Ezekiel 20:1Easy To Read VersionOne day, some of the elders (leaders) of Israel came to me to ask the Lord for advice. This was on the tenth day of the fifth month (August), of the seventh year \{of exile\}. {\cf2\super [138]} The elders (leaders) sat down in front of me. See the chapter |
The king sent a messenger to Elisha. Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders (leaders) were sitting with him. Before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Look, that son of a murderer {(the king of Israel) is sending men to cut off my head! When the messenger arrives, shut the door! Hold the door and don’t let him in! I hear the sound of his master’s feet coming behind him!”
Then they will come every day\par to worship me.\par And they will want to learn my ways.\par They will become a nation that lives right.\par They will not quit following\par God’s good commands.\par They will ask me to judge them fairly.\par They will want to go to God\par \{for his fair decisions\}.\par
Pashhur and Zephaniah said to Jeremiah, “Pray to the Lord for us. Ask the Lord what will happen. We want to know, because Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is attacking us. Maybe the Lord will do great things for us, like he did in the past. Maybe the Lord will make Nebuchadnezzar stop attacking us and leave.”
Then I noticed that Jaazaniah son of Shapham and the 70 elders (leaders) of Israel were there with the people worshiping in that place. There they were, right at the front of the people! And each leader had his own incense {\cf2\super [66]} dish in his hand. The smoke from the burning incense was rising into the air.
The Pharisees sent some men to Jesus \{to trick him\}. They sent some of their own followers and some men from the group called Herodians. {\cf2\super [306]} These men said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. We know that you teach the truth about God’s way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you. All men are the same to you.
“I am a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I grew up in this city (Jerusalem). I was a student of Gamaliel. {\cf2\super [434]} He carefully taught me everything about the law of our fathers. {\cf2\super [435]} I was very serious about serving God, the same as all of you here today.