Ezekiel 12

1 And 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 among an uncontrolled people, who have eyes to see but see not, and ears for hearing but they do not give ear; for they are an uncontrolled people.

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 And you, O son of man, by day, before their eyes, get ready the vessels of one who is taken away, and go away from your place to another place before their eyes: it may be that they will see, though they are an uncontrolled people.

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 By day, before their eyes, take out your vessels like those of one who is taken away: and go out in the evening before their eyes, like those who are taken away as prisoners.

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 Make a hole in the wall, before their eyes, and go out through it.

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

6 And before their eyes, take your goods on your back and go out in the dark; go with your face covered: for I have made you a sign to the children 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 And I did as I was ordered: I took out my vessels by day, like those of one who is taken away, and in the evening I made a hole through the wall with a tent-pin; and in the dark I went out, taking my things on my back before their eyes.

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, has not Israel, the uncontrolled people, said to you, What are you doing?

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

10 You are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: This word has to do with the ruler in Jerusalem and all the children of Israel in it.

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 Say, I am your sign: as I have done, so will it be done to them: they will go away as prisoners.

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 the ruler who is among them will take his goods on his back in the dark and go out: he will make a hole in the wall through which to go out: he will have his face covered so that he may not be seen.

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 And my net will be stretched out on him, and he will be taken in my cords: and I will take him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldaeans; but he will not see it, and there death will come to him.

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 all his helpers round about him and all his armies I will send in flight to every wind; and I will let loose a sword 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 be certain that I am the Lord, when I send them in flight among the nations, driving them out through 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 a small number of them I will keep from the sword, from the need of food, and from disease, so that they may make clear all their disgusting ways among the nations where they come; and they will be certain 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 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

18 Son of man, take your food with shaking fear, and your water with trouble and care;

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

19 And say to the people of the land, This is what the Lord has said about the people of Jerusalem and the land of Israel: They will take their food with care and their drink with wonder, so that all the wealth of their land may be taken from it because of the violent ways of the people living 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 And the peopled towns will be made waste, and the land will become a wonder; and you will be certain 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 And 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 saying which you have about the land of Israel, The time is long and every vision comes to nothing?

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 For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: I have made this saying come to an end, and it will no longer be used as a common saying in Israel; but say to them, The days are near, and the effect of every vision.

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 smooth use of secret arts in Israel.

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

25 For I am the Lord; I will say the word and what I say I will do; it will not be put off: for in your days, O uncontrolled people, I will say the word and do it, says the Lord.

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 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

27 Son of man, see, the children of Israel say, The vision which he sees is for the days which are a long way off, and his words are of times still far away.

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 Say to them then, This is what the Lord has said: Not one of my words will be put off any longer, but what I say I will do, says the Lord.

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.