And some of the ancients of Israel came to me, and sat before me.

Et venerunt ad me viri seniorum Israël, et sederunt coram me.

At a time when some of the Israelite leaders had come to visit me, and sat closeted with me,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Et factus est sermo Domini ad me, dicens:

this message I had from the Lord:

Son of man, these men have placed their uncleannesses in their hearts, and have set up before their face the stumblingblock of their iniquity: and shall I answer when they inquire of me?

Fili hominis, viri isti posuerunt immunditias suas in cordibus suis, et scandalum iniquitatis suæ statuerunt contra faciem suam: numquid interrogatus respondebo eis?

Son of man, here be folk that have cumbered their own hearts with false gods, entangled their own feet with guilt; wouldst thou have me answer when I am consulted by such as these?

Therefore speak to them, and say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: Man, man of the house of Israel that shall place his uncleannesses in his heart, and set up the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and shall come to the prophet inquiring of me by him: I the Lord will answer him according to the multitude of his uncleannesses:

Propter hoc loquere eis, et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Homo, homo de domo Israël, qui posuerit immunditias suas in corde suo, et scandalum iniquitatis suæ statuerit contra faciem suam, et venerit ad prophetam interrogans per eum me: ego Dominus respondebo ei in multitudine immunditiarum suarum,

Speak to them, thou, and tell them this from the Lord God: When a man of Israel’s race comes to consult me through a prophet, his own heart yet cumbered with false gods, his own feet yet entangled with guilt, shall I, the Lord, give him answer in his idolatry?

That the house of Israel may be caught in their own heart, with which they have departed from me through all their idols.

ut capiatur domus Israël in corde suo, quo recesserunt a me in cunctis idolis suis.

Nay, the faithless heart that leaves me for the worship of false gods shall be Israel’s undoing.

Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Be converted, and depart from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

Propterea dic ad domum Israël: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Convertimini, et recedite ab idolis vestris, et ab universis contaminationibus vestris avertite facies vestras.

This warning give them in the name of the Lord God: Come back to me, leave those idols of yours, have no eyes henceforward for sights detestable!

For every man of the house of Israel, and every stranger among the proselytes in Israel, if he separate himself from me, and place his idols in his heart, and set the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and come to the prophet to inquire of me by him: I the Lord will answer him by myself.

Quia homo, homo de domo Israël, et de proselytis quicumque advena fuerit in Israël, si alienatus fuerit a me, et posuerit idola sua in corde suo, et scandalum iniquitatis suæ statuerit contra faciem suam, et venerit ad prophetam ut interroget per eum me: ego Dominus respondebo ei per me:

If a man of Israel’s race, or any of alien breed among them, forsakes me, cumbers his heart with false gods, entangles his feet with guilt, and then comes to consult me through a prophet, shall I, in my own name, answer him?

And I will set my face against that man, and will make him an example, and a proverb, and will cut him off from the midst of my people: and you shall know that I am the Lord.

et ponam faciem meam super hominem illum, et faciam eum in exemplum et in proverbium, et disperdam eum de medio populi mei: et scietis quia ego Dominus.

Nay, that man, under my frown, shall become a warning and a by-word, lost to his people, and you shall doubt the Lord’s power no longer.

And when the prophet shall err, and speak a word: I the Lord have deceived that prophet: and I will stretch forth my hand upon him, and will cut him off from the midst of my people Israel.

Et propheta cum erraverit, et locutus fuerit verbum, ego Dominus decepi prophetam illum, et extendam manum meam super illum, et delebo eum de medio populi mei Israël.

Or, if misguided the prophet speaks, it is I, the Lord, that have guided that prophet amiss. And thereupon I will exert my power, and rid my people Israel of his company;

And they shall bear their iniquity: according to the iniquity of him that inquireth, so shall the iniquity of the prophet be.

Et portabunt iniquitatem suam: juxta iniquitatem interrogantis, sic iniquitas prophetæ erit:

both alike shall be held guilty, the prophet and his dupe;

That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, nor be polluted with all their transgressions: but may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord of hosts.

ut non erret ultra domus Israël a me, neque polluatur in universis prævaricationibus suis: sed sint mihi in populum, et ego sim eis in Deum, ait Dominus exercituum.

till Israel learns to wander from me no more, stain itself with guilt no more. So they shall be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord of hosts.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Et factus est sermo Domini ad me, dicens:

And word came to me from the Lord:

Son of man, when a land shall sin against me, so as to transgress grievously, I will stretch forth my hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof: and I will send famine upon it, and will destroy man and beast out of it.

