« | Ezekiel 7 | » |
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to the land of Israel: " 'The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land!
3 The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.
4 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. " 'Then you will know that I am the LORD.'
5 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: " 'Disaster! Unheard-of disaster! See, it comes!
6 The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes!
7 Doom has come upon you, upon you who dwell in the land. The time has come! The day is near! There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.
8 I am about to pour out my wrath on you and spend my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices.
9 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you. " 'Then you will know that it is I the LORD who strikes you.
10 " 'See, the day! See, it comes! Doom has burst forth, the rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed!
11 Violence has arisen, a rod to punish the wicked. None of the people will be left, none of that crowd� none of their wealth, nothing of value.
12 The time has come! The day has arrived! Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller grieve, for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
13 The sellers will not recover the property they have sold� as long as both buyers and sellers live. For the vision concerning the whole crowd will not be reversed. Because of their sins, not one of them will preserve their life.
14 " 'They have blown the trumpet, they have made all things ready, but no one will go into battle, for my wrath is on the whole crowd.
15 Outside is the sword; inside are plague and famine. Those in the country will die by the sword; those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague.
16 The fugitives who escape will flee to the mountains. Like doves of the valleys, they will all moan, each for their own sins.
17 Every hand will go limp; every knee will be wet with urine.
18 They will put on sackcloth and be clothed with terror. Every face will be covered with shame, and every head will be shaved.
19 " 'They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, for it has caused them to stumble into sin.
20 They took pride in their beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols. They made it into vile images; therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.
21 I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile it.
22 I will turn my face away from the people, and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure. They will enter it and will defile it.
23 " 'Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence.
24 I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.
25 When terror comes, they will seek peace in vain.
26 Calamity upon calamity will come, and rumor upon rumor. They will go searching for a vision from the prophet, priestly instruction in the law will cease, the counsel of the elders will come to an end.
27 The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. " 'Then they will know that I am the LORD.' "
Today’s New International Version (TNIV)
Today’s New International Version (TNIV) is a contemporary English translation of the Bible that was first published in its complete form in 2005 by the International Bible Society, now known as Biblica. The TNIV is a revision of the New International Version (NIV), which was initially released in 1978. The primary goal of the TNIV was to update the language and address gender inclusivity while maintaining the readability and accuracy that made the NIV popular. The translation aimed to reflect contemporary English usage and to be accessible to a broad audience, including both men and women.
One of the key features of the TNIV is its commitment to gender-inclusive language. The translators sought to avoid gender-specific terms where the original texts did not explicitly require them, thereby making the text more inclusive and reflective of modern linguistic sensibilities. For example, where the original Greek or Hebrew text used terms that referred to both men and women, the TNIV translated them in a gender-neutral manner. This approach aimed to make the Bible more accessible and relatable to all readers, ensuring that no one felt excluded by the language used.
The TNIV also made several other updates to enhance clarity and readability. The translators incorporated the latest biblical scholarship and linguistic research to ensure that the translation accurately conveyed the meaning of the original texts. They aimed to strike a balance between maintaining the formal equivalence of the original languages and using dynamic equivalence to make the text more understandable for contemporary readers. This involved updating archaic words and phrases, improving sentence structures, and clarifying ambiguous passages without losing the essence of the original scriptures.
Despite its strengths, the TNIV faced significant controversy and criticism, particularly from conservative Christian groups and scholars. Critics argued that the gender-inclusive language could potentially distort the intended meaning of the biblical texts and that the changes were driven more by cultural trends than by faithful adherence to the original manuscripts. The debate over the TNIV’s translation choices led to its eventual discontinuation, with Biblica deciding to focus on updating the NIV instead. However, the TNIV’s influence can still be seen in subsequent revisions of the NIV, which have incorporated some of the gender-inclusive principles and linguistic updates introduced by the TNIV.