¹Nogle af Israels ældste kom til mig og satte sig lige over for mig.

¹And come in unto me do certain of the elders of Israel, and sit before me.

²Så kom HERRENs Ord til mig således;

²And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

³Menneskesøn! Disse Mænd har lukket deres Afgudsbilleder ind i deres Hjerte og stillet det, der blev dem Årsag til Skyld, for deres Ansigt - skulde jeg lade mig rådspørge af dem?

³`Son of man, these men have caused their idols to go up on their heart, and the stumbling-block of their iniquity they have put over-against their faces; am I inquired of at all by them?

⁴Tal derfor med dem og sig: Så siger den Herre HERREN: Hver den af Israels Hus, som lukker sine Afgudsbilleder ind i sit Hjerte og sættet det, der blev dem Årsag til Skyld, for sit Ansigt og så kommer til Profeten, ham vil jeg, HERREN, selv svare trods hans mange Afgudsbilleder

⁴`Therefore, speak with them, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Every one of the house of Israel who causeth his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath gone in unto the prophet — I Jehovah have given an answer to him for this, for the abundance of his idols,

⁵for at gribe Israels Hus i Hjertet, fordi de faldt fra mig med alle deres Afgudsbilleder.

⁵in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart, in that they have become estranged from off me by their idols — all of them.

⁶Sig derfor til Israels Hus: Så siger den Herre HERREN: Vend om, vend eder bort fra eders Afgudsbilleder og vend eders Ansigt bort fra alle eders Vederstyggeligheder!

⁶`Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn ye back, yea, turn ye back from your idols, and from all your abominations turn back your faces,

⁷Thi hver den af Israels Hus og af de fremmede, der bor i Israel, som skiller sig fra mig og lukker sine Afgudsbilleder ind i sit Hjerte og sætter det, der blev ham Årsag til Skyld, for sit Ansigt og så kommer til Profeten, for at denne skal rådspørge mig for ham, ham vil jeg, HERREN, selv svare;

⁷for every one of the house of Israel, and of the sojourners who doth sojourn in Israel, who is separated from after Me, and doth cause his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath come in unto the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I, Jehovah, have answered him for Myself;

⁸jeg retter mit Åsyn mod den mand og gør ham til Tegn og Mundheld og udrydder ham af mit Folk; og I skal kende, at jeg er HERREN.

⁸and I have set My face against that man, and made him for a sign, and for similes, and I have cut him off from the midst of My people, and ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.

⁹Men lader Profeten sig lokke til at sige et Ord, så er det mig, HERREN, der har lokket ham, og jeg udrækker min Hånd imodham og udrydder ham af mit Folk Israel.

⁹`And the prophet, when he is enticed, and hath spoken a word — I, Jehovah, I have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel.

¹⁰De skal begge bære deres Skyld, Spørgeren og Profeten skal være lige skyldige,

¹⁰And they have borne their iniquity: as the iniquity of the inquirer, so is the iniquity of the prophet;

¹¹for at Israels Hus ikke mere skal fare vild fra mig og blive urent ved alle sine Overtrædelser; da skal de være mit Folk, og jeg vil være deres Gud, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN.

¹¹so that the house of Israel do not wander any more from after Me, nor are defiled any more with all their transgressions, and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.`

¹²HERRENs Ord kom til mig således:

¹²And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

¹³Menneskesøn! Når et Land troløst synder imod mig, og jeg udrækker min Hånd imod det og bryder Brødets Støttestav for det og sender Hungersnød over det og udrydder Folk og Fæ,

¹³`Son of man, the land — when it sinneth against Me to commit a trespass, and I have stretched out My hand against it, and broken for it the staff of bread, and sent into it famine, and cut off from it man and beast —

¹⁴og disse tre Mænd var i dets Mtidte: Noa, Daniel og Job, så skulde kun de tre redde deres Liv ved deres Retfærdighed, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN.

¹⁴and these three men have been in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job — they by their righteousness deliver their own soul — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁵Eller lader jeg Rovdyr fare igennem Landet og gøre det folketomt, så det bliver øde og ingen tør gå derigennem for de vilde Dyr,

¹⁵`If an evil beast I cause to pass through the land, and it hath bereaved, and it hath been a desolation, without any passing through because of the beast —

¹⁶og disse tre Mænd var i dets Midte - så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN: De skulde ikke redde deres Sønner eller Døtre; de selv alene skulde reddes, men Landet måtte blive øde.

¹⁶these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither sons nor daughters do they deliver; they alone are delivered, and the land is a desolation.

¹⁷Eller lader jeg Sværdet komme over dette Land og siger: "Sværdet skal fare igennem Landet!" og udrydder Folk og Fæ deraf,

¹⁷`Or — a sword I bring in against that land, and I have said: Sword, thou dost pass over through the land, and I have cut off from it man and beast —

¹⁸og disse tre Mænd var i dets Midte - så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN: De skulde ikke redde deres Sønner eller Døtre; de selv alene skulde reddes.

¹⁸and these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — they deliver not sons and daughters, for they alone are delivered.

¹⁹Eller sender jeg Pest over dette Land og udgyder min Harme over det med Blod og udrydder Folk og Fæ deraf,

¹⁹`Or — pestilence I send unto that land, and I have poured out My fury against it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast —

²⁰og Noa, Daniel og Job var i dets Midte - så sandt jeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN: De skulde ikke redde Søn eller Datter; de selv alene skulde redde deres Liv ved deres Retfærdighed.

²⁰and Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither son nor daughter do they deliver; they, by their righteousness, deliver their own soul.

²¹Men så siger den Herre HERREN: Og dog, når jeg sender mine fire grumme Straffedomme, Sværd, Hunger, Rovdyr og Pest, over Jerusalem for at udrydde Folk og Fæ deraf,

²¹`For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Although My four sore judgments — sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence — I have sent unto Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast,

²²se, da skal der levnes en Flok undslupne, som fører Sønner og Døtre ud derfra; se, de skal drage hid til eder, og I skal se deres Færd og Gerninger; da skal I trøste eder over den Ulykke, jeg har bragt over Jerusalem, alt det, jeg har bragt over det.

²²yet, lo, there hath been left in it an escape, who are brought forth, sons and daughters, lo, they are coming forth unto you, and ye have seen their way, and their doings, and have been comforted concerning the evil that I have brought in against Jerusalem, all that which I have brought in against it.

²³De skal være eder en Trøst, når I ser deres Færd og Gerninger, og I skal skønne, at jeg ikke uden Grund gjorde alt, hvad jeg lod det times, lyder det fra den Herre HERREN.

²³And they have comforted you, for ye see their way and their doings, and ye have known that not for nought have I done all that which I have done in her — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.`