Fili hominis, terra cum peccaverit mihi, ut prævaricetur prævaricans, extendam manum meam super eam, et conteram virgam panis ejus, et immittam in eam famem, et interficiam de ea hominem et jumentum.

Son of man, if a land lies deep in guilt, sin upon sin, and I cut off every source of bread; sending famine upon it to slay man and beast,

And if these three men, Noe, Daniel, and Job, shall be in it: they shall deliver their own souls by their justice, saith the Lord of hosts.

Et si fuerint tres viri isti in medio ejus, Noë, Daniel, et Job, ipsi justitia sua liberabunt animas suas, ait Dominus exercituum.

though three such men as Noe, Daniel, and Job were counted among its citizens, innocence of theirs no life but theirs should save.

And if I shall bring mischievous beasts also upon the land to waste it, and it be desolate, so that there is none that can pass because of the beasts:

Quod si et bestias pessimas induxero super terram ut vastem eam, et fuerit invia, eo quod non sit pertransiens propter bestias:

If I send beasts to make a pathless wilderness of it, none daring to pass for fear of their encounter;

If these three men shall be in it, as I live, saith the Lord, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters: but they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be made desolate.

tres viri isti si fuerint in ea, vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, quia nec filios nec filias liberabunt, sed ipsi soli liberabuntur, terra autem desolabitur.

as I am a living God, the Lord says, man nor maid should those three rescue by their companionship; in a desert land they alone should live.

Or if I bring the sword upon that land, and say to the sword: Pass through the land: and I destroy man and beast out of it:

Vel si gladium induxero super terram illam, et dixero gladio: Transi per terram: et interfecero de ea hominem et jumentum,

The sword if I let loose, bid the sword pass through that land to destroy man and beast,

And these three men be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they themselves alone shall be delivered.

et tres viri isti fuerint in medio ejus: vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, non liberabunt filios neque filias, sed ipsi soli liberabuntur.

as I am a living God, the Lord says, their own lives those three should ransom, and neither man nor maid besides.

Or if I also send the pestilence upon that land, and pour out my indignation upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

Si autem et pestilentiam immisero super terram illam, et effudero indignationem meam super eam in sanguine, ut auferam ex ea hominem et jumentum,

Or if pestilence does my errand of punishment, taking deadly toll of man and beast;

And Noe, and Daniel, and Job be in the midst thereof: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter: but they shall only deliver their own souls by their justice.

et Noë, et Daniel, et Job fuerint in medio ejus: vivo ego, dicit Dominus Deus, quia filium et filiam non liberabunt, sed ipsi justitia sua liberabunt animas suas.

though Noe dwell there, and Daniel, and Job, as I am a living God, the Lord says, only their own lives they shall ransom, neither man nor maid besides.

For thus saith the Lord: Although I shall send in upon Jerusalem my four grievous judgments, the sword, and the famine, and the mischievous beasts, and the pestilence, to destroy out of it man and beast,

Quoniam hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Quod etsi quatuor judicia mea pessima, gladium, et famem, ac bestias malas, et pestilentiam, immisero in Jerusalem, ut interficiam de ea hominem et pecus,

And what of Jerusalem, says the Lord God, when I send all four plagues on her at once, sword and famine and wild beast and pestilence, till men nor cattle are left alive there?

Yet there shall be left in it some that shall be saved, who shall bring away their sons and daughters: behold they shall come among you, and you shall see their way, and their doings: and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, in all things that I have brought upon it.

tamen relinquetur in ea salvatio educentium filios et filias: ecce ipsi ingredientur ad vos, et videbitis viam eorum et adinventiones eorum, et consolabimini super malo quod induxi in Jerusalem, in omnibus quæ importavi super eam.

A remnant only shall survive, sons and daughters of your race led out into exile. When these reach you, and you find out what manner of folk they are in thought and deed, for the sorrows of Jerusalem you shall weep no more, though I have plagued her so abundantly.

And they shall comfort you, when you shall see their ways, and their doings: and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God.

Et consolabuntur vos, cum videritis viam eorum et adinventiones eorum: et cognoscetis quod non frustra fecerim omnia quæ feci in ea, ait Dominus Deus.

From thought and deed of theirs you shall take consolation, nor doubt it was with good reason I used her thus, says the Lord God.