Ezekiel 11:1-25
Leaders at the East Gate
1Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the LORD that faces east. And there at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were leaders of the people.
2And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who plot evil and give wicked counsel in this city.
3They are saying, ‘Is not the time near to build houses? The city is the cooking pot, and we are the meat.’
4Therefore prophesy against them; prophesy, O son of man!”
5And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me and told me to declare that this is what the LORD says: “That is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your minds.
6You have multiplied those you killed in this city and filled its streets with the dead.
7Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: The slain you have laid within this city are the meat, and the city is the pot; but I will remove you from it.
8You fear the sword, so I will bring the sword against you, declares the Lord GOD.
9I will bring you out of the city and deliver you into the hands of foreigners, and I will execute judgments against you.
10You will fall by the sword, and I will judge you even to the borders of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
11The city will not be a pot for you, nor will you be the meat within it. I will judge you even to the borders of Israel.
12Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”
13Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Oh, Lord GOD, will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”
14Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
15“Son of man, your brothers—your relatives, your fellow exiles, and the whole house of Israel—are those of whom the people of Jerusalem have said, ‘They are far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.’
16Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries to which they have gone.’
17Therefore declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries to which you have been scattered, and I will give back to you the land of Israel.’
18When they return to it, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations.
19And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh,
20so that they may follow My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their God.
21But as for those whose hearts pursue detestable things and abominations, I will bring their conduct down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”
22Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
23And the glory of the LORD rose up from within the city and stood over the mountain east of the city.
24And the Spirit lifted me up and carried me back to Chaldea, to the exiles in the vision given by the Spirit of God. After the vision had gone up from me,
25I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
Berean Standard Bible
The Spirit lifts Ezekiel and brings him to the east gate, where he sees twenty-five men, including Jaazaniah and Pelatiah, leaders who give wicked advice in Jerusalem. They say the city is the cooking pot and they are the meat, using an image of security to claim that the danger cannot reach them.
God rejects their confidence. They have multiplied the slain in the city and filled its streets with violence. The city will not protect them; they will be brought out and judged at the border of Israel. The image they used for safety becomes an image of exposure.
As Ezekiel prophesies, Pelatiah dies, and Ezekiel falls facedown asking whether God will completely destroy the remnant. The LORD answers with a promise to the exiles: although scattered among the nations, He has been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.
God promises to gather them, give them a new heart and a new spirit, remove the heart of stone, and give a heart of flesh. They will walk in His statutes, and He will be their God. Ezekiel returns to the exiles and tells them what he has seen, while the glory of the LORD rises from the city.
Questions
1 What did the leaders call Jerusalem?
AnswerThey called Jerusalem the cooking pot and themselves the meat, imagining the city would protect them.
2 Why would the leaders be judged?
AnswerThey had filled the city with violence and multiplied the slain.
3 What has God been for the exiles?
AnswerHe has been a sanctuary for them among the nations where they were scattered.
4 What does God promise to give His people?
AnswerHe promises one heart, a new spirit, and a heart of flesh that responds to Him.
What This Means for Us
False security often sounds like a clever slogan. The leaders turn a dangerous reality into an image that reassures them, but God sees the blood beneath their confidence.
The promise of a new heart is not a call to self-improvement by willpower alone. Ask God to make you responsive and tender, then let that inward change become visible in the way you treat people.
Prayer
God of mercy, replace our hard and defensive hearts with hearts that respond to You. Be a sanctuary for those who feel scattered, and make our confidence honest by joining it to justice and obedience. Amen.