Chapter II: Part 2

26:014:013 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing
grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and
will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send
famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

26:014:014 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it,
they should deliver but their own souls by their
righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

26:014:015 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they
spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through
because of the beasts:

26:014:016 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord
GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only
shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

26:014:017 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go
through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

26:014:018 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord
GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they
only shall be delivered themselves.

26:014:019 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury
upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

26:014:020 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the
Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they
shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

26:014:021 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four
sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and
the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man
and beast?

26:014:022 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be
brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall
come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their
doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I
have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have
brought upon it.

26:014:023 And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their
doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause
all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

26:015:001 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:015:002 Son of man, what is the vine tree more than any tree, or than
a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

26:015:003 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a
pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?

26:015:004 Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth
both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet
for any work?

26:015:005 Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much
less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath
devoured it, and it is burned?

26:015:006 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the
trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel,
so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

26:015:007 And I will set my face against them; they shall go out from
one fire, and another fire shall devour them; and ye shall
know that I am the LORD, when I set my face against them.

26:015:008 And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed
a trespass, saith the Lord GOD.

26:016:001 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:016:002 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,

26:016:003 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and
thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an
Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.

26:016:004 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel
was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee;
thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

26:016:005 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have
compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open
field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast
born.

26:016:006 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own
blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live;
yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

26:016:007 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and
thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to
excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair
is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

26:016:008 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy
time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee,
and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou
becamest mine.

26:016:009 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away
thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

26:016:010 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with
badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I
covered thee with silk.

26:016:011 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon
thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

26:016:012 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears,
and a beautiful crown upon thine head.

26:016:013 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment
was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst
eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding
beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

26:016:014 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty:
for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon
thee, saith the Lord GOD.

26:016:015 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the
harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy
fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

26:016:016 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high
places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon:
the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.

26:016:017 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my
silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images
of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

26:016:018 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and
thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

26:016:019 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and
honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them
for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.

26:016:020 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou
hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them
to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

26:016:021 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause
them to pass through the fire for them?

26:016:022 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not
remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and
bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.

26:016:023 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto
thee! saith the LORD GOD;)

26:016:024 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast
made thee an high place in every street.

26:016:025 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and
hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet
to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

26:016:026 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy
neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms,
to provoke me to anger.

26:016:027 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and
have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto
the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the
Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.

26:016:028 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because
thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with
them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.

26:016:029 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of
Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied
therewith.

26:016:030 How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest
all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;

26:016:031 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every
way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not
been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

26:016:032 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers
instead of her husband!

26:016:033 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to
all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee
on every side for thy whoredom.

26:016:034 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms,
whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that
thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee,
therefore thou art contrary.

26:016:035 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:

26:016:036 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured
out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with
thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by
the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;

26:016:037 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou
hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with
all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round
about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them,
that they may see all thy nakedness.

26:016:038 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed
blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and
jealousy.

26:016:039 And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall
throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high
places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall
take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

26:016:040 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they
shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with
their swords.

26:016:041 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute
judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will
cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also
shalt give no hire any more.

26:016:042 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy
shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no
more angry.

26:016:043 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but
hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also
will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD:
and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine
abominations.

26:016:044 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb
against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.

26:016:045 Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and
her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which
lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an
Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

26:016:046 And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that
dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth
at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

26:016:047 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after
their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing,
thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.

26:016:048 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done,
she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy
daughters.

26:016:049 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,
fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in
her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor
and needy.

26:016:050 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me:
therefore I took them away as I saw good.

26:016:051 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast
multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast
justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou
hast done.

26:016:052 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame
for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than
they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou
confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast
justified thy sisters.

26:016:053 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of
Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her
daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy
captives in the midst of them:

26:016:054 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be
confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a
comfort unto them.

26:016:055 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to
their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall
return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters
shall return to your former estate.

26:016:056 For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day
of thy pride,

26:016:057 Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy
reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round
about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise
thee round about.

26:016:058 Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the
LORD.

26:016:059 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as
thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the
covenant.

26:016:060 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days
of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting
covenant.

26:016:061 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou
shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I
will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy
covenant.

