8. I will turn against such people and make a terrible example of them, eliminating them from among my people. Then you will know that I am the lord.
9. “‘And if a prophet is deceived into giving a message, it is because I, the lord, have deceived that prophet. I will lift my fist against such prophets and cut them off from the community of Israel.
10. False prophets and those who seek their guidance will all be punished for their sins.
11. In this way, the people of Israel will learn not to stray from me, polluting themselves with sin. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I, the Sovereign lord, have spoken!’”
12. Then this message came to me from the lord:
13. “Son of man, suppose the people of a country were to sin against me, and I lifted my fist to crush them, cutting off their food supply and sending a famine to destroy both people and animals.
14. Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, their righteousness would save no one but themselves, says the Sovereign lord.
15. “Or suppose I were to send wild animals to invade the country, kill the people, and make the land too desolate and dangerous to pass through.
16. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, even if those three men were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be made desolate.
17. “Or suppose I were to bring war against the land, and I sent enemy armies to destroy both people and animals.
18. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, even if those three men were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
19. “Or suppose I were to pour out my fury by sending an epidemic into the land, and the disease killed people and animals alike.
20. As surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were there, they wouldn’t be able to save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved by their righteousness.
21. “Now this is what the Sovereign lord says: How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—destroying all her people and animals.