« | Ezekiel 22 | » |
1 And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
2 And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? And you shall make her know all her abominations.
3 And you shall say, So says the Lord Jehovah: The city sheds blood in her midst that her time may come, and makes idols against herself to defile herself.
4 You are guilty in your blood that you have shed; and you have defiled yourself in your idols you have made. And your days are brought near, and have come to your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all lands.
5 Those who are near and those far from you shall mock against you, O defiled of name, abounding in tumult.
6 Behold, the rulers of Israel, each man by his might, have been in you in order to shed blood.
7 In you they have despised father and mother. In your midst they have dealt with the stranger by oppression. In you they oppressed the orphan and the widow.
8 You have despised My holy things, and have profaned My sabbaths.
9 In you are men of slander to shed blood; and in you they eat on the mountains; in your midst they do unchaste acts.
10 In you they have uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in you they have humbled her defiled by impurity.
11 And a man has done abomination with his neighbor's wife; and a man has defiled his daughter-in-law in unchaste acts; and a man has humbled within you his sister, his father's daughter.
12 In you they have taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken usury and increase, and you gained by extortion of your neighbors, and you have forgotten Me, says the Lord Jehovah.
13 And behold, I have struck My palm against your unjust gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in your midst.
14 Can your heart stand, or can your hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal with you? I Jehovah have spoken, and I will act.
15 And I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you in the lands, and will destroy your uncleanness out of you.
16 And you will be profaned in you before the eyes of the nations, and you shall know that I am Jehovah.
17 And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
18 Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are bronze, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
19 Therefore so says the Lord Jehovah: Because you have all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem.
20 As they gather silver, and bronze, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.
21 And I will gather you and blow on you in the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the middle of it.
22 As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you shall be melted in the middle of it; and you shall know that I Jehovah have poured out My fury on you.
23 And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
24 Son of man, say to her: You are a land not being cleansed, nor rained on in the day of disgust.
25 A plot by her prophets is in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they multiplied her many widows in her midst.
26 Her priests have broken My Law and have defiled My holy things. They have put no difference between the holy and the common, and have not taught between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am defiled among them.
27 Her rulers in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, to get unjust gain.
28 And her prophets have daubed themselves with lime, seeing vanity and divining lies to them, saying, So says the Lord Jehovah; when Jehovah has not spoken.
29 The people of the land have used oppression and practiced robbery, and they have troubled the poor and needy. Yea, they have oppressed the stranger without right.
30 And I sought for a man among them who should wall up a wall for the land, and stand in the break before me, that I should not destroy it. But I did not find one.
31 Therefore I have poured out My fury on them. I have burned them up with the fire of My wrath. I have given their way on their heads, says the Lord Jehovah.
The Modern King James Version (MKJV)
The Modern King James Version (MKJV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that aims to preserve the majesty and accuracy of the original King James Version (KJV) while updating its language for modern readers. Developed by Jay P. Green Sr. and first published in 1990, the MKJV seeks to maintain the literary beauty and doctrinal reliability of the KJV, making only necessary adjustments to archaic terms and phrases to enhance readability. This careful balance allows the MKJV to retain the classic feel of the KJV while making it more accessible to today’s audience.
One of the standout features of the MKJV is its commitment to formal equivalence, or word-for-word translation. The translators have meticulously preserved the structure and vocabulary of the KJV, only updating words and phrases that have become outdated or whose meanings have shifted over time. This approach ensures that the MKJV remains faithful to the original texts and maintains the theological and literary integrity of the KJV. By preserving the cadence and phrasing of the original, the MKJV offers a reading experience that is both familiar and refreshed for modern readers.
The MKJV also pays special attention to the textual basis of the translation. Like the KJV, it relies on the Textus Receptus for the New Testament and the Masoretic Text for the Old Testament. This adherence to traditional source texts underscores the MKJV’s commitment to continuity with the historic Christian tradition. The translation is designed to serve both devotional and scholarly purposes, providing a text that is suitable for study, teaching, and public reading in a variety of settings.
Despite its strengths, the Modern King James Version has faced some criticism. Some scholars and readers argue that the translation could benefit from a more extensive revision to fully embrace contemporary language, suggesting that the MKJV’s adherence to the structure and style of the KJV may still pose challenges for modern readers. Others appreciate the balance it strikes but note that it occupies a niche space, appealing primarily to those who have a strong attachment to the KJV. Nonetheless, the MKJV remains a respected and valued translation for those seeking a modern update of the KJV that honors its rich heritage and timeless message.