26:016:062 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt
know that I am the LORD:

26:016:063 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open
thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified
toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

26:017:001 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:017:002 Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the
house of Israel;

26:017:003 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great
wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours,
came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar:

26:017:004 He cropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into
a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants.

26:017:005 He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a
fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a
willow tree.

26:017:006 And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose
branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under
him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot
forth sprigs.

26:017:007 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many
feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward
him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might
water it by the furrows of her plantation.

26:017:008 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might
bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it
might be a goodly vine.

26:017:009 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he
not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof,
that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her
spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up
by the roots thereof.

26:017:010 Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not
utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall
wither in the furrows where it grew.

26:017:011 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:017:012 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things
mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to
Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes
thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

26:017:013 And hath taken of the king's seed, and made a covenant with
him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the
mighty of the land:

26:017:014 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself
up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.

26:017:015 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into
Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall
he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall
he break the covenant, and be delivered?

26:017:016 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the
king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and
whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon
he shall die.

26:017:017 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company
make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building
forts, to cut off many persons:

26:017:018 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when,
lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he
shall not escape.

26:017:019 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely mine oath
that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken,
even it will I recompense upon his own head.

26:017:020 And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my
snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with
him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me.

26:017:021 And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the
sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all
winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.

26:017:022 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest
branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off
from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant
it upon an high mountain and eminent:

26:017:023 In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and
it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly
cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the
shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.

26:017:024 And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have
brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have
dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to
flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.

26:018:001 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

26:018:002 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of
Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the
children's teeth are set on edge?

26:018:003 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any
more to use this proverb in Israel.

26:018:004 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also
the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall
die.

26:018:005 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

26:018:006 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath
defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a
menstruous woman,

26:018:007 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor
his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his
bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a
garment;

26:018:008 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken
any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath
executed true judgment between man and man,

26:018:009 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to
deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord
GOD.

26:018:010 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and
that doeth the like to any one of these things,

26:018:011 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten
upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife,

26:018:012 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence,
hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to
the idols, hath committed abomination,

26:018:013 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he
then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these
abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon
him.

26:018:014 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins
which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

26:018:015 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up
his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled
his neighbour's wife,

26:018:016 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge,
neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to
the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

26:018:017 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not
received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath
walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of
his father, he shall surely live.

26:018:018 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his
brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his
people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

26:018:019 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the
father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right,
and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall
surely live.

26:018:020 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear
the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the
iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall
be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
him.

26:018:021 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath
committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is
lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

26:018:022 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not
be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done
he shall live.

26:018:023 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith
the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and
live?

26:018:024 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness,
and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the
abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his
righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his
trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath
sinned, in them shall he die.

26:018:025 Yet ye say, The way of the LORD is not equal. Hear now, O
house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways
unequal?

26:018:026 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and
committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that
he hath done shall he die.

26:018:027 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness
that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and
right, he shall save his soul alive.

26:018:028 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his
transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live,
he shall not die.

26:018:029 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the LORD is not
equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your
ways unequal?

26:018:030 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one
according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn
yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not
be your ruin.

26:018:031 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have
transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for
why will ye die, O house of Israel?

26:018:032 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith
the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

26:019:001 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

26:019:002 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among
lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

26:019:003 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion,
and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

26:019:004 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and
they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

26:019:005 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost,
then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young
lion.

26:019:006 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young
lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men.

26:019:007 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their
cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by
the noise of his roaring.

26:019:008 Then the nations set against him on every side from the
provinces, and spread their net over him: he was taken in
their pit.

26:019:009 And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the
king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice
should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

26:019:010 Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters:
she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many
waters.

26:019:011 And she had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare
rule, and her stature was exalted among the thick branches,
and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her
branches.

26:019:012 But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the
ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods
were broken and withered; the fire consumed them.

26:019:013 And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty
ground.

26:019:014 And fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath
devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong rod to be a
sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a
lamentation.

26:020:001 And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month,
the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of
Israel came to enquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

26:020:002 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

26:020:003 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto
them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Are ye come to enquire of me?
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by
you.

