They rendered the beauty of his ornaments into pride, and with it they made their abominable images – their detestable idols. Therefore I will render it filthy to them.

He stretched out the form of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my head. Then a wind lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces north where the statue which provokes to jealousy was located.

But this one from Israel’s royal family rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his emissaries to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he prosper? Will the one doing these things escape? Can he break the covenant and escape?

All the choice men among his troops will die by the sword and the survivors will be scattered to every wind. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken!

They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw into the water.

“‘This is what the Lord says: Egypt’s supporters will fall; her confident pride will crumble. From Migdol to Syene they will die by the sword within her, declares the sovereign Lord.

“And you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have said: “Our rebellious acts and our sins have caught up with us, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?”’

They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid.

“‘You have shown unrelenting hostility and poured the people of Israel onto the blades of a sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment.

It will be a holy portion of the land; it will be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary who approach the Lord to minister to him. It will be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary.

“‘When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship will go out by way of the south gate; whoever enters by way of the south gate will go out by way of the north gate. No one will return by way of the gate they entered but will go out straight ahead.

Each moved straight ahead – wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went.

And the Lord said, “This is how the people of Israel will eat their unclean food among the nations where I will banish them.”

So he said to me, “All right then, I will substitute cow’s manure instead of human excrement. You will cook your food over it.”

“‘After all of your evil – “Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign Lord –

Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, but you were not satisfied there either.

and say: “‘What a lioness was your mother among the lions! She lay among young lions; she reared her cubs.

I gave them my statutes and revealed my regulations to them. The one who carries them out will live by them!

“Son of man, turn toward the south, and speak out against the south. Prophesy against the open scrub land of the Negev,

“‘As for you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, the time of final punishment,