Hebr. iud ges an d Sau l. i n t he dars of Ahaz , 2 C h 2X:! X, and r . '~' OU I s .s tcr , ' (I\\ kc ) versions. even of H czck tah . s. ' D id yo u n o r' l.:o rr . : ' Yo u did n ot ' He b r . h. Especi a lly in the reign of Ma na sseh when ido la tr y I. 'you . na ked ' lit , ' Y0 Ur nakedness was un wa s en coura ged by for ei gn all iances . co vered ' co rr .. cr. v. 3'7: ' yo ur wickedness' He br . i , Text u ncert ain .

k , l.u . 'b ecau se ( If yo ur ch ild ren ' s blood' vers io ns. I. ' I intend t o h and ~' OU o ver In f u r y' cor r.

Ho 2:5

"N o w. YOU' l i t. 'A nd (o r '''\s' ) n ow you are Ihe scor n o f t he dau a tuers . co r r. 'E dom ' co r r. : ' A r um' Il/: h r . u. ' I rak e' cor r . : 'yo u take ' Hcbr .

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EZEKIEL

16:62

137 8

yo ur elder a nd younger siste rs an d mak e th em your dau gh ters, a lt ho ugh th is was no t included in thi s covenant. ·1 a m go ing to ren ew my cove na nt with yo u ;" a nd you will lea rn t hat I am Ya hwe h, -a nd so reme m be r a nd be covered with sha me, and in your co nfusion be red uced to silence, whe n I have pardoned yo u for a ll that yo u ha ve done -it is the Lord Ya hweh who speaks." ,

62 63

Is 5: 1

J r :22:6

16 :29

Ii

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'I

19: 10

2K24:10- 17

T he wo rd o f Ya hwe h wa s addressed to me as fo llows, · 'Son of man , ask th em a ridd le; pr op ound a para ble to the Ho use of Israel. -Sa y, " T he Lo rd Yahweh says thi s:

17

A la rge eagle," with hu ge wing s a nd a wide spa n, co vered with spe ckled fea thers, came to Leba no n. He to ok hol d o f thc top o f t he ceda r, pluck ed all' the top bra nch, carried it 011' to the la nd of merchan ts, and set it dow n in a city of sho pkeepers. T hen he ca rr ied 011' a seed ling vine, a nd planted it in fertile soil ; by the side of a wide stream , as a borde r he set it." T he seed ling grew , a nd tu rne d into a vine, not tall but well spread o ut; its branc hes grew up toward s the eag le, its roots grew down . It tu rned into a vine ; it sent ou t stems a nd pu t out sp rays. T her e was a not her lar ge eag le," with huge wings a nd thick ly feat her ed. A nd now th e vine twisted its roots towa rd him, stre tc hed its bran ch es towards hi m a way fro m the bed where it was planted fo r him to wat er them . It wa s in a fer tile field , by the side of a wid e strea m , that th e vine had been planted , to grow shoots, bear fruit a nd become a noble vine." Say, " T he Lo rd Ya hweh says this: W ill thi s vine thri ve?" W ill not the ea gle brea k its roots, and sna p up th e fru it, so th at a ll th e new lea ves wi ll wither when th ey shoot? It will ta ke no effort a nd no strong nati o n to pu ll it u p by t he roots. It is planted th ere ; will it th rive? W ill it not shr ivel when th e cast wind blows? It will withe r on th e soil where it was gro wing ." , T he word of Ya hweh wa s addressed to me as foll ows: ' Say to that set o f rebels, "Do yo u not know what t his means?" Say thi s, "Listen; th e kin g of Bab ylon cam e to Jerusa lem; he carried away the king a nd th e prin ces, a nd too k th em to where he lives in Bab ylon . • He took a mem ber of th e roya l fa m ily a nd mad e a tr ea ty with him , fo rcing him to swea r loyal ty, aft er ha ving alread y dep o rted the c hief me n of t he lan d , -so that th e kingdom wou ld remai n mod est a nd wit ho ut a m bit ion a nd so maintain his treaty faithfully. • But th e

16

17

The allegory of the eagl e J R 14 : 12

EZEKIEL

J 379

IX

19

20

21

18:8

p rince rebelled and sen t envo ys to Egy pt, aski ng for hor ses a nd a la rge number of t roo ps. Is he goi ng to thri ve? Wi ll a man who has d on e this go un puni sh ed ? Ca n he br eak a tr ea ty a nd go unp unished? -A s I live, I swea r- it is the Lord Ya hwe h w ho sp ea ks: In Bab ylon , in the co untry of the king who put him on th e thro ne, wh ose oath he has ignored, who se treaty he has brok en , there will he die. • Des pite th e pha rao h' s grea t a rmy and ho rdes of men, he w ill no t be abl e to sa ve him ' by fighting, ho weve r man y eart hwo rks a rc ra ised, howev er many tr enches dug to t he loss of man y lives.• He ha s igno red th e oa th and br ok en the tr eaty by which he was bound . He ha s do ne a ll this a nd sha ll not go unpunished. " A nd so, the Lord Y a hwe h says this: As I live, I swea r: my oat h wh ich he has igno red, my tre aty wh ich he ha s br o ken . I w ill ma ke th em both recoi l on his own hea d . ·1 mean to throw my net over him and ca tc h him in my mesh; I mea n to tak e him to Bab ylon and puni sh him there for breaki ng his oa th to me . T he pick ! of his army will fa ll by th e sword, a nd the survivo rs be sca ttered to all the winds. A nd so you will learn that I, Yah weh , ha ve spo ken. The Lord Ya hweh sa ys thi s:" Fro m the top of th e cedar," from the h ighest branch I will ta ke a shoot and plan t it myself o n a very hig h mounta in. I will plant it o n the high mount ain 0 1' Israe l. It wi ll spro ut bran ches and bea r frui t, an d become a nobl e ceda r. Every k ind o f bird will live beneath it, every wi nged cr ea ture rest in the s ha de o f its branches. A nd eve ry tree o f the field will learn t hat I, Yahweh , a m the o ne who stunts tall tree s a nd ma kes the low o nes grow, who wither s gree n tr ees and makes the wit hered green. I, Ya hweh, have spo ken, and I wi ll do it. " .

23

24

Individual respons ibility

18 .

H

=

1 ~ : 13

Hab 1:14

/ !\ot t D :3:! -: Lk 13:19 Ps . , ):7-9 Lk L5 1-53

I ·U 2 -l33 : JO - 2~

T he wor d of Ya hwe h wa s add ressed to me as fo llows, ·'Why do yo u kee p repeat ing thi s proverb in the land o f Is ra el: The fa thers have ea te n un ripe gra pes ; a nd the ch ildren 's tee th a rc set o n edge ?

7

2 K 24:2 0

'As I live- it is t he Lord Ya hweh who speaks- there will no lon ger be a ny reas on to repeat thi s pr o verb in Israel. -See now: a ll life belo ngs to me ; the fat her's life a nd th e son's life, both alike belong to me . T he ma n who has sinned, he is the on e who sha ll d ie. 'The up right man " is la w-a bidi ng a nd hon est ; -h e does no t ea t on the mounta ins " or rai se his eyes to the ido ls of th e Ho us~ of Israe l, does not sed uce his neig hbour 's wife or sleep with a wo ma n during her periods . • He op presses no one, returns pledg es, never stea ls, gives h is own brea d to th e hun gry, his clothes to the na ked.• He ne ver cha rges usury on loan s, takes no int er est, a bsta ins fro m

IIl r 31:29 + Lm 5:7

= 18:20 D124 : 16 22 :6

Ps 15:2-5: 24:36

J b 22:0 M t 25:J5f

10 v,

11 12

13

14

15

Eze k iel in sist s that t h ese divin e gifts a re bes towed

freely: Isra el 's repe nt a nce (which in effec t takes pla ce af te r the csta b lishi n a of th e new cov e nan t) does nOI ea rn them; wit h t h is e mp ha sis o n God 's d isin terested benefi ts Ezekie l a nricina tcs the re velat io n of the N. T .. cr. I J n 4 : 10. etc . 17 a . Nc buc h ad nczza r w ho in 597. hav ing deported Jehoia chi n . p u t Zedek ia h {In t hc rh ro ue. cf'. vv. 12(. b. 'ced a r ' corr.: ' o f t he lund' Hebr. Before ' by the side of ' Heb r. inse r ts ' take', absent fro m G reek . c. "an other la rg e eag le' COlT. fo lh lwi n R versions : 'o ne large eau lc' Hc br. Th is eaa lc is Egyp t, on whose

d . ' W il l ( thix v ine) thrive '," so me M SS : ' (I t) w ill

t hrive' Text. uc c.

c . 'save ' co rr. : ' mukc' l ic br . f. "The nic k' corr. u . Af ter t he cxnluna to ry prose sect ion the poem is resum ed and no w Iorc tclls the future res torat io n , de scr ibed as a mc ssia ntc aue . h. I lcbr. a dds 'a nd I will aive ". ab sen t from vers io ns. 18 a . The followinl! catal o gue rec alls t he co nfes sio ns or ' p ro tcs ra no ns' w hic h p res u mab ly acco mp an ied cer tai n lit u r gic ul ce re mo nie s. h el p Zede kiah was a lways disp o sed to rel y fo r SUPPOri b. Ea ting (t he sacred meal) on ' hilol h p laces ' was a a gainst Babylon. cr. v. 15. oracucc in ido la trous c ults.

z

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18:9

~ 1 8:4

II"' I!

.!

D'24:16 In 8:2 1

J r HI;8

~ 3 3: 1 6

18:3 1: 33: 11 ws 11:26 H o 11:9 Lk 15:7. 10. 32 I n 8:1 1 Rm 11:32 2P 3:9

3:20 ; 33: 12- 13

- 33: 17

- 33:20 M 1 16:27

11:19 I· J r 4 :4 + J J : II : /8 :23 ws 1: 13 Ho JJ:9 M ' 3:2 + I n 8:1 1

EZEKIEL

/3 80

evil, gives honest ju dgement between man a nd man, •keeps my laws an d sincerely respects my obse rva nces- such a man is t ruly uprigh t. It is Ya hweh who speaks. ' But if anyo ne has a so n prone to violence and bloodshed , who commits one ' of these misdeeds-s-veven though the father never has- a son who dares to eat on the mounta ins and to seduce his neighbour's wife, •who oppresses the poor and needy , steals, fails to return pledges, raises his eyes to idols, engages in filthy pract ices, 'charges usu ry on loans and takes interest, then th is son sha ll certainly not live ;" hav ing committed all these appalling crimes he will have to die, and his blood be on his own hea d. ' But if he in tu rn has a son who, in spite of seeing all the sins that his father has com mitted, does not imita te him, -do es not eat on the mountains or ra ise his eyes to th e idols of th e Ho use of Israel , does not seduce his neigh bour's wife, •o pp resses no o ne, takes no pledg es, neve r steals, gives his own bread to th e hu ngry, clothes to the na ked, -absta ins fro m evil,' does not cha rge usu ry or tak e interest, res pects my observances a nd keeps my la ws, he will not die for his father's sins, th is so n shal l ce rtainly live. • Becau se th e fath er was violent , ro bbed ot hers a nd never did good among my peo ple, " be sure he sha ll die for his sins. • But yo u object. "W hy does th e son not suffer for the sins of his father?" T he son, however, has been law-abiding a nd ho nest, has kept all my laws and followed th em, and so he shall certainly live.• T he ma n who has sinned is the o ne who mu st die; a son is not to suffer for the sins of his father, nor a fat her for th e sins of his so n. To t he upright ma n his integr ity will be cre dited, to th e wicked his wickedness. ' But if the wicked man reno unces all the sins he has com mitted, respects my laws a nd is law-ab iding a nd ho nest , he will certai nly live; he will not d ie.? ·AIl the sins he co mmitte d will be fo rgott en from then on; he shall live because of th e integr ity he has pract ised.• What! Am I likely to take pleasu re in the death of a wicked ma n- it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks-and not prefer to see him reno unce his wicked ness a nd live? 'But if the upright man reno unces his integrity, com mits sin . copies th e wicked ma n a nd pract ises every kind of filth , is he to live? All the integri ty he has practised shall be fo rgott en fro m then o n ; but this is beca use he himself has bro ken fait h a nd committe d sin, a nd fo r t his he sha ll die.•'But yo u object, " What the Lor d does is unjust" . Liste n, yo u House of Israe l: is what I do unj ust? Is it not what you do that is unjust ? When the upright man renounces his integr ity to co mmit sin a nd d ies becau se of th is, he dies beca use of t he evil that he himself has co mmitted. •When the sinner reno unces sin to become law-a bidin g a nd hon est , he deserves to live.• He has chosen to reno unce all his prev ious sins ; he shall certa inly live ; he sha ll no t die. • And yet the Ho use of Israel o bjects , " What t he Lord does is unj ust" . Is what I do unju st, yo u Ho use of Isra el? Is it no t wha t yo u do th at is unju st ? • H ouse of Israel. in fut ure I mea n to judge each of yo u by wha t he does- it is the Lo rd Ya hweh who speak s. Repen t, reno unce a ll your sins, avo id a ll occasions of sin ! -S ha ke off all the sins you have co mmitte d against me, a nd mak e yo urs elves a new hear t a nd a new spi rit ! Why are yo u so anx ious to die, House of Israe l? · 1 take no pleasu re in the death of a nyon e- it is the Lor d Ya hweh who spea ks. Repent and live ! A lamentation over the rulers of Israel a

19

'As fo r you, rai se a dirge for the princes of Israel. -Say: "W ha t was yo ur mother? A lioness surrounded by lio ns; lyin g a mong the cubs she nursed her whe lps. /, She reared one of her whelps and it grew into a you ng lion;

/3 8/

II 12

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11 25

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27 28

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he learn t to tea r his prey; he became a man-cater. Th e nations comb ined ' aga inst him ; he was caugh t in the ir pit ; they d ragged him off with hooks to the land of Egypt." He r expectati o n thwarted, her hope dashed , she to o k another of her whelps an d made a young lion of him . He grew to prowl with other lions, a nd grew into a young lion; he lea rned to tear his prey; he beca me a man-eater. He sto rmed the ir palaces,' a nd sac ked t heir cities; the co untry a nd its inha bitants were alarmed by th e sou nd of his roars. The nat ions marched out aga inst him fro m the surround ing prov inces; they spread their net for him ; he was caught in their pit. T hey caged him with hooks (t hey too k him to the king of Babylon); they took him into a fortress , so that his voice: co uld never aga in be hea rd o n t he mou nta ins of Israel J

10

29

EZEKIEL

12

"Y o ur moth er was like a vine " planted beside the water , fruitful a nd leafy, beca use the wa ter flowed so full. It put out st ro ng branches that turn ed to royal sceptres ; they reached up , reac hed so high they to uched the clo uds; " men admired them fo r the ir height and t heir t hick foliage. But it was roo ted up a nd thrown on the gro und ; the east wind dri ed up its fruit; it was brok en up ; its stro ng branc h with ered awa y ; i fire co nsumed it all. c . ' who com mhs on e' vers ion s : ' a bro t her co m m itti ng ' H eh r . d. 's ha ll ce rt a in ly n ot live' co r r. e . ' fro m evi l' fo~l ow i ng ( , rec k ; 'f ro m t he wre tched ' H ebr. f. 'robbe d' an d ' m y p eo ple ' cor r. g . No t on ly is a m a ll not b urd ened with the gui lt o f his for ef at he rs, b ut he ca n esc a pe the: b urd en of h is ow n pa s t. Her e the idea of ind ivid ua l. a nd not co llec t ive . obedi enc e o r d iso bed ien ce is d ear ly stated, II is a ma n' s prese nt disposlt ton s. a nd t hese o nlv . t ha i det ermi ne the jud gem ent o f God. cf. 14: 11 - · and M I 3:: ' 19 a . Th is p oem is a q inah, i.e. a la men t c huractcr tsed rhvth ruicallv by an inequ a lity o f th e lines within each co up let. C f. El. k 1(1: 17- 1X: 27:3- 9.25- .\6. It is clea r ly a llego rical . t ho ugh it is d itficult to li nd a mean ing fo r •111 Ihe deta ils.

Jb 40 :26

2 K 23:33 -34

J b 40 :26 2Ch33:11 2K24:8-17

Is 5: 1 --'Ezk 17:6-10

Ps 1:3

Rv2 2:1 ~2

J n 15:6

b. Th e lio ness is t he nati o n o f Isr ael, th e ki ng s her whelps. c. ' com bin ed ' cor r. d . Ki ng Jeh o uhaz, dep osed an d taken h ack to Egyp t h y Nc co in 609 .

e. 's tor med thei r pa laces ' co r r, foll o win g vers io ns, f. A pp are nt ly Jch o iachin . ta ke n cnnnve to Ba bylo n in 59 7, T he n ro n hct d oc s no t men tion Jeh oi a kim (609 -591') who d ied a nat ur al dea th a nd therefo re furn ish ed no lesson for Zede kia h and h is co ruem por aries . /-: . "like' T a rn. A seco nd alle eo r v: the vine is the nation . onc e nrosncrous a nd no w sho rt ly 10 be de str o yed . h. 'cl o uds' co r r.: 'ro r cs ' Hc br. I. ' was b roken un ' a nd ' wit hered away: G ree k,

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EZEK IE L Now it ha s been t ranspl an ted int o th e de sert, t he wa te rless co untry o f dr ought ; fire ha s co me out o f its stem, consu med its branc hes a nd fruit. No more strong bra nch for her, no more kingly sceptre." ,

JI

/3 83

/3 82 D q

IU

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An account of Israel' s infidelities

In the seventh year, on t he tenth day of the fifth month ," some of thc I elders of Israel came to consult Ya hwe h and sat down in front o f me. The word of Ya hwe h was add ressed to me as follow s, •'So n of ma n, speak to the elders of Israel. Sa y, " T he Lord Yahweh says thi s: Have yo u come to consult me?" As (live, I a m not going to le t myse lf be consulted by the m- it is th e 22 :2:23 :36 Lord Yahweh who speaks. • Are you ready to j ud ge them? Are you ready to j udge .I t hem, son o f ma n') C o nfro nt them with t he filth y pra ctices of th eir fa thers. D1 7:6 l- Say , " T he Lord Ya hweh says th is: On the day whe n I c hose Israel. whe n I raised my ha nd over the descen da nts of t he House of Jacob. I tol d them t hen Ex 3 :14 + in the land of Egypt; I ra ised my hand over them /, an d said: I am Ya hwe h yo ur O n 8: 10 God. -On t hat day I raised m y hand ove r them and swo re to lead th em out " of th e land of Egypt a nd bring t hem into the la nd I had chosen fo r th em . a la nd Ex 3:8 -t- wher e milk a nd hon ey flow , an d th e noblest o f th em a ll. ·1 sa id: Eac h o ne of 7 23:3 yo u mu st reject tho se horrors t ha t attract you ; do no t pol lut e yo ur selves wit h Lv 19:3 t he id o ls of Egy pt: I a m Ya hweh. yo ur God . - But t hey re belled agai ns t me a nd" wou ld not listen to me. Not on e o f them reject ed t hose hor rors th at att ract ed t hem ; th ey d id not give up the ido ls of Egyp t. I reso lved to d ischa rge my a nge r = 20 : 14 : 22: o n them and ex ha ust my fu ry ag a inst t hem in Egy pt. • But res pec t fo r my 9 16 : 36:22 Ex 32: 12 o wn name ke pt me from a llowin g it to be profaned in t he o pinio n o f t he nati on s Lv 26:4 1 I S 12:22 among wh om they wer e livin g,' fo r I had give n t hem my word t hat in th e sight o f t ho se nation s I wo uld lead my peo ple out o f th e land of Egy pt. - So I h i 10 Lv IH:5 -+ t he m o u t of Egy pt a nd into the wilderness.• I ga ve t hem my la ws a nd ta ug ht II Ex 20: R + them my observances, which must be pra ctised by a ll who wa nt to live. ·1 12 ,L \' 26:2 Rm 7: 10 eve n gave t hem my sabbat hs to be a sign between me and t he m. so th at th ey Ex 3 1:13 m ight lea rn t ha t I, Ya hwe h, a m th e on e who sa nct ifies th em . -Thc Ho use o f 13 T:x 14:1 1+ Is rae l, ho wever, re bel led aga inst me in the wilderness ; th ey refused to keep my Lv 26:41 P s 78 : 17 la ws, th ey sco rne d m y o bse rva nces, which mu st be pr acti sed by all who wish to live, a nd they pro fan ed m y sa b ba t hs . T hen I resol ved to d ischarge my ~~ 20 :9 a nge r o n th em in th e wilde rne ss a nd to destroy th em . • But resp ect for m y 1.1 20:22.40$ o wn na me kep t me fro m a llowing it to be pr ofan ed in th e o pinio n o f the nati on s, Ex 32 : 12 I .Vh 1 4 :28~J() in whose sight I ha d b rou g ht t hem out. • However . I di d rai se m y ha nd o ver 15 DI 1:34-35 Ps 95:1 1; t he m in th e w ilde rness a nd swea r t hat I wou ld not lead t hem to th e la nd which 106:26 D n H: I O I had given t hem , a la nd whe re m ilk a nd ho ney flow , t he nob lest of t he m a ll, Lv 26:4 1 since they ha d sco rne d my o bse rva nces, had re fused to keep my law s and had 16 pr ofan ed my sa b ba t hs , th eir hearts bein g so a ttac hed to id ols. - In spite o f thi s, 17 I to ok pi ty o n t he m; I refra ined from destroyin g t hem , a nd I di d no t kil l th em a ll in the wilderness. I sa id to t he ir c hild re n in t he wilderness: Do no t live by yo ur a nces to rs' IK sta ndards, do no t pr acti se t he ob ser vances t hey pr act ised, do not defile yo urse lves wit h the ir ido ls. ·1 am Y ahwe h yo ur God . Keep my la ws, respec t m y 19 obse rvances a nd p racti se th em .• Ke ep my sa bba t hs ho ly; let th e m be a sign 20 bet ween me a nd yo u, so t hat men ma y lea rn t ha t I am Yahweh you r God . The so ns, ho we ve r, rebelled agai nst me ; t hey refused to keep my law s, t hey d id 21 Lv IR:5 not respect or practise my observa nces, which mu st be pract ised by all wh o want to live ; they profaned my sa bba t hs. I then resolved to di scharge my an ger o n them and exhaust m y fury against them in t he wilderness.• But I restrained my 22 8:1 ;14: 1-5

20

20A3

14 hand; respect for my ow n na me kep t me fr om a llow ing it to be pro fa ned in t he 20: Ps 78:.\8 opinion of th e nat ions, unde r whose eyes I ha d brought th em ou t. -O nce again, ho wever, I ra ised my ha nd ove r th em in t he wilderness, swea ri ng to scatter 2-l them throu ghout t he nati o ns a nd d isp er se them in foreign countries, • because they had not followed my observances but had rejected m y laws and p rofa ned Lv 26:41 my sabbaths, and because they had kept t heir eyes fastened on their a ncestors' 25 id o ls. ·1 even gave them la ws that were not good a nd observances by whic h they 2(, co uld neve r live ;" - a nd I polluted t hem with their o wn offerings, maki ng them sacrifice a ll the ir firs t-born; which wa s to punish them, so that they would learn L v 18:2 1-f that I am Yahweh." 27 'For th is reason, son o f man. spe ak to t he House of Israel. Say to them , "The Lord Yahweh says t his: Here is an oth er wa y by wh ic h yo ur ancesto rs 2X outraged me, behav in g treac he rousl y to me, -even though I led them into t he la nd wh ich I had solemnly swo rn to give t hem . There they sawall sorts of high hill s, all ki nds o f lea fy trees, a nd there t hey pe rfo rmed their sacrifices and made Dt 12::' ....... offerings t hat provoked m y anger ; there they la id their appea sing frag rance 29 and pou red their libatio ns . · 1 sa id to t hem: What is the name of the h igh place where you go? And t hey gave, and sti ll give it, t he name of Ba mah ." > 30 Very well, say to the Ho use of Israe l, " The Lord Ya hweh says this: Since yo u insist o n defil ing yo urselves by be hav ing like your fat hers, by whoring wit h their 3 1 idol s, ' by offeri ng you r gifts a nd by burnin g yo ur child re n as sacrifices . poll uti ng yourselves with yo ur pack of id ol s ( 0 t his very day , how can I let yo u con su lt me, H o use of Isr ae l? As I live- it is th e Lord Ya hwe h who speaks-I a m no t 32 go ing to let my self be co nsu lte d by yo u. -A nd th at dr ea m ever haunt ing yo ur m ind will ne ver co me t r ue , when yo u say: W e sha ll be lik e th e nat io ns, lik e fo re ign .1.1 t ribes wo rsh ippin g wood a nd sto ne . • As ( live I swear it-it is t he Lord Yahweh who spea ks- I a m t he o ne wh o will reig n over yo u, with a stro ng hand and H o uts t retched arm. t h ro ug h t he di sc harge o f m y a nge r. • W it h a st ro ng han d and o uts tre tc hed arm , t hrou gh t he di sch arge of my a nger, I will bring you out fr om th e peo ples a nd gather yo u to geth e r from fo reign co u nt ries a mo ng .\5 which yo u ha ve been scatte red .• ( will lead you int o t he Desert of th e Nat ion s! .16 a nd co ndem n you to your face . • As I judged yo ur fa t hers in t he de ser t of the land .1 7 of Egypt. so will I judge you -it is the Lord Yahweh who spe aks.• I mean to 3X ma ke yo u pass un de r m y c roo k " a nd I will bri ng a few o f yo u" back i - I will sort Is 4:3 + oat t he rebels w ho ha ve reb elled aga inst me . I int end to bri ng th em o ut of t he country where they a re stay ing. bu t th ey sha ll no t e nter t he la nd of Is rae l, a nd yo u 39 will lea rn that I a m Ya hwe h. • House of Israe l, th e Lo rd Ya hwe h says t his: 16:59-63 : 43:8 Go o n, all o f yo u, wo rs hip yo ur id o ls, but I swear th at yo u will hear me in th e 36:20 Lv 17:1 + end . You will stop pro fa ning m y Holy Name with yo ur offeri ngs a nd your idol s. .10 F o r o n my ho ly mo untain . o n the high mountain of Israel-it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks- is whe re th e who le House of Israe l, rese tt led in th e co untry, will wo rship me. T here I will welcome you, a nd th ere expect your presents, your ,II c ho icest gifts and all yo ur hol y o ffer ings. · 1 will we lco me yo u like ; a n appeas in g fragran ce when I br in g yo u out from am on g t he peop les ; I mean to gather you togeth er from t he fo re ign co unt ries in whi ch yo u ha ve been scattered: throu gh D 13 2:5 1 -12 yo u I inte nd to d ispl a y my ho liness for all th e na tion s to see; -a nd you will learn t hat I am Ya hweh , whe n I brin g yo u bac k to t he so il of Isr ael, to t he land I .13 so lemnl y swo re to give to you r fa th e rs. •T here you will rem ember your pa st 23

