The Skeptics Annotated Bible (631 page)

6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel,
Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Repent, and
turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

(14.6)
“Thus saith the Lord GOD … turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.”

7
For every one
of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me;
I the LORD will answer him by myself
:

(14.7)
“For every one … which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart … I the LORD will answer him by myself.”

8 And
I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

(14.8)
“I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing,
I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him
from the midst of my people Israel.

(14.9)
“I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him.”
God deceives some of his prophets and then kills them for believing his lies.
139 Does God lie?

10 And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

11 That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

(14.13-23) When really bad things happen (like you or your children get eaten by wild beasts, get killed in war, get sick and die, etc.), then you’ll know that it was God that did it to you. And he won’t spare children just because there are a few righteous people around.

13
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me
by trespassing grievously,
then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it,
and will cut off man and beast from it:

14
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD
.

(14.13-14)
“Son of man, when the land sinneth against me … then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it … though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.”

(14.14, 20)
“Noah, Daniel, and Job … by their righteousness”
35 Has there ever been a righteous person?

15
If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land
, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

16
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

(14.15-16)
“If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land … though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.”

17
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land
; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

18
Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

(14.17-18) “Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land … Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.”

19
Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

20
Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

(14.19-20) “Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.”

21 For
thus saith the Lord
GOD; How much more when
I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence
, to cut off from it man and beast?

(14.21)
“Thus saith the Lord … I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence.”

22 Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

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

(14.23) “And ye shall know that … I have done in it, saith the Lord.”

15
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?

3 Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon?