¹ Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

² The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

³ Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

⁴ Therefore speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I Yahweh will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;

⁵ that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

⁶ Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

⁷ For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Yahweh will answer him by myself:

⁸ and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

⁹ If the prophet is deceived and speak a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

¹⁰ They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks [to him];

¹¹ that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, says the Lord Yahweh.

¹² The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

¹³ Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;

¹⁴ though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁵ If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

¹⁶ though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

¹⁷ Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

¹⁸ though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

¹⁹ Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

²⁰ though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

²¹ For thus says the Lord Yahweh: How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal!

²² Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

²³ They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord Yahweh.

¹ Praise Yahweh, my soul! All that is within me, Praise his holy name!

² Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits;

³ who forgives all your sins; who heals all your diseases;

⁴ who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies;

⁵ who satisfies your desire with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶ Yahweh executes righteous acts, and justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the children of Israel.

⁸ Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.

⁹ He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.

¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities.

¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him.

¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ Like a father has compassion on his children, so Yahweh has compassion on those who fear him.

¹⁴ For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶ For the wind passes over it, and it is gone. Its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷ But Yahweh's loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children's children;

¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant, to those who remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise Yahweh, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word.

²¹ Praise Yahweh, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure.

²² Praise Yahweh, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion. Praise Yahweh, my soul!