This is a dirge; it was used as such . 16: 1 +

EZE KIEL

2 0 a . J uly- A uu ust , 5<) 1. co mmu u dmc nt 10 offe r Ihe new ly born ( E x 22 :2~ -29). b. Like so meo ne t ak iru; a n path . often so gwssl y misco ns tr ued by t he Israe lites. c r. c. T he so le reason fo r Yahweh' s fo rbe ar an ce wit h Lv IS:2 1 ; . h is people . d espite t he ir aD\) SWS~' . is th e h o nou r o f hi s c, PI;w o n t he word Bamah: "high place ' = na m e. hahhamah: ' (w here ) yo u ~ l\' ,,;: huhb aim, f. The exp ress io n indi cates th e d eser t of Syr ia. e , As t he s hc n bc rd makes th e sheep file past hi m d . Pri mitive th co lo z v ascrt bcu custo ms and nru cr- III cou nt th em . d . Lv 27:32. See Elk 34: 1 +. h: 'a fe w' G reek. ices 10 Yah weh fo r whi ch me n them se lves we re i. ' likt:' co r r.: ' i n' Hebr. re sponsib le. He re Ezek iel see ms to hav e in mind 1 1~ e

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20:1 4 P,79:9 Ex 32:12

Lv 26:25

EZEKIEL

behaviour and all t he misdee ds by which you have detiled yourselves, an d you will loathe yo urselves fo r a ll the sins that you have committed. •T hen yo u will learn that I am Yahweh, when I treat yo u as respect for my own nam e req uires, an d not as yo ur wicked behav iour and co rrupt act ions deserve, Ho use of Isra el. It is the Lo rd Ya hweh who speak s." ,

D 1 32 :4 1 I\ v 6:4

J r 31: 19

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The sword of Yahweh

21

Th e wor d of Ya hweh was addressed to me as foll ows, •'So n of man , tu rn to the right ; utter you r word to wa rds th e sou th, pro phesy aga inst the ['9: 17: 10 : fores t land of t he Negeb . -Say te the forest of the Negeb, " Hea r the wo rd of 17-19 J r 2 1:14 21:3 Ya hweh. The Lord Ya hweh says this: Liste n; I am a bo ut to kindle a fire in p, 83: 14 L k 23:3 1 you that will burn up every green tree as well as every dr y one; it will be an unq uencha ble blaze and every face will be sco rched by it from t he Negeb to the No rth. ·AlI mankind will see that it was I, Ya hweh, who kindled it, and it will not be put out." ·1 said, ' Lord Ya hweh, they say of me, "What a storytelle r t his man is !" -T he word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as fo llows, 'Son of man, turn towa rds Jerusalem, curse t heir sa nctu a ry" and pr op hesy aga inst the la nd of Israel. -Say to the lan d of Israel , Ya hweh says thi s: Now I set myself against you; I am a bout to uns heat he my sword and to kill bo th upright ma n and sinner. " • My sword will leave its shea th to kill upright and sinful alike and turn against all ma nkind from the Negeb to the Nort h. • AlI mank ind is going to learn tha t I, Ya hweh, a m t he o ne who has drawn the sword fro m its shea th ; it will not go back agai n." 'S on of man, groa n as th ou gh your heart were breaki ng. Bitter ly utt er yo ur groa ns where they ca n see yo u. · A nd if they say, " Wh y these groa ns'? " rep ly, 7:17 Lv 26:36 "The news has made all hea rts sink, has numbed han ds, t rou bled spirits, ca used knees to tremb le. Now it has co me, it is here ; it is the Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks." , The wor d of Ya hweh was ad dressed to me as follows, .'So n of man , pr oph esy. Say, "The Lord says this".' Say : 16:46 +

ITJ

J 384

"T he swo rd, the sword sharpened a nd po lished! Shar pened for sla ught er, polished to flash like lightning.. .' po lished o nly to be wielded, shar pened a nd po lished to fit the sla ughterers ha nd! Yes, shout a nd howl, so n of man ; it is meant for my people, for a ll t he princes of Isra el, doom ed like my peop le to the swo rd. So beat yo ur breast ;' .t his is no first atte mpt , a nd what wou ld ha ppen, were there no ha ughty sceptrc" - it is th e Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks . So n of man , prophesy a nd cla p your ha nds. Let the swo rd be twice, thr ee times, as cruel, t he butcher's swo rd, the great swo rd of slaught er , menacing all arou nd. " To mak e hea rts sink and to increase the number of victims I have pos ted a sword at every gate to flash like lightning, polished for havoc ." Behind! To t he right ! To t he left! In front! ' A nd I too will cla p my hand s ; I will exha ust my wrat h. I, Ya hweh, have spoke n." ,

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out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come along, making both of them begin from the same country. Put up a signpost where they begin, showing the way to a city, -showing the sword the way to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and th e way to J uda h, to the fortress of Jerusalem. • For th e king of Babyl o n has halted at th e fork where thes e two roads diverge, to tak e the omens. He has shaken the arrows, questioned th e teraph irn, inspected th e liver. Into his right hand th e lot for Jer usalem falls ; there he must set up batteringram s, give t he wo rd fo r slaughter, raise the wa r cry, level battering-rams again st the gate s, cast up earthworks, bui ld entrenchments.• T he citizen s believe that thes e omens are idle, whatever oaths have been swo rn. But he is evide nce of their crime s, and these will bring about their ca pt ure. -And so, thu s says th e Lord Ya hweh. Since you give evidence of your cr imes by parading yo ur sins and flaunting your wicked ness in every thing yo u do, and since this evidenc e is now produced agai nst you, you will be punished. -As for you, pri nce of Israel, vile crim ina l on the last of whose cr imes th e day is about to dawn, -the Lord Yahweh says this: They will take away your turban and remove your cr own ; everyth ing will be changed ; the low will be high and the hig h brought low. •To rui n, and to ru in on ruin, am I going to bri ng it, to suc h mi n as was never known befor e this man cam e who is appointed to inflict the pu nishment which I am determined to impose on it.

The punishment of Ammon/ 'Son of man, prophesy a nd say, "The Lo rd Yahweh says this: T o the Ammon ites with their insults, say : T he sword, th e sword is drawn fo r slaughter , ~~ po lished to destroy," to flash like lightning-e-vwhi le you have empt y visions and co nsult lying ome ns- to slaug hter ' the vile criminals on the last of whose 3J crime s the day is ab ou t to dawn . • Pu t it back in the sca bbard. In the place where you were created, in th e co untry where you were born, there I will judge 11 you; . 1 am going to discharge my ange r on you , blow th e flames of my fury 13 against you and hand you over to ba rba rous men whose trade is destructi o n. •You will be fuel to the fire, yo ur blood will flow through the coun try , you will leave no memory behind you ; for I, Ya hweh, have spoken ." ,

H ab 2: 18

4:2·3

L v H:9

Is 40:4 (in 49 :10

25:1

33

AI

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28

15

to 16

II

17

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18

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20 15

21 /6

22 17

The king of Babylon at the crossroads T he word of Ya hweh was ad dresse d to me as follows, ·'Son of man , ma rk

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EZEKIEL

yt}2

The crimes of Jerusalem" T he wo rd of Ya hweh was add ressed to me as follows, ·'Son of ma n, a re you prepared to j ud ge? Are yo u pre pared to j udge the murderou s city'? ) Co nfront her with all her filthy cri mes! -Say, "The Lord Yahweh says thi s: City shedd ing bloo d inside yourself to bring yo ur hour close r, setting up idols 4 on your so il to defile you rself, -yo u have incur red guilt by the blood you have shed, you have defiled yo urse lf with the ido ls you ha ve made, you have brought you r hou r closer, you have come to the end of yo ur time. And so I have made you an object of scorn to the nations and a lau ghin g-stock to every country. 5 Nea r and far, they will sco ff at yo u, the turbulent city with a tarni shed name: " where a ll the princes of Israe l live, eac h on e busy sheddi ng blood, a nd a law 7 to himself ; I,. where peopl e despise their fathers and mothers ; where th ey ill-t reat

22

20:4: 23:36 Ps 55:9

5: 14

18:5-9

21 a. 'c urse the ir sanc tuary' ver sion s. b. Eze k iel ag ai n enu ncia tes th e ancien t p rin cip le of co llec tive pu nis hment ; he co n fro nts it else whe re. 14: 12 to with t hat of ind ivid ua l res po nsib ili ty.

He b r. u n in tell igible . h. 'vict ims' Grcek ; 's tum b ling (cbloc ks )' Hebr. Bef o re and afte r ' a swo rd ' an: two un tn telliui blc words. ' p o lishe d' cc rr. i. Th us Ihe Greek: H ebr . u n in tel ligible . c. A poem . i n ur gent rh yth m . on the sword of Ya hwe h given into th e hand s of th e 'sra ue tu ercr' . i.c . j. T he lo t fa lls to Je rusalem , v. 27 ; the A m mo nites the Ba by lo nians. 10 exe cu te God 's jud ge me nt. T he te xt is b adl y pr ese r ved ; many detail s a re d ifficu lt to m ay th ink they ha ve esca ped , bu t th ey too will be p un ished . inte rp ret. k , ' to des tro y' lit. ' destru ct io n ' vers io ns. d Wh at fo llo ws is u nintclli gtble: 'o r we sh all I. 'to s la ugh te r' co rr. fo llowing ver sion s. rejoice. T he scept re of m y son de fies every kind of 22 a . T he th eme is th at o f ch . 16.20,23. He re, h owever , wood ,' e . Lit. ' beat your t hig h ' , ges tu re of mourn in g and th e prop het does not speak in p a rabl e . nor doc s he re fer to the sins of past gene ration s but to th ose of t he pa in . presen t, listed in vv , 1-16. r. Te xt corrupt ; transla tion d oub tful. b. Lit. 'ea ch accord in g to h is arm' . g. T he tra nsla tio n of th is verse fo llow s th e versio ns;

2

~

o

~

II

22 :8 E x 22:2 \ -22 Lv 19 :3 D . 27:16 Lv 19:30 Lv / 9:/ 6 D t 12:2 I· t» / 8:7

'I

Lv 18: 19 L v 18: 15.20 L v 18:9 L I' 25:35- 37 D127:25

6:1 1

L v 26:33

20:9 +

Ps 119:119 Is 1:22,25 Jr 6:29-3 0

M 1 3:2-3

Z P 3:3-4 Ex 20:13, 15 L v [<):30

Lv 17-22 Lv 11: 16

Ex 20:8-11 Lv 23:3

13: 10-16

Ps 62:10

Go 18:32 Ps 106: 23 Is 59 :15- 16

EZEKIEL

13 86

the sett ler ; where they oppress the widow and the orphan ; -where you have no reverence for my sanctuaries and profane my sabbaths ; -where informers incite to bloodshed; where there a re people who eat on the mountains an d cou ple prom iscuo usly; -w here men uncov er their father's nakedness; whe re they fo rce women in thei r unclean condition ; -where one man en gages in filth y practices wit h his neighbour's wife, a no ther defiles himself with his daughter-inla w, another violates his sister, his own father 's da ughter ; -where peop le take bribes for shedding blood ; you cha rge usury and interest, you rob your neighbou r by extortion, you forget all abo ut me- it is the Lord Ya hweh who speaks. Now 1 will clap my hands at your acts of banditry and the blood that flows in you, - Will yo ur heart be abl e to resist, will your hands be strong on the day 1 call you to acco unt? I, Ya hweh, hav e spo ken, a nd 1 will do it. 1 mean to d isperse you thr ough out the nat ions , to sca tter yo u in for eign cou nt ries, a nd to tak e your fo ulness from you, -I shall be dishonoured' by yo u in the opi nio n of th e nat ion s ; and so yo u will learn that 1 am Ya hweh." T he word of Ya hwe h was addressed to me as follo ws, -' Son of man , the H ouse of Israe l, as I see it, is base metal; they are all copper, tin, iron, lead, in the melting-pot; they are base metal." -A nd so, the Lord Ya hweh says this: Since you are al l base metal, 1 will collect yo u inside Jerusalem." -As silver, co ppe r, iro n, lead a nd tin a re t hrown into the meltin g-pot together, and the fire is stoked un dern eat h to melt it all down, so 1 will collect you in my furious an ger and melt you down; -I will collect you an d stoke the fire of my fury fo r you , and melt you down inside the city , -As silver is melted in t he melting-pot , so you will be melted down inside the city; a nd thus you will learn that I, Ya hweh, a m t he o ne who has d ischarged my anger on you.' T he word of Ya hweh was add ressed to me as follows,! -'So n of man, say to her, " You a re a la nd that has not received ra in" or shower on the day of anger , and whose princes" are like a roaring lion tearing its prey inside her. They have eaten the people, seized wealth and jewels and widowed many inside her. - Her pr iests have viola ted my Law and desecrated my sanctuaries ; they have drawn no d istinct ion between sacred a nd profane, they ha ve not taught people the difference between clea n a nd unclean ; they ha ve turned their eyes away from my sabbaths and 1 have been d ishonoured by them . - Her leaders in the city are like wol ves tea ring their prey, shedding blood and killin g peo ple to steal their po ssession s. - Her prop hets hav e whit ewas hed : these crimes with t heir empty visions and lying prophecies. T hey have said: Ya hweh says this; alt ho ug h Yahweh has not spo ken. -The peop le of the country have taken to extortion and ban dit ry ; the y ha ve o ppressed the poor a nd needy an d ill-t reated the sett ler fo r no reason. -1 ha ve been loo king for so meo ne a mo ng th em to bu ild a wall and man the breach in front of me, to defen d th e coun tr y an d pre vent me from destroying it ; but I hav e no t fo und a nyo ne. -Hence I have discha rged my an ger o n th em ; 1 have dest ro yed them in the fire of my fury . 1 have ma de th eir co nd uct reco il on their own head s-it is the Lord Ya hweh who spea ks." ,

1387 8 9

10 11

12

13 14

15 16

Ii 19 20

21 22

n 25 26

27

28

29

30

31

I

I r

16:1 + Tb 14:4 Jr 3:6-13 R v 17:1-6 20:7-H

~

An allegorical history of Jerusalem and Samaria a T he wor d of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows, -'Son of man, the re were o nee two women, daughter s of the same mo ther. -They became prostit ute s in Egy pt, when they were girls . T her e their nipples were handled, t here their virgin breas ts were first fondled. -The ir names were: O holah the elder, O holi ba h her sister." T hey belon ged to me an d bore sons and da ughters, As rega rds thei r na mes, Sam a ria is Oho lah, Jerusalem Ohol iba h. - Now O ho lah played the who re, a ltho ugh she belonged to me ; she lusted for her lovers , her neighbours the Assyrians, -d ressed in pur ple, governor s a nd noble s, all of them young and des ira ble, and skilful ho rsemen. -S he gran ted them her fa voursthey were all the flower of the Assyria ns-and she defiled hersel f with all the ido ls of a ll those she lusted for. -She did not reno unce the whor ing begun in

23

4

7

8

EZE K IE L

23:3 2

Egyp t, whe re men ha d slep t with her e from her girlhood, fon dling her virgin breast, deba uc hing her. 'A nd th a t is why I have ha nd ed her over to her lovers, to those Assyr ia ns for to who m she lusted . -T hey uncovered he r na ked ness, th ey seized her sons and daugh ters a nd pu t her to th e sword , She became no toriou s among women for the j ustice done on her. \1 'Tho ug h her sister O ho liba h sawall this , her own lust and whorings were 12 even more shameful than her sister's. -She lusted for her neighbours the Assyrians, go vern or and nobles, dressed in sumpt uo us clot hes, ski lful horsemen, all young 13 an d desira ble. -I saw tha t she was unchaste, that bo th sisters were as bad as 14 each oth er. -S he began who ring wo rse than ever; no so oner ha d she seen wall15 car vings of men , pa intings of Cha ldaea ns co lou red vermilion, -rncn with sashes ro und t heir waists an d elaborate tur ban s on their heads, all so impe rious of 16 bear ing, port rait s of Baby lo nians fro m Chaldaea, •than she fell in love with the m 17 at first sight a nd sent messe ngers to them in Chaldaea. d - T he Babylo nians cam e to her, sha red her love-bed a nd defiled her with their debaucher y. Once defiled 18 she lost interest in t hem. -S he flaunted her whoring, she str ipped naked ; th en 19 I tu rned away from her as I had turn ed away fro m her sister, -S he began who ring worse than ever, rememb ering her girlhood, when she had played the whore 20 in the land o f Egypt. -when she had been infa tua ted by pro fliga tes big-me mbere d as do nkeys, ejacu lat ing as violently as stallion s. 21 'Y ou were ha nkering for the debau ch ery of yo ur girlho od, when they used to 22 ha nd le you r nipp les in Egypt a nd fond le yo ur you ng brea sts. -And 50, O holibah , the Lord Ya hweh says this: I intend to ca ll up ag ai nst you th ose of your lovers in who m you have lost interest ; I will bri ng the m against you fro m everywh ere, 23 the Baby lonians a nd a ll th e C haldaca ns, the men of Pekod a nd Shoa a nd Koa, : an d all t he Assy rians with th em, yo ung and des ira ble, all gove rno rs a nd nobl es, 24 a ll fam ou s oflicers a nd hor semen , -They will ad vance on you fro m the No rth,! with chariots a nd wagons, a t th e head of a ho rde of peop les, F rom every side t hey will a rm aga inst yo u wit h sh ield, buckle r a nd helmet. [ ha ve told them to 2 5 pass sente nce o n you , th ey will pass sentence on you as t hey think fit. -1 shall di reet my jealousy agai nst you; they will tr ea t you with fur y ; t hey will cut off your nose a nd ea rs, an d what is left of yo ur fa mily will fall by the sword ; th ey will seize yo ur sons and dau ghters, and wha t is left of yo u will be bu rn t. ~~ Th ey will strip off yo ur ga rments and rob you of yo ur jewels. -I mea n to put an end to yo ur debauc her y a nd to the whor ings you began in Egypt; you will no t look 2H to t he Egypt ia ns a ny mor e, you will never think of them again. - Fo r the Lord Ya hweh says this: 1 now ha nd you ove r to th ose you hate, to those in whom you 29 ha ve lost interest. -T hey will treat you with hatred, they will ro b you of the fru it of yo ur la bo urs a nd lea ve you completely na ked. And thus your shameful 30 whorin g will be exposed. Yo ur de ba uchery a nd yo ur whorings -a re the ca use of these afllictions, since by playi ng t he whore with th e nation s you ha ve defiled 3 1 yo ur self with their ido ls. -As you ha ve cop ied yo ur sister' s behavi our, 1 will 32 put her cup in yo ur ha nd. -T he Lord Ya hweh says th is: Yo u will d rink yo ur sister's cu p," a cup th a t is wide and deep, c . ' ) sha ll h e rdi s h o n o urcd) ' vers io n s: ' You w ill be '

b . O h ola h: ' he r- lc n t' . O th l lib a h: ' tll y- te lH- ( is- )i n - h er ',

H cb r , d . ' t hey a n; hast' mc tul' corr. e . T he o rnclc m av h av e been p ro no u nced wh e n the pon ufuuon of J ud ah was tak ing refu ge in J eru sa lem , i.c . sh o rt ly be fo re the s iege o f 5~l)-5ln , f. T hi s th ird secuon of [be oracle w a s perha p s wr itt e n after [h e dty h ad fallen .

T he c (ym o l o~y of th e word s seems (0 co nt r as t rh e sc tu sma tic c ult of Sa m ar ia w ith th e a u the n tic cul t o f Jcru sa tcm. Th cv m a y, h owe ver. allud e ro ev e n ts o r p ra ct ices un k n o w n to LI S, Po ssibb' there is reference to thc te n ts erec ted on [h e ' hi gh p la ce s' ,

C. ' \\";111 her' corr. d . Possi bl v a n a tluston 10 the f ric ndlv n-tauo ns 1;, 'ra i n ' corr. fo llowinn Greek . between Hcvc ki a h an d M c rodach -bnlud .m . h. 'whose pr in ces' Greek. c . l' conles liyin~ ro t h e E. of Ba b vto nia . i . L it. -daubcd wi th plaste r ", d . U: IO- 16, f. 'rro m th e N o rth' Greek . 23 a , The allcg l)ry of Israc f's hist orv. cf 16: 1 ' , is g . T hi s short n ocm is p ro b ab lv a o onular Sll l1g o r re sume d here a nd e labor ated by a cornnarison be tw ee n a sa urtcul crunra m wh ich ELd..ic ! app lies II) Jerus alem. Sa m a ria a nd Je ru sa lem ,

.2 K 20:12-/9

Rv 17: 16

Ex 16:3: 17:3

Jr 25: 15-18

P s 75 :8 -;· Is 5 1; 17 +

z « o

o

:r:

-,

23:33

UI

EZEKI E L

1]88

leadi ng to laug hter and mockery, so a mp le the d ra ught it ho lds. You will be filled with dr unke nness a nd sorrow. Cup o f affliction a nd devastat io n, the cup of yo ur sister Sa ma ria, you will drink it, you will dr ain it; then it will be sha ttered to pieces and lacer ate yo ur breast.

II

I

II

/] 89

Trou ble for the blood sta ined ci ty, that rusty coo ki ng-pot whose rust can never be scoured awa y! Empty it scrap by scrap, draw ing no lo ts. For her blood is in her ; she has put it on the naked rock ; she has not shed it on the grou nd to hide it in d ust. To make my anger overflow, to take revenge, I ha ve put her blood on the naked rock, un hidden.

33

34

Troub le for the bloods ta ined city! I too pla n to bui ld a grea t fire. Heap o n the wood, light it, cook the mea t, prepa re t he spices, let the bo nes burn. Set the pot em pty to hea t on the coal s ; let the bron ze glow red- hot, the filth inside me lt a way, the rust inside be co nsumed .

10

11

12 13

14

"But a ll tha t rust will not d isappea r in the fla mes.• , have tried to purge yo u of t he filth of yo ur deba uchery, but yo u wo uld not let yo urself be purg ed o f yo ur filth . So no w you will not be purged unt il my a nger has been exha usted agai nst yo u. · 1, Ya hwe h, ha ve spok en; my wor d will co me true ; I sha ll act an d not rele nt ; I sha ll show no pity, no co mpa ssio n. I intend to j udge yo u as your co ndu ct a nd ac tion s deser ve- it is the Lo rd Ya hwe h who speaks." , T he persona l orde al s of the proph et

15 16

17

18 19 20 21

24

P ut th e po t o n the fire; p ut it on; pou r wa ter into it. c P ut cuts of meat in too , the best cuts , leg a nd shoulder . Fill it with the best bo nes. T a ke the best o f the flock . Th en heap woo d" und erneath ; ma ke the po t boi l a nd bubble u nti l eve n the bo nes ar e co o ked .

Go 17 :2')

Jh I f I: I ;";

So, the Lord Yahweh says th is:

A prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem

11:3- 12

2 4 :2 2

Fo r the Lo rd Ya hweh says this:

I ha ve spo ken-it is the Lor d Ya hweh who speak s. ' An d so, the Lord Ya hweh says this : Since you ha ve fo rgotten me 35 a nd have turned yo ur back on me, you too will have to bear the weight o f your de ba uchery a nd who rings.' -A nd Ya hweh sa id to me, 'Son of ma n, a re 31> 20:4 : 22.2 you willing to ju dge O ho la h a nd O ho liba h a nd charge them with their filthy cri mes? •T hey ha ve bee n ad ultere sses, the ir hands a re d rippi ng with blood, 37 they ha ve co mmitted ad ultery with thei r idols. As for the ch ild ren t hey had Lv 18:2 1 I- bo rne me , they ha ve ma de t hem pass th rou gh th e fire to be co nsume d. •A nd 38 Lv 19 :30 he re is so mething else they ha ve d o ne to me: th ey ha ve defiled my sa nctua ry the sa me da y a nd have p ro fa ned my sa bba ths. •Th e sa me da y as sac rificing their 39 c hild ren to their ido ls, the y ha ve been to my sa nctuary an d p ro fa ned it. Yes , t his is wha t the y have do ne in my own house. 'W o rse still," these men su mmo ned from d ista nt co untries, inv ited by 40 Jr 4:3 0 messen ger, ar rived ; yo u ba thed a nd pai nted your eyes, put on you r jewels - and 41 sat o n a su mptuo us bed, by which stood a ta ble o n whic h you had put my incense an d my oil. •T he revelry of a carefree co mpa ny re-echoed becau se o f the 42 crowd o f men bro ug ht in fro m the desert ;' they put bracelets o n the wo me n's I Th 2: 19 a rms a nd magnificen t crowns o n their head s. • 1 tho ug ht: T he pr ost itute s a re 4 3 a t wo rk in the hou se o f a wo ma n wo rn o ut with adulterie s. And she is still play ing the who re too/, -a nd men keep visiting her ju st like a pros titute , j ust as t hey 44 went to those pro fliga te wom en O ho la h a nd O ho liba h. • But upright men will 45 D I ~nng judge the m as ad u l te re~ses a nd mur der esses a re j udged, since t hey a re a d ulteresses a nd their hands a re d ripping With blood. 'T he Lo rd Ya hweh say s this: Sum mo n an assembly to deal with them, and 46 ha nd the m ove r to terror a nd pillage ; - Iet the asse m bly sto ne them a nd hac k 4 7 t hem to death with t he sword ; let their so ns an d da ug hters be sla ughtered a nd their hou ses be set on fire. · 1 mea n to purge t he lan d of de ba uchery; a ll the wom en 48 will thus be wa rned, and a pe you r deba uchery no mo re. • Yo ur deb auchery will 49 recoi l o n yo ur ow n hea ds, a nd yo u will bea r the we ight of you r idola tro us sin s ; a nd so yo u will lea rn tha t I a m the Lord Yahweh.'

In the ninth year, o n the tenth day of the tenth month ," the wo rd o f Ya hweh was a dd resse d to me as fo llows, . 'So n of man , write down tod ay's date, since this is t he very day the king o f Ba bylo n ha s la id siege " to Jerusa lem .• So pronou nce a pa rable for th is set of re bels. Sa y, " The Lord Ya hweh says this:

E ZE KI E L

22

9: 9

5: 11

:-':b 11:2 3

Jr 18:1 --

T he wor-d of Ya hwe h was add ressed to me as fo llows, • 'So n of ma n, I am a bo ut to de prive yo u sud denly o f the de ligh t o f yo ur eyes." But yo u a re not to la ment, not to wee p, not to let your tea rs run dow n. · Groa n in silence, d o not go in to mourni ng for the dead , knot yo ur turban round yo ur hea d, put your sa nda ls on yo ur feet, do not co ver your bea rd, d o not ea t co mmo n bread .' : I told this to the peop le in th e morn ing, and my wife di ed in the evening, and th e next mo rni ng I d id as I had been orde red. -Thc people then sa id to me, 'A re you no t go ing to exp lain wha t mea ning these ac tio ns ha ve for us?' · 1 repli ed , 'The word o f Ya hwe h has been add ressed to me as fol lows, • "Say to the Hou se o f Israel : T he Lo rd Ya hweh says this. I a m a bo ut to pro fan e my sa nctua ry, th e prid e o f yo ur stre ngt h, t he de light o f yo ur eyes, the passion " o f yo u r sou ls. T hose of yo ur so ns a nd dau ghters who m you ha ve left be hind will fall by the sword . -A nd yo u a re to do as I ha ve don e ;' yo u must not cove r yo ur beards or

M i I :X

Jr 7: 1-15 Lm 2:7

h. T he p rop he t now ad dr esses h is co nte m po ra ries t he uc ucru l sense is clcar : th e city is so co r r upt t ha t d irect ly a nd blam es t hem fo r t heir rece nt si ns; hen ce uothin a ca ll suvc it. A u-an su o rv ordea l wo uld no t be [h e us c of t he se co nd pe rs o n . The pa ssa ge no do ubt e n o u g h; t he c it y m us t be dc stro vc d . The wa lls w ill n o t

co n tains a nu mb er of a llusion s 10 rece nt sncc tflc po]· ru'ot ect it s peo ple who will he d r ive n ou r a nd sc a t tere d. it icaJ eve n ts , h u t ' the tex t is co rr u pt a mi no t e as ily d . 'wood ' e m f . underst o od .

i. T e x t co rr, j. D o u b t f u l r en deri n g of a p ro bab ly co rr up t te xt.

