The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  2Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  3“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, b“I will not be inquired of by you.” ’

  4“Will you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? Then cmake known to them the abominations of their fathers.

  5“Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when dI chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself eknown to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying, f‘I am the LORD your God.’

  6“On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, gto bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, h‘flowing with milk and honey,’ ithe glory of all lands.

  7“Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, jthrow away kthe abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with lthe idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’

  8“But they rebelled against Me and would not 1obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, ‘I will mpour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.’

  9n“But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made Myself oknown to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

  10“Therefore I pmade them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.

  11q“And I gave them My statutes and 2showed them My judgments, r‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’

  12“Moreover I also gave them My sSabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

  13“Yet the house of Israel trebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they udespised My judgments, v‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly wdefiled My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them in the xwilderness, to consume them.

  14y“But I acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

  15“So zI also raised My hand in an oath to them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, a‘flowing with milk and honey,’ bthe glory of all lands,

  16c“because they despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for dtheir heart went after their idols.

  17e“Nevertheless My eye spared them from destruction. I did not make an end of them in the wilderness.

  18“But I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

  19‘I am the LORD your God: fWalk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them;

  20g‘hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

  21“Notwithstanding, hthe children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, i‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths. Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and fulfill My anger against them in the wilderness.

  22“Nevertheless I 3withdrew My hand and acted for My name’s sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the Gentiles, in whose sight I had brought them out.

  23“Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that jI would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,

  24k“because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and ltheir eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

  25“Therefore mI also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;

  26“and I pronounced them unclean because of their ritual gifts, in that they caused all 4their firstborn to pass nthrough the fire, that I might make them desolate and that they omight know that I am the LORD.” ’

  27“Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In this too your fathers have pblasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me.

  28“When I brought them into the land concerning which I had raised My hand in an oath to give them, and qthey saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings. There they also sent up their rsweet aroma and poured out their drink offerings.

  29“Then I said to them, ‘What is this 5high place to which you go?’ So its name is called 6Bamah to this day.” ’

  30“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you defiling yourselves in the manner of your sfathers, and committing harlotry according to their tabominations?

  31“For when you offer uyour gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will vnot be inquired of by you.

  32w“What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’

  God Will Restore Israel

  33“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, xwith an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you.

  34“I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.

  35“And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there yI will plead My case with you face to face.

  36z“Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD.

  37“I will make you apass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the bcovenant;

  38c“I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but dthey shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

  39“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord GOD: e“Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; fbut profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols.

  40“For gon My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “there hall the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there iI will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your 7sacrifices, together with all your holy things.

  41“I will accept you as a jsweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.

  42k“Then you shall know that I am the LORD, lwhen I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers.

  43“And mthere you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and nyou shall 8loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed.

  44o“Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have dealt with you pfor My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord GOD.’ ” Scope of Ezekiel’s Prophecies

  Fire in the Forest

  45Furthermore the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  46q“Son of man, set your face toward the south; 9preach against the south and prophesy against the forest land, the 10South,

  47“and say to the forest of the South, ‘Hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, rI will kindle a fire in you, and it sh
all devour severy green tree and every dry tree in you; the blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces tfrom the south to the north shall be scorched by it.

  48“All flesh shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ’ ”

  49Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! They say of me, ‘Does he not speak uparables?’ ”

  Ezekiel 21

  Babylon, the Sword of God

  1And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  2a“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, bpreach1 against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

  3“and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I am cagainst you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both drighteous and wicked from you.

  4“Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh efrom south to north,

  5“that all flesh may know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it fshall not return anymore.” ’

  6g“Sigh therefore, son of man, with 2a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.

  7“And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, hall hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord GOD.”

  8Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ Say:

  i‘A sword, a sword is sharpened

  And also polished!

  10Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter,

  Polished to flash like lightning!

  Should we then make mirth?

  It despises the scepter of My son,

  As it does all wood.

  11And He has given it to be polished,

  That it may be handled;

  This sword is sharpened, and it is polished

  To be given into the hand of jthe slayer.’

