Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; {As} I live, surely they that {are} in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that {is} in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that {be} in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. {to be...: Heb. to devour him}

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah {that} bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not {so much as} to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when {as yet} he had no child.

Now when all the captains of the forces which {were} in the fields, {even} they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that {are} round about; {rivers: or, bottoms, or, dales}

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to {our} father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {worthy of: or, meet for}

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. {captain...: or, chief marshal: Heb. chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen} {at the...: Heb. in that day}

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to {our} father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which {he had} being {yet} uncircumcised.

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe {be} to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, {Is} not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. {and say: Heb. saying}

Thou shalt also take thereof a few in number, and bind them in thy skirts. {skirts: Heb. wings}

They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, {are they} all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Son of man, thy brethren, {even} thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, {are} they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah {that} bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to {our} father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Son of man, thy brethren, {even} thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the house of Israel wholly, {are} they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from the LORD: unto us is this land given in possession.

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe {be} to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

Moreover it shall come to pass, {that} I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land {to be} vinedressers and husbandmen.

Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know {it}: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?

And it was {so}, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, {and cast them} into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that {were} with him.

And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. {captain...: or, chief marshal: Heb. chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen} {at the...: Heb. in that day}

Now when all the captains of the forces which {were} in the fields, {even} they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; {As} I live, surely they that {are} in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that {is} in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that {be} in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. {to be...: Heb. to devour him}

His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. {dwell...: Heb. lodge in goodness}

Woe unto them that join house to house, {that} lay field to field, till {there be} no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! {they: Heb. ye}

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left {certain} of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.

When they were {but} a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.