24 a. Decem ber 5HlJ-Ja nua n/ 5,o.;s.

C'. A t th e hc g in nini-: of th is ve rse H c br . in se rt s 'S he has we ar ied m e ( wi t h) her lab o urs ' .

r.

Te r m o f n tlccu o n, here desi/.: nal in R th e pr o p he t's

b. l lc nce. from the d a ta of 2 K 25: 1; J r 52:4 wife, v. I S, (d. 39: I) . the bcui nnrne o f t he s iege of Jerusalem . If th e J:. Mour nt nu r iles . T he 'com m on b read' ( li t. ' bre ad p ro p het is no w in Bab ylo ni a , t his d al e , w hic h he se ts of men ' ) allud es to so me u n iden t ified p ractice. d o wn in wr it ing. will lat er sene 10 veri fy t hc accura cy h . ' pass io n' so me MSS : 'co m passio n ' Hc b r. o f his rc vcl a uou s. i. N o t t ha t (he cuizc ns of Jer usa lem are fo re. A sym bolic acn o n . The p rophet iro nicallv m imes bid de n to larn cur t heir si ns . bu t th at t he re will be no th e d ict u m o f 11:3 bo as ting t hc irn nr c e uubl fit v o f time fo r dll ing so; th e ca rusu-op hc wil l be to o sudde n Jeru sa lem . T he de tails arc not a ll ea sy 10 int erpr et bu t and 100 sharp,

z

i3

o

::c

"I ~

24: 2 3

12:6 +

3:26: 33:22

EZ EKI EL

139 0

eat co mmon bread; •you must keep your tur ba ns on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you must not lam ent or weep. Yo u shall waste away ow ing to yo ur sins and groan among yourselves. • Ezekie l is to be a sign for you . You are to do just as he has do ne. A nd when this ha ppens, you will lea rn that I am Ya hweh. " 'And, son of man, on the very day I de pr ive them of their so ns a nd daughters who a re their stre ngt h, their pr ide a nd glory, t he de light of their eyes, the joy of their hearts, -o n that very day a fugi tive will come and br ing yo u news of this. On that day your mo uth will be ope ned to spea k to the fugit ive ; yo u will speak and not be du mb a ny mo re ; you are to be a sign for t hem, a nd they will lea rn that I a m Ya hweh.' II.

21:3 3- 37 N b 20:23 T A m 1: 13-15

N b 20:2HJ r 48 A m 2: 1-3 Is 15: 1 Z p 2:8- 11

35

Nb 20:23 + Ps 137:7 Is 34 Jr 49:7 -22 Am 1:11

27:15. 20: 38: 13 Is 21:/3· 14

Jos )3 :2 -fZP 2:4 -7

Jr 47:1 -7

23

16

24

17

25 I

26

26

'So n of man , since Tyre has jeere d a t Jerusalem, "A ha ! It is sha ttered , that ga te of na tio ns ; it is opening to me; its wea lth is ruined ", " very well, the Lord Ya hweh says thi s: No w, Tyre, I set myself agains t yo u. I mean to ca use man y nation s to surge against yo u like the sea a nd its waves . T hey will destr oy the walls of Tyre, they will demoli sh her towers ; I will swee p away her dust and lea ve her a nak ed rock ." She will be a dr ying-ground in mid -ocean fo r fishi ng net s. Fo r I have spoke n- it is the Lo rd Ya hweh who spea ksshe will be the prey of the nati on s. As for he r da ughter s on the mainlan d , th ese will be put to the sword, a nd eve ryone will learn that I a m Ya hweh. Fo r the Lo rd Ya hwe h says this. F ro m th e Nort h, I a m send ing Neb uc had nezza r, king of Babylon, king of kings, ag ain st Tyre with hor ses a nd c ha riots an d hor sem en, a ho rde of man y races. He will pu t you r da ughter s o n the ma inland to the swo rd . He will build siege-works against yo u, cas t up a mound aga inst you, ra ise a siege-tow er aga inst yo u; he will bre ak do wn your walls with his ba tter ing-ra ms, a nd demol ish your towe rs with his siege-engines.' His ho rses ar e so man y their du st will hide you. No ise of his hor semen an d his cha riots and wagon s will mak e yo ur wall s tremb le as he rides th ro ugh your gat es like a man entering a co nq uered city. H is ho rses' hoofs will trample throu gh your streets ; he will put yo ur peop le to th e sword , a nd thr ow you r massive pillar s to the ground .

4

5

6 7

Agai nst Moa b

9

10

10

II II

Against Edom 12

13

14

2 5 a. The A mm o ni tes. N b 20 :23 + . h ad ta ken pari in the vario us rebe llio ns agai ns t Ne b uc had nczzar. Late r they desert ed their a llies and p rofit ed fro m Jerusa lem 's m isf o rt un e. h. Add resse d to Am m o n. here per son ified (the pr o no un is in the sin gu lar ). c . T he nom ad ic A r a bs. cf. Is 11: 14; J r 49: 28 : N b 24: 2 1 +. d . ' towns ' co r r.:

'so"~'

H eb e.

h. Ne igh bo u rs of . cr. J os 13:2 + . and rela ted to th e Ph ilist ines, cr. 2 S 8: 18 +. Here the tw o n am es ar e vir tual ly s yn o nym ous. 26 a . Ty re a t t he beg innin g o f the 6th ce ntury was a grea t commercial ci ty. It p laye d a lead in g part in a ll t he a n ti-Ba bylo n ia n ac ti vities be fo re 587. b u t de sert ed its a lly. Jerusa lem . a nd rejoiced ill its d o wn fal l. b. T he yea r 58 7-586. T he G reek re ads 'twelfth yea r ' a nd

:~r<~a:?~~~;. i.\~~~la~t~~· versions.

;;b ~~ i1 ~a b T"h" d Seir .
25:3 Ps 35:25

29: 17-21

4:1·3

z C§

f

Agai nst the P hilistines T he Lord Ya hwe h says this: Since the Philisti nes ha ve acted in revenge and ta ken reven ge ma licio usly,

Is 23

27

25

The Lo rd Ya hweh says this: Since Edom has taken revenge o n the H o use of J uda h a nd committe d great crimes in doi ng so , -very well, the Lo rd Ya hweh says thi s: I will stretch out my han d aga inst Ed om too a nd wipe out all the men a nd animals in the coun try. I sha ll red uce it to dese rt ; peo ple will be put to the swor d from Tema n to Deda n. ·1 shall unleas h my revenge o n Ed o m by mean s of my peo ple Israel. They will treat Edo m as my an ger a nd fury d ictat e, and everyone wi ll lea rn that thi s is my ven gean ce- it is the Lo rd Ya hweh who speaks.

llJ .l

26 : I I

Against Tyre« In the elevent h year, on the first of the mo nth," the word of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows:

Agai nst the Ammonites"

Th e Lord Ya hweh says t his: Since Mo a b a nd Seirr have said: Look a t the House of J uda h ; it is no different from a ny other na tion ; -very well, I will strip the hillsides of Moab ba re! a nd destroy her town s thro ugho ut the cou ntry, 'I includ ing her pride, Bet h-jcs h irno t h, Baa l-rneo n a nd Kiria th-a im.· I shall hand her o ver to the so ns of the Eas t, the ene mies of t he Ammo nites ; I sha ll han d her ove r so tha t the Amm o nites will no t even be rememb ered as a nat ion . -Thus sha ll I pun ish Mo a b, and everyo ne will learn that I am Ya hweh.

EZEKIEL

and with persistent hatr ed have do ne the ir best to dest roy, -very well, thus speaks the Lord Ya hwe h: I will str etch out my hand aga inst the Phi listines; I shall destroy the Cherethites" and wipe out all the rest of the coastal peoples. I shall perfor m frightful acts of vengea nce and inflict fur ious punishments on them; and when I exact vengeance on the m they will learn that I am Yahweh."

O RACLES A GAI NST T HE NATION S

T he wo rd of Ya hweh was addressed to me as follows, ·'Son of man , tu rn towa rds the Ammonites a nd pro phesy aga inst th em . -Say to the Ammon ites, "Hear the word of the Lord Ya hwe h. The Lord Ya hweh says th is: 26:2 You" cried: Aha! o ver my sa nct ua ry when it was profa ned , a nd ove r th e . Ps 35:25 land of Israe l when it was ra vaged, a nd over the Ho use of Juda h when it wen t Nb 24:21 + into exile, -a nd becau se of that I a m go ing to ha nd you over to the so ns of the East' ; they will pitch their ca mps inside yo ur fro ntiers, they will settle there. They a re going to ea t yo ur fru it, a nd d rink yo ur milk. • I inten d to tu rn Ra bba h into a ca mel ya rd a nd the tow ns" of Ammo n into shee pfolds. And so you will learn that I a m Ya hweh . The Lord Ya hweh says th is: Since you have clap ped you r han ds a nd da nced fo r joy, inward ly full of malic e aga inst the land of Israe l.• I mea n to stre tch out my ha nd aga inst yo u for th is ; I will hand yo u over to be lo oted by the peop les, o bliterate yo u as a nat ion, wipe you o ut as a co untry. I will red uce you to no thing, and so yo u will learn tha t I a m Ya hweh. Jr 49:1-6

139 1

/5

oI

II

1(1

-'

I

26:12

)1

II I

II Jon 3:6

Rv 18:9-19

139 2

Your wealth will be seized , yo ur merchandise looted, your walls razed, your luxuri ous ho uses shattered, your stones, your ti mbers, you r very dust, th ro wn into the sea. I will stop your music and so ngs; the sound of your ha rps will not be heard again. I will reduce you to a na ked rock, and make you into a dry ing-ground for fish ing nets, never to be rebuilt; for I, Yahweh, have spoken - it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks.

Is 24:8-9 Jr 25: 10 Rv 18:22

II

E Z EKIEL

The Lo rd Ya hweh says this to Tyre: Wh en they hear of yo ur fall, the groans of your wo unded a nd the havoc inside your wall s, will not the isla nds! shake? T he rulers of the sea will a ll get off thei r thrones, lay asid e their cloa ks a nd ta ke off their embroide red ro bes . Dressed in terror they will sit on th e ground un a ble to sto p tr embli ng, ter rified a t you r fat e. 'They will ra ise a d irge " a nd say to yo u: "You a re destr oyed then , swept fro m th e seas, city of pr ide, you who were mighty on the sea, you and you r citizens, who used to terro rise the co ntinent- far and near. N ow th e isla nd s ar e tr embling on the da y of yo u r fa ll ; the islands of t he sea are terrified by you r en d."

/393

13

14

10 II

16 12

17

13 14 15

16

17

18

IX

19 20

32:18-32

I

I

Rv 18:2 1

'For the Lord Ya hwe h says th is: 'W he n I ma ke yo u as desolat e as a ny depopu lated city, when I br ing up the deep ag a inst you a nd the ocea n covers you , ·1 will cas t yo u down with those who go down to t he pit, d own to the men o f old ; I will make yo u live in the regions un dergro und, in the eternal so litudes, with those who go down to th e pit, so that you can ne ver come bac k a nd be restored to the lan d o f th e living.' I will make you an object of terr or; you will not exist . People will loo k for you and ne ver find yo u agai n-it is the Lord Ya hweh wh o spea ks.'

19

21 22

20 2)

24

21

25

A lame nta tion over the fall of TyreRv 18:9f

27

The word of Ya hweh was a ddressed to me as fo llo ws, ·'Son o f man , ra ise th e dirge over Tyre. -Say to Tyre, that city stand ing a t th e ed ge of the sea, d oing bus iness with the nations in in num erable islan ds, "The Lord Ya hweh says t his:

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27

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Tyre, you used to say : I a m a ship> per fect in beauty. Your frontiers stretched far out to sea ; those who built you made you perfect in beauty. Cypress from Senirr they used for all your pla nking. They took a cedar from Le ba non to ma ke yo u a mast. From the tallest" -oaks of Bashan th ey mad e your oars. T hey built yo u a deck of ced ar inlai d with ivory from th e Kitt irn- isles. Em broidered linen o f Egy pt was used for your sail a nd for your flag.

UI

27:27

Purp le an d sca rlet from the Elisha h isla nds for med yo ur deck-ten t. Men from Sidon a nd from Ar vad ! wer e yo ur oarsmen . Your sages, Ty re, were a board serv ing as sa ilo rs. The elde rs a nd craftsmen of Geba l« were there to ca ulk yo ur seams.

12

15

EZEKIEL

All t he ships" o f the sea a nd the sa ilo rs in them visited yo u to t ra de with you. Me n of Pers ia a nd Lud a nd Put served in yo ur a rmy a nd were yo ur warrio rs. T hey hun g up sh ield a nd helmet in you . T hey b ro ught you glory. -The sons o f A rva d a nd their ar my ma nned yo ur wall s a ll ro und a nd kept wa tch fro m your bast ion s. i T hey hu ng thei r sh ields a ll round you r wa lls a nd helped to make your bea u ty per fect. •Ta rshish was yo ur client, profiti ng from yo ur a bunda nt wea lt h. Peo ple paid yo u in silver a nd iro n, tin a nd lea d for you r mer cha nd ise. Java n, T uba l a nd Meshech/ t rad ed with yo u . Fo r yo u r merc ha nd ise they bartered men a nd bron ze im plem ent s. -T he peo ple o f Beth-togar rna h- traded you ho rses, c ha rger s, mules. •T he so ns o f Deda n traded with you; ma ny shores were you r client s ; yo u were paid in ivo ry tusk s and ebony. • Edo m' was you r clien t, because of th e va riety an d q uant ity of your goo ds ; she excha nged carbu ncles , purple, embro ideries, fine linen, coral a nd ru bies a ga inst you r goods. -J uda h a nd the land o f Israel also tr a ded with you, supplying you with co rn from Minn it h, '" wax , hon ey, tallow an d balm . • Da mascus was yo ur client , beca use o f t he plenti fulness o f your go ods a nd t he imme nsi ty of your wea lth, furn ish ing you with wine from Helbon a nd woo l fro m Za ha r.« • Da n a nd Ja va n, fro m Uza l onwa rds, " sup plied yo u with wrough t iro n, cass ia an d calam us in excha nge for you r good s. • Deda n traded wit h yo u in hor se-clot hs. • Arab ia a nd eve n the sheikhs of Ke dar were a ll yo ur client s ; t hey paid in la mbs, ram s a nd he-goa ts. -T he merchants o f Sheba an d Ra a ma h trad ed with yo u; they su pplied yo u with t he bes t qu al ity spices, precio us sto nes a nd go ld aga inst yo u r goods ." • Hara n, Ca nneh a nd Ede n, tr aders of Sheba, Asshur a nd Chilrna d trad ed with yo u. •T hey trade d rich clothes, embroid er ed and pu rple cloa ks, multi-co loured mat eria ls a nd stro ng plaitcd cords in your markets.• T he ships o f Ta rsh ish crossed the seas fo r yo ur t ra de . T hen you wer e rich an d glor ious surro unded by the seas . Out to the open sea your oarsmen rowe d you. The east wind has sha tte red you, su rround ed by the seas . Yo u r riches, you r goo ds , yo ur ca rgo , you r crew, yo ur sa ilo rs, f. T he term ' isla nds ' mea ns a ll th e d is ta n t co as ta l reg io ns. g . A qtnah, cr. 19: 1+ . h . ' swep t from the sea s ' vers io ns. 'co ntinen tSvr. I. 'pit' is a synonym of "Shcol', cf Nb 16:33 1· . ' in the so litud es ' so me MS S and ver sion s. 'yo u ca n never co me ba ck ' corr. ' a nd be rest o red ' vers io ns. 27 a. Described a lleg or ica lly a s a s hipwreck . the descr ip tio n bei ng in te chnical te r ms th e meani ng o f whic h is no t a lways cert a in . b. 'a sh ip ' ad ded . c. T he A mori te name fo r Hermo n. d . ' Fr o m the ta llest' co r r. c. ' cedar' co r r. K itt im here m ea ns the popula tloa no t o nly of Cy p r us but a lso o f th e o t her isla nd s a nd coastal to wns o f t he Me d ite rra nea n.

g. I.e . Byblcs , a not he r P h oen icia n city . h. T he poe m is here int er r up ted by a d eta iled list of t he com me rcia l in terest s of Ty re. i. ' thei r a rm y' co r r. ' ke p t wa tc h' G reek. i. Jnvan. i.c . Io nia , ind ica tes th e G ree ks or eve n t he wes tern pe ople s in ge neral . On Tuba l and Mesbech , d . 38:2 + . k , Prob a bly Ar me nia , cf 38:6. J. ' Ed om ' vers io ns; ' A ram ' He b r. m . A r egi o n in th e co u n tr y o f A mm o n . 'w ax' co r r. n. Hcl bon is N .E. o f Damascus. Za har un kno wn. o. A n A ra b tri be li ke She b a a nd Raam a h, v. 22-23, cf. I K 10:1 +.

p. 'usatnsr' cor r.

Q. tla ran is o n the u ppe r E u p h rat es. C a n neh an d Ede n a p pa ren tly co rrespo nd to th e Ka nn u and Bit A d ini o f t he As svr fun text s, to wn s o n t he middl e f . T hese IW O towns o f the Phoen icia n co as t m o re o r Eu p hra tes . Fo r S he ba . cr. I K 10:1 I . C h llm ad is a n u n know n to wn . pro ba bly nca r Assh ur. less reco gn ised th e econom ic suz era inty o f Tyre .

38:5 Jr46:9 + S, 4:4

Is 23: 1+

32:26 : 38:2 J 14:6 38:6 25: 13

J811 :33

Ho 14:8 G o 10:27 25: 13

G o 10:7 1 K 10:1 + G o 11:31;

12:5

Rv 18: 17

z

i3

o:r:

'1" -'

!

27:28

1;1

'II

W hen th ey hea r th e cr ies of yo u r sail o rs the coasts will tr emb le. T hen th e oa rs me n will a ll dese rt their ships. T he sa ilo rs a nd sea far ing peopl e will stay as ho re. T hey will ra ise t heir vo ices for yo u, a nd weep bitterly. T hey will t hrow du st o n t heir hea ds, a nd ro ll in as hes; the y will shave t heir head s for yo u, an d pu t sackc lo t h ro u nd t heir wa ists . T hey will raise a bitt e r d irge ov e r yo u, in t he ir desp a ir ; t hey will ra ise a d irge a nd m o urn for yo u , t hey will bewa il yo u : Wh o co uld co m pa re wit h haught y T y re : su rro unded by t he sea s') W he n yo u un load ed yo ur good s to sat isfy so man y peo ples, yo u ma de th e k ings o r t he ea rt h rich wit h yo u r exce ss or wea lt h a nd goods. N o w yo u arc sha tte red by t he waves , su r ro unded by t he seas . You r ca rgo and a ll yo u r c rew ha ve founde red w it h you. A ll t hose w ho live in th e d ista nt islan ds ha ve been horriti ed a t your ra te. T he ir kings ha ve been pani c-str ick en, th eir faces quit e cas t do wn. T he t raders or t he nati on s ha ve whistled at yo ur fat e, since yo u ha ve become an o bjec t of d rea d , gone for eve r." ,

I

[I " Rv UU9

Jon 3:7

R v 1S: J S

I[ . R v I X: I ')

x v I S:9f

/ 395

Is J4: [4 Is 14 :13 + :2 Th 2:4

14: 14

Ba 3:22

n 29

30

31 10

32

.13

IJ

.14

35 14

3"

T he word or Ya hwe h was a ddressed to me as fo llows , •'So n of ma n, tell t he ru ler of Tyre, "T he Lo rd Ya hwe h says t his: Bein g swo lle n w it h pri de, yo u ha ve sa id : I am a go d; I am sitt ing o n th e th ro ne or G od, su rro unde d by t he seas. T ho ug h yo u arc a man and not a god, yo u con side r yo urse lf the equa l of G od. You a rc wiser now t han Da nel ; t here is no sage" as w ise a s you . By yo ur wisdo m a nd yo ur in tellige nce yo u ha ve amassed g rea t wea lth ; yo u ha ve piles o r gold a nd sil ver

EZ EKIEL

"

28:17

inside your treasure-hou ses. Suc h is yo ur ski ll in tra d ing, yo ur wealt h has conti nued to increase, and wit h t his your hea rt ha s grown more arrogant. And so, t he Lord Yahweh says th is: Since you cons ider yourself t he equal of God, very well, I am go ing to bri ng foreigners against you, the m ost barbarous of the nat ions. They will draw swo rd against yo ur fine wisdom, they will defile your glo ry; they will throw yo u down into the pit and yo u will die a violent dea t h surrou nded by the seas. Are yo u still going to say: I am a god, whe n yo ur m urde rer s co nfro nt yo u? No, yo u are a ma n and no t a god in t he cl utches of your murderers! Yo u will die like the u ncircumcised at t he hand of fore igne rs . For I ha ve spoken- it is t he Lord Yahwe h who speaks." ,

Is 31:3

The fall of the ki ng of Tyre II 12

IS 16

Agai nst the kin!.: of Tyre

28 G n 3:5

III

/ 394

yo ur ca ulke rs, yo u r co m me rc ia l a gen ts, a ll th e so ld iers yo u ca r ry with yo u, th e wh o le host who a re aboa rd: a ll wi ll sink su rrou nde d by th e seas on th e day of you r shipw rec k.

I,

III

EZEKIEL

17

The word of Ya hwe h was addressed to me as follows, · 'Son of man, rais e a d irge o ver the kin g of Ty re ." Say to him , "The Lord Ya hwe h says this: You we re once an exemp lar of pe rfection, " full of wisdom, perfect in beauty ; you were in Eden, in t he garden of God . A thousand gems fo rmed yo ur mantle. Sard, to paz, diamo nd , c hrysolite, onyx, jaspe r, sapph ire, carbuncle , e merald, the go ld of which yo ur flutes an d ta mbo uri nes are made," all we re prepared o n t he day o f your creatio n. I ha d provided you with ' a guard ia n c he rub; yo u were on the holy mounta in of God; yo u walked a mid red-ho t coals'! Your be haviou r was exem plary fro m the day of your creatio n until the day wh en evil was first fo u nd in yo u . You r bu sy trading ha s filled yo u wi th vio lence a nd sin. I have thro wn you down fro m th e mountain of G od, a nd the guardian ch erub ha s dest ro yed yo u from a mi d the coals.' Yo ur heart ha s gro wn swo llen wit h pride o n account of yo ur beauty. Yo u have corrupted yo ur wisdom o wing to you r sp lendour. r , ' with hau ght y T vre' co rr. ; ' with T vre, with the model' Hcbr. : ' 3 sea l of perfecti on ' G reek. silent one' Hebr. d. Tra nsla tio n do ub tful. 28 a. ' no sage' cor r. fo llowing ver sions ; ' no secret' e. ' W it h ' G ree k. f. T hese ver ses seem to co nta in rem iniscences no t Heb r. o nly of th e bib lical tradi t io n of t he ga rde n of Eden but a lso of eleme nts o f eas tern my tholog ies: t he mountain b . A t th at tim e Itt obaal II. th ough the poem is of t ile gods . si tuated in the far t hest nor th . cr. Ps 48: 1-2; ad d ressed not so much to a n Indiv id ua l as "10 the Is 14:13. the a llusio n to t he guard ia n Kerub , cf G n 3:24, person ified mi ght of the ci ty. Not un na tu rall y. ct. 28:2 . an d to the bu rn in g coals, Ezk 10:2, to th e fall a nd Ch ris tia n tr adit ion h as o ft en a pp lied rh rs text in a n a n nihil a tio n, v. 16. Some det a ils. howe ver. re ma in ' acco m modated' sense to th e fall of Luc ifer . obsc ure . c , 'a n exempl ar of perfection ' co rr.; 'sea ling the g. Tex t correc ted, foll o win g G ree k.

G n 3:24 )s

14: 13

10:2

10:2.7

z ~

o

:I:

'1!/ III 28: 18

E Z EKI EL

139 6

1397

I have th row n yo u to the ground ; I ha ve made yo u a specta cle for other kings. By the immense numb er of your sins, by the d ish o nesty of yo ur tr ad ing, yo u ha ve de nied yo ur sa nct ua ries. I ha ve bro ugh t fire ou t of you to consume you . I have mad e you as hes o n the gro und before the eyes of all who saw you . O f th e na tion s, a ll who know you are lost in a mazement ove r you . Yo u are an o bject of terror ; go ne for ever." ,

T he wo rd of Ya hweh was ad d ressed to me as follows, · 'Son of man , turn ~? to wa rds Sido n a nd proph esy aga inst her. -Say, "T he Lord Ya hweh says th is: 22 Sido n, now I set myself against you ; I will show my glory thro ugh yo u. Men shall learn tha t I a m Ya hwe h, since I will exec ute sente nce on her a nd displ ay my hol iness in her . I will send the plagu e to her ; blood shall flow in her streets, a nd in her the dead will fall under the swo rd raised aga inst her on a ll sides, and so men will learn that I am Ya hweh.

I~

11 "

23

Isra el delivered from the na tions No mor e, fo r the Ho use of Israel, shall a ny of th e host ile nation s sur ro undi ng her be a th orn that wou nds or a br iar that tea rs; a nd so men will lea rn th at I a m the Lord Ya hweh.