  12“Cry and wail, son of man;

  For it will be against My people,

  Against all the princes of Israel.

  Terrors including the sword will be against My people;

  Therefore kstrike your thigh.

  13“Because it is la testing,

  And what if the sword despises even the scepter?

  m The scepter shall be no more,”

  says the Lord GOD.

  14“You therefore, son of man, prophesy,

  And nstrike your hands together.

  The third time let the sword do double damage.

  It is the sword that slays,

  The sword that slays the great men,

  That enters their oprivate chambers.

  15I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,

  That the heart may melt and many may stumble.

  Ah! pIt is made bright;

  It is grasped for slaughter:

  16“Swordsq3 at the ready!

  Thrust right!

  Set your blade!

  Thrust left—

  Wherever your 4edge is ordered!

  17“I also will rbeat My fists together,

  And sI will cause My fury to rest;

  I, the LORD, have spoken.”

  18The word of the LORD came to me again, saying:

  19“And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city.

  20“Appoint a road for the sword to go to tRabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

  21“For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the 5images, he looks at the liver.

  22“In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to ulift the voice with shouting, vto set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall.

  23“And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who whave sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

  24“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

  25‘Now to you, O xprofane, wicked prince of Israel, ywhose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,

  26‘thus says the Lord GOD:

  “Remove the turban, and take off the crown;

  Nothing shall remain the same.

  z Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.

  276 Overthrown, overthrown,

  I will make it overthrown!

  a It shall be no longer,

  Until He comes whose right it is,

  And I will give it to bHim.” ’

  A Sword Against the Ammonites

  28“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD cconcerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say:

  ‘A sword, a sword is drawn,

  Polished for slaughter,

  For consuming, for flashing—

  29While they dsee false visions for you,

  While they divine a lie to you,

  To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain

  e Whose day has come,

  Whose iniquity shall end.

  30‘Returnf it to its sheath.

  g I will judge you

  In the place where you were created,

  h In the land of your 7nativity.

  31I will ipour out My indignation on you;

  I will jblow against you with the fire of My wrath,

  And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to kdestroy.

  32You shall be fuel for the fire;

  Your blood shall be in the midst of the land.

  l You shall not be remembered,

  For I the LORD have spoken.’ ”

  Ezekiel 22

  Sins of Jerusalem

  1Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  2“Now, son of man, awill you judge, will you judge bthe bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!

  3“Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “The city sheds cblood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself.

  4“You have become guilty by the blood which you have dshed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; etherefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries.

  5“Those near and those far from you will mock you as 1infamous and full of tumult.

  6“Look, fthe princes of Israel: each one has used his 2power to shed blood in you.

  7“In you they have gmade light of father and mother; in your midst they have hoppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the 3fatherless and the widow.

  8“You have despised My holy things and iprofaned My Sabbaths.

  9“In you are jmen who slander to cause bloodshed; kin you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.

  10“In you men luncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are mset apart during their impurity.

  11“One commits abomination nwith his neighbor’s wife; oanother lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s pdaughter.

  12“In you qthey take bribes to shed blood; ryou take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and shave forgotten Me,” says the Lord GOD.

  13“Behold, therefore, I tbeat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has b
een in your midst.

  14u“Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? vI, the LORD, have spoken, and will do it.

  15w“I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and xremove your filthiness completely from you.

  16“You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then yyou shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”

  Israel in the Furnace

  17The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  18“Son of man, zthe house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a afurnace; they have become dross from silver.

  19“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

  20‘As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to bmelt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.

  21‘Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.

  22‘As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have cpoured out My fury on you.’ ”

  Israel’s Wicked Leaders

  23And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

  24“Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is dnot 4cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’

  25e“The conspiracy of her 5prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they fhave devoured 6people; gthey have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.

  26h“Her priests have 7violated My law and iprofaned My holy things; they have not jdistinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

  27“Her kprinces in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy 8people, and to get dishonest gain.

  28l“Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, mseeing false visions, and divining nlies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD had not spoken.