TORAH
NEVI'IM
KETUVIM
Chapter 14
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1Certain elders of Yisrael came to me and sat down before me.
אוַיָּבוֹא אֵלַי אֲנָשִׁים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּשְׁבוּ לְפָנָי׃
2And the word of Hashem came to me:
בוַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃
3O mortal, these men have turned their thoughts upon their fetishes and set their minds upon the sin through which they stumbled: Shall I respond to their inquiry?
גבֶּן־אָדָם הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה הֶעֱלוּ גִלּוּלֵיהֶם עַל־לִבָּם וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוׂנָם נָתְנוּ נֹכַח פְּנֵיהֶם הַאִדָּרֹשׁ אִדָּרֵשׁ לָהֶם׃
4Now speak to them and tell them: Thus said Hashem: If anyone of the House of Yisrael turns his thoughts upon his fetishes and sets his mind upon the sin through which he stumbled, and yet comes to the Navi, I Hashem will respond to him as he comes with his multitude of fetishes.
דלָכֵן דַּבֵּר־אוֹתָם וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יַעֲלֶה אֶת־גִּלּוּלָיו אֶל־לִבּוֹ וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוׂנוֹ יָשִׂים נֹכַח פָּנָיו וּבָא אֶל־הַנָּבִיא אֲנִי יְהֹוָה נַעֲנֵיתִי לוֹ בה [בָא] בְּרֹב גִּלּוּלָיו׃
5Thus I will hold the House of Yisrael to account for their thoughts, because they have all been estranged from Me through their fetishes.
הלְמַעַן תְּפֹשׂ אֶת־בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּלִבָּם אֲשֶׁר נָזֹרוּ מֵעָלַי בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶם כֻּלָּם׃
6Now say to the House of Yisrael: Thus said Hashem: Repent, and turn back from your fetishes and turn your minds away from all your abominations.
ולָכֵן אֱמֹר אֶל־בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה שׁוּבוּ וְהָשִׁיבוּ מֵעַל גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם וּמֵעַל כָּל־תּוֹעֲבֹתֵיכֶם הָשִׁיבוּ פְנֵיכֶם׃
7For if any man of the House of Yisrael, or of the strangers who dwell in Yisrael, breaks away from Me and turns his thoughts upon his fetishes and sets his mind upon the sins through which he stumbled, and then goes to the Navi to inquire of Me through him, I Hashem will respond to him directly.
זכִּי אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמֵהַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר־יָגוּר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִנָּזֵר מֵאַחֲרַי וְיַעַל גִּלּוּלָיו אֶל־לִבּוֹ וּמִכְשׁוֹל עֲוׂנוֹ יָשִׂים נֹכַח פָּנָיו וּבָא אֶל־הַנָּבִיא לִדְרָשׁ־לוֹ בִי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה נַעֲנֶה־לּוֹ בִּי׃
8I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a byword, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am Hashem.
חוְנָתַתִּי פָנַי בָּאִישׁ הַהוּא וַהֲשִׂמֹתִיהוּ לְאוֹת וְלִמְשָׁלִים וְהִכְרַתִּיו מִתּוֹךְ עַמִּי וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃
9And if a Navi is seduced and does speak a word [to such a man], it was I Hashem who seduced that Navi; I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Yisrael.
טוְהַנָּבִיא כִי־יְפֻתֶּה וְדִבֶּר דָּבָר אֲנִי יְהֹוָה פִּתֵּיתִי אֵת הַנָּבִיא הַהוּא וְנָטִיתִי אֶת־יָדִי עָלָיו וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּיו מִתּוֹךְ עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
10Thus they shall bear their punishment: The punishment of the inquirer and the punishment of the Navi shall be the same,
יוְנָשְׂאוּ עֲוׂנָם כַּעֲוׂן הַדֹּרֵשׁ כַּעֲוׂן הַנָּבִיא יִהְיֶה׃
11so that the House of Yisrael may never again stray from Me and defile itself with all its transgressions. Then they shall be My people and I will be their God—declares Hashem.
יאלְמַעַן לֹא־יִתְעוּ עוֹד בֵּית־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאַחֲרַי וְלֹא־יִטַּמְּאוּ עוֹד בְּכָל־פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃
12The word of Hashem came to me:
יבוַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃
13O mortal, if a land were to sin against Me and commit a trespass, and I stretched out My hand against it and broke its staff of bread, and sent famine against it and cut off man and beast from it,
יגבֶּן־אָדָם אֶרֶץ כִּי תֶחֱטָא־לִי לִמְעָל־מַעַל וְנָטִיתִי יָדִי עָלֶיהָ וְשָׁבַרְתִּי לָהּ מַטֵּה־לָחֶם וְהִשְׁלַחְתִּי־בָהּ רָעָב וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה׃
14even if these three men—Noach, Daniel, and Iyov—should be in it, they would by their righteousness save only themselves—declares Hashem.
