Ezekiel 12

1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house.

3 Therefore, son of man, pack your bags for exile. In broad daylight, set out from your place and go to another as they watch. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.

Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing from the land; and remove by day in their sight, and remove from thy place to another place before their eyes. It may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

4 Bring out your baggage for exile by day, as they watch. Then in the evening, as they watch, go out like those who go into exile.

And carry forth thy stuff, as stuff for removing, by day in their sight, and go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

5 As they watch, dig through the wall and carry your belongings out through it.

Before their eyes break thou through the wall, and carry forth thereby.

6 And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”

In their sight bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight. Cover thy face, so that thou see not the ground; for I have made thee a sign to the house of Israel.

7 So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my bags for exile by day, and in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulder as they watched.

And I did as I was commanded, I carried forth my stuff, as stuff for removing from the land, by day; and in the evening I broke through the wall with my hand; I carried it forth in the twilight; I took it upon my shoulder before their eyes.

8 And in the morning the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me in the morning, and said:

9 “Son of man, hasn’t the rebellious house of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’

Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to thee, “What doest thou?”

10 Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are there.’

Say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that is therein.

11 You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives.

Say, I am your sign. As I have done, so shall it be done to them. They shall remove and go into captivity.

12 And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land.

And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth. They shall break through the wall to carry forth thereby; he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

13 But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die.

I will also spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldaeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.

14 And I will scatter to every wind all the attendants around him and all his troops, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.

And all that are round about him to help him, and all his bands, will I scatter to every wind; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15 And they will know that I am the LORD, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries.

And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter them in the countries.

16 But I will spare a few of them from sword and famine and plague, so that in the nations to which they go, they can recount all their abominations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen, whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

17 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.

Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

19 Then tell the people of the land that this is what the Lord GOD says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who dwell in it.

and say to the people of the land: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel; their bread shall they eat with carefulness, and their water shall they drink with astonishment; that their land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of them that dwell in it.

20 The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate, that ye may know that I am Jehovah.

21 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by, and every vision fails’?

Son of man, what meaneth that proverb which ye have in the land of Israel, saying, “The days are delayed, and every vision faileth”?

23 Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.

Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel. But say to them, The days are at hand, and what is declared in every vision.

24 For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations within the house of Israel,

For there shall be no longer any vain vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel.

25 because I, the LORD, will speak whatever word I speak, and it will be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak a message and bring it to pass, declares the Lord GOD.’”

For I am Jehovah; I speak, and the word which I speak shall come to pass; it shall no more be delayed. In your own days, ye rebellious house, will I speak the word and perform it, saith the Lord Jehovah.

26 Furthermore, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

27 “Son of man, take note that the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many years from now; he prophesies about the distant future.’

Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, “The vision which he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of times that are far off.”

28 Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘None of My words will be delayed any longer. The message I speak will be fulfilled, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: There shall none of my words be deferred any more; what I speak shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah.