WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from the book of

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Ezekiel, chapters 19 and 33. Chapter 19. Moreover,

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take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel

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and say, What is your mother, a lioness? She

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laid down among the lions. Among the young lions

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she nourished her cubs. She brought up one of

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her cubs, and he became a young lion. He learned

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to catch prey, and he devoured men. The nations

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also heard of him. He was trapped in their pit,

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and they brought him with chains to the land

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of Egypt. When she saw that she waited, that

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her hope was lost, she took another of her cubs

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and made him a young lion. He roved among the

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lions, and he became a young lion. He learned

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to catch prey, he devoured men, he knew their

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desolate places, and laid waste their cities.

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The land with its fullness was desolated. by

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the noise of his roaring. Then the nations set

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against him from the provinces on every side,

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and spread their net over him. He was trapped

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in their pit. They put him in a cage with chains,

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and brought him to the king of Babylon. They

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brought him in nets, that his voice should no

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longer be heard on the mountains of Israel. Your

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mother was like a vine in your bloodline. planted

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by the waters, fruitful and full of branches,

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because of many waters. She had strong branches

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for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature

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above the thick branches, and was seen in her

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height amid the dense foliage. But she was plucked

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up in fury. She was cast down to the ground,

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and the east wind dried her fruit. Her strong

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branches were broken and withered. The fire consumed

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them. And now she is planted in the wilderness,

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in a dry and thirsty land. Fire has come out

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from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit,

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so that she has no strong branch, a scepter,

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for ruling. This is a lamentation and has become

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a lamentation. Chapter 33 Again the word of the

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Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, speak to

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the children of your people, and say to them,

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When I bring the sword upon a land, And the people

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of the land take a man from their territory and

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make him their watchman. When he sees the sword

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coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet

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and warns the people, then whoever hears the

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sound of the trumpet and does not take warning,

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if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood

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shall be on his own head. He heard the sound

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of the trumpet, but did not take warning. His

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blood shall be upon himself, but he who takes

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warning will save his life. But if the watchman

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sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet,

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and the people are not warned, and the sword

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comes and takes any person from among them, he

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is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood

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I will require at the watchman's hand. So you,

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son of man, I have made you a watchman for the

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house of Israel. Therefore you shall hear a word

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from my mouth and warn them for me. When I say

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to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely

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die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked

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from his way, that wicked man shall die in his

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iniquity. But his blood I will require at your

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hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the wicked to

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turn from his way, and he does not turn from

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his way, he shall die in his iniquity. But you

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have delivered your soul. Therefore you, O son

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of man, say to the house of Israel, Thus you

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say, If our transgressions and our sins lie upon

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us, and we pine away in them, how can we then

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live? Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God,

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I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,

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but that the wicked turn from his way and live.

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Turn, turn from your evil ways, for why should

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you die, O house of Israel? Therefore you, O

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son of man, say to the children of your people,

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The righteousness of the righteous man shall

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not deliver him in the day of his transgression.

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As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall

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not fall because of it in the day that he turns

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from his wickedness. Nor shall the righteous

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be able to live because of his righteousness

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in the day that he sins. When I say to the righteous

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that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his

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own righteousness and commits iniquity. None

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of his righteous works shall be remembered, but

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because of the iniquity that he has committed,

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he shall die. Again, when I say to the wicked,

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you shall surely die, if he turns from his sin

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and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked

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restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen,

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and walks in the statutes of life without committing

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iniquity, he shall surely live, he shall not

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die. none of his sins which he has committed

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shall be remembered against him he has done what

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is lawful and right he shall surely live yet

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the children of your people say the way of the

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lord is not fair but it is their way which is

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not fair When the righteous turns from his righteousness

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and commits iniquity, he shall die because of

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it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness

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and does what is lawful and right, he shall live

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because of it. Yet you say, The way of the Lord

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is not fair. O house of Israel, I will judge

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every one of you according to his own ways. And

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it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity,

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in the tenth month, Then the word of the Lord

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came to me, saying, Son of man, They who inhabit

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those ruins in the land of Israel are saying,

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Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land.

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But we are many. The land has been given to us

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as a possession. Therefore say to them, Thus

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says the Lord God, You eat meat with blood. You

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lift up your eyes toward your idols and shed

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blood. Should you then possess the land? You

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rely on your sword. You commit abominations and

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you defile one another's wives. Should you then

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possess the land? Say thus to them, Thus says

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the Lord God, As I live, surely those who are

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in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the

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one who is in the open field I will give to the

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beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the

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strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence.

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For I will make the land most desolate, her arrogant

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strength shall cease, and the mountains of Israel

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shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.

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Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when

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I have made the land most desolate because of

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all their abominations which they have committed.

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As for you, son of man, the children of your

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people are talking about you beside the walls

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and in the doors of the houses, and they speak

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to one another, everyone saying to his brother,

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Please come and hear what the word is that comes

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from the Lord. So they come to you as people

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do. They sit before you as my people, and they

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hear your words, but they do not do them. For

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with their mouth they show much love, but their

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hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed, you are

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to them as a very lovely song of one who has

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a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument.

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For they hear your words, but they do not do

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them. And when this comes to pass, surely it

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will come. Then they will know that a prophet

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has been among them. I hope you enjoyed today's

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reading as much as I did and I look forward to

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seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our

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journey. God bless you and have a great day.