1 The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me to the east gate of the LORD's temple, which faces east. At the door of the gate were twenty-five men; and I saw in the midst of them Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, officials of the people. 2 He said to me, "Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city. 3 They say, 'The time is not near to build houses. This city is the pot, and we are the meat.' 4 Therefore prophesy against them, son of man." 5 Then the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and he said to me, "Tell them, this is what the LORD says: This is what you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind. 6 You have murdered many in this city, and have filled its streets with corpses. 7 Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: Your slain whom you have tossed in the midst of the city, they are the flesh, and this city is the pot; but you will be dragged out of the midst of it. 8 You have feared the sword; so I will bring the sword upon you, says the sovereign LORD. 9 I will bring you out of the midst of it, and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, who will execute judgments on you. 10 You will fall by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel; then you will know that I am the LORD. 11 This city will not be your pot, neither will you be the meat in the midst of it; I will judge you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the LORD: for you have not walked in my statutes, neither have you kept my regulations, but rather you have acted according to the regulations of the nations that are around you." 13 When I was prophesying, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then I fell down on my face, and cried out with a loud voice, "Ah sovereign LORD! Will you totally destroy the remnant of Israel?" 14 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 15 "Son of man, your brothers, your relatives and all the house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'They are far away from the LORD; to us is this land given for a possession.' 16 Therefore say, This is what the sovereign LORD says: 'Even though I have removed them far off to be among the nations, and scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they are exiled.' 17 Therefore say, This is what the sovereign LORD says: 'I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. 18 When they return there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will walk in my statutes, and keep my regulations, and do them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring back what they have done on their own heads, says the sovereign LORD.'" 22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, and the wheels were beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. 23 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stopped on the mountain to the east of the city. 24 The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen left me. 25 Then I reported to the exiles all the things that the LORD had shown me.