New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezekiel 14
3
"Son of man, these men have thought about nothing but other gods. They have fallen into the evil trap of worshiping them. Should I let those men ask me for any advice?
Reference
4
"Speak to them. Tell them, 'The Lord and King says, "Suppose an Israelite thinks about other gods. And he falls into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then he goes to a prophet to ask for advice. If he does, I myself will tell the prophet to answer him in keeping with his worship of many gods.
Reference
5
I will win back the hearts of the people of Israel. All of them have deserted me for their other gods." '
Reference
6
"So speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, 'The Lord and King says, "Turn away from your sins! Also turn away from your gods. Give up all of the evil things you have done. I hate them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 30:22
Isaiah 2:20
Romans 6:21
Hosea 14:8
References God
Ezekiel 14:4
1 Samuel 7:3
Repentance
Ezekiel 18:30
7
" ' "Suppose an Israelite or outsider who lives in Israel separates himself from me. And he thinks about other gods. He falls into the evil trap of worshiping them. Then he goes to a prophet to ask me for advice. If he does, I myself will tell the prophet to answer him.
Reference
References Lord
Exodus 12:48
8
I will turn against him. I will make an example out of him. People will laugh at him. I will cut him off from you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Leviticus 17:10
References Lord
Ezekiel 15:7
Jeremiah 44:11
Ezekiel 5:15
Isaiah 65:15
Deuteronomy 28:37
Ezekiel 6:7
9
" ' "Suppose that prophet is stirred up to give a prophecy. Then I am the one who has stirred him up. And I will reach out my powerful hand against him. I will destroy him from among my people Israel.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 20:25
Isaiah 9:21
Isaiah 10:4
Isaiah 66:4
Job 12:16
References Israel
Isaiah 9:12
References Lord
Jeremiah 4:10
Isaiah 5:25
Isaiah 63:16
Isaiah 9:17
10
The prophet will be as much to blame as the one who asks him for advice. Both of them will be guilty.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 4:13
Galatians 6:5
Prophecy
Jeremiah 14:15
Ezekiel 14:4
Sin
Ezekiel 23:49
Numbers 5:31
Micah 7:9
11
Then the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me. And they will not pollute themselves anymore with their many sins. They will be my people. And I will be their God," ' announces the Lord and King."
Reference
References God
Revelation 21:7
Hebrews 11:16
Jeremiah 11:4
Jeremiah 32:38
Jeremiah 31:33
Ezekiel 44:15
Ezekiel 39:22
References Israel
Ezekiel 48:11
Sin
Ezekiel 37:23
Ezekiel 44:10
12
A message came to me from the Lord. He said,
13
"Son of man, suppose the people in a certain country sin against me. And they are not faithful to me. So I reach out my powerful hand against them. I cut off their food supply. I make them very hungry. I kill them and their animals.
Reference
14
And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that country. Then those three men could save only themselves by doing what is right," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 28:3
Daniel 10:11
References God
Job 1:1
Ezekiel 14:18
Job 1:5
References Lord
Jeremiah 15:1
Genesis 6:8
Righteousness
Ezekiel 14:20
Genesis 7:1
Hebrews 11:7
15
"Or suppose I send wild animals through that country. And they kill all of its children. It becomes a dry and empty desert. No one can pass through it because of the animals.
Reference
16
And suppose those three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. But the land would become a dry and empty desert. And that is just as sure as I am alive," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
References God
Genesis 19:29
17
"Or suppose I send swords to kill the people in that country. And I say, 'Let swords sweep all through the land.' And I kill its people and their animals.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zephaniah 1:3
Ezekiel 14:13
Word
Leviticus 26:25
Ezekiel 5:12
Jeremiah 47:6
Ezekiel 25:13
18
And suppose those three men were in that country. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. And that is just as sure as I am alive," announces the Lord and King.
19
"Or suppose I send a plague into that land. And I pour out my burning anger on it by spilling blood. I kill its people and their animals.
Reference
20
And suppose Noah, Daniel and Job were in that land. Then they could not save their own sons or daughters. They could save only themselves by doing what is right. And that is just as sure as I am alive," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
Righteousness
Ezekiel 14:14
21
The Lord and King says, "It will get much worse. I will punish Jerusalem in four horrible ways. There will be war, hunger, wild animals and plague. They will destroy the people and their animals.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 14:15
Ezekiel 14:13
Ezekiel 14:19
Word
Ezekiel 33:27
Ezekiel 5:17
Ezekiel 14:17
Ezekiel 5:12
22
"But some people will be left alive. Some children will be brought out of the city. They will come to you. You will see how they act and the way they live. And you will be comforted in spite of all of the trouble I brought on Jerusalem.
Reference
23
You will be comforted when you see how they act and the way they live. Then you will know that I did not do anything there without a reason," announces the Lord and King.