v'-ha-YU sh'-LO-shet ha-a-na-SHEEM ha-AY-leh b'-to-KHAH NO-akh da-ni-AYL v'-i-YOV HAY-mah v'-tzid-ka-TAM y'-na-tz'-LU naf-SHAM n'-UM a-do-NAI e-lo-HEEM
ידוְהָיוּ שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה בְּתוֹכָהּ נֹחַ דנאל [דָּנִיֵּאל] וְאִיּוֹב הֵמָּה בְצִדְקָתָם יְנַצְּלוּ נַפְשָׁם נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃
14:14 They would by their righteousness save only themselves
Hearing of Yerushalayim’s imminent demise, one can imagine that Yechezkel would have entreated God go save the city, as Avraham had before Sodom was destroyed, by means of the following plea: Could the presence of righteous people in the city perhaps prevent its destruction? Hashem responds by listing three great people, Noach, Daniel, and Iyov, whose personal piety was beyond reproach. Noach was faced with the destruction of mankind, Daniel was faced with the destruction of the nation and Iyov was confronted by the destruction of his family. However, each one was able to save only themselves, but not the others around them. The presence of the righteous can only assist others who are willing to learn and be influenced by them.
15Or, if I were to send wild beasts to roam the land and they depopulated it, and it became a desolation with none passing through it because of the beasts,
טולוּ־חַיָּה רָעָה אַעֲבִיר בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׁכְּלָתָּה וְהָיְתָה שְׁמָמָה מִבְּלִי עוֹבֵר מִפְּנֵי הַחַיָּה׃
16as I live—declares Hashem—those three men in it would save neither sons nor daughters; they alone would be saved, but the land would become a desolation.
טזשְׁלֹשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה בְּתוֹכָהּ חַי־אָנִי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אִם־בָּנִים וְאִם־בָּנוֹת יַצִּילוּ הֵמָּה לְבַדָּם יִנָּצֵלוּ וְהָאָרֶץ תִּהְיֶה שְׁמָמָה׃
17Or, if I were to bring the sword upon that land and say, “Let a sword sweep through the land so that I may cut off from it man and beast,”
יזאוֹ חֶרֶב אָבִיא עַל־הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא וְאָמַרְתִּי חֶרֶב תַּעֲבֹר בָּאָרֶץ וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה׃
18if those three men should be in it, as I live—declares Hashem—they would save neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be saved.
יחוּשְׁלֹשֶׁת הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה בְּתוֹכָהּ חַי־אָנִי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה לֹא יַצִּילוּ בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת כִּי הֵם לְבַדָּם יִנָּצֵלוּ׃
19Or, if I let loose a pestilence against that land, and poured out My fury upon it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast,
יטאוֹ דֶּבֶר אֲשַׁלַּח אֶל־הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא וְשָׁפַכְתִּי חֲמָתִי עָלֶיהָ בְּדָם לְהַכְרִית מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה׃
20should Noach, Daniel, and Iyov be in it, as I live—declares Hashem—they would save neither son nor daughter; they would save themselves alone by their righteousness.
כוְנֹחַ דנאל [דָּנִיֵּאל] וְאִיּוֹב בְּתוֹכָהּ חַי־אָנִי נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה אִם־בֵּן אִם־בַּת יַצִּילוּ הֵמָּה בְצִדְקָתָם יַצִּילוּ נַפְשָׁם׃
21Assuredly, thus said Hashem: How much less [should any escape] now that I have let loose against Yerushalayim all four of My terrible punishments—the sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it!
כאכִּי כֹה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה אַף כִּי־אַרְבַּעַת שְׁפָטַי הָרָעִים חֶרֶב וְרָעָב וְחַיָּה רָעָה וָדֶבֶר שִׁלַּחְתִּי אֶל־יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם לְהַכְרִית מִמֶּנָּה אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה׃
22Yet there are survivors left of it, sons and daughters who are being brought out. They are coming out to you; and when you see their ways and their deeds, you will be consoled for the disaster that I brought on Yerushalayim, for all that I brought on it.
כבוְהִנֵּה נוֹתְרָה־בָּהּ פְּלֵטָה הַמּוּצָאִים בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת הִנָּם יוֹצְאִים אֲלֵיכֶם וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת־דַּרְכָּם וְאֶת־עֲלִילוֹתָם וְנִחַמְתֶּם עַל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר הֵבֵאתִי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלַ ִם אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר הֵבֵאתִי עָלֶיהָ׃
23You will be consoled through them, when you see their ways and their deeds and realize that not without cause did I do all that I did in it—declares Hashem.
כגוְנִחֲמוּ אֶתְכֶם כִּי־תִרְאוּ אֶת־דַּרְכָּם וְאֶת־עֲלִילוֹתָם וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי לֹא חִנָּם עָשִׂיתִי אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂיתִי בָהּ נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה׃