~

37:25

Is 19

Jr 46 Zp 2:12

Ps 68:30

32:2 Jb 40: 25-41 : 26 38:4 Jb 40::26 H a b 1:14

J r 25:33

T he Lord Ya hweh says this. When I ga ther the House of Israel from the peop les among whom it is dispersed, this is ho w I a m go ing to d isplay my holin ess in the sight of the nati on s. They sha ll live on the so il that I gave to my serva nt Jacob . -Th ey shall live th ere in co nfidence, build hou ses, plant vineyards ; they sha ll live in confid ence. W hen I inflict punishments on a ll the hostil e su rro unding na tio ns, t hen men will lea rn that I am Yahwe h their G od." ,

24

25

26

Aga inst Egypt

29

In the tent h year , o n th e twe lfth da y of the tenth mo nth ," the wo rd of Ya hweh was add resse d 10 me as follow s, ·'So n of ma n, turn to ward s Pha raoh king of Egypt a nd prophesy aga inst him and against the whole of Egypt. -Spea k to him a nd say, " T he Lo rd Ya hweh says th is: Now I set myself aga inst you, P ha rao h king of Egypt, yo u grea t croco di le wallowing in your Niles, yo u ha ve said : My Nil es" are mine, 1 made the m . I a m go ing to put hook s through yo ur jaws, mak e you r Nile fish stic k to you r scales, and pull yo u o ut of yo ur Niles wit h all your N ile fish stick ing to yo ur scales . I sha ll dr op yo u in the desert , with all your N ile fish. Yo u will fall o n o pen ground a nd no t be tak en up or bu ried . I shall give you as fo od

For thi s reason , the Lor d Ya hweh says thi s: I a m send ing the swor d aga inst you, to kill yo ur men and your beasts . • Egypt will be reduced to desert a nd des olation, and men will learn that I am Ya hweh. Since he has sa id: The Nile is mine, 10 I made it, -very well, now I set myself ag ainst you and your Nile s. I mean to red uce Egypt to desert and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and beyond to II the fro ntiers of Ethio pia ." -T he feet of men will not pass that way, the feet of animals will not pass that way . For forty years it will remain uninhabited. 12 I inte nd to red uce the land of Egypt to a waste among wasted countries; for forty years its cit ies will be a waste among ruined cities. And I shall sca tter the 13 Egyptian s a mo ng th e nations, dispersing them throughout the peoples. -A nd the Lord Ya hweh says this: After forty years hav e pa ssed, I will gather the 14 inhabitants of Egypt from the nations where th ey have been scattered.' · 1 will bring the Egypt ia n captives back and reinsta l them in the la nd of Pat hr os,! 15 the land they came from. T here t hey will constitute a weak kingdom. • Egypt will be the weakest of kingdoms and no longer dom inat e other nati o ns ; I shall 16 reduce her, an d she will not rule a ny more over th e nations. -She will no longer be a nything for the H ouse of Israe l to trust in, but will be living evidence of the sins of Israel at the time when Israel turne d to her for help . And men will learn that I a m the Lo rd Ya hweh." 17 In th e twenty-seventh yea r, o n the first day of the first month, " the word of Yahweh was add ressed to me as follows: 18 'Son of man , Nebuchadnezzar king of Ba bylon mobilised his army for a great expedition agai nst Tyre. T heir head s have a ll gon e bald , their sho ulders are all chafed, but even so he has derived no pr ofit fro m th e exped itio n mounted 19 against Tyre either fo r hims elf or for his a rmy. -S ince thi s is so, the Lo rd Ya hweh says this: I am going to hand Egypt ove r to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will levy his share of riches there instead, will loot it a nd car ry 20 off the booty to pay his army. • In reward fo r his effor ts agai nst Tyre I am ha nd ing th e land of Egypt over to him , since he has been working for me- it is the Lord Ya hweh who speaks. 21 'On that day I will cau se the Ho use of Israel to sprout a horn, h a nd I shall allow you to op en your mouth for all to hear .' And so th ey will learn th at I am Ya hweh.'

2 K 18:21 Is 36:6 Lm 4: 17

8

9

Aga inst Sido n"

S1 36:3

3°:2

to the beasts of the earth an d the birds of heaven , so that all the inhab itants of Egypt may learn tha t I am Ya hweh, since they hav e given no more sup po rt than a reed to th e H ou se of Israel. Whenever they grasped yo u, you brok e in their hands an d cut the ir hands all ove r. Whenever they lea ned on yo u, yo u broke and left their loin s shaking. c

18

19

E Z EKI EL

30:6 30:11

30:14

30:10.24; 32;llf

Jr 43 :10 ; 44; 30 : 46:26 Ps 132:17

I

2

Against Egypt : the da y of Yahweh The word of Yahwe h was addressed to me as follows," ·'So n of ma n, prophesy and say , "The Lord Ya hweh says this: How l: Alas, the day!

30

4

cf. Is 45: 14 + ) t hey are no t 10 be asso cia ted with the cho se n pe op le in the res to red worship of Ya hweh . f. Pat h ros, the 'land o f the So uth', i.e . U ppe r Egypt. g . Mar ch-Ap ril 57 1. C hro no lo gica lly th e last of Ezekiel' s ora cle s : it com pletes or re vises his ea rlier ones : as co mpe nsatio n fo r his failure 10 red uce Tyre co mnre rerv. v , IR, cf. 26:9 +, N ebu ch adn ezzar is given pe rmiss io n 10 pl un der Egypt. As th e a gent of d ivine pun ishme nt he deser ves his wa ges . h. Sym bo l of power, so me times of me ssia nlc signific. ' t heir hands all over' vers io ns. 's ha k ing ' Sy r, d . ' dese rt' vers io ns. Mi gd a l. a fo r tress in N . Egypt. ca nce, e.s . Ps 132:17. I. Re ferring not to Ezekiel's recurre nt attacks of Syene (Assuan) a city in t he ext reme S. nea r the d um bness, 3:26 : 24:26- 27; 33:2 1-22. but 10 a silence Ethio pia n fro ntier. e. T he exiles fro m Egyp t th us receive the same ind uced by sha me. cr. 16:63, and no w to be broken by promi se of re turn as has be en given to Israe l, cf. 11: m ank sgtvi ng. 16· 17; her e ho wever (unlike the seco nd pa rt of Isa iah, 30 a. A sup plement. pro bab ly lat e, to the p receding.

Is 13:6 111 :15 Am5:18 +

h. Sidon, o ne of the principal towns of Phoe nicia , but before the Persia n period Jess important than Tvre. Acco rd ing to Jr 27:3 . Sidon was party 10 t he policy leadi n g to t he ruin of J udah ; henc e Eze kiel' s ho sttlity . 29 a . Decem ber 588-January 587 . b. ' M y Nil es' (the various branches of the river Nile) versio ns: ' M y N ile' Hebr.

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EZEKIEL

/ 39 8

Fo r t he day is near, the day o f Yahweh is ne ar; it will be a day da rk with clou d , 3 th e e nd o f a n e poc h for the nation s. The sword will co me o n Egy pt, and terror will visit E t hio pia wh en t he 4 sla ug hte red fall in Egy pt, whe n her riches a re ca r ried aw ay , wh en he r fou ndat io ns a re destro yed .• C us h and Put and Lud , the who le of Arabia and C u b" an d the 5 so ns of my cove nant :' will fa ll by the sword along with th em. Ya hwe h says t his: T he sup po rts o f Egypt will fall ; the pr ide of her st rength will cru mble ; peo ple wi ll fall by th e sword from Migdol to Syene-it is the Lord Ya hwe h who speaks. T hey will be la id waste among wasted countries; her cities will ran k wi t h 7 other ru ined cities. -They w ill learn that I am Yah weh when [ set fire to Egy pt ~ and a ll her supports are shattered . O n th a t da y messenge rs de sp a tch ed by me will set out in boats to shak e 9 the co m place ncy of Et hiopia. Terror will ru n t hrough he r inha bita nt s on the day o f Egypt-it is co ming no w! •T he Lord Yahwe h says thi s: [ intend to destroy 10 the h uge po pula tion o f Egypt a t t he han d of Ne buchad nezzar king o f Babylon . He and his peop le, most barba ro us o f nat ion s, will be sent to ra vage the co untry . II Th ey will d raw t he swo rd against Egy pt a nd fill t he country with corpses. I am go ing to dry u p t he arms of the Nile, ha nd th e country over to brigands, 12 and la y the who le co untry was te a nd ever yt hing in it, a t th e ha nd of fore igne rs . l, Ya hwe h, ha ve s po ken. T he Lord Yahweh says t his: I mea n to destroy th e id ol s, a nd ta ke t he 13 rams" away from No ph.r T he la nd of Egypt will be left without a r uler. I sh all spr ead terro r thro ug h t he la nd of Egy pt. • [ shall la y Pathros waste, set Zoa n on 14 fire, inflict my punis hment s on N o . • I s ha ll discharge my fu ry o n S in, t he 15 stro ng ho ld o f Egy pt; [ sha ll wip e ou t th e crowd ing popul a ti o n of N o . • I sha ll 16 se t fi re to Egy pt; Sin will be racked wit h a ngu ish; there will be a flood ' a t No, t he wat er s will inundat e it. •T he yo u ng men of O n a nd Pi-bes ct h will fall by th e 17 swo rd a nd the cities t hem se lves go in to capti vity. ·At Ta hpanhes da y will tu rn I~ to darkn ess w he n I sha tte r th e yo ke o f Egypt th er e, wh en the pride o f her st re ngth ceases. A cloud will cov e r her, a nd her daughter s will go in to ca ptivity . -S uch 19 will be th e punishments th a t I a m going to inflict on Egy pt. A nd so me n will lea rn th at I am Ya hweh." In th e eleve nth year, on the sevent h day of the first mo nth," t he word o f 20 Ya h we h wa s addressed to me as fo llo ws, · 'So n of m a n , I have broken th e arm 21 of Pharao h kin g of Egy pt; you can see th a t no one ha s bound u p his wou nd to heal it, given it a ba nd age o r a dressing to make th e a rm st ro ng en ou gh to wield t he swo rd ag a in ." -A nd so, t he Lo rd Yahweh says thi s: Now I set my self 22 aga ins t Pha rao h king o f Egy pt ; I intend to bre a k his arms, th e so und o ne a nd t he br o ken o ne, a nd mak e t he swo rd drop from his han d. ' • I sha ll scatter Egypt among 23 t he na ti on s a nd d ispe rse he r th rou ghout th e co un t ries . • I sha ll strengthen t he 24 arms of t he king of Babylo n a nd put my sword in h is han d . [ shall b reak Pharao h's arms a nd , confron ted wi t h h is e nemy, he will groan lik e a dying man . [ sha ll strengt hen the arms o f t he king of Ba bylon, a nd t he arms of Pharaoh 25 will fal l. A nd so men will learn th at I a m Ya hweh , wh en [ put my sword in to th e han ds of t he king o f Ba by lo n a nd he wields it a gai nst th e la nd of Egypt. .) mean 26 to sca tte r Egy pt a mo ng th e nat io ns and disperse her t hr o ug ho ut t he count ries; a nd me n will lea rn th a t I a m Ya hwe h. ' The cedar

31

In t he elevent h yea r, o n the first da y o f t he t h ird mo nth," the word o f Ya hwe h was ad dressed to me as fo llo ws, ·'Son of man, say to P harao h king of Egy pt a nd to all his s u bjects: " Dn 4:7

" T o what sha ll I co m pa re you in yo ur grea t ness? Su re ly, to a cedar of Lebanon"

EZEK I E L

1399

I

4

9

3 1: 1 8

with noble branches, th ick -set need les a nd lofty trunk . It s to p p ierces t he clouds." T he wa ters have ma de it grow , t he dee p has made it tall , po uri ng its r ivers round t he pla ce where it is pla nted, se ndi ng its streams to all t he ot her t rees . T his is why its trunk grew tall er than all the other tre es ; it s branches incre as ed in num be r, its bo ugh s stretched wide, because the ple ntiful wat ers reached it. All the b irds of heave n u sed to nes t in its branches ; under its bough s all wi ld a nima ls used to d rop th eir young ; in its shade every kind of people sa t. It was beautifu l in its size, in t he span of its bough s; its roots went deep into plent iful waters. No cedar eq ualled it in the garden of God, no cypress had bra nc hes such as these; no plane tree could match its boughs, no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty. I had made it lo vely with branching gre en. It was the envy of every tree in Eden , in the ga rden of God.

"Very well th en , the Lord Yahweh says this: Since it has ra ised itself to its full heigh t, has lifted its top to th e clouds,' 11 an d ha s grow n arrogant in its he ight, • [ have handed it over to th e prince of t he 12 nati ons;' to do with it as its wick edn ess deserves; I ha ve dest royed it. • F o reigners, t he most barba ro us o f t he nations, ha ve cut it down a nd felle d it. On the moun ta ins, in all th e va lleys, lie it s branches ; its broken bo ug hs fill every ra vi ne t hrou gh ou t t he co untry ; every bo dy in t he cou ntry ha s left its sha de a nd deserted 13 it. -O n t he wreck age per c h a ll th e bir ds of hea ven ; a ll t he wild a ni mals ha ve m ade th eir den s under its bran ch es. 14 In futu re let no t ree r ise in prid e beside th e wa ters, non e pus h its to p through t he clouds," no well-wa tered tree stretc h it s who le height to wa rds them . Fo r all of t he m are d oo med to deat h, to th e region s underground , with the common r un of ma n ki nd, with t hose who go d own to th e pit. 15 T he Lo rd Yahweh says thi s: O n th e day it went down to S heo l, I closed the deep over it in sign of mourning. [ st opped its river s, the plen tiful wa ters dried u p; I made Le ba non dar k fo r its sa ke, a nd a ll th e tre es of t he fields w ilted 16 for its sak e. • W ith th e noise wh en it fell I made th e na tion s qu ak e, as I hurled it down to Sheo l, with t hose wh o go down to t he pit. I n t he regi on s u nd erground all t he trees of Eden took co mfort , all t he noble a nd lo vely trees of Le ba non 17 no urished by th e waters. ·A nd wit h it went down to Sheo l, to th e victims of th e swo rd ," a ll t hos e na tio ns who used to live in its shade. ' I~ Was anyo ne of a ll t he trees of Eden you r eq ua l in glory a nd size, for you to

II)

Gn 2:8

10

b . ' A r a bia' vers io ns . reads ' Lub' (Libya) .

Ps 37:35 Lm 3:33

Nb 16:33 +

32: 17-32

C ub is no t known : the G reek ma aniflce ncc of E~YIl( which wi ll suddenly be dest royed by divine pun is hm ent . c . '(0 a ceda r of Lebano n' co rr .: Hcbr. a nd vers ions

c. 'sons of my co venan t' Greek ; 'so ns of t he land

ha ve 'S urely (Hr . ' Behol d' ) A ssyr ia i s a ceda r of of the co vena nt' Hebr , L eba no n ', d. 'rams' Greek; ' va n it ies ' Hc br. e . Le. M em phi s in Lo wer ERYOL F o r Pat hros cr. 29:14 +. Z oa n is T a nis. a ci ty of t he De lta . No is d . ' the douds' G reek. T heb es , cap ita l of Up per Egyp t, cf. Jr 46:25 -1- . Sin is

one of the fo r t res ses in the Delta. On is Heliopolis, Pi-bes eth Bubasris , bo th towns in Lower Egypt. Ta hpa n hes is a front ier (Own east of th e Delta. t , ' t here will be a . . . ' Greek; Heb r. u nintelligible. g . March-A pril 587. h . Egyp t tri ed to int er vene with a view to ra isi ng the sie ge o f Je rus al em. but fa iled, cf. Jr 37:5· 8. l, Pred icti o n o r a fu r ther defeat wh ich will d estr o y th e rem ain der o f th e Egyptian a rmi es. 31 a . M a y-June 587. b . T he sa me im ages arc used 'in the a lleg ory of cit. 17 bu t wit h a d ifferent meaning. T hey descr ibe th e

e. 'to th e c lo uds ' Greek . f. ' th e p ri nce of the nat io ns' G reek: 'a r a nt ' Hebr. The refe re nce is ev ident ly to Nebuc ha dnczzar, cf. Jr 43 : 12 f- , or to his successors. The severity of t he p u nishm cru d esc ri bed eve n s ug gests th e co nq ues t of Egyp t b y C am byscs in 525. g . 'cl o ud s ' co r r. h . Hc br . ad ds ' h is ar m ' . I. The Ph a raoh bei ng the cedar. t he o t her kin gs are th e other t rees in th e eart hly pa ra d ise. d. vv, 7-9. A ll thes e ' tre es', ha vin g eone down to Sheol . will be consoled by the arrival of the P haraoh . 32: 17f.

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be hur led with the tr ees of · Eden down to the reg ions undergr ound ? W ith th e unci rcumc ised the re you lie; with the victims of th e swo rd lie Pha raoh a nd a ll his subjec ts- it is the Lord Ya hweh who spea ks." ,

The crocodile

32

In the twelfth year, o n the first day of the twe lfth month ," the word o f Ya hweh was add ressed to me as fol lows, · 'Son o f ma n, ra ise the d irge for P harao h king of Egypt. Say to him, " Young lion of na tions , you have bee n wiped out. 29:3-5 Jb 40:25-41:

"You were li ke a crocodile in the wat er ; yo u snorted through yo ur nost rils, b yo u churne d the wat er with yo ur feet, yo u mu dd ied its strea ms .

26

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31:12- 16 lI a b 1: 14

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29: 19

Is 14:9- 1 1

31: 16 26:19 Jb 3: 14

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"The Lo rd Ya hweh says th is: I a m go ing to th row my net over you in a great co nco u rse of na tio ns ; they will d rag yo u as hore in my net. I mean to lea ve you on lan d , drop you o n the gro und : mak e a ll the birds sett le o n yo u, glut a ll the bea sts of th e ea rth with you, lay your carcase o n the mo u ntains ide, fill the valle ys with yo ur offa l. I inte nd to water th e co untry wit h wha t flows fro m yo u, wit h yo ur blood, on the mountains ides, an d the ravi nes will be full of it. W he n I ex ting uish yo u I will cove r t he sk ies, and da rken the sta rs. I will cover the sun with clouds and the moo n will no t give its light. I will di m eve ry lum ina ry in heav en for you, and caller yo u r country in dark ness -it is th e Lo rd Yahweh who spea ks.

I sha ll grieve the hea rt of many peoples when I lead your ca ptives' a m ong the na tions, into countries unknown to you. • dI sha ll stun many peoples with shock a t your fat e ; the ir k ings will be pa nic-s tricken at yo ur fa te, when I bra nd ish my swo rd befor e their eyes . On th e day of yo ur fall, eac h will trem ble co ntinuously for h is life . • For th e Lo rd Ya hweh sa ys this: T he swo rd of the king o f Ba bylo n will fo llow you . ·1 sha ll make yo ur th rongs of subjec ts fa ll a t the swo rds of my wa rriors, who a re th e mo st ba rbarou s o f th e nati on s. T hey will a n nihilate the pride o f Egypt, a nd her whole popu lati o n will be destroyed . I sha ll mak e a ll her ca tt le perish too o n the ba nks of the deep wat er s. T he feet of men will not muddy them ag a in, the feet of an imal s will not mud dy them agai n. -Then I sha ll ca lm her waters; I sha ll make her rivers glide lik e oi l-it is the Lo rd Yahweh who spea ks. W he n I red uce Egy pt to desert a nd t he country is st rippe d of its co nte nts, whe n I strike a ll t hos e who live th ere, they will learn that I a m Ya hweh . S uc h is [he dirge tha t the da ug hte rs of the nati on s will raise . T hey wi ll ra ise it over Egy pt a nd her huge po pula tion. T his is the d irge they will ra iseit is the Lord Ya hwe h who speaks." ,

9 10

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33=3

na tio ns in their majesty, to the region s u nd ergr ound, with those who go down to t he pit.! ' With those who hav e fallen by the swo rd they too will fall; her strength 20 2 1a shall be totally extinguished . g - In Sheol the grea test her oes will address her, 19 2lb " Do yo u excel anyone in bea ut y" now? -Co rne dow n, make yo ur bed ' with the unc ircumcised who have fallen by th e sword. " ; 'A ssyria is there with all her warrio rs round her tomb;" a ll killed , all victims 22 23 of the sword ; ·their graves have been made in the deepest part o f the pit, wit h he r army ro und her tomb , all killed , all victims o f the sword, yet she once spread terror throughout the land of the living. 'E larn is there, with all her troops round her tomb; al l killed, all victims of 24 the sword, they have go ne down uncircumcised to the regions underground, yet she once spread te rror throughout the land of the living. They en dure the 25 disg race of t hose who go down to the pit. -In the midd le of the sla ug hte red a bed has been mad e fo r her, with a ll her t roops round her tom b, a ll o f th em u ncircumc ised , pu t to the sword, yet she once spread terror th rou gh ou t the lan d of th e living. T hey e ndu re th e d isgrace of those who go d own to the pit. They ha ve been pu t am o ng the slaug htered. 'Mes hec h is th er e, a nd T uba l, with all her troops rou nd he r tomb, a ll of 26 them un circumcised, put to the swo rd for ha vin g spread terror th roughout the 27 land o f the living . •T hey do not lie with the heroes wh o fell lon g ago, t hose who went fully a rmed d own to Shcol, who ha d the ir swords la id under their heads a nd their sh ields' pu t unde r their bones, since the heroes insp ired the land 28 of th e living with te rror. - Instead, yo u sha ll lie with the u ncircumcised , m with th ose who have fallen to t he sword. ' Edom is there, her kings a nd a ll her pr inces who, d espite their va lour, have 29 bee n la id with those who have fallen by the sword . T hey lie with th e un circu mcised , with those who go dow n to the pit. 'A ll the pr inces of th e No rt h a nd a ll the Sido nians a re there, hav ing go ne 30 down with th e sla ughtered , in spite o f the terro r their po we r insp ired." U ncircumcised th ey lie with those who were victims of the sword. T hey endur e the disgrace of thos e who go down to the pit. 'Pha ra o h will see them a nd ta ke co mfo rt at the sig ht of suc h a host pu t to 31 th e sword, Pha ra o h and his wh ole a rmy- it is th e Lord Ya hweh who speaks. 32 He who once sprea d ter ror t hr oughou t th e la nd of the living no w lies > with th e unc ircumc ised , w ith those who were victi ms of t he swor d , Ph a ra oh a nd his who le army. It is the Lo rd Ya hweh wh o speaks.'

II)

27: 13:38:2, 3 ; 39:1 Is66 :19 Lxx

II

12

III. D U RI N G AND AFTER THE SIEGE OF JER USAL EM" The prophet as sentry

13

15

16

17 18

3:17-21

T he wo rd o f Ya hweh was addressed to me as fo llows, · 'So n of man , spea k to the mem bers of you r natio n. Sa y to th em , " When I sen d t he sword aga inst a country, the peopl e of that cou ntry select o ne of the mselves a nd post him as a sen try; -if he sees the sword co ming against the co untry,

33

14

Egypt goes down to Sheol In the twelfth year, on th e fifteent h day of the first mont h,' the wo rd of Ya hwe h was a dd ressed to me as foll ows, ·'Son of man , raise the d irge over the huge popu lation of Egy pt ; se nd them down, her and the da ug hters of the

EZEKIE L

3

i . 'Co me do wn . make yo ur bed ' G re e k; 'They ca me 3 2 a . Fe b r ua ry- M arc h 5l:l5. down. t hcy m ade th eir bed ' He br. b . 'yo u r no st rils' corr. i. Egy p t is welcomed b y a ll the ki ngs o f th e n ati on s c. 'lea d yo ur captives' Greek; 'ca use your destr uctio n' He br. kil led in bu ule befo re. d . Vv. 10·1 5 seem a later a dd itio n. T he co nclusion. k , ' ro und her tomb ' cor r.: ' ro u nd h im h is tom bs' v, 16. mu st o rig ina lly ha ve been jo ined 10 v. 9. Hcbr. I. ' lo ng ago' Gree k. ' sh ields ' corr. e . ' t he Ilrst mon th ' Gree k. Ma rc h-A pril 51':6. m. Hebr. add s ' YOU sha ll be b ro ke n' . n . He br . add s 'as ha med ' . o, ' He . . . lies' Targ. : ' I. . . lie ' Hebr. r. v. 19 is p laced af ter v, 21a as in th e Greek. g, ' he r s treng t h s ha ll . .. totally' Greek : Heb r, 33 a.The t hir d sect io n of th e b o o k co n tai ns t he ora cles u tte red af te r Neb uc ha d nezz ar's in vasi o n o f Pales tine un int elligib le. h . Heb r. ad ds 'c o me d o wn and make yo ur be d (ot hers a re fo u nd in th e sec on d sec tton : th e poe ms with th e u ncircu mcise d ' . ag ai nst the na ti on s) .

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= 18:29

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EZEKIE L

14° 2

he sou nds his ho rn to a lert the people." ·11' so meone hears th e so und o f the horn , b ut pays no a tte ntio n, the sword will overtake him and dest roy hi m ; he wi ll ha ve been resp o nsible fo r his own deat h.• He has hear d the sound of the horn and pai d no attent ion; his death will be his ow n respo nsib ility. But the life of someone who pa ys attention to the wa rn ing will be secure. "If, however, the sent ry has seen the sword com ing bu t has not blown his horn , and so the peop le are not alerted and the sword overta kes them a nd dest roys o ne of them, t he lat ter shall indeed die for h is sin, but I will hold the sentry responsible fo r h is death." 'Son of man, I have a ppo inted you as sentry to the House of Israel. When you hear a word fro m my m outh, warn th em in my name.• If I say to a wicked ma n: Wicked wretc h, yo u arc to die, a nd yo u do not speak to warn the wicked ma n to renounce his ways, th en he sha ll die for his sin, but I wi ll hold you responsible fo r his deat h.• If, however , you do warn a wicked ma n to renounce his ways a nd repent, a nd he does not repe nt, then he sha ll die for his sin, but yo u yo ur self will ha ve saved yo u r life.

4

5

3:26 <:!7

~

In the twelfth yea r of o ur ca pt ivity, o n the fifth day of the tenth month: a fugiti ve a rrived fro m Jerusa lem a nd sa id to me, 'The city ha s been tak en ' . No w th e hand o f th e Lo rd had been o n me ' the evening before the fugitive a rrived; he had arened my mouth befo re the man came to me the next mo rn ing ; my mouth had been o pened a nd I wa s dum b no longer. "

29

I I : 15

L v 17:10· 14

i. v 1:5 +

UJ

Q

34: 1 0

of the la nd ? •Y ou re ly on your swo rds, you engage in filth y practices, you each commit adu lter y with yo ur neighb ou r's wife; a re yo u likely to retai n possession of the lan d ?" •Te ll t he m t his, "Th e Lo rd Ya hweh says this: As I live, I swear it, th ose in thc rui ns will fall to the swo rd, those in t he co unt rys ide I will give to wild anim al s to devo ur , t hose in st ro ng ho lds a nd caves will d ie of plag ue. · 1 int end to redu ce the land to dese rt a nd desola tio n a nd it will no long er ta ke prid e in its strength . T he mountain s of Israe l will be deserted a nd no one will pas s that wa y again . • And so men w ill lea rn that I a m Ya hwe h, when I redu ce the lan d to desert a nd des olati on o n acco unt o f all their filth y prac tices ."

