Study Desk

And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.

You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won't listen, for they are completely rebellious!

But the people of Israel won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard-hearted and stubborn.

Then he added, "Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.

Then I came to the colony of Judean exiles in Tel-abib, beside the Kebar River. I was overwhelmed and sat among them for seven days.

"Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.

If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,' but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.

"If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths.

And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels.

But when I give you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!' Those who choose to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.

"Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side.

I am requiring you to bear Israel's sins for 390 days—one day for each year of their sin.

After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days—one day for each year of Judah's sin.

"Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side.

Ration this out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times.

Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times.

Then I said, "O Sovereign Lord , must I be defiled by using human dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law."

Place a third of it at the center of your map of Jerusalem. After acting out the siege, burn it there. Scatter another third across your map and chop it with a sword. Scatter the last third to the wind, for I will scatter my people with the sword.

Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins.

No hope remains, for I will unleash my anger against you. I will call you to account for all your detestable sins.