THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD

Introduction:

   i praise the name of the Almighty Lord our God, creator of heaven & earth and of all things that dwell therein. For they that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth forever. Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
   Thus saith the Lord our God, a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against God, they and their fathers have transgressed against me even unto this very day. For they are impudent and stiff-hearted and thou shall say unto them "THUS SAITH THE LORD" whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.

Body:

   Therefore, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, am against thee & will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations, and I will do in thee that which I have not done, & whereunto I will not do anymore the like, because of all thine abominations. Wherefore, as I live, saith the Lord God; surely, 
because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all of thy detestable things and abominations, therefore will I also diminish thee; neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I have any pity.
   When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman. If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he bloweth trumpet & warn the people. Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet & taketh not warning; his blood shall be upon him, but he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come and blow not the trumpet & the people be not warned; If the sword come & take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. If our transgressions and sins be upon us, & we pine away in them, how should we then live?

   As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die o house of Israel? The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness: neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin & do that which is lawful & right; if the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Thus saith the Lord God, ye eat with the blood & lift up your eyes toward your idols & shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? When the Land sinneth against Me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, & will break the staff of bread thereof, & will send famine upon it, & will cut off man and beast from it. Thus saith the Lord God, For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.

Shepherds:

   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? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. Thus saith the lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds and I will require my flocks at their hand & cause them to cease from feeding the flock. Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, & have multiplied your words against me, I have heard them. As I live saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey & my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves & fed not my flock. For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I even I, will both search my sheep & seek them out, as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep & will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day, and I will bring them out from the people & gather them from the country & will bring them to their own land, & feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away & will bind up that which was broken & will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Prophets:

   Thus saith the Lord God; woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, & have seen nothing. Therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; because ye have spoken vanity and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God and mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies, because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he

should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore, ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: For I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

Conclusion:

   Thus saith the Lord God, repent & turn yourselves from your idols; & turn away your faces from your abominations. The days are at hand & the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the lord: I will speak & the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; It shall no more be prolonged for in your days, o rebellious house will I say the word and will perform it, saith the Lord God.