26:020:004 Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause
them to know the abominations of their fathers:

26:020:005 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when I
chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the
house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of
Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am the
LORD your God;

26:020:006 In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them
forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for
them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all
lands:

26:020:007 Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations
of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of
Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

26:020:008 But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me:
they did not every man cast away the abominations of their
eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I
said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my
anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

26:020:009 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose
sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth
out of the land of Egypt.

26:020:010 Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt,
and brought them into the wilderness.

26:020:011 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

26:020:012 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me
and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that
sanctify them.

26:020:013 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness:
they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my
judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and
my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour
out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

26:020:014 But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be
polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them
out.

26:020:015 Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that
I would not bring them into the land which I had given them,
flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

26:020:016 Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my
statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after
their idols.

26:020:017 Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them,
neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

26:020:018 But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not
in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their
judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:

26:020:019 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my
judgments, and do them;

26:020:020 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me
and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.

26:020:021 Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked
not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them,
which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted
my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them,
to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

26:020:022 Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's
sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the
heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

26:020:023 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I
would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them
through the countries;

26:020:024 Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised
my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were
after their fathers' idols.

26:020:025 Wherefore I gave them also statutes that were not good, and
judgments whereby they should not live;

26:020:026 And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to
pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might
make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am
the LORD.

26:020:027 Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Yet in this your fathers
have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass
against me.

26:020:028 For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I
lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every
high hill, and all the thick trees, and they offered there
their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of
their offering: there also they made their sweet savour, and
poured out there their drink offerings.

26:020:029 Then I said unto them, What is the high place whereunto ye go?
And the name whereof is called Bamah unto this day.

26:020:030 Wherefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord
GOD; Are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and
commit ye whoredom after their abominations?

26:020:031 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass
through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols,
even unto this day: and shall I be enquired of by you, O house
of Israel? As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will not be
enquired of by you.

26:020:032 And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all, that
ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the
countries, to serve wood and stone.

26:020:033 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and
with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I
rule over you:

26:020:034 And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you
out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty
hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.

26:020:035 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and
there will I plead with you face to face.

26:020:036 Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the
land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.

26:020:037 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring
you into the bond of the covenant:

26:020:038 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that
transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the
country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the
land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

26:020:039 As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord GOD; Go ye,
serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will
not hearken unto me: but pollute ye my holy name no more with
your gifts, and with your idols.

26:020:040 For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of
Israel, saith the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of
Israel, all of them in the land, serve me: there will I accept
them, and there will I require your offerings, and the
firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things.

26:020:041 I will accept you with your sweet savour, when I bring you out
from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein
ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before
the heathen.

26:020:042 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you
into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I
lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.

26:020:043 And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings,
wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in
your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.

26:020:044 And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have wrought with
you for my name's sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor
according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith
the Lord GOD.

26:020:045 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:020:046 Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop thy word
toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south
field;

26:020:047 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD;
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee,
and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry
tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces
from the south to the north shall be burned therein.

26:020:048 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it
shall not be quenched.

26:020:049 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak
parables?

26:021:001 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:021:002 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word
toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of
Israel,

26:021:003 And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I
am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his
sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the
wicked.

26:021:004 Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and
the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his
sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

26:021:005 That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my
sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.

26:021:006 Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy
loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

26:021:007 And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest
thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it
cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be
feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be
weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to
pass, saith the Lord GOD.

26:021:008 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:021:009 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A
sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:

26:021:010 It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that
it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the
rod of my son, as every tree.

26:021:011 And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled:
this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into
the hand of the slayer.

26:021:012 Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it
shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of
the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy
thigh.

26:021:013 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the
rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD.

26:021:014 Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands
together and let the sword be doubled the third time, the
sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are
slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.

26:021:015 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah!
it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.

26:021:016 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the
left, whithersoever thy face is set.

26:021:017 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my
fury to rest: I the LORD have said it.

26:021:018 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying,

26:021:019 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword
of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth
out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the
head of the way to the city.

26:021:020 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the
Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.

26:021:021 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at
the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his
arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the
liver.

26:021:022 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint
captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the
voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the
gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.

26:021:023 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their
sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to
remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

26:021:024 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your
iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are
discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear;
because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be
taken with the hand.

26:021:025 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come,
when iniquity shall have an end,

26:021:026 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the
crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and
abase him that is high.