Lv 18:20 VI

The results of th e preaching 8

.\ 0

.11

32

.1.1 III

'So n of ma n, th c mem bers of yo ur na tion are tal king ab out you on the ram pa rts a nd in doo rways. They kee p sayi ng, " C om e a nd hear the word t hat has come fro m Ya hwe h" .• T hey th ron g to wa rd s yo u; my peop le sit do wn in front of you a nd listen to yo ur words, but thcy do not ac t o n th em . T hey ca nno t tell th e truth; a nd th eir hearts arc set o n d isho nest ga in. -As far as the y a re co nce rned , yo u a rc like a love so ng beautiful ly su ng to mu sic . T hey liste n to yo ur wor ds, but no o ne r uts th em int o pract ice. • Whe n t he thin g ta kes pla ce-s-and it is beginn ing now-i- the y wi ll learn tha t there ha s been a prop het a mo ng them,' T he shepherds of Israel"

II

T he word of Yah weh was add ressed to me as fo llows , •'So n o f ma n, proph esy ag a inst the shep herd s of Israe l ; prop hesy a nd say to th em , "S he pherds," the Lo rd Ya hweh says th is: T ro uble fo r the shepherds of Israel who feed t hemselves ! S hep he rds ou ght to feed thei r flock , ·yet yo u have fed on rn il k.r you have dr essed yo urse lves in wool , yo u ha ve sacrificed thc fattest sheer, 4 but fa iled to feed the floc k.• You ha ve faile d to mak e wea k sheer stro ng, or to ca re for the sick ones, or bandage the wo unded on es, You ha ve fai led to bring back stra ys or look for the lost. O n the conrrury . yo u ha ve ruled them cruelly and vio lent ly. • For lack of a shepherd they ha ve scat tere d , to become the prey of an y " wild a nima l ; they have sca ttered fa r.• My flock is stray ing t his way andthat , on mo unta ins and on high hi lls ;'; my fl ock has been scattered allover the co unt ry; no on e bo t he rs abo ut them and no onc looks for them . 'Well th en , she phe rds, hea r the word o f Ya hwe h. ·As I live, I swear it- it is t he Lo rd Ya hwe h wh o speaks -si nce my flock ha s been loot ed a nd fo r lac k o f a she pherd is now th e prey of any wi ld a nima l, since my she pherds have sto p ped botherin g a bo ut my floc k, since my s hepherds feed themse lves ra th er t han my 1;~ Iloc k, -in view of a ll thi s, shep herd s, hea r the word of Ya hwe h. -The Lo rd

34

12

13

14

15 16

17 18 19

M l 7:26 Lk 8:2 1

. Lk 7:32 2:5 Ilt 18 :2 1 J r 2t.::9 Is 53 :6

Jr 23: I ~6 Z.:, 1 1:4- 17 o f MI 18: 12 14

--' Lk [5:4-7 /

J I1

10: 1-

18 + S /: 1:7 Is 56: 11

Mi 2: 12 :4:6 7: 14

Z...' 9:16: 10:

3: 13: 1

I P5:?-./ .\if 1."" -/ 2 Lk 15 :4

N h 2 7: 18 Is 56:'}- 12 Zc 10:2 Mt 9:36

11 2: 1.1

20 b. As in 13: l Of. the itlus rru u o n ha s probably been s he p herds. her e [he ki ngs and la y lea der s of th e pe ople , s u gges te d b y t he d ef ensi ve prcpur ati un s t he n bei ng vv. 1- 10 . Ya hwe h will ta ke fro m th em the flock t hey

ma de. c . ' Yo u a rc to live' vcrsio ns : ' He is to li ve' Hebr. d. He b r. inse rt s 'wi cked', c . Dece mbe r 5H6-Ja n uao' 585. 21

22

r.

Eze ki el had be e n deprived o f speech h y ' t he

han d of Ya hwe h", cr. 3:24-27: 24:2 7. g . The obscrvatlon s ho ws t he PCOfl!c'S a tlcc tto n f Il l th ei r co u ntry b ut als o. eve n afte r th c d isa s ter of 5H7. a pre sumpt u ou s co nf i de nce i n th ei r fu t ur e.

h. Transla tio n d o ubt ful . Possi b ly correc t 10 ' '1'<111 ca t on th e m oun tuins ". c f. I ~ : 6 .

i, 't hro ng ' intemrctuti o n (ru th ' follo win g Gree k .

The ravaging of the country The word o f Ya hwe h was then addressed to me a s foll ow s, ·'Son o f man , the peop le livin g in th ose ru ins in th e land of Israel say, " Abrah am was a lo ne w hen he was give n possession o f th is land . Now we a re many a nd we hold the coun t ry as o u r d oma in,". 'V er y we ll, tell th em , "The Lo rd Ya hwe h say s this: Yo u ea t blood," you raise you r eyes to your ido ls, yo u shed blood; a re yo u likely to keep possess ion

27

28

The taking of the city 24:2 6-2 7

26

6

Conversion and perve rsity 'Son o f man, say to the House of Israel, "You a re cont inua lly sayi ng: Our si ns a nd cr imes weig h heavily on us; we a re wasting away beca use of the m. How a re we to go o n livin g?" -Say to t hem , "As I live-i t is t he Lo rd Ya hwe h who sp ea ks- l tak e pleasure, not in the death of a wicke d man , but in th e tu rning back o f a wicke d ma n who ch a nges his ways to wi n life. Come back, co me back fro m yo ur ev il ways . W hy a rc yo u so anx ious to die , Ho use o f Israe l?" 'And yo u, son o f man , say to the mem bers of your nation, "The integrity of a n up righ t ma n will not sav e him o nce hc ha s chosen to sin ; the w icked ness of a wicked ma n will no lo nger condemn him o nce he ren ounces wickedness, no r will an uprig ht man live on th e strength of his integrity on ce he has c hose n to sin. ·11' I say to a n upr ight man : You a re to live," a nd then, tr usting in his own integri ty, he turns to evi l, all his integrity will no lon ger be remem bered ; because he has sinned, he sha ll d ie. ·11', however, I say to a wicked man: You a rc to die , a nd he renounces his sins and does wha t is lawfu l and righ t, ·if he retu rns " pledge s, resto res w ha t he ha s sto len, keep s the law s th a t give life and stops co m mitt ing sin- he sha ll live, a nd wi ll not d ie. ·A II his prev io us sins will no lo nger be rem ember ed -he has do ne wha t is lawful a nd right; he sha ll live. "The members o f you r nati on o bje ct : W ha t the Lo rd do es is unju st ; bu t it is w ha t yo u d o th a t is unj ust. •W hen an upright ma n ren ou nces his integrit y a nd co m mits sin, he d ies for it. ·A nd whe n a wicked man ren ounces his wicked ness a nd docs what is lawfu l a nd right , because of this he lives. -You o bject: Wh at th e Lo rd doe s is unju st ; but I mean to judge each o f you by w ha t he d ocs, Ho use o f Israel. " ,

E Z EKIE L

14 0 J

H

25

u nce rtai n.

"Fh cv.

34 a , The ima ge o f th e k in g-sh epher d is dee p h' root ed i n Easter n litera r y t ra di uon. Jcrc m ln h used u of th e ki n as Ill' Is rael to re bu ke th eir s lac k ness in office. J r ~ :~:

10:2 1; 23: 1-3, a nd 10 nr o clu iru t ha t God wou ld give his peopl e ne w s hep he rds wh o wou ld pa stu re them with integr-i ty. J r 3: 15: 23:.., an d fr om t hese s he phe rds would co me a "Branc h' , Jr 23: 5-6. i.e. the M ess iah . Ezekiel ra ke s UP the t he me fro m J r 23: 1-6, lat er to be res um ed in Ze 11:.. ~ 17. F or thei r wicked ness he rebu kes the

have ilt-t rcuted and h imself be come t he s he pherd o f h is people ( d . Gn 4l'l: 15 : 49:24 ; Is 40: II; Ps ~ O: I ; Q5:7 and Ps 23) : (hi" is in effe c t t he p ro cla mation o f a rhe ocracv. "Y. I I ~ 16 : a nd in po in t of Iac t (h e mo nar chy wa.. IHH re stored after t he re t u rn from exile . B u t th e tim e was to .:O Ill C when Yahweh wo uld g ive his p e o ple a s he p he r d o f his ow n chot ec . V Y. :n-24. a ' pr-ince' (d. 45:7- 1'1: 4h :Iol - IO, 1(,- 1,10 , a uorh cr Da vid . T he ter m s in which rlu s m-ince's rciu u is described. vv. 25-3 I. a nd the name "D a v id ' bv wh ich he is ca lled (sec 2 S 7: 1 ! cr. Is 1 1: 1 I ; J r :23:5). suggl'sl a mess ian ic ne e in whic h {ioL! h im se lf', hy m ea ns of his Mcsst ah . rul es hi s p e ople in iust tcc an d peace. In thi s text o f I:/,cki el we di scer n I he ou t line oft hc narublc o f t he 1.0 ,,1S hee p. M t 11'\ : 12- 14 ; L k 15:4-7, hut more espc ci ul lv o f th e a llegor~' of t h e (;( lOt! She p herd, In 10: I I - I X, whic h by virt ue o fus o rbnnul CIHllC\I here is see n 10 be a claim 10 mcss la hship Oil th e pari of Je s us. T he Good She phe rd is la ter to bec ome on e of t he ea r lies t the mes o f Chris tia n Ico no gran hv. h. 'S he p herds' Sr r. ; To the sh e p herds ' He b r. c . ' m ilk ' G reek ; 'fat ' Hebr . d . Prob a bl y al lu di ng to worship on the ' hig h pla ces' .

z

s o I

34: J J

EZEKIEL

14° 5

14°4

Yahweh says this: J a m go ing to call t he shepherds to account. J am goi ng to take my flock back fro m them and I sha ll not allow them to feed m y flock. In th is way the shep herds w ill stop feedi ng t he mselves. I sha ll resc ue my shee p from their m ou th s ; t hey will not prey on them a ny mo re. F o r t he Lord Ya hweh says this: I am go ing to loo k a fte r m y flock myse lf I I and keep a ll of it in view. -As a she phe rd keeps all h is floc k in view when he 12 stands up in t he mid d le o f his scattered sheep, so shall I kee p my sheep in view. I shall rescue the m fro m wherever they have been sca tte red during t he mist a nd darkness . ·1 sha ll brin g t hem o ut of the cou n tr ies w here t hey a rc; I sha ll gat her 13 them toget he r from fore ign coun tries and b ring them back to t he ir ow n lan d . I shall past ure t he m o n t he mo un ta ins of Is rael, in t he ra vin es a nd in every I n 10:9 inhabited pla ce in th e la nd .• I sha ll feed them in good pa sturag e ; th e hi gh 14 m ountains o f Is rae l will be t heir g ra zing g rou nd. T he re th ey will rest in goo d gra zing g ro u nd; th ey will br o wse in r ich pas tu res o n th e mounta in s of Isra el. I myself will pa st ur e my shee p, I mys elf will show them where to rest-it is 15 Is 40: 11 L k 15:4-7 t he Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho s peaks.• I sha ll look for t he lost o ne, bring back the stray, " ba ndage th e wo und ed a nd m a ke th e wea k st ro ng. I sha ll watch ove r ' th e fat a nd healthy. I sha ll be a tru e sh ephe rd to th em . ;- M t 25:32As fo r you, my sheep, t he Lord Ya hwe h say s th is: I will judge betw een 17 34 shee p a nd shee p, bet ween ram s and he-g oa ts .• Not co n te n t to g raze in good I~ past ures, you tr ample dow n th e res t; no t content to dri nk clea r water, yo u muddy th e rest with your feet. - A nd m y shee p must gr aze o n w hat yo u r feet have 19 t rampled , d rink what your fee t ha ve m udd ied .• Very well then , th e Lo rd Ya hwe h 20 sa ys t his: r myself a m no w a bo ut to ju dg e between fat shee p a nd lean s hee p. Si nce you ha ve butted a ll the weak shee p with your rumps a nd sho uld ers a nd 2 1 horn s, u nt il yo u ha ve c hased the m away , ·1 am going to eo me a nd rescu e " my sheep fr o m bein g c heated; I will j udge bet ween shee p a nd shee p. 37:24 I mean to raise up o ne s he phe rd , my ser va n t David , a nd to put him in cha rge of 23 Ps 78:7 0 J n 10: 16 th em a nd he will pasture them; he will pastu re them a nd be th eir shep he rd . I, Ya hwe h, will be t he ir God, a nd my serva nt Davi d sha ll be th eir ru ler. I, Ya hwe h, !-I Is 11:6-9 + Jr 23:5-6 ha ve s poken. • I sha ll mak e a cove na nt o f peace wit h t he m ; I sha ll r id th e co un t ry 25 Ho 2:20 of wi ld a nima ls. T hey will be a ble to live sa fely in th e wilde rness a nd go to slee p Lv 26:4 Ps 84:6 in t he woods . • I sha ll se tt le them round my hill;! I sha ll send rain at t he proper 26 time; it wi ll be a fe rtile ra in. -The tre es of t he co untrys ide will yield th eir fruit 27 and t he eart h it s p rod uce; t hey w ill feel sa fe o n t he ir ow n fa rm s. A nd me n wi ll Ps 67:6 learn that I am Yahweh w hen I break t heir yo kes t ra ps a nd relea se the m fro m Tb 14:7 t heir ca pto rs.• No m ore will t hey be a prey to forei g n co untr ies, no mo re w ill 28 they be ea te n by wild a nim a ls in thi s co un try. T hey will live wi tho ut fea r and n o on e wi ll d istu rb t hem agai n . ·1 sha ll make s ple nd id vege ta tio n gr ow fo r th em ; 19 no m ore wi ll t hey su tTe r fro m fami ne in thi s la nd ; no m o re wi ll t hey have to bear t he ins ults o f o t he r nat ion s. -A nd me n will learn t hat I, th eir G o d , am with them 30 a nd that they, t he Hou se of Isr ael, arc my pe op le-it is th e Lo rd Ya h we h w ho s pea ks.• A nd you, my sheep , a rc the flo c k " [ sha ll pa st ure, and I a m yo u r G o d- 3 1 it is th e Lord Ya hwe h w ho s pea ks ." , 25: 12-14·L Nb 20:23 ·Ps 137:7 A m 1:11

II

.' Rv 16:6

Aga inst the mountains of Edom«

9

10 II

12

13

14

15

4

t he mountain of Seir to desert a nd desola tion, and I will elimi nate everyone w ho t ra vels up and d o wn the cou ntry. ·1 sha ll fill its mo u ntains with corpses; peo ple wi ll fall , st ruck down by t he sword on yo ur hills, in yo ur va lleys, in every one o f yo ur ra vin es .• r am goi ng to reduce you to desolation, for ever you r towns will rem a in uninhabited, a nd so yo u will learn that I am Yah weh. Si nce yo u sa id to the two nations, th e two countries:' You belong to me; we are going to take possession here wher e Ya hwe h used to be : -very well, as I live - it is the Lord Yahwe h who speaks-in a nger a nd fury I will do exactly wh a t you did because you hated them . I sha ll mak e it clear that I am punis hi ng you o n t hei r beha lf; -t hen you will know t hat I, Ya hw eh, have overheard all the o utrageo us th ings you have sa id abo ut t he mo untai ns of Israel, suc h as : They have bee n a ba ndo ne d, t hey have bee n left for us to devo ur. • You ha ve talke d ar rogantly ab o ut me, to o , yo u ha ve repeatedl y slandered me ; I ha ve hea rd ! -Th e Lord Ya hwe h says this: To th e j oy of th e who le co u ntry, I a m go ing to red uce you to d eser t. -Si nce yo u rejoiced w hen t he do ma in o f t he Ho use of Israel beca me a d esert, I will do th e sa me to yo u, mo un tai n o f Se ir; yo u will become a d eser t, a nd so wi ll t he wh ol e o f Edo rn ; a nd so men wi ll lea rn th at I am Yahweh."

3

4

5

7

9 10

11

36

'Son of man , proph esy thi s to th e m ou nt a ins of Isr ael. Say, " M ount ai ns of Israel, hear th e wo rd of Ya hwe h" . -T he Lo rd Yahwe h says thi s: Sin ce the e ne my has insulted yo u by say ing, "A ha ! T hese ete rna l height s ha ve no w beco m e ou r dom ain " , -you mu st proph esy. Say , " T he Lo rd Ya hwe h says thi s: S ince yo u ha ve been ra vaged a nd se ized on by surro und ing cou ntr ies, a nd tak e n o ve r by th e rest o f th e nat io ns, and made t he sub ject o f peo ple' s ta lk and go ssip, now, m oun ta ins of Israel, hear t he word o f the Lord Ya hwe h: T he Lo rd Ya hwe h says t h is to mo u nta ins and hill s, to rav ines a nd va lleys, to aba ndoned ruins a nd the empty pl un d e red citi es t ha t ha ve bec ome the la ug hi ng-stock of a ll the su rro und ing nat io ns . • Yes, the Lord Yahwe h say s thi s: I swea r it by the fierce ness of my jealousy; I am speaking to the rest of th e nat io ns a nd to the w ho le of Edo m w ho so exulta nt ly and con tempt uo us ly took possession of my co un t ry a nd plun d er ed it." 'Th is being so, pr o ph esy thi s a bo ut the la nd of Israe l. Say to th e m ounta ins and hills, to th e ra vines a nd va lleys, "T he Lo rd Ya hwe h says th is: I am s pea king in my jeal o usy a nd rage: beca use yo u are end uring t he in sults of th e nat ion s, I, -very we ll, th e Lo rd Ya hwe h says th is: I ra ise my han d a nd I swear that th e nations ro und you sh al l ha ve t hei r own in sul ts to bear. Mo un tai ns o f Israel, yo u will grow branc hes a nd bea r frui t fo r my people Israel, w ho will so o n return.' • Yes, I am co m ing to yo u, I ha ve turned to you; yo u will be t illed a nd sown. ·1 sha ll mul ti ply th e men who live o n yo u, t he whole H o use of Israel, yes , a ll. T he cit ies will be lived in agai n a nd th e rui ns re b ui lt. I sha ll mul tipl y t he me n an d a nima ls th a t live o n yo u; th e re will be m an y of t hem a nd th ey will be fert ile. I sha ll re pop ulate yo u as you were before; I sha ll make you more pros pe rous t han you were be fore , and so you w ill lea rn t hat I am Ya hwe h. T ha nk s to me, men wi ll tread your so il again, m y peo ple Israel; they w ill ha ve yo u for t he ir o wn d omai n, an d nev e r again will yo u rob t hem" o f th ei r c h ild ren . c. ' I s ha ll watc h ove r ' ver sion s ; ' I sha ll destroy' Hebr . r. Z ion . T he tr an s lati on follows the G reek . g . H cbr , add s ' o f m en ' .

5

3 5 a. T h is oracle a gai ns t [h e ' mo u nt ain of Scir" ( Edo m )

6

wo u ld find a m or e nat u ra l p la ce a m ona the "O rac les aaai ns t th e na tio ns' , bu t is evide nuv p laced here (0 balance th e su bseq ue nt o racle add ressed 10 the mo un tain s of Isra el. b. 'you ha ve si n ned' versio ns: ' YOU have ha ted

7

~

O racle on the mounta ins of Israel" 1

12

35

T he word of Ya hwe h was a d d ressed to me as fo llows, · 'So n of man , turn towa rds t he mountain o f Sc ir and prop hesy aga in st it. - Say to it , " Th e Lord Ya hwe h says t his: N o w I set mys elf again st you , mountain o f Scir ; I a m st re tc hing o ut my ha nd aga ins t yo u ; I am go ing to red uce yo u to des ert a nd d esol ati on, .( la y your tow ns in r uin s, a nd make yo u a des o lat io n, a nd so you will learn that I am Ya hwe h. -Sincc, nourishing a lo ng-sta nd ing ha t red , yo u bet rayed th e so ns o f Isr ael to th e sword d uri ng thei r tr ouble, a t th e time of their la st c rime, - very we ll, a s I live-it is the Lo rd Yahwe h w ho speaks- I mea n to hand yo u o ve r to blood sh ed , a nd bloodsh ed w ill pu rsue yo u . I swea r it ; yo u hav e sin ned /, by shedd ing blo o d, a nd bloods hed will p ur sue yo u. • I inte nd to red uce

8

~

36: I 2

EZEKIEL

b loo d ' He br .

Ps 69: 35

Tb 14:7

c . A fter 5S7 Ed o r n made at tempt s to ov err un not only t he k i ngdo m of Judah bu t the who le of Palestine. 36 a . Th e re veng e of the m ou n t ain s of Israel o n the m o uru a !n of Scir. ch . 35. h . T he orn ctc ma y ha ve bee n ut te red s ho rl lr a fte r :"S7 when th e ncinh b o urtng Peoples were m a k in g Ioruyx in to Pal estine . c . S UI,..h fait h in a ho me -comi ng in th e ncar fut ure is suikt n g at th is l im e or sho ck c r. ch. 37 and Is 40-55.

Z


o

and dls co ur uuct u c u t ,

d. ' ne ver agai n will you ro b ' co rr.

o

:I:

-'

UJ

36:13

Lv 15: 19- 27 ELf 9: 11

11: 16

20:3 9 I· Ps 106:8 Is 52:5 Rm 2:24

.»

16:60-63 ; 20:9 P s 79:9; 115: 1 Is 41'::1 t Ba 2:19 Aft

6:9

11: 17 Tb 14:5 Ps 5 1:7

r: 13: I

Jn 3:5 :4: l t

t 1:19 I Jr 4:4 ; :33:1': In 17:3 2 Co 3:3 1I : 20 A c 2:33

16 :6 1-6 3

Jr 36: 31

Zc 3:7 Ps 5 1: IH

Ps 107:36 I ~ 5 1:3 P s 116:2

L v 26: 11-1 2

Is 16 :19

110 6:2 3: 12 +

EZE KI E L

14 0 6

The Lord Yahweh sa ys t his: S ince peo ple have sa id o f yo u: Y o u are 13 a man -cater , yo u ha ve robbed yo ur nat ion o f its c h ildren: - ve ry wel l, yo u wi ll 1·\ eat n o more men , neve r ro b yo u r nat io n of it s ch ildren a ga in-it is th e Lord Y a hwe h who speaks. · 1 s ha ll n eve r aga in let you he ar the insult s of t he na ti o ns, 15 yo u will never a ga in nave t o be a r t he tau n ts o f the foreign e rs, yo u wi ll ne ver a ga in ro b t hc nat io n o f its c h ildrcn-it is the L o rd Yahwe h who s pea ks ." , The wo rd of Ya hwe h was ad d ressed to me as follows : · 'So n o f man, the : ~ member s of t he H ou se o f Israe l used to live in the ir own land , but t hey defi led it by t he ir con duct and acti on s; to m e th eir co nd uc t was as unclean as a woman ' s men struati on . · 1 then discharged m y fury at them bec ause of the bl ood t hcy sh ed 1M in t hc ir la nd and the idols with wh ich they defiled it. • I sca tt e red th e m a m o ng 19 the nat ions a nd dispersed them in fore ign count ries. I sente nced them a s t heir co nd uct a nd ac tio ns deserved . -And now t hey ha ve p rofaned m y ho ly na me 20 a mo ng t he na t io ns w he re t he y ha ve gone, so t ha t peo ple sa y of them , " T hese a re the peop le of Ya hwe h; t hey ha ve been exiled fr om h is la nd " . · Bu t 1 have bee n 21 concerned a bo ut m y ho ly na me , which the Ho use of Israe l ha s profaned a mo ng t he na tions w here they ha ve gone. -And so, say to the Ho use of Is rae l, " T he 22 Lord Ya hweh says t h is: 1 am n o t doing th is fo r your sa ke, House of Israe l, but fo r t he sake of m y holy name , wh ich yo u ha ve profaned a mong t he nat io ns w here you have gone. ·1 mea n to d isp lay the holi ness o f my great na me, w h ich ha s 2 .1 been pro fa ned a mo ng t he nati on s, w hic h yo u ha ve pr o fa ned a mong th em . A nd t he na t io ns w ill lea rn that I a m Ya hwe h- it is the Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho s pca ksw he n I di sp la y my ho lin ess fo r yo ur sa ke before t he ir eyes. • T he n I a m go ing to 24 take yo u from a m o n g the nat io ns a nd ga t he r yo u to ge th e r fro m a ll th e fo re ig n cou nt rie s, and bri ng yo u ho rne to yo ur ow n la nd . ·1 s ha ll pou r c lean wat er over 2 5 you a nd yo u w ill be c lca nsc d ; I s ha ll clea nse yo u of a ll yo u r de fi leme n t and a ll yo u r ido ls. • , s ha ll gi ve yo u a new hca rt,a nd r ut a ne w s pirit in yo u ; I s ha ll remove 26 thc heart of sto ne fro m yo u r bo dies a nd g ive you a hea rt of Ilcs h instead .• 1 s ha ll 2 7 put m y spiri t in you, a nd make yo u keep m y la ws a nd s ince re ly respec t m y ob scrvunccs . ' • You w illl ivc in t he land w h ich I ga ve yo u r a ncestors. You shall be 2 8 m y people a nd I wi ll be your G od . · 1 s ha ll rescue you from a ll yo u r def ilement. 29 I shall su m mon thc corn and make it p lent iful , and no more bring famine s o n yo u. I s ha ll increase the yie ld of fru it trees and fields so t hat yo u wi ll no lo nger have 30 the ig no miny o f fa mi ne a mong t he nat io ns. -The n yo u w ill re me m be r your cv il 3 1 co n d uct a nd act ions . You w ill loa th e you rselve s fo r yo u r si ns a nd yo u r filt hy pract ices. ·1 ass u re yo u t ha t I am not do ing thi s for yo ur sa ke -it is t he Lo rd 32 Y a hwe h w ho speaks. Be as ha me d a nd b lus h fo r yo ur cond uct, House of Israe l. T he Lord Ya hwe h sa ys thi s: O n t he day I cleanse yo u from all you r si ns, 33 1 wi ll re pop u la te t he c it ies a nd ca use th e ru ins to be re b u ilt. • Waste land , o nce 34 deso la te for every passer-by to see, w ill no w be fa rm ed aga in. • Everyo ne w ill sa y: 35 T h is la nd , so rece nt ly a wa s te , is no w like a ga rde n of Ede n, a nd th e ruined c ities o nce aba ndo ned a nd le ve lled to t he grou nd a re now strongholds w it h peo p le livin g in t hcm . · A nd th e na t ions le ft roun d yo u will kn o w t hat I, Ya hwc h, ha ve 36 rebu ilt what was destroycd and rep la n te d w ha t was rui ne d . I, Ya hweh, havc spoke n, a nd I w ill do it. T he Lord Ya hwe h says th is: To gra nt t hem furt he r favo u r, 1 s ha ll 37 e nco u ragc th e H o us c o f Isracl to look for me , a n d sha ll incr ca sc t hcm li kc a Iloc k o f mcn, · Iikc a flock o f sacr ificia l a nima ls, like t he Iloek in Jeru sa lcm o n hc r 38 so lc m n fca st s. An d so you r rui ned cit ies w ill be filled w ith a h uma n floc k. A nd mcn w ill Ica rn th a t 1 am Ya hwe h." ,

37

.\ d r ied u p . • He sa id to me , ' So n of ma n, can t he se bo nes live ?' I sa id , ' Y ou know, Lord Yahweh' . • He said, ' P ro ph esy ove r these bones. Say , "Dry bones, hear the 5 wo rd o f Ya hw eh .• T he Lord Yahweh says t h is to th ese bones: I a m no w go ing to " ma ke t he br ea th :' enter you, and yo u wi ll live . ·1 sh a ll put sinews o n yo u, I sha ll make flesh grow on yo u. 1 s ha ll co ve r yo u w it h sk in a nd g ive yo u bre ath , and you 7 w ill live: and yo u wi ll lea rn th at I a m Ya hwe h." ·1 prophesied a s I had been o rde red. W h ilc I wa s pr ophesying, th ere wa s a no ise , a so u nd of clat terin g; a nd , t he bo ne s joined to gether. " >I look ed , a nd saw that t hey were cove red with sinews; flesh wa s gr owing on them and s k in wa s co verin g them , but there wa s no breath 9 in th em . • He sa id to me, ' Pr o ph esy to t hc breath; proph esy, so n o f man. Sa y to thc breath , "T he Lord Ya hwe h say s th is: C o rn e from the four winds, breath; 10 bre a the on these dea d ; let th cm live!" . ·1 prop hesied as he had ordered me, and t he breat h entered t he m ; t hey came to life a ga in a nd sto o d u p o n t he ir fee t, a grca t, an im me nse army: ' 11 T hcn hc sa id, ' So n o f ma n , t hese bon es a re t hc w ho le House of Israe l. T hey keep say ing, "O u r bo ne s a rc d ried up, ou r ho pe ha s go nc ; we a rc as good as 12 dead" ..· · S o pro phesy.Sa y to them , " T he Lord Ya hwe h sa ys thi s: I am now go ing to ope n you r gra ves : I mca n to ra ise you fro m yo u r graves, m y peopl e, a nd lea d you 1.1 back to t he so il of Israe l. -And yo u w ill k now t ha t I a m Ya hwe h, w hen lore n 14 yo u r graves a nd ra ise yo u fro m yo u r g rav es , m y peop le. -A nd I sha ll ru t m y s p irit in yo u , a nd yo u w ill live , and I s ha ll resett le yo u o n yo ur ow n soi l; a nd you w ill kn o w t hat I. Ya hwe h, ha ve sa id a nd do ne t h is - it is the Lo rd Ya hwe h who

