< Ezekiel 3 >

1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
And he said to me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel!
2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll.
So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the roll to eat.
3 He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your belly and your bowels with it.” Then I ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
And he said to me, Son of man, let thy stomach eat, and fill thy body with this roll which I give thee! Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4 He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.
And he said to me: Son of man, go, get thee to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them!
5 For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel—
For not to a people of a dark speech and a hard language art thou sent, but to the house of Israel;
6 not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.
not to many nations of a dark speech and a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Truly, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened to thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they will not listen to me; for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.
But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee, for they will not hearken to me. For the whole house of Israel is brazen-faced and stiff-hearted.
8 Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 I have made your forehead as a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
As an adamant, harder than flint, have I made thy forehead; fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks; for they are a rebellious house.
10 Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all my words that I speak to you.
Moreover, he said to me: Son of man, all my words, which I shall speak to thee, receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears!
11 Go to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse.”
And go, get thee to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and speak to them, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, “Blessed be the LORD’s glory from his place.”
Then the spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound, as of a great rushing, saying, “Praised be the majesty of Jehovah from his place!”
13 I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.
I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures, that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even a noise of a great rushing.
14 So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the LORD’s hand was strong on me.
So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me.
15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv who lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar; and I dwelt where they dwelt; I even dwelt astonished among them seven days.
16 At the end of seven days, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
And at the end of seven days, the word of Jehovah came to me, and said:
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.
Son of man, I have set thee as a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me!
18 When I tell the wicked, ‘You will surely die;’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at your hand.
When I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die! and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he may live, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 “Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you have not given him warning, he will die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered; but I will require his blood at your hand.
Again, when a righteous man turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, and he shall die because thou hast not given him warning, he will die for his sin; and his righteousness which he hath done will not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand.
21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous not sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.”
Yet if thou warn the righteous man, that he sin not, and the righteous man doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he hath received warning; and thou hast delivered thy soul.
22 The LORD’s hand was there on me; and he said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and I will talk with you there.”
And the hand of Jehovah was there upon me, and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and there will I speak with thee.
23 Then I arose, and went out into the plain, and behold, the LORD’s glory stood there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar. Then I fell on my face.
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain, and lo, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
24 Then the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me, and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.
Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spake with me, and said to me: Go, shut thyself within thy house.
25 But you, son of man, behold, they will put ropes on you, and will bind you with them, and you will not go out among them.
And behold, O son of man, bands shall be put upon thee, and thou shalt be bound therewith; and thou shalt not go out among them.
26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be mute and will not be able to correct them, for they are a rebellious house.
And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.
27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.”
But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: He that will hear, let him hear, and he that will forbear, let him forbear; for they are a rebellious house.

< Ezekiel 3 >