Summary of Ezekiel 14
Ezekiel 14 confronts the danger of divided loyalty, showing that some elders seek God's guidance while secretly maintaining idols in their hearts, and it explains that genuine relationship with God requires repentance rather than outward religious behavior that attempts to hide inward rebellion.
The chapter begins with elders approaching Ezekiel, but God immediately reveals what they are carrying within themselves: idols in their hearts.
This shows that idolatry is not limited to physical statues or visible religious practices; it can also describe an inward loyalty to something that takes God's rightful place.
God therefore refuses to treat their outward religious questions as sincere while they deliberately maintain hidden rebellion.
Instead, He calls them to repent, turn away from their idols, and abandon their detestable practices, demonstrating that judgment is not presented merely as punishment but also as a means of bringing the people back into a genuine relationship with Him.
The chapter then turns to the responsibility of false prophets and those who seek their guidance.
Both sides are held accountable because the people should not use prophets to justify what they already want to believe, while prophets should not claim to speak for God when their message contradicts His truth.
The second major section addresses an important question about righteousness during national judgment.
God presents Noah, Daniel, and Job as examples of exceptionally righteous people and explains that even their righteousness would save only themselves if they were living in a land that had persistently rebelled against God.
The point is not that righteousness has no value, but that one person's faithfulness cannot automatically remove the consequences of another person's deliberate rebellion.
God then describes four devastating judgments—war, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—showing how comprehensively Jerusalem will suffer because of its persistent disobedience.
Yet even this judgment contains an element of hope because some survivors will eventually be brought out of Jerusalem, and their lives will help the exiles understand why the city was judged.
The chapter therefore closes by showing that Jerusalem's destruction was not random or unjust; its suffering had a spiritual and moral explanation, and the survivors themselves would become evidence that God's warnings had been true.
The central message is that Ezekiel 14 exposes the danger of approaching God outwardly while secretly holding on to idols and rebellion inwardly, showing that God sees the hidden loyalties of the heart and cannot be manipulated by religious appearances, while His call to repentance demonstrates that genuine restoration requires turning away from competing objects of devotion and returning wholeheartedly to Him, and the examples of Noah, Daniel, and Job emphasize that even extraordinary personal righteousness cannot simply erase the consequences of widespread rebellion, so when Jerusalem experiences the combined devastation of war, famine, disease, and destruction, the surviving remnant will ultimately help the exiles understand that God's judgment was neither arbitrary nor excessive but a righteous response to persistent spiritual and moral corruption, while those who remain faithful are shown to be personally known and accountable before God even when surrounded by a society that has turned away from Him.
The chapter begins with elders approaching Ezekiel, but God immediately reveals what they are carrying within themselves: idols in their hearts.
This shows that idolatry is not limited to physical statues or visible religious practices; it can also describe an inward loyalty to something that takes God's rightful place.
God therefore refuses to treat their outward religious questions as sincere while they deliberately maintain hidden rebellion.
Instead, He calls them to repent, turn away from their idols, and abandon their detestable practices, demonstrating that judgment is not presented merely as punishment but also as a means of bringing the people back into a genuine relationship with Him.
The chapter then turns to the responsibility of false prophets and those who seek their guidance.
Both sides are held accountable because the people should not use prophets to justify what they already want to believe, while prophets should not claim to speak for God when their message contradicts His truth.
The second major section addresses an important question about righteousness during national judgment.
God presents Noah, Daniel, and Job as examples of exceptionally righteous people and explains that even their righteousness would save only themselves if they were living in a land that had persistently rebelled against God.
The point is not that righteousness has no value, but that one person's faithfulness cannot automatically remove the consequences of another person's deliberate rebellion.
God then describes four devastating judgments—war, famine, dangerous animals, and plague—showing how comprehensively Jerusalem will suffer because of its persistent disobedience.
Yet even this judgment contains an element of hope because some survivors will eventually be brought out of Jerusalem, and their lives will help the exiles understand why the city was judged.
The chapter therefore closes by showing that Jerusalem's destruction was not random or unjust; its suffering had a spiritual and moral explanation, and the survivors themselves would become evidence that God's warnings had been true.
The central message is that Ezekiel 14 exposes the danger of approaching God outwardly while secretly holding on to idols and rebellion inwardly, showing that God sees the hidden loyalties of the heart and cannot be manipulated by religious appearances, while His call to repentance demonstrates that genuine restoration requires turning away from competing objects of devotion and returning wholeheartedly to Him, and the examples of Noah, Daniel, and Job emphasize that even extraordinary personal righteousness cannot simply erase the consequences of widespread rebellion, so when Jerusalem experiences the combined devastation of war, famine, disease, and destruction, the surviving remnant will ultimately help the exiles understand that God's judgment was neither arbitrary nor excessive but a righteous response to persistent spiritual and moral corruption, while those who remain faithful are shown to be personally known and accountable before God even when surrounded by a society that has turned away from Him.