26:021:027 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no
more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

26:021:028 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord
GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach;
even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the
slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the
glittering:

26:021:029 Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie
unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are
slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity
shall have an end.

26:021:030 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee
in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy
nativity.

26:021:031 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow
against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into
the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy.

26:021:032 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the
midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the
LORD have spoken it.

26:022:001 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:022:002 Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the
bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

26:022:003 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth
blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh
idols against herself to defile herself.

26:022:004 Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and
hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and
thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto
thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the
heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

26:022:005 Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall
mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.

26:022:006 Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their
power to shed blood.

26:022:007 In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst
of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in
thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

26:022:008 Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my
sabbaths.

26:022:009 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee
they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit
lewdness.

26:022:010 In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee
have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

26:022:011 And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife;
and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and
another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's
daughter.

26:022:012 In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken
usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy
neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord
GOD.

26:022:013 Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest
gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in
the midst of thee.

26:022:014 Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the
days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have spoken it,
and will do it.

26:022:015 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee
in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

26:022:016 And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight
of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

26:022:017 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:022:018 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all
they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of
the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

26:022:019 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become
dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of
Jerusalem.

26:022:020 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin,
into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to
melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury,
and I will leave you there, and melt you.

26:022:021 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my
wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst therof.

26:022:022 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye
be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the
LORD have poured out my fury upon you.

26:022:023 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

26:022:024 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not
cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

26:022:025 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof,
like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured
souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they
have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

26:022:026 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy
things: they have put no difference between the holy and
profane, neither have they shewed difference between the
unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my
sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

26:022:027 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the
prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest
gain.

26:022:028 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter,
seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith
the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

26:022:029 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised
robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have
oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

26:022:030 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the
hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I
should not destroy it: but I found none.

26:022:031 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have
consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I
recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

26:023:001 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

26:023:002 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

26:023:003 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed
whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed,
and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

26:023:004 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her
sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters.
Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem
Aholibah.

26:023:005 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted
on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,

26:023:006 Which were clothed with blue, captains and rulers, all of them
desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses.

26:023:007 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, with all them that
were the chosen men of Assyria, and with all on whom she
doted: with all their idols she defiled herself.

26:023:008 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her
youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her
virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.

26:023:009 Wherefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers,
into the hand of the Assyrians, upon whom she doted.

26:023:010 These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her
daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous
among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.

26:023:011 And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in
her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than
her sister in her whoredoms.

26:023:012 She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and
rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses,
all of them desirable young men.

26:023:013 Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way,

26:023:014 And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men
pourtrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans
pourtrayed with vermilion,

26:023:015 Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire
upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the
manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their
nativity:

26:023:016 And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon
them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea.

26:023:017 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they
defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with
them, and her mind was alienated from them.

26:023:018 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness:
then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was
alienated from her sister.

26:023:019 Yet she multiplied her whoredoms, in calling to remembrance
the days of her youth, wherein she had played the harlot in
the land of Egypt.

26:023:020 For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the
flesh of asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses.

26:023:021 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness of thy youth,
in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians for the paps of thy
youth.

26:023:022 Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will
raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is
alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

26:023:023 The Babylonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, and Shoa, and
Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: all of them desirable
young men, captains and rulers, great lords and renowned, all
of them riding upon horses.

26:023:024 And they shall come against thee with chariots, wagons, and
wheels, and with an assembly of people, which shall set
against thee buckler and shield and helmet round about: and I
will set judgment before them, and they shall judge thee
according to their judgments.

26:023:025 And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal
furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine
ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take
thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured
by the fire.

26:023:026 They shall also strip thee out of thy clothes, and take away
thy fair jewels.

26:023:027 Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease from thee, and thy
whoredom brought from the land of Egypt: so that thou shalt
not lift up thine eyes unto them, nor remember Egypt any more.

26:023:028 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will deliver thee into
the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them from
whom thy mind is alienated:

26:023:029 And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away
all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the
nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy
lewdness and thy whoredoms.

26:023:030 I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a
whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with
their idols.

26:023:031 Thou hast walked in the way of thy sister; therefore will I
give her cup into thine hand.

26:023:032 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup
deep and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in
derision; it containeth much.

26:023:033 Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup
of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister
Samaria.