2

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16

17

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20

21

22

T hc wo rd o f Yahwe h wa s a ddressed to me as fo llo ws, ·'So n o f ma n, take a st ic k and w rite on it, "J uda h an d t ho sc Israe lites/ loyal to him" . Take a not he r st ic k a nd writ e o n it, "J ose ph, t hc wood o f E p h ra im , a nd a ll t he Ho use o f Israel loya l to hi m" . " 'J o in o nc to t he ot he r to ma ke a s inglc p iece of wood, a s ing le st ick in yo ur hand. - A nd when thc members of yo u r na t io n say, " Te ll us what yo u mea n" , say , "T he Lord Ya hweh says thi s: I a m taking the stick o f Joseph , now in t he han d of Ep hra im , a nd t hose tribes o f Israc l loya l to hi m , and 1 a m goi ng to put the st ic k o f Juda h w it h t hcrn «. I s ha ll make onc st ick ou t o f the tw o , a nd I sha ll ho ld t he m as o ne." ' Kee p th c p ieces o f wood you have w rit ten o n in your hand w he re t hey ca n sec, -a nd say , "The Lo rd Yahwe h says t his : I am go ing to take t he so ns o f Israe l from th e nat ions where they have go ne , I sha ll ga t he r t he m t oget her fr om eve ryw he re a n d br ing them ho me to t heir ow n so il. ·1 shall ma ke t hem in to c , R cferrlna eit her

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which is to he ma de wo nderfu lly ric h , v, 30. o r to t he

p ra ctice of in fa nt sac ri fice . Lv 1!'t:2 1+ . Poss ibl y bo th arc i n t he pr o ph et ' s min d . r. T he sp ir it (b rc:ll h ) o ( ('od . wh ic h crea tes and gives life. ( i n 1:2 : 2:7 1- . 1<1 YS ho ld o n men to endow t he m wi th supe rhu m a n powe r. Gn 4 1:3X: Ex 31:3: I S 16: U, n
in war d re new a l ma kin g possib le a f.tithfu l o bse rv a nce o f t he la w o f G o d. Ezk 36:26~27; 37:14: 11:1 9 ; Is 32:

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The dr y ho nes T hc hand o f Ya hweh was la id o n me , a nd he carried me away by t he s p irit o f Ya hwc h a nd sc t me down in t he m iddle o f a va lley," a va llcy fu ll o f bo ncs . • H e ma de me wa lk up a nd d own a mo ng t he m . T here we re vast qu a n tit ies o f t hese bo nes o n t hc gro u nd t he w h o le le ngt h of th e va lley ; a nd th ey wc re q u ite

EZEKIE L

14° 7

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t he ne w c ove na nt. J r 3 1:3 1 I · ; like l ife ~ ~ i \' in ~ wa te r it will nnur ish fr uit s of in tc J.;:rit y a nd holi ness. Is 44 :3 : In 4: I I , wh ich in tu rn will JZ uara ni cc t he fa vnur a nJ p rot ec tion of G od fo r m an , Ez k 39 :24 ,29. T his e ffusi on of the l'iPi ri t will be e ffected t hro ugh the M ess ia h who will be the first recip ien t of it . to be abl e to a cco m p lis h his sav ing wo r k. Is 11: 1-3 ; 42: 1; 6 1: 1;

Zc 11:7.14

cf. M l 3:16 + . 37 a . The va lley al rea dy ment ion ed in 3:22 -23 a nd 8:4. b . In lIe br. , th e o ne word wah means ' sp irit ", 'w ind ' . c. Li l . ' t he bo nes ca me tnwards one a no the r ' G reek . d . lI e re, :,s in U n 6:2 : 13: 14 an d Is 26 : 19. God :lIln OUllces . v\' . 11-1 4 , the m essianic reslOratio n o f Isra e l " ncr t he su fTe r hll::s of t he Ex ile, cf. R v 20:4 +. Bu t also , by t he im a J.eery c hosen , he is a lrea dy p re pa rin g mi nd s for th e idc a of a n ind ividu a l rcsurre c lio n of th e b od y, v a ~ ue ly per cei ved in Jb 19:25 -j" and expli cit ly sta te d in D n 12:2 ; 2 M 7:9 ~ 14 ,23-36: 12:43-46 ; cr. 2 M 7:9 t·. For t he N .T ., see M t 22: 29-32 a nd cSDcda llv 1 Co 15. 1,. ' . T h is re ma r k sug gests that the vis io n ta kes pl ac e in Ua b ylo n, a mo ng th e d isco urall:ed ex iles. r. He re th e te rm is n ot use d in a nt it hes is to J udaea ns. b ut mea ns t he who le po pu lat io n of the So u the rn K inll:d om . g . I.e . Ih e who le Nor thern K inJZdom whic h va nis hed a fte r t he fa ll o f Samar ia a nd t he depo rt at io n of 720. b . 't he s tick of J uda h wit h th e m ' co rr , ·b rc ~lI h ' .

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EZEKI EL

140S

one nation in m y own la nd an d ' on t he moun ta in s o f Is rae l, a nd on e kin g is to be k ing o f th em all ; th ey w ill no lo nger form tw o nati on s, nor be two se pa rat e ki ng doms, • T hey wi ll no lo nge r defi le th e mse lves w ith th eir idols a nd 2 ) t he ir fllth y pr a cti ces an d a ll the ir s ins, I sha ll resc ue t he m fr om al l t he betra yal s; th ey ha ve been g uilty o f; I shal l c lea nse th em ; th ey s ha ll be my peo ple a nd I w ill be t he ir GOl L • M y serva nt Dav id wi ll re ig n o ve r them , o ne s he p he rd for a ll; 2-l th ey w ill fo llow m y observ a nces, resp ect m y la ws a nd pr a ct ise them , -T hcy w ill 25 live in the la nd th at I ga ve m y serva nt J ac ob , t he land in wh ich yo ur a ncestors lived , T hey w ill live in it, th ey, th e ir c h ild re n, t he ir c h ild ren's c h ild re n, for ever, Dav id my se rva nt is to be th eir pri nce for ever , -I sh a ll mak e a co ven a nt o f peace 21, w ith th em, a n et ern al cove na n t w it h th em , I shall reset t le them a m i in cr ea se th em ; 1 sh a ll set tle m y sa netua ry among them fo r ever , ·1 sh a ll m a ke m y ho rne 27 abo ve them ; 1 will be th e ir God, th ey sha ll be m y peop le, ' A nd th e nat ion s w ill 2x lea rn t hat I am Ya hwe h t he sa nct ifier or Israel , wh e n m y sa nc tua ry is with th em for eve r," ,

Again st Gog, ki ng of Magog"

38

T he wo rd of Ya hweh wa s add ressed to me as fo llo ws , ·' So n o f ma n, turn toward s G og a nd the co u ntry of Magog, I, t he pri nce o r R os h, Mc s hcch and T u ba l," a nd pr o ph esy aga in st him, -S a y, " T he Lord Ya hw eh says this: I a m aga in st yo u, Gog, p rince of Rosh, Mcshcc h a nd T uba l. ·1 w ill tu rn yo u ro und , fix ing hoo ks in yo u r j a ws: ' a nd d rag you and yo ur troops a lo ng, al l t he horses a nd we ll-armo ured horsem en , a nd a ll t hat gre a t a rmy ca r ry ing s h ie ld s and b ucklers, and w ield ing sword s, • Pe rs ia and C us h and Put a re wit h t he m , all w it h b uckler a nd he lm et ; - Go mer and all its t ro o ps , n o rth e rn m o st Beth- (, toga rrnah and a ll its troops," a nd m a ny nat ion s w ith yo u, • Be ready , be wel l 7 prepa red , yo u a nd al l yo u r troops a nd the ot he rs rallying rou nd yo u , and ho ld yo u rsel f at m y serv ice ." M a ny days wi ll pa ss bef ore yo u are give n orders ; in yea rs to co m e yo u w ill s march aga ins t thi s co u n t ry , It s inhabitants will ha ve been livin g undi sturbed, 'I re mo te from a ll o t he r peopl es, si nce they escaped the sword a nd were gat he re d in Ircrn va rio us na t io ns , her e in t he lon g-deserted mountain s o f Is rae l. • L ike a sto rm you will co m e up and o nw a rd s, and co ver the land lik e a c lou d, you, yo ur army and m any na t io ns w ith you , T he Lord Ya hweh says t h is: On t hat day, a th ou gh t is go ing to e nte r yo ur m in d 10 and you wil l work out a w ick ed p la n," • Y o u w ill say : I wi ll att ack t his I I undefended co u n try and marc h against t h is peaceful nati o n livi ng u nd ist urbed , They a ll live in towns that ha ve no wal ls or bars or gates, -To pl u nder t hem for 12 lo o t, I am go ing to rea ch out my hand ' towa rds t he ru ins they live in , aga in st th is nation ga t he red out of o t he r nation s, t hese stock-breed ers and t radesmen w ho live a t t he na ve l o r the ea rth ) - S he ba and Deda n, t he t raders o f Tarshi sh 13 and a ll its you ng lion s w ill a s k yo u: Ha ve yo u co me for p lu nd er? A re yo u ma ssi ng yo u r tr o ops w ith a view to loot in g ? T o make off with go ld and s ilve r, se ize eatt le a nd goods, a nd co m e a wa y wit h unlim ited spo il?" 'A nd so , so n o f m an , say in proph ec y to G og, "The Lord Ya hwe h says thi s: I ~ Is it no t tr ue that you a re plannin g t o set out I.' at a t ime wh en my peopl e Israel is livin g und isturbed? -You p lan to lea ve yo u r h o m e in th e fa r no rth, you and 15 man y nat ions wit h you, a g re a t army or co untless troops a ll m o un ted . • You plan 10 to invade Isra e l, my pe o p le, Yo u w ill be like a cloud cov ering t he eart h, I my self a m go ing to brin g yo u in d a ys to come to attack my co u nt ry, so t hat th e nat io n s m a y learn wh at I a m, when I ha ve u sed yo u, Gog, t o di splay m y ho lin ess to them, T he Lord Ya hwe h says thi s: It wa s o f you ' th at I spoke in th e pas t 17 th rou gh m y se rv a nts th e pr oph et s of Israe l, w ho prop hesied and foretold yo u r in vasi on, m -O n t he d a y Gog attacks the la nd o f Israe l- i t is t he Lord Y a hwe h I~ w ho s pea ks -I s ha ll gr ow a ng ry ," In m y anger, -rny jealousy and the heat of 19

' 40 9

EZ E KIEL

o-,

39: 12

my fu ry I sa y it: I swea r that on that day there will be a fearfu l qu a king in the land o f Israel. - A t m y presence th e fish in the se a a nd the b ird s o f he a ven, the w ild beasts a nd all th e repti les t ha t crawl a long th e g ro u nd, a nd all men on earth , 21 will quake, Mountains will fall , c1ifTs crumble , wall s coll apse, a nd ·1 will co nfront him w it h eve ry sort of terro r s-s-it is th e Lo rd Ya hwe h wh o sp eak s , H is m en wi ll 22 turn their swords on each other, · 1 wi ll puni sh him w ith plague and bloodshed a nd se nd torrent ial rain , hai lstones, tire and br im st on e a gain st him and h is 23 hordes and aga ins t t he many nations w ith him, · 1 me an to di sp la y m y greatness a n d holiness and to com pel t he ma ny nati on s to acknowledge m e ; this is ho w they wi ll learn t hat [ am Yahweh ," I "'So n of m an , pro phesy aga inst G og, Sa y, " T he Lo rd Ya hwe h sa ys this: Now I set myself aga inst yo u, Gog, pri nc e of Ro sh , Meshech and T uba l. I w ill t u rn yo u rou nd , lead yo u on , and br ing you fro m t he farthest nort h to attack t he mou n tai ns of Israel. -I will b reak t he bow in yo ur le ft hand and das h t he arrows o ut of your right, • Yo u w ill be k illed o n the m ou n ta ins o f Isra e l, yo u and all yo u r ho rdes, and th e nat io ns wit h yo u, I sha ll make yo u fo od for carr ion birds and wil d bea st s , • Yo u w ill fa ll in th e open countrys id e , I have s po ke n - it is the Lord Ya hwe h who speak s, • I wi ll send fire to M ag og and o n th o se living undi sturbed o n isla nds , and the y wi ll lea rn tha t' a m Y a hweh , · 1 a m go ing to see tha t my hol y name is k now n a mo ng m y peop le Israel , a nd 1 will no lo nge r a llow my ho ly na me t o be p ro fa ned ; the nat io ns s ha ll lea rn thai I a m Yahwe h, hol y in Isra el. I, Al l th is is go ing to happen , a ll t h is is going to ta ke pla ce-s-i t is the Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho spea ks , Th is is t he day I p red icted , T he c it izens or t he towns of Israe l w ill go out a nd use these arms for fir ewood : shields a nd buck lers, bo ws a nd a rro ws , cl ubs a nd ja velins, Fo r se ve n 10 years they wi ll feed the lir e with the m , • M e n w ill sto p lo o ki ng for wo o d in th e countryside o r cutting it in th e forcst ; they w ill be feed in g th e lire w it h a rms , T hey will plunder t ho se wh o p lu nd e red t he m, a nd tak e s po il fr om th o se who despoi led them -it is the Lord Ya hwe h w ho s pea ks, li On that day, I shall give Gog a famous spot in Israel for h is grave-the va lley of the Aba run ,r on t he east of t he Sea - t he valley t hat turn s ba c k the travel ler -sand t he re Gog an d hi s w ho le a rm y will be b u r ied , and it sha ll be ca lled t he Va lley 12 of Ham o n-gog.« -The H o use of Israe l w ill ta ke se ve n m on th s to b u ry t he m a nd 20

39

i. ' my o wn lan d and ' Gr eek . l . 'be t rayals" Sv r.: "ha bi tations ' He br. 3 M :.1 . Though n o t a pure apoca ly pse, this p oem alreudv s hows a num ber of anoculvnuc fea tures . \ Vh ilc [he ea r lier prop het s wer e in the ma in co nc e r ned with contemporary mora lity a nd o n ly ucc asro nallr loo ked ah ead 10 a mo re al o nous fut ure . the pu rp ose of a n anocalvpse. w he ther wr itten o r sp oke n . is us ua lly to co ns o le by th e vis io ns t hc nronh ct ha s seen, T he se vis io ns re ve al a fu ture tha i w ill cc tlp se p rese nt mise ry. Often . lOO. th ey re veal t hc fo rthcomi n g t rium p hs (If d ivine jud ge me nt a nd . oncn ln u cschatolou l..-a l vistas . u nveil m ys te ries ( I f t hc wor ld to c orne . A lth oug h t h is fo rm of litera tu re was particu la rl y c ult iva ted in ta ter J ud ais m. t he Bible co n ta ins severa l e xa m p le s of it s ear lier smncs of deve lo n rnc nt . of. In tro d uc tio n to th e P rop he ts. Ez k JS-J 9 m a rk s the ea rli est stage . Furthe r exa m p les OCC UI" in Is 24 -2 7: Dn 7- 12: Z c 9-14. Th e m ost vigo r- nus period of dev elop men t wa s the 2n d cent ur y B.C . uhc Hook of Enoch, etc.). It is re pr ese n ted in the N. T, by t he apocalypse of St J ohn (R v}. b. '( iog and t he cou nt ry of Mazo n' Grcck : ' G oa. co un t r y' o f Manon' Hebr.

c. Mes he c h and T u ba l a re northe rn c ountries on the bo rders of t he Hlack Sea. cf", 27 : I J. Mag o g. nOI kn own from o ther so ur ces, sh o uld be as si g ned to t he sa me ar ea . It seems useless to try to ident ify (j og. Doubt less de r iving Iea ru rcs fro m seve r -at co nt empor ary- person a lilies. he lig ures here as t he tvne o f vic torious ba rb a rian who in a n un spe cified d ista n t fu tu re will infl ict the fin a l o rdeals 011 Is rae l.

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Ps 4 6:9

Na 3:3

d . Ya hwe h seize s Go g a nd will enforce obed ience on hi m. e. Probably t he Cimmcrtans. a lso from th e N . f. ' u t my service ' G reek : 'a t th eir se rv ice ' H c br. g , Hence lone afte r the re turn W Pa les t ine. h. U naware o f be ing the iu suumcn r o f Y..r hwch . ( i o).! s u pposes h im se lf a frcc a nent . i. ' reac h o u t m y ha n d ' Greek . i . Je r usal e m . ce ntre o f the: wor ld , cr. 5:5. k . 'vou a rc nlan run u to set Q U I' G ree k . I. ' II wa s t lf yo u' vcrs io ns : ' Was it of YOU' Greek . III . All usi o ns 10 a fu tu re inva s io n a rc fou nd in the ea rlie r p rophet s. sec for cxamnlc J r .' . 6. hut Ezckict he re S l'C l11S \I I be t hin kin g (If proph e t s ea r lie r t han Jeremiah . II . SO far. ( rOg ha s been the in strU I11CI11 o f Yuhwch who no w . however. turn s on him 10 intli ct a terri b le defeat.

o . 'evcrv sort of te rr or " Greek : ' a ll m y mouut ui ns Hc br. 39 a . C h . :\9 is not a doublet o f c h. Jl\ b u t a de velopme n t of its c los ing ve rses -e n dctai lcd a ccOUIlI of the defea t o f ctoe an d it s conseq ue nces. h, Or noss iblv (ve rsi on s a nd so me Hebr . ~1SS) 'the hoh' on e o f ls ruct' . c. ' fa mous ' ve rs io ns . 'A bart mVu te. The Ab arr m h ill .. co nsrtunc t he p latea u o f M oab. The ' vnflcv is ev ide nt ly the d ee p ami nrec ini to us ~;'lr ~c of th e ' \ '-'1011 . d . t .e . 'of t he ho rd e o f ( io~ ·.

z

g

o

J:

EZEKIEL

39: 13

Nb 19: 16 0 1 2 1:23 R v 19:17-18

R v 19:2 1

-' Ul

14 1 0

cleanse the country. ·AII the peop le of the country will dig their graves, and be ho no ured fo r this on t he day when I revea l my glory-it is the Lo rd Yahweh who speaks.• Men will be selected to go contin ually up and down the coun try to bury those left o n the gro und and cleans e it. Fo r seven months they will go searching.' -If o ne of th em sees any human bones as they go up and down the co untry he will put a mar k beside them until t he gravediggers have buried th em in th e valley of Hamon-gog-·t he name of the town! is to be Hamonah-and so have cleansed the co untry." 'So n of man, th e Lor d Yahweh says th is. Speak to every kind of bird and to all wild beasts, "Muster, come here, meet from everywhere around fo r the sacrifice I am making for you , a great sacrifice on the moun tains of Isra el ; you will eat flesh and drink blood . • You will eat the flesh of heroes, you will dr ink th e blood of the pr inces of the world. They are all ra ms and lamb s, goats and fat bulls of Bas ha n. •You will reed full on fat , dr ink you rselves dru nk wit h blood, at this sacrifice I am making for yo u. - You will glut yo urselves at my table on horse s and chargers, o n heroes a nd commo n sold iers-it is the Lord Yahw eh who spea ks."

14 11 13

15

16

17

7

9 10

18

19 20

11

12 13

14

15

Ps I 06:K

Tb 14:

11:19: 3 7: 14

I V.

21 22

23

R:3

.~ l; ~ n~

,. " Rv 11:1 : 2 1:15

Ex 25:9 : 25: 40

24

Ex 27:9-19 Ex 38:9- 20 2 e ll 3:3

19

26 27

29

22

23

1

hand of Yahweh eam e on me. -In a divin e visio n he took me away to the land of Israel' and put me down o n a very high moun tain , on the south of whieh there seemed to be built a city.' • He took me to it, a nd there [ saw a man ' wh o seemed to be made of bronze. He had a flax cor d and a measuring rod in his hand a nd was stand ing in the gatew ay . •The ma n said to me, ' So n of ma n, loo k carefully , listen closely a nd pay attentio n to eve rything I show you , since you have only been bro ught here for me to show it to you . Tell t he Ho use of Israel eve ryth ing that yo u see.'

2

4

He went to the east gate, climbed the steps and measured its threshold : one rod deep. • Eac h gua rd room one rod by one rod; a nd the walls between the guardrooms five cubits thick; and th e t hresho ld or the gate inwar ds from the po rch of the gate: one rod. " -He measur ed the porch of the gate : eight cu bits ; its jambs: two cubits ; the porch or th e gate was at the inner end. •There were three gua rd roo ms o n each side of the east gate, all three the same size; the wa lls between them all the same thic kness each side. • He measu red the width of the entra nce: ten cubits; and the width all dow n the gateway: thirteen cubi ts. There was a rail in front of the gua rd roo ms; each rail o n either side was one cubit. And the gua rd ro o ms on either side were six cubits squa re. - He measured the width of the gate from the back wall o r o ne gua rd roo m to the back wa ll of the o ther; ' it was twenty-five cu bits across from windo w to window . • He measured the porc h: twen ty cubits ; after the porc h or the gate cam e the o uter co urt) • From th e ent ra nce end or the gate to the porch o pposite: fifty cubits. -O n each side of t he ga te there were splayed o penings" both in th e gua rd roo ms and in the spaces between, a nd there were ope nings all round inside the po rch as well, and palm tree s decorating the jambs.'

N e 3:29

I

"

He took me through to the outer co urt that had rooms and a paved terrace going a ll the way round ; there were thi rty roo ms on this terr ace. -T his terrace, which came right up to the sides of the gates a nd matched their depth , is the Lowe r Te rrace . -He measu red across the o uter co urt « (rom the lower gate to the outs ide o r the inner co urt: a hu nd red cubits o n the eas tern and nort hern sides. The north gate

20 21

2H

fth yea r of o ur capti vity, at the begin ning of the year, on the 40 Intenthth edaytwenty-fi of the month , fourteen years after the destruction of the city, " the

Th e Te mp le was surro unded wit h a wa ll, and the man was holdin g a measuring rod th at was six cub its long, eac h cubit a forea rm and a handbread th.'

18

25

TH E T O RA/1 O F E Z E KI EL"

The outer wall

~

The outer court 17

The futur e Templ e T b 14:6


The east gat e'

16

'T hat is how I sha ll displ ay my glor y to the nat ions, a nd all nations will reel my sentence when I judge, and feel my ha nd when I str ike them . -T he Ho use or Israel will know that I am Yahweh their God, from that day forward for ever . And the nations will learn that t he Ho use of Israel was exiled for their sin in behaving so treacherously to me that I had to avert my race from them beca use th ey had rebelled aga inst me, a nd to hand them over to th eir enemies ; an d they all perished by the swo rd . · 1trea ted them as their filthy sin s deserved and hid my race fro m t hem. -And so , thus says the Lor d Ya hweh: Now I am going to brin g back th e ca pt ives or Jaco b, now I a m go ing to take pit y on the who le Ho use or Israe l a nd show myself jealo us for my holy nam e. 'T hey will forge t the di sgrace or having so often bet rayed me when th ey were living safely in their own land , with no one to d isturb them . - When I bring them ho me from t he peop les, when I brin g them back fro m the co untries of their enemies, when I revea l my holin ess in them for many nations to see, -they will know th at I am Ya hweh thei r G od , when I rescue the captives fro m the pa gan s and reunite them in thei r own count ry, not leaving a single one beh ind . - I shall never hide my face from them again , since I shall pour out my spirit on the Hou se of Isra el-it is th e Lord Ya hweh who speaks.'

4°:23

He measured the thickness of this constructio n-one rod; and its height-one ro d.

14

Conclusion" Ex 14 :4

EZEKIE L

o...,

He meas ured the length a nd bread th of t he north gat e of the outer co urt. - It had th ree guardrooms o n each side ; th e thi ck ness or the walls between them, and its porc h too, a ll measured the same as tho se o r t he first gate: fifty cub its by twenty-five cub its. -I ts window s, its porch a nd its pa lm-tree decoration all measured the same as those or the east gate. T her e were seven steps up to it, and its porch was at th e inner end ." -I n t he inner cour t there was, opposite the C. '10 bu ry th ose .. . ' G reek . O ne co rp se left o n the grou nd wo u ld h a ve defiled the country : bu t it wo u ld rak e seven m o nt hs to b ur y s o many de ad . f. Of the [Own nea res t th e buryin g p lace . J:. T he con cl us io n to t he wh o le sec tio n. not to the o racle naa in st G OR. It su ms UP th e teac hin g o f Ezekiel as expressed 5:1'1. 10: 28:26 ; 34:30 , et c. 40 a . T he final sec tio n of Ezk, ch. 40 -4 8, is a bluepri nt for th e re lig iou s a nd po litical re ha bili tat ion o f t he Isr aeli te na tio n in Palestine. The p rophet is in sp ired by his p rofound. k now ledge o f past his to r y, bu t he docs his bes t to adapt t he ea rl ier legislat io n to new condittcns. a nd take a d .... a nm se of recent exp erience to p rese rve Israel fro m th e tcrnnra tion s and apos ta sies whic h ha ve led t he nat ion 10 r u in. H encefor th Ezekiel ass umes the ro le. o f o rga n izer In ten t o n realisi ng lo ngfore see n and lon g-desired re forms. His earlier prom ises of restorat ion and of a covenanr animated by t he s p ir it nr csupposed a reo r ga nisa tio n o f t he commun ity. Living a t a t ime wh en t he whole struc ture of Israel need ed to be rebuilt enabled Ezekiel to draw up a fo un d in g c ha tt er fo r w ha t wa s s ho r t ly to emerge as Ju d ai s m. a nd to p ro vide a basis for all fut u re effo rts a nd as pi ra tio n fr om Ezra to the hea ven ly Jeru sal em o f th e ap oca lvnse of St John . In all t his. th e C h ristia n reader will be a wa re of the high idea l of holiness. 44 :23 ; 43:7. a nd t he se nse of th e presenc e of G od. 48: 35 , late r to be re ali se d in th e C h urc h . b. Sep tem be r-Oc to ber 573.

c , ' to o k me, .. Isra el' G reek. d . Jerusalem evldenrly, th ou gh a Jerusalem exp a nded a nd idealised . e. Thi s ' m a n ' is clea r ly an an gel wh o ex p lains the pr ophet' s visio n to him , An gelic in terp re ters are a feature o f lat e pr ophet ic liter ature, cr. Dn 8: 16; 9:21f ; 10:5f : Zc I:Sf : 2:2, e tc. f. T here see m to ha ve been tw o cu b its: th e common cu b it o f 6 pa lms. o r handbread th s, and the older 'gre a t cu bi t' of 7 palm s. Ezekiel mak es it dea r th at he uses the la tt er , wh ich mea sures 'on e (co m mo n) cu b it and a pa lm ' . R. T he three gate s of t he ou ter co urt a re alike; o n ly th e E. sate is des cribed in deta il. h . V. H is not in the ver sions h ut . by diuonr a ph y . ad ded in Hcbr.: ' H e me asu red the porch of th e ga te . o n t he inside : o ne r od ' . i. ' to th e ba ck wa ll of t hc o t her ' co rr. I. 'H e me asur ed ' corr. 't he p or ch ' G re ek. ' the o u te r co u rt ' tran sla t ion d oubtful. k , Tra ns la tion un cert a in . I. T hese ela bora te s a tes . th e o n ly o pe n ings in the s u rro u nd ing wa ll, enab le a wa tch to be ke p t on t hose who en ter. Ezek iel ins ists th at the Temple s ha ll be ke p t p ure from fore igners a nd s inners. m. ' across th e o uter court ' G reek. n . 'a nd its p or ch was a t th e inner en d ' G reek , So a lso v, 26.

