Study Desk

And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel."

So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate^(a) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey^(b) in my mouth.

He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.^(c)

You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,^(d) but to the people of Israel—

not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.^(e)

But the people of Israel are not willing to listen^(f) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.^(g)

But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.^(h)

I will make your forehead⁽ⁱ⁾ like the hardest stone, harder than flint.^(j) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(k)"

And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart^(l) all the words I speak to you.

Go^(m) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,'⁽ⁿ⁾ whether they listen or fail to listen.^(o)"

Then the Spirit lifted me up,^(p) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^[a]

It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures^(q) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.^(r)

The Spirit^(s) then lifted me up^(t) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord ^(u) on me.

I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.^(v) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days^(w)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel's Task as Watchman

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:^(x)

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(y) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^(z)

When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(aa)' and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(ab)

But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn^(ac) from their wickedness^(ad) or from their evil ways, they will die^(ae) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.^(af)

"Again, when a righteous person turns^(ag) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(ah) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^(ai)

But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.^(aj)"

The hand of the Lord ^(ak) was on me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go^(al) out to the plain,^(am) and there I will speak to you."

So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,^(an) and I fell facedown.^(ao)

Then the Spirit came into me and raised me^(ap) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.^(aq)

And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.^(ar)

I will make your tongue stick to the roof^(as) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.^(at)

But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.'^(au) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.^(av)

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

"Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.

Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp^(a) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.^(b)

Then take an iron pan,^(c) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward^(d) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign^(e) to the people of Israel.^(f)

"Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.^[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.

I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

"After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin^(g) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.^(h)

Turn your face⁽ⁱ⁾ toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her.

I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.^(j)

"Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;^(k) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side.

Weigh out twenty shekels^[b](l) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times.

Also measure out a sixth of a hin^[c] of water and drink it at set times.^(m)

Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement⁽ⁿ⁾ for fuel."

The Lord said, "In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them."^(o)

Then I said, "Not so, Sovereign Lord !^(p) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead^(q) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.^(r)"

"Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement."

He then said to me: "Son of man, I am about to cut off^(s) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,^(t)

for food and water will be scarce.^(u) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of^[d] their sin.^(v)