·z c( Q

-'

UJ

4°:24

EZ EKIEL

14 [ 2

[4 13

north gate, a gate like the one oppos ite the east gate. 0 He measured the dista nce from one gate to the oth er: a hu nd red cubits. The south gate He took me to the south side where there was a so uth gate; he measured its gua rdroorns.> wall-thicknesses a nd porch ; they were of the same dimensions as the oth ers . -All round it and its porch were window s, like t he other windows ; it measu red fifty cubits by twen ty-five cub its, -a nd it had seven steps up to it; its porch was at the inne r end and had palm -tree decoratio n on its jam bs, one on each side.• The inner court had a south gat e; he measured the distan ce southwards from one gate to the other: a hundred cub its.

II I

The inner court. The south gate He then took me into the inner court by the sou th gate; he measured the south gate which was t he same size as the ot hers. •Its guardroo ms, wa ll-thi cknes ses and porch all measured the same as the others. It and its porch had wind ows all round.It measured fifty cubits by twenty-five cubits . -Its porch , measured, in all, all round, was twenty-five cubits by five cubits . -The porch gave on to the outer court. It had pa lm trees on its jambs, each side, and eight steps leading up to it.

~,

The east gat e He took me to the east gate Q and measure d it. It was the same size as the others. •Its guard roo ms, the th ickness of its walls, its porch all meas ured the same as the ot hers . It a nd its porch had windows all ro und. Its a rea was fifty cubits by twenty-five cu bits. • Its po rch gave on to t he outer court. There were palm trees on its jambs on either side, a nd eight steps leadi ng up to it.

48

24

25 26 I

27

28

29

30

2 Ch 4: 6

Nb 3:27-32

44 :15

I~

Subsidiary buildings at the gate T here was a room entered fro m t he po rch of the gates.' It was here that they was hed the holocaust. -And on either side of the po rch of the gate t here were two tables for slaughtering t he holocau st, the sac rifice for sin a nd t he sac rifice of reparation . -Going nor th war d up to the gate , there were two ta bles outside and two more ta bles at the po rch end of t he gate. • Fo ur tabl es on the inside a nd four tables on the outside of the po rch; in a ll. eight tab les on which the sacr ifices were offered . •The re were also fou r tab les of dressed sto ne for holocausts, a cubit and a half lo ng, a cubit and a ha lf wide and a cub it high, on which a ll the things necessary for killing the holocaust and the sacrifices were put. • Rim s," a handbreadth broad, went a ll ro und the top, and on these tables was put the sacrificial flesh. He took me into the inner cou rt; there were two lodges in the inne r court, one at the side of the nor th gate , facing south , the ot her at the side of the sou th gate. facing north ." · He told me, 'The lodge look ing south is for t he priest s in charge of the Templ e, -and the lodge looking no rt h is fo r the priests who serve the a ltar. These a re the sons of Zadok, those of the sons of Levi who approach Yahweh to serve him .' The inner court He measured the inner court. It was a quad rangle, a hundred cubits by a hundred cubits, with the altar in front of the Temple.

4

31

32

33

6

.14

7 H

The north gate He took me to the north gate and measured it. • Its guardrooms, the thickness ~~ of its walls T and its porch all measured the same as the others. It had window s all round. Its ar ea was fifty cubits by twenty-five cub its.• Its porch - gave on to 37 the outer cou rt. T here were pa lm trees on its jambs on either side, and eight steps lead ing up to it. Lv 1:9

49

9

10

II

38 39

12

13 40 41

14 15

42

43 16 44

4S 46

47

E Z E KI EL

41:16

The Temple.' " The Ulam He too k me to t he Ulam of the Temple and meas ured its door jambsr-e-five cubits eaeh side ; and the width of the entrance was fourteen cubits with a threecub it wall each side. -The Ulam was twent y cubits by twelve cubits . There were ten steps- leading up to it, and there were columns by the door jambs, one on each side. The Hekal He took me into the Hekal and measured its door jambs: six cub its deep on the one side, six cub its deep on the other." -T he width of the entrance was ten cubits . The walls each side of the entrance were five cubits on the one side a nd five cubits on the ot her. He measured its length: forty cubits; and its width : twenty cubi ts.

41

The Debir He went in a nd measured the door jam bs at the entrance: two cubits ; then the entrance: six cubits ; and the walls each side of the entrance: seven cubits.• He meas ured its lengt h: twenty cub its; a nd its widt h measured across the end wall of the Heka l: twenty cub its. He then said to me, 'This is the most ho ly place ' . The side cells /, He measured the wall of the Temple: six cubits. T he widt h of the side cells was four cubits , all rou nd the Temple. •T he cells were one abo ve the other, thi rty of the m in three sto ries.' The sup ports for t he surro unding cells were fixed into the Temp le wall, so tha t the cells were not recessed into the wall of t he Temple. •The width of the cells increased , story by story, for they surrounded the Temple in the stories that went right round it, a nd hence . . ," •Then I saw that there was a paved terrace all round the Temple. The height of t his, which formed the base of the side cells, was a full rod of six cubits.' •T he outer wall of the side cells was five cub its thick an d the pavement formed a verandah outside the cells of the Tem ple.• Beyond the room s came a n area twenty cubits wide right round the Temple.• And for getting from the side cells on to the vera ndah there was one entrance on the nor th side and one entrance on the sout h side. The width of the verandah was five cubits righ t round. The building on the west side! T he build ing to the west of t his surround ing area was seventy cub its by ninet y cubits, and t he wall of the building was five cubits t hick, all ro und . • He meas ured the length of the Te mp le: a hundred cub its. The lengt h of the cour t plus t he building and its walls: a hundred cubits .• The breadth of the facade of the Te mple with the quadrangle: a hundred cubits. • He measu red the lengt h of the building plus the surrou nd ing area at the back, plus the side depth of its door: a hundred cubits. Particulars of the Temple itself T he inside of the Hekal and the po rches of the court , • their thresho lds, t he o . ' like the o ne op pos ite th e eas t Rate ' G reek . p . ' guard r oo ms' G reek. q . 't he east gate' Greek. r . In the p lural with Greek. s. ' Its porc h' G ree k. to ' fro m th e porc h of the ga tes ' G reek, The ex ac t pos it io n of these rooms is not clear. u. ' R ims' versions. v, T he t ra ns la tion fo llo ws t he G reek .

w. T he Temple proper, wit h its th ree pa rts: U la m o r Vest ib u le, Heka l o r Ha ll (t he ' H o ly'), De b ir or Sanctua ry
...,o

truc ttons , th e arra nge me n t of wh ich is e ntirely o r ta inal . x . ' d o o r iambs ' Gr eek, y. 't en s te ps' Gr eek . 41 a. Hebr. a d ds ' the wid th or the tabe r na cle'. b. S im ilar cells existed in the Temple o f Sol o mon: I K 6:5·6 . l lere, how ever. th eir di sposit ion is n bs ..;U T<: an d t heir p ur pose u ns ta ted . It has been sua gcst cd thai they we re t he ' tre as u ry' o f th e Temp le , e. ' th irty' Svr . d. End o f verse uni rnclli gtble . c. Hc br. a dds an incompre hen sible wo rd . f. A p pa re n tly a grcut roo ness ha ll: its purpose is not known , T here seems 10 have been no suc h huild im: in th e Te mp le o f Solo m on. Cr. ho we ver ::! K :!.l: [1 ;lll .l I C h 26: IH,

VI

o ~

I K 6:3 2 C h3 :4

I K 7:21 2 C h 3:1S- 17

1 K 6:3 2 C h 3:5 -7 T b 14:6

.,

1 K 6:20 2 C h 3:8-9

I

,", 1 K 6:5- 6

J r 3 1 :.~9 Z c 2:5

1K

(, : 15 -1~

z ~

o

I

n

..J

Ul

4 1: 17

I K 6:29-30

EZEK I E L

/4/4

window scree ns, t he th ree sets of doors, one at each threshold, were all pa nelled with wood, from floor to windows, ' a nd the windows were screened with latt icework .• From the doo r to the inner pa rt of the Temple, a nd righ t ro und the who le wall of the inner ro om, ou tside a nd inside, were ca rved- -c herubs and palm tre es, pa lm trees a nd cherubs alternat ing ; each che rub had two faces- · the face of a man turned to wards the palm tree on e side an d th e face of a lion towards t he pa lm tree the other side, all ro und th e Temple.• T he che rubs and palm trees were carved fro m t he floo r to ab ove the entrance, as also o n th e wall of the hall. The pillars of the Te mple were squ a re.

/4/5 17 17

19

19

20

I

i 6!if

In fro nt of th e Debir, there appeared to be ' a wooden al ta r, th ree cub its high a nd two cubits square.' Its corners, base an d sides were of wood . He sai d to me, 'This is the tab le in front of Yahweh'.

I Ch2 S:12 46 :19

\

r'

I(

There was a double doo r fo r th e Hek al, and a double door for th c Debir. Th ese doo rs had two hing ed leaves, two leaves fo r the o ne doo r, two leaves for the oth er. -O n them , on th e do or s of th e Heka l, were carved cher ubs and palm trees like thos e carv ed on the wa lls. A wood en scre en outside went across the fro nt of the U lam . -Thc re were screened windows with flanking palm trees on the wa lls of t he U lam, a nd of the cells to the side of th e Temple a nd on the screens.

3

4

5

4 5:2

6 23

25

26

9

10 3

II

4

5 12 6

The altar

7 8

13

9

14

10

15

II

I I> 17

12

l/l

~

H ere a re the dim ensio ns of t he altar, in cubits eac h of a cubi t plus a handbreadth . T he base : o ne cub it high and one cubit wide. T he ledge all ro und it: one span . T his is the height' of the altar: •from the ground level of the base up to the lower plinth, two cubits high and o ne cubit wide; from the lesser plint h to the greater pli nth , four cubits high and one cubit wide .• T he alt ar hearth : four cubits high, with four horns projecting from the hearth, ·the hearth being square: twelve cubit s by twelve cubits ; -and the square plint h: fo urteen cubi ts by fourteen cubits ; and the ledge all round: half a cubit; a nd th e base: on e cubit all ro un d. T he steps were on the east side.

Is 52:8 Ps 85:9 R v I S: l R I'1:15

10: 18- 19 : II: 22-2 3

I K 8: 10-1 1 Rv 21:3 44:4 3 7:26-27 -TEx 19; 12 + ; 25:8 + Ps 68:16 Lm 2:1 20 :39

I

"

UI I

E x 27: 1-8 1 K 8:64 2 Ch 4:1 ; 7:7

13

18 14

Measurements of the cour t W hen he had finished measuring the inside of the Temple, he took me out to t he east gat e a nd measured the whole area of the court. • He mea sured the east

7

24

He too k me no rthward into the co urt a nd led me to t he roo ms facing the 4.....,/ outer co urt, those to the nor th of the buildi ng." •T hey were o ne hundred

He took me to the ga te, the on e facin g eas t. ·1 saw the glory of the God of Isra el ap proach ing fro m the east. A so und ca me with it, like the so und of the ocean, and t he eart h shone with his glo ry. •T his vision was like the one I ha d seen when I had come for th e destr uction of the city, and like the o ne I ha d seen on the bank of the river C hebar. T hen I prostrated myself. The glory of Yahweh arrived at th e Temple by the east gat e. •The spirit lifted me up a nd brought me into the inner co urt; I saw the glory of Yahweh fill the Temple.
43

22

Outbuildings of the Temple"

cub its lo ng a long on the no rth side a nd fifty cubits wide. -On the sides fac ing the po rches"of the inner co urt a nd the paving of the outer cou rt was a gallery in front of the triple ga llery, -a nd in fro nt of the roo ms was a walk , ten cub its broad measured inwa rds and a hundr ed cubits lo ng; " t heir doors looked no rth. •The top floor rooms were narrow beca use the galleries took up part of th e widt h, being narrower than t hose on the grou nd floor or those on the midd le floor of the bui ldi ng, since t hese were divided into thr ee stor ies and had no co lum ns such as the co urt had. He nce they were narrower than th e ground floor ones or the midd le floor o nes below them. •T he o ute r wall parallel to t he rooms, facing th em a nd giving o n to t he o uter co urt, was fifty cub its lo ng, -the length of the rooms fac ing the outer co urt being fifty cubits , whi le o n the side facing th e Te mple it was a hundred cubits . • Benea th the rooms there was an ent rance from the east, leadin g in from the o ute r court. In the thick ness of the wall of the court, on the south side ' front ing the cou rt a nd the bu ilding, were rooms. ·A walk ran in front of them, as with the rooms built on th e nort h side; t hey were of the same length an d breadth, and had simil ar design and doo rs in a nd out. -T hey were like th e entrances of the sout hern rooms; one entrance at the end of each wal k, fronting the eastern wall , being th e way in. • He said to me, 'Th e northern and southern rooms giving on to th e co urt are the rooms of the Debi r, in wh ich the priests who approach Yahweh will eat Lv 2:3 + the most ho ly things. In t hem will be placed the most holy things: the oblation, the sacrifice for sin a nd the sac rifice of reparation, since this is a holy place . •Once the pr iests have entered, they will not go out of the holy place into the outer Lv 17:1 Icourt without leaving their liturgica l vestments there, since these vestments ar e holy; they will put on other clothes before going near places assigned to the people.'

side with his meas uring rod: a total of five hun d red cubits! by the meas ur ing rod. He then meas ur ed the north side : a to tal of five hun dred cubits by the measu ring rod. - He th en meas ured the sou th side : five hu ndr ed cubi ts by the meas uri ng rod ' was the tot al. O n the west side he measured five hun dred cubi ts by the measur ing rod. •He measured the entire enclo sing wall on all fou r side s: length five hundred, bread th five hund red, separating the sacred from the pro fane. The return of Yahweh"

21

Th e doors I K 6:3 1-35

43:18

20

The wooden alt ar 30 62

X

18

18

E ZE K I E L

Q

15 16

The consec ration of the altar E~ ~:;6~ir He said to me, ' Son of man, the Lord Ya hweh says this : As regards the 1 M 4:52-56 altar, th is is how th ings are to be done when it has been buil t for the offer ing of f. ' five hundred cubits' vers io ns. g. ' three sets of' tra nslation do ubtful. 'from floor ' 43 a. The visio n of the return of Ya hweh correspon ds corr . with th a t of his departure, 10:18-19 : 11:22-23. h. ' were carved' G reek. b. Yahweh him self , not t he an gel accompa nyin g 1. 't wo cu bits sq ua re' Greek. 42 a, The vario us data assembled in th is chap ter are Ezek iel. c, Hebr. a dd s ' their high places' . Greek ' with t hem ' . obscure, d . T he previous Te mple ac tua lly adjoi ned the palace b. ' to the north of ' Gre ek. of Davi d , I K 7:8. Ezek iel relega tes the palace to c. ' the por ch es' G reek. a no ther pa rt of the ci ty, reser ving t he entire E. height d. 'a hundre d cub its long' vers ion s. of Je rusa lem fo r t he Te mple. e. ' on the so uth sid e' Greek; 'on the east side ' Hebr. e. ' the heigh t' G reek : 't he edge ' He br.

z

(3

4P 9 I

I

44:15+

L v 8:33-35

Ps 24:7

~ 43:6 - 12

r II

L

11:19 ; 22:26 G n 17; 10 + J,4:4 + L ml : lO

Ac 21;28-29

EZEKIEL

/4/6

t he holocaust and for the pouring of blood. -T o those levitical priests of the race of Zadok who approach me to serve me-it is the Lor d Yahweh who speaks-you must give a young bull as a sacri fice for sin . •You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns and t he four corners of the pli nth and the surrounding led ge. In this way you will purify it and make atonement on it. -Then take the bull of the sacrifice for sin and burn it in that pa rt of the Temple which is cut off from the sanctuary. -O n th e second day, you must offer an unblemished he-goa t as th e sacrifice for sin, and the altar is to be purified again as with the bull. • When you have finished the purification you must offer a young bull without blemish and an unblemish ed ram chosen from the flock . •You are to pres ent them before Ya hweh, a nd the prie sts will spri nkle salt on them and offer them as a holocaust to Ya hweh. •As a sacrifice for sin, every day for seven days you must offer a he-goat, a bull a nd an unb lemished ram fro m the flock, •for a week. In this way the alta r will be atoned for and will be purified and inaugurated . -At the end of that time , on th e eighth da y and afte rwa rd s, th e pries t is to offer your holocausts and your co mmunion sacrifices on the altar, and I will look kindly on you -it is the Lord Ya hweh who spea ks.' T he use of the east gate He brought me back to the outer east gate of the sanctuary. It was shut. Yahweh said to me, 'This gate will be kep t shut. No one will open it or go through it, since Yahweh the God of Israel has been through it. And so it must be kept shut. -T he prince himself, howev er , may sit there to take his meal in the presence of Yahweh." H e is to ent er a nd leave through the porch of the gate .'

44

Rules of admission to the Temple H e led me through the north gate to the front of the Temple. I loo ked ; I saw t he glory of Ya hweh filling the Temple of Ya hweh, and I prostrated myse lf. Yahweh said to me, 'Son of man, pay attention , look carefully and listen close ly to everything I explain ; these are all the arrangements of the Temple of Ya hweh an d all its law s. Be careful about which men are ad mitted to the Tem ple and whi ch a re excluded from the sanctuary .' rel="nofollow"> -And say to the rebels of the H ouse of Isra el, "The Lord Ya hweh says this : Y ou have gone beyond all bou nds with all your filth y pr acti ces, House of Israel, •by ad mitt ing aliens, uncircu mcised in heart an d bo dy , to freq uent my san ctua ry a nd profa ne my Temple, while you offer my bread, the fat and t he blood, an d break ' my co venant with all your filthy practices. • Instead of performing your du ties to me in th e Ho ly Place, you have depu ted someone else to perform your du t ies in my sanctua ry." -The Lord Ya hweh say s this: No alien, uncircumcised in hea rt and body, is to enter my sanctuary, none of those aliens living among the Israel ites.'

[ 4[ 7 19

20

21

22 23

24

25 26 27

1

3

4

5

6

7

Lv 2:3 -1-

I I rI

40 :46; 48 : I I Nb

1 ~ 5~ i~9 ;

Th e pri ests As regards the levitical priests, the sons of Zado k, " who d id thei r d uty to me

45=2

in the sa nctuary when th e Isra elites strayed far fr om me, they may still a pproac h me to serve me ; they may stan d in my presence to offer me the fat and blood- it 16 is the Lo rd Ya hweh who spea ks. •The y may enter 'm y sanctuary and approach 17 my ta ble to serve me; they may perform my liturgy. -On ce they enter th e gates of the inn er co urt, they a re to wear line n vestments: they are to wea r no wool when 18 th ey serve inside the ga tes of the inner cour t an d in the Te mple.• T hey are to wear linen cap s on t heir hea ds, a nd line n breeches a bo ut their loin s : they are not to 19 wear belts of . . . " - W hen t hey go out to the peop le in the o uter co ur t,' th ey are to rem ove the vestments in which th ey ha ve per for med the liturgy a nd leave them in the rooms of the Holy Place, and pu t on othe r clothes, so as not to hal low 20 the people with their vestmcnts .: • T hey arc neither to shave their heads nor to let 2 1 their ha ir grow lo ng,' but must cut their hair to a reaso na ble length . • No 22 priest is to dr ink wine on t he day he enters the inn er court. . T hey a re not to marry widows or d ivorce d women, but only virgins of the race of Israe l; they 23 may, however, marry widows, if the widow of a pr iest. •T hey are to teac h my peop le the d ifference between wha t is sac red an d what is profane and ma ke them 24 und erstan d the d ifference between what is clean and wha t is unclean . •They are to be j udges in disputes ; they must ju dge in the spirit of my sta tutes ; they must fo llow 25 my la ws and o rd inan ces at a ll my feasts and keep my sa bbaths holy. •T hey are no t to go nea r' a dead ma n, in case they beco me unclea n, except in these permissible cases, th a t is, for fath er , mot her, daughte r, son, brot her or un married ~ ~ sister. -After on e of th em has been puri fied, seven days mu st elapse ; -then, on the day when he enters th e Ho ly Place -enters the inner court to m inister in th e Ho ly Place - he is to offer his sacri fice for sin-it is the Lord Ya hweh 28 who speak s. •T hey are to ha ve no inherita nce ;" I myself will be their inher ita nce. You are to give them no pat rimo ny in Israe l; I myself will be their 29 pa trimo ny. -T heir food is to be the ob lat ion, the sacr ifice for sin and the sacrifice of rep a ra tio n. Everything in Israel put unde r the ban shall be for them. 30 T he best of all your first-fru its, of every sort of due a nd of all that you offer, is to go to the priests ; a nd the best of your dough you are a lso to give to the 3 1 priests, so t hat a blessing ma y rest on yo ur house. • Priests a re no t to eat the flesh of a nything tha t has died a natural death or been savaged, neither of a bird no r of a ny other creat ure."

Nb 18:20-24 Dt 18:1-:2

Lv 7:10 ; 27: 28 ·

The division of the country. " The portion for Yahweh 8

1

9

2

45

W he n you divide t he country into portions by lot, you ar e to all oca te the sac red por tion of the cou ntry to Ya hwe h: twenty-five t hou sa nd cu bits long and twenty thousa nd wide. " T he who le of thi s lan d is to be sacr ed, -and 44 a . c r. 46:1-2. Evid en tl y an a llus io n

Th e Levites As regards the Levites who abandoned me when Israel st rayed far from me to foll ow its idols, " they must bear the weight of their own sin . •T hey a re to be serva nts in my sanctuary, respons ible for guardi ng the Temple gat es and serving th e Temple. They will kill the holocaust and th e sacrifi ce for the people, a nd hold themselves at the servi ce of the people. -Sin ce th ey used to be a t their service in fr ont of their idols a nd wer e an occasion of sin to the House of Israe l, very well, I ra ise my hand again st them-it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks ; they mus t bear the weight of their sin .• T hey are never to a pproach me again to perform the pr iestly office in my presence, or to to uch my ho ly things and my most holy thi ngs ; they must bear the disg race of th eir filt hy pract ices. • I shall give them the responsibility of wo rking in the Temple; I shall ma ke them responsible for serving it an d for everyt hing to be done in it.

E ZE K I E L

10 11

12

13

14

15

to a sa cre d mea l. presum a bl y accompa ny ing: t he com m unio n sa cr ifice, Lv 7:15 ; Dl 12:7. 18. b . T r a nsl ati o n d o ubt ful. Hebr. 'at the entrance to the Temp le a nd a t all th e exits from t he san ctua r y' , c. ' a nd br eak ' ver si o ns. d . Pro ba b ly a lludi n g to the employ me nt of more or less assimilat ed aliens. cf . J os 9:27; D t 29:10. in the se r vice of th e Te m p le of Jeru sal em . e . In th e Tem ple of Herod in the days of Jes us. the follo win g n otice was st ill to be seen : ' Let no a lie n pas s beyond the balustr ade an d wall surrou nding the sanctua ry. W hoev er is caught do ing so will hav e onl y himsel f to bl ame for th e deat h whic h will be h is penall y. ' Seve ral of these s to ne inscrip ti on s have been uneart hed . f . Tex t COH. T he Levi tcs wer e frequen tly employed at th e ' h igh pl aces ' . W hen the se shri nes were abolished by Dt and the re for m under Josiah . the se Lev ite s lost thei r official s ta nd in g an d were forced to live on cha rity. Dt 12:12 . 18. e tc .. or else to re affilia te themselves to th e sa nc t uary in Jerusalem . D t 18:6-8. Ezek iel a pp ro ves the latter co u rse bu t ass ign s them a subo rd ina te status ; the y are to take o ver t he d uties of the ali ens expelle d from the Te m p le ser vice. g. Th e levi tic al priests. d . D t 18:1-5. are those who

48:8 -20

42: 15-20

remai ned loya l to the servic e of t he sanctuar y in Jerusalem. Th ey belonged to the clan of Z ad ok . the pr ies t appo inted b y So lo mon afte r the deprivation of A b iat ha t, I K 2:2 7-35. h . H e br. h as 'sweat' her e. Pr obably the wor d has a no ther mean in g. or else the text is corrupt. i . Hchr. repeats 'in the o ute r court ' . j . T he la ity ar e forbid den to touch co nsecrated objects : t hey ru n th e ri sk of bein g 'ha llo wed' or 'sanc tified' . cf. Lv 17: 1 +. k . Long . un kempt ha ir sy m bolised eith er a vow . N b 6:5. o r mou rni ng . cf. Ezk 24: 17.23. I. 'T hey ar e not to go ncar ' ve rsions. m. ' T hey a re to ha ve no. • v uta. n . Accord ing to Lv 7:24 this applies to all Isr ae lites. 4S a. Ezek iel d ivide s the count ry in to re gula r pa ra llel strips in co m p lete d isreg ar d of geoe ran hic a l feat ur es o r popul ation d istr ib ut ion . Thi s is th e most t heoretical and impr actic a b le p art of Ezek iel' s p lan. b. T he d om ain o f the pr iests . the l.evites an d th e prince oc cu p ies th e ent ire cent ra l part of the coun t ry: a s tri p 25. 000 cu b its wid e (ab out 7 mi les) havin g the Tem p le of Jerusa lem as its cent ra l po int an d exten din g fr om th e Jo rdan to t he M edi terra nean.

z

s o

I

..J

UJ

45:3

EZE KI E L

/ 4/ 8

of thi s a n area five hundred by five hundred cubits - squa re is to be fo r the san ctuary, wit h a boun da ry fifty cu bits wide right ro und. -O ut of t his a rea yo u are a lso to measure a section twen ty-five thousand by ten t ho usa nd cub its, in w hich there sha ll sta nd the sanctuary, th e Holy of Holies. •T his is to be the sac red po rtion of the co u ntry; it shall belo ng to the priests who o fficiate in the sanctuary a nd approach Ya hwe h to serve him . Th ere th ey a re to ha ve t heir houses and a lso a d istrict set apart for the sa nctua ry. - A n area twenty-five tho usand by ten th ousan d cub its is to be kept for the Levites serving the Tem ple to own, with tow ns to live in." •You are to give the city possess ion of an area five thousand by twe nty-five thousand cubits, near the land belonging to the sanct uary ; th is is to be for the who le Ho use o f Israel.

/4/ 9

Jr 22:3 ~5

i,

Lv 19:35-36

I,

I

o ne epha h for each bull an d one epha h fo r each ram , an d a hin of o il fo r eve ry eph ah fo r the o blation .

4

The feast of Ta bernacles

Ex 23:14 +

Fo r the feast that fa lls on the fifteent h day of the sevent h mo nt h, he must d o t he sa me fo r seven da ys, o ffer ing the sacri fice for sin, the hol ocau st, oblation an d t he oi l.

N b 29:12

25

5

I

2

M1 23:23

Lv 1:1 + ; 2:

'II \'

Th e prince is to ha ve a domai n either side o f the land belon ging to the 7 Ho ly Place a nd o f the la nd belonging to the c ity, and adj acent to t he lan d be lo nging to the Holy Place a nd th e lan d belongin g to the city, st retc hing wes twards from the west a nd eas twa rds from th e east, its size eq ua l to one o f the port ion s betwee n the west and t he east front iers -o f the country. T his is to be h is x possession in Israe l. Then my pr inces will no la nge i' op press my peopl e ; they m ust lea ve th e rest of the co u ntry for the House o f Israe l, fo r its tribes . T he Lor d Ya hwe h says this: Let th is be eno ugh for yo u, prin ces o f Israe l! 9 G ive up your vio lence a nd plunder ing, practise ju st ice an d integ rity, cr us h my peo ple no more wit h taxa tio n-i t is t he Lo rd Ya hwe h w ho spea ks.• Have sca les 10 t ha t a re fair, a fai r c phah , a fa ir bath . • Let the ephah a nd ba t h be equal , let I I the bat h ho ld o ne te nth of a home r a nd the ep ha h one ten th o f a ho mer . Let the measures be based on the ho mer. ' -The shekel is to be twe nty gera hs, Twe nty 12 she kels, twenty-five sheke ls a nd fiftee n shekels a re to make one mina ,

I I; 3:1 +

46: 1 Ex23: 14 i Lv 23:24 + 2C h3 1:3

Ex 12:1 +

Lv 16:16

'This is the o ffering tha t you a re to levy: the sixt h of an ep ha h for every hom er of wheat , a nd t he sixt h of an epha h for every ho rner of barl ey . •T he d ues on o il: o ne bath of oi l out of every te n ba ths o r o ut of every cor (w hic h is eq ua l to te n bat hs o r o ne hom er, since te n ba th s eq ua l o ne hom er ).• Yo u a re to Icvy o ne sheep on every flock o f two hund red fro m t he patr imon y! of Israe l for the ob la tio n, the holo cau st a nd the commun ion sacrifice. T his is to form yo ur ato ncmc nt- it is the Lo rd Ya hwe h wh o spea ks.• Let a ll t he peo ple of th e co u nt ry be subjec t to thi s du e for t he prince o f Israel. •T he prince is to ma ke h imself respo nsib le for prov id ing the ho locausts, ob lat ion a nd libati on for feasts, New Mo o ns a nd sab ba ths, for a ll t he solem n festi va ls o f the Ho use o f Israe l. He is to prov ide t he sacr ifice for si n, ob lation, hol ocau st a nd co mm u nion sacrifices a ton ing for th e Hou se of Israe l.

0 :l:

«

3

4

7

46

T hus spea ks th e Lord Ya hweh: T he east gate o f the inner court must be kept shut for the six workin g days. On the sa bba th day it is to be op ened , as a lso on the da y of th e New Moo n ; -and th e p rince is to go in thr o ugh the porch of the outer gate and ta ke his po siti o n by th e d oorposts of the gat e. T he priests mu st then offer his hol ocaust a nd his comm un ion sac rifice. He mu st p rost rat e him self on the thresh old of the ga te and go o ut, a nd the gat e is not to be shut again until the eve ning . -T he peo ple o f t he co untry a re to prostrate themsel ves in t he pres ence o f Ya hweh at the entran ce to the gate o n sabbaths and da ys o f the New Moon. •T he ho locau st offered to Ya hwe h by th e p rinc e o n the sa bbat h day is to co nsist of six unbl em ished la mb s a nd one un blemished ram , -a nd an o blat io n of o ne epha h for the ram, a nd suc h oblat io n as he pleases for the la m bs, and a hin of o il for every ephah. -On the day o f the New Moon it is to con sist of a young bull with ou t ble mis h, six un blemi shed lambs and one un blem ished ram, •when he mu st ma ke an oblation of one cphah for the bull and one ep ha h for the ra m, a nd wha t he pleases for the lambs, and a hin of oi l fo r every cp ha h,

45 :17 Ex 20; 8 + Nb 28:9- 14

~ ~ V ;)

" ,

./

" m !l I

Miscellaneous regula tions When the prince goes in, he is to ente r by th e porch of the gate, and he mu st lea ve by the sa me wa y. • W hen the people of the country come into the presence o f Ya hweh a t the solem n festiva ls, thos e who ha ve come in by the north gate to prostrate them selves are to go out by the so uth gate, and those who have come in by the so uth gate are to go o ut by t he nort h gate; no o ne is to turn back to leave thr ou gh th e gate by whi ch he entered bu t is to go out o n the oppos ite side. I? T he prin ce is to co me wit h t hem. corn in g in like th em a nd go ing out like t hem . •O n fea st days a nd solem n fest ival s the o blat io n m ust be one ep ha h fo r eve ry bull , on e epha h for every ram , wha t he plea ses for t he lambs, a nd a hin of oil for 12 ever y ep ha h.• Wh en th e prince offers Ya hweh a vo luntary holocau st or a vo lunta ry commu nio n sac rifice, the east ga te is to be opened fo r him , a nd he is to o ffer his holoca ust a nd his communion sacrifice as he do es o n the sa bbath 13 da y; when he has go ne o ut, the gat e is to be shut a fte r h im. •Every day he must offer " an unblemished lam b one yea r o ld as a ho locau st to Ya hweh; he m ust 14 offe r this every mo rn ing.• Every morni ng in ad di tio n he is to offe r a n obla tion of one sixth of a n ephah a nd one th ird of a hin o f oi l, for mixing with the flour. 15 T his is the o blatio n to Ya hwe h, a n eterna l la w fixed in perpet uity. -The la mb, th e o blatio n a nd the o il are to be offered mo rni ng a fte r m orn ing fo r ever. b 16 Th e Lo rd Ya hweh says this. If t he p rin ce prese nts his so ns with par t of his heredita ry portion , th e gift is to pa ss int o t he ow nership of his so ns, a nd 17 become their hered ita ry property . • If, however, he presents par t o f his hereditary portion to o ne of his servants, it shall on ly bel on g to the man unti l the year of libera tion - and is then to reve rt to " the prince. O nly hisso ns may reta in his hereditary 9

13 14

15

16 17

The feast of the Passover T he Lor d Ya hwe h says this: O n the first da y o f th e first month , yo u mu st take a yo u ng bull with out blemish , to purify the sanctuar y. •T he p riest is to tak e bloo d fro m th e sac rifice fo r sin a nd pu t it o n t he doo rpo sts o f t he Temp le, o n th e fo ur co rners o f the a lta r plinth a nd on th e doorposts o f the ga tes o f t he inne r court. • Yo u must d o the sa me o n the sevent h of the month, o n beh a lf of a nyo ne who has sinned t hro ug h inad verte nce or ignor a nce. T his is how yo u a re to ma ke a to neme nt forth e Te m ple. •O n the fourteenth day o f the first mon th , yo u mu st ce lebrate the feast o f the Passover. Fo r seven days everyo ne is to ea t un leave ned loa ves. -O n tha t day, thc prin ce mu st offer a bu ll as a sacrifice fo r sin, fo r himself a nd all the people in the co untry .• For the seve n days of the feas t. he mu st offe r Ya hweh a ho loca ust o f seven bull s a nd seven ra ms without blem ish, dail y fo r a week , a nd one he-goat da ily a s a sacr ifice for sin, 'offe ring

Vl

The sa bbath and the New Moon

6

Offerings for worship Ex 30: 13- 16

4 6: 17

3

The port ion for the prince

I

EZE K I E L

0 .....

18 19

20

Ex 23:14- 17

Ex 29:39

21

22 23

24

c. T hese are the dimens io ns o f the Te mp le. m us t o ffer' Heb e. d. 'w ith to wns [ 0 live in' G reek. b. T he da ily sac rifice wa s indeed zea lo us ly res ume d c. T he enhan is a so lid, the ha th a liquid measure. by po st-exilic Juda ism . and on ly ceased in the final T he homer a nd cor ( v. 14) arc the sa me . days of the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A .D. t, ' p a t r tm o n v' foll o wing G reek . c. P res u ma bly the jubilee year, occurri ng every 50 years. cr. Lv 25:1+ . 46 a. ' he must offer' some MSS and versions : ' yOU d. 'revert to ' Greek.

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Ul

46:18

42:1-9

Lv 4-5 Lv 2 44: 19

EZEKIEL

14 2 0

portio n. -T he prince may not ta ke any part o f the peo ple's her edit ar y po rt ion I~ and th us rob them of the ir rig htf ul possessio ns; he mu st pr ovide the patrim on y of his so ns out of his own prope rty, so tha t no me m ber of my peo ple is robbed of his rightful possession s." , 'He took me th ro ugh the entrance a t the side of th e nort h gate that lead s 19 to the room s of the Holy Place set a pa rt for the priests . A nd th ere befo re us, to the west, was a spa ce a t th e end . • He sa id to me, 'T his is whe re the pr iests 20 are to boi l the sla ughte red a n ima ls for th e sac rifice fo r sin a nd the sac rifice of reparation, a nd where th ey a re to bake the ob lation , with out ha ving to car ry them into the outer co urt a nd so run the risk of hallowing the peo ple ' . • He too k 21 me into th e outer cou rt and led me to each of its four corner s ; in ea ch comer o f the o ute r cour t was a co m po und; -in other word s, the four co rne rs of the" co urt contained fou r sma ll co mpo unds , forty c ub its by thirty, a ll four bein g th e sa me size/ • Eac h o f the fo ur was enclosed by a wa ll, wit h hearth s a ll round 23 th e bo ttom of the wa ll. • He sa id , 'These a rc the ki tchens where the Te m ple 24 serva nts a rc to boil the sac rifices o ffered by t he peop le' . T he spring in the Te mple

zc 13:1:

14:~

,~ R v 2 2 : 1

II

I

47

He br ought me ba ck to the entra nce of t he Tem ple, where a st rea m came I out from unde r the Te m ple thres hold a nd flowed eas twa rds . since t he J14: 18 Te m ple faced ca st. T he water flowed fro m und er the right side o f the Te m ple, sout h of the a lta r. • He too k me out by the nort h ga te and led me righ t rou nd outside as far a s the outer ca st gate where t he wa ter flowed out on the rig ht- hand side. -The man went to the cast hold ing h is mea suri ng line a nd meas ure d o fl' a J th ou sand cubits; he then mad e me wa de ac ro ss the strea m; the wa te r reache d Illy an kles.• He mea sured oil' a nother thou san d a nd ma de me wad e ac ross t he 4 strea m aga in ; t he wate r reac hed my knees. He mea sured off a no the r th o usan d a nd mad e me wa de ac ross a ga in ; the wa te r reac hed my wa ist. • He mea sur ed 5 o IT an o ther tho usa nd; it was now a river wh ich I co u ld not cross; the st ream had swo llen a nd was no w deep wat er, a river impossibl e to cross.• He then " sa id, 'Do yo u sec, so n o f man '?' He to ok me furt her , then brou ght me bac k to ;'~ Rv 12:2 the bank o f the river. •W hen I gOI bac k, th ere were man y tre es o n eac h ban k 7 Zc 14 :8 o f t he river .• He sa id , 'Th is wat er flows cast d ow n to t he A ra bah- a nd to th e , sea; a nd flowing into t he sea it ma kes its wa ters wh olesome.• W hereve r the 9 river flows, all livin g c reat ures tee mi ng in it will live. F ish will be very ple ntifu l, fo r whe rever t he water goe s it bri ngs hea lth , an d life teem s w he rever t he river flows. " -Thcre will be fishermen o n its bank s. Fishing net s will be 10 spread from En-ged i to En-cgla irn . T he fish will be as va ried a nd as plentifu l as the fish o f the G rea t Sea .' •T he ma rshes a nd lagoon s, however, will I I no t beco me who lesome, but will rema in sa lt. -A lon g the river, o n either bank , 12 will grow every kind o f fr ui t tr ee with lea ves that never wither and frui t th at never fail s ; the y will bea r new fr uit e very mont h, because this wa ter comes fro m " Rv 22:2 the san ctuary. A nd thei r frui t will be good to eat a nd the leave s med icina l. . I n 4: I ·l-

N b 34: 1- 12

Jos 1:4 : 13; I ~6 Jg 20: I 1-

14 2 1

The frontiers of the la nd" 'The Lo rd Ya hweh says thi s: Here a re t he frontiers of the territ ori es to 13 be a llotted between the twe lve tribes of Israe l, with two po rtio ns fo r Jose ph," You mu st sha re it o ut eq ua lly bet ween yo u, since I swore to yo ur fathers th a t I I. wou ld give them th is lan d wh ich no w fa lls to yo u as yo ur inheritan ce. • Here a rc 15 the fron tiers o f the lan d . O n the north, fro m the Great Sea by way of Hcth lon to th e Pass o f Hama t h/ a nd o n to Zedad, • Berotha h, Si bra im lying between 16 th e territ or ies o f Da mas cus and Ha ma th- a nd to Hazer-ha t-tico n o n t he borders o f Ha ura n. -The frontier will extend from th e sea to Haz cr-e no n, 17 mar chi ng with the frontier o f Da mas cus to the no rth o f it a nd the frontie r of Ha ma th a lso o n the no rth ; so muc h for " the no rthern fro ntier.• O n the ca st IS t he Jo rda n will serve as frontier between Ha ur a n and Da mas cus, bet wee n G ilead

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and the lan d of Israel, down to the Eas te rn Sea" as far as Tamar; so m uch for th e eas tern fro ntier. -O n th e so uth, from Ta mar sout hward to the waters of j~~ it:l:l Me riba h in Ka desh , to the Wad i a nd t he Great Sea; so muc h for the so uthern fron tier. -On th e west t he G reat Sea will serve as front ier up to the point opposite the Pass of Harnath ; so much for the weste rn frontier. -You are to share out this la nd among yourselves, between the tr ibes of Israel. •You are to d ivide it into in her itances for yourselves and the a liens settled a mo ng you who Ex INS\have begotten children with you , since yo u are to treat t hem as citizens o f Israel. Lv 19:) 4 T hey are to draw lots wit h you for their inh er ita nce, with the tribes of Israel. You must give the a lien his inherita nce in the tribe in whic h he is living- it is the Lord Ya hwe h who speaks.

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'T his is the list o f t he t ribes . In the far nort h by way of He th lo n to the Pass o f Ha ma th, to Hazer-eno n, with the fro ntier o f Damasc us lying to the nort h, a nd marchin g with Ha mat h- t he lan d from the eastern fro ntier 2 to the western fro ntier : I, Dan, o ne portion .• Bor de ring Dan, from the eas te rn ) fro ntier to the western fron tier: As her , o ne po rtion .• Borde ring As her, from 4 the ea ste rn frontier to the weste rn front ier: N a pht a li, o ne port ion . • Bo rdering Naphtali , from the ea stern fro nt ier to the wes tern fron tier: Manasseh , one 5 port ion . • Bor dering Ma na sseh, from the eastern fronti er to the western frontie r: (> Ephra im, one portion . • Bordering Eph raim, from the easte rn frontier to the 7 western fronti er : Reu ben , o ne port ion .• Bordering Re uben, from th e eastern 8 fro ntier to the west ern front ier: Jud ah, o ne po rt ion .• Bordering Judah , from the eas tern fron tier to the western fron tier, is th e part yo u are to set as ide, twenty-five th ou san d cubits wide, a nd as lon g as eac h of the o ther portions from th e eastern frontie r to the western fro nti e r. T he sa nctua ry will be in the centre of it. 'T he part yo u mu st set as ide fo r Ya hwe h is to be twenty-five thousa nd cubits 10 long a nd te n thousand cub its wide .• T his consecrated porti o n is to belong to th e priests, being, on the nor th side, twenty-five tho usa nd cu bits; on the west side te n th ou san d cu bi ts wide, on the cast side ten t ho usa nd cubi ts wide and on the sou th side twe nty -five th ou sand cubits lon g, a nd the sa nctua ry o f Ya hwe h I I will be in t he cent re o f it. -This is to belong to the co nsec ra ted pr iests, to th ose of the sons of Zado k wh o ma int ai ned my liturgy a nd did not go as tra y with the 12 straying Israelite s, a s the Levit es went as tray. -A nd so the ir portion is to be ta ken 13 out of th e mo st hol y portion o f the land , nca r t he ter rito ry of the Lev ites. -The territory of the Levites, like t he te rritor y of th e pr iests, is to be twen ty-five t hou sa nd cu bits lon g and ten th ou san d wide- the who le length bein g twenty-five 14 t ho usa nd and the wid th ten th ou san d . - It will be illega l for th em to sell or excha nge an y part o f it, a nd the d om ain ca n never be a lienated, since it is 15 co nsecrated to Ya hwe h. -As rega rds the rema inder, a n area o f five th o usa nd cubits by twent y-five th ou sa nd , th is is to be fo r t he co mmon usc o f the city, for 16 ho uses a nd past ures . The city is to sta nd in the centre. • Here are its mea su rem ents: on the north side, four t housand five hu nd red cubits; on the 1

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e . T he lo gic al p lace for thi s passa ge is foll owin g s ince th e da ys of Dav id. O n th e ot he r hand . th e E. fr o n tie r makes th e co un t ry very nun- o w . C o m pare t he f. 's m a ll ' G reek . H ebr . ad ds ' o f th e c o r ners ' a t fron tiers name d in N b 34: 1- 12. C f. J f.l 20 :1 +. the en d of [he ver se. e. ' He re a rc th e fro n tiers ' so me MSS a nd vers ions. 47 a . He re the te r m me an s th e d eep d ep ression of 'w ith two po rtio ns for J osep h' Ta ra. a nd Vulg . Jordan . T he sea is t he De a d Sea w hose bitter waters r. ' Hu marh' tr an sp osed fr o m v. 16. a re to be swee te ned. g. Lit. 'T his is' co rr. So a lso in v, 18. b. T he ima ge o f m irac u lou s wat er flow ing from the h. T he Dead Sea. T e m ple a nd co nfe rri ng a m ar vell o us fe rt ility. cf. I n 4: 48 a. Eac h t ribe is assigned a s tr ip of te rr it or y run ni n g I -l-, is la te r resu med in Rv (22 :2). wit h no excep t io ns fro m the M ed iter ran ean to th e c . T he Med iterran ean . d. Not a ll the pl aces named ar e easy to ident ify. E. fro nti er of th e co u nt ry. T here arc seven tribes to the lf the N. fron t ier is to be si tuate d o n the la t itu d e o f N. of Je rus a lem a nd th e te rritor y reserved fo r th e sa nc tu T ri po li-H o rns. th e ide a l country e nvisaged by Eze kie l ary a nd the pri nce . an d five tr ibes to t he S. b . '10 th e wes tern fro n t ier' co rr. ex te nd s far be yo nd the N. a nd S. li m its e ver reached

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sou th side, four thou sa nd five hund red cu bits ; on the east side , fo ur th ousan d five hu nd red cub its ; on the wes t side, four thousand five hundred cu bits .• A nd t he city pas tures a re to ex te nd tw o hu ndred a nd fifty cubits to the north, two hundred a nd fifty to the sout h, two hun dr ed and fifty to t he cas t, two hund red a nd fifty to t he west. •O ne strip, co ntiguo us to the con secra ted port io n, must be left o ver, co nsist ing of ten th o usa nd cu bits to eastwa rd a nd ten thou sand to westwa rd, ma rchi ng with the co nsecr at ed portion; this will br ing in a revenue fo r feed ing the m un icipa l wo rk men. •T hese mu nicipal work people are to be drawn fr om a ll the tr ibes of Israe l. •T he portion is to ha ve a tot al area o f twenty-five tho usa nd c ubits by twenty- five t ho usa nd . You are to a llocate a qu arter o f the sacred po rt ion to for m the cit y.• What is left over sha ll be for t he prin ce, o n e ither s ide o f the sacred portion a nd o f th e common land belo ngin g to t he city, marc hing with t he twent y-five th ou sa nd cub its to eas tward ' to the eas tern fro ntier, a nd march ing with t he twen ty-five thousa nd cub its to west ward to th e weste rn frontier-ru nn ing para llel with th e o ther po rti on s a nd belongi ng to t he prin ce. In th e centre will be the con secr ated por tion a nd the sa nc tua ry o f the Tem ple. •T hus, ap art from th e property o f the Levi tes a nd the proper ty o f th e city which lie inside t he pri nce' s portio n, eve ryt hing between th e bo rders o f Juda h a nd th e bo rders o f Benjami n is to belon g to th e pri nce . ' Her e a rc t he rest of the tribes: fro m the eastern fronti er to th e western fro ntier: Benja min, o ne po rti on . • Bo rdering Benja m in, fro m the eastern fron tier to the west ern fr ont ier: Simeo n, one portion . • Bo rde ring Simeo n, from the ea stern fro nti er to the west ern fro ntier: lssachar, o ne portio n. • Borde ring lssa cha r, from the ea stern fro ntier to the western fro nt ier : Ze bu lun, o ne porti on . Border ing Zc bulun, fro m th e ea stern fro ntier to the wes tern fron tier : G ad , o ne po rt io n. •T he so uthern bo rde r o f G a d w ill be fo rmed by the sou thern front ier r unning thro ugh Ta ma r to th e wat er s of Meriba h in Kadcsh, to the Wad i a nd th e G rea t Sea . •T his is how yo u a rc to di vide the lan d into pat rimo nies fo r t he tri bes o f Israe l ; a nd these arc to be their po rti on s-it is the Lord Ya hweh w ho spea ks.

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' Here a rc the wa ys o ut o f the cit y. O n th e north side, bei ng four tho usa nd five hu ndred cu bits lo ng, - th rce gat es: the ga te o f Re u ben, t he ga te o f J uda h, th e ga te of Levi ; the ga tes o f t he city arc to be na med a fter the tri bes o f Isra el. O n thc ca st side, bein g four tho usa nd five hundred cubi ts lon g, th ree ga tes : t he ga te o f J osep h, the ga te of Benjamin , the ga te o f Da n. •O n the so uth side, being fo u r t hou san d live hu ndred cubits lon g, three ga tes: the ga te o f Simeon , the ga te o f lssacha r, th e ga te o f Zcbulun. -O n the west side, being fou r thou sand five hund red cubits lo ng, three gates: th e ga te o f Gad , th e ga te o f As her, the ga te of Na phta li. -To ta l pe rim ete r: eightee n th ou sand cu b its. 'T he na me o f th e city in fu tur e is to be: Ya hwe h-is-t here .:«

48 C. ' 10 eas tw a rd ' corr. ca se summ ing up the e n tire reflaio us and liturgical d . In Hcbr. Yahw en stuun, p ossibl y intended to act ivity o f Eze kiel . s ugg es t th e so u nd o f th e nam e 'J e r usa le m ' , but in a n y

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K 2-l: If In the third yea r o f t he reign of Jeho iak im kin g of J uda h, Ne buc ha dn ezza r :2 :2 Ch 36: 5-7 king of Ba bylo n marc hed on Je rusa lem a nd besieged it. -T hc Lo rd delivered Je ho iak im k ing of J ud ah into h is hand s, with so me of th e furn ish ings of the 5:2 Te mp le o f G od . He too k the m away to the la nd o f Shina r," a nd stored the sac red G n 10: 10 vesse ls in t he trea sur y o f his ow n go ds. T he king o rde red As hpenaz, his c hic!" e unu ch, to select from the Israe lites 4 a ce rta in nu mber o f boy s o f eithe r roya l or noble descent ; - thcy ha d to be wit ho ut a ny phy sica l defect, o f good a ppea ran ce, tra ined in every kind of wisdom , well-info rmed , qu ick a t learni ng, " suita ble for se rvice in the pa lace of the king. As hpcnaz him scl fwn s to tea ch th em the la nguage a nd lite ra tu re of th e C ha ldaeans. 2 K 25:29 -30 5 T he king assig ned the m a dai ly a llowa nce o f fo od a nd wine from his ow n royal tab le . T hey we re to receive a n ed ucat ion last ing fo r three yea rs, aft er w hich they I, we re expe cted to be fit fo r th e king's soc iety. • Amo ng them were Da niel, 7 Ha na nia h. M ishae l a nd Aza ria h, who were J udae a ns . -T hc ch ief eunuch ga ve them other names, ca lling Dan iel Beltes ha zza r, Ha na niah Shad rac h, M ishael 8 Mcshac h, and Aza ria h A bcd ncgo .: • Da niel, w ho wa s most a nxiou s no t to de file him self with the food a nd wine from Ihe royal tabl e, begged the chief eunuch to J ut 12:2 Gn 39:4.2 1 <J spa re him t his defilement:" -a nd by the grace o f G od Da niel me t goo dwill and Est 2:9 10 sy m pat hy on th e pa rt o f t he chief eu nu ch. • BUI he wa rned Da niel, 'I a m a fra id o f my lo rd the king: he ha s assigned yo u food a nd d rin k, a nd if he sees yo u looking thinner in the face than th e other boy s o f yo ur ag e, my head will be in dange r I I with th e king because o f you' . - A t thi s Da niel turned to the gu ard whom th e ch ief eun uch had ass igned to Da niel, Ha na nia h, M ishael a nd Aza ria h. He sa id , /' R v 2:10 12 ' Please a llow yo ur serva nts a ten days' tri al , durin g which we a re given onl y 13 vegeta bles to ca t a nd wa te r to d rink. • Yo u ca n th en co m pa re o ur look s with those of the bo ys who ea t th e king's food ; go by what you see, a nd treat your 14 serva nts accordi ngly.' -The man ag reed to do wh at they asked a nd put th em on 15 ten days ' tr ial. •W hen th e ten days were o ver th ey look ed a nd were in bett er hea lth than any of the boys who had ea te n the ir a llow ance from th e royal table ; I I, so the guard withd rew th eir a llowan ce of foo d a nd the wine the y were to drink , 17 a nd gave them vegetables. - A nd God favoured the se four boy s with knowledge a nd inte lligence in everyt hi ng connected with literature, and in wisd om; while G n 41:12 18 Daniel had the gift of inter preting every k ind o f vision a nd dr eam . -W hen the period stip ulated by the king for the boys' training wa s over , the chief eunuch

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t a . ' to the lan d of Sh in a r' Hebr. : ' to Babylo n' t he p aRa n name Ab ed Nc b u. ' ser va nt o f Neb u ' «he Rod who se name occ urs in Ncbuch ad ne zza r). G reek . Hebr. adds ' to th e tem ple o f his go ds ' , d . T o di so be y t he di et a ry proh ibit io ns of the La w b. Not th er e for e 10 be trained m erely as p a ges . In eastern co ur ts th ose des tined fo r th e ca ree r o f was equi valen t to a pos tasy , an d th e en fo rced be llenlsurio n un der A nr ioc hus Epip hanes often p u t a ' lett ers' (scr ibes. tra nsl a tors, a rc h ivists . scho la rs. s trum on th c J e ws . cf. 2 M 6: 18- 7: 42 . astr ologers. et c.) we re (ra ined from c h ildhood . c. Probably t he co p yis t ha s de liberate ly c ha nged

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