Jezekiel 12

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the iniquities of those, who have eyes to see, and see not; and have ears to hear, and hear not: because it is a provoking house.

“You human, you are living among people who are [very] rebellious. They have eyes, but they do not [what I want them to see]; they have ears, but they do not [what I want them to hear], because they are rebellious/stubborn people.

3 Thou therefore, son of man, prepare thyself baggage for going into captivity by day in their sight; and thou shalt be led into captivity from thy place into another place in their sight; that they may see that it is a provoking house.

Therefore, you human, pack your belongings as though you were (going into exile/being forced to go to another country). Then, during the daytime, while people are watching, [prepare to] go to another place. Even though the people are rebellious, perhaps they will [what you are symbolizing].

4 And thou shalt carry forth thy baggage, baggage for captivity, by day before their eyes: and thou shalt go forth at even, as a captive goes forth, in their sight.

During the daytime, while they are watching, bring out the things that you want to take and pack them. Then in the evening, while they are watching, do what those who are preparing to go into exile do.

5 Dig for thyself into the wall [of the house], and thou shalt pass through it in their sight:

Dig through [city] wall and take your things through the hole.

6 thou shalt be lifted up on [men's] shoulders, and shalt go forth in secret: thou shalt cover thy face, and shalt not see the ground: because I have made thee a sign to the house of Israel.

Then put [in a sack] on your shoulder while they are watching and leave at dusk. Cover your face in order that you cannot see the path. [I want you to do this] because I want you to warn the Israeli people.”

7 And I did thus according to all that he commanded me; and I carried forth my baggage for captivity by day, and in the evening I dug through the wall for myself, and went out secretly; I was taken up on [men's] shoulders before them.

[So] I did what Yahweh told me to do. During the day I brought things out of my [as though] I was packing to go into exile. Then in the evening I dug through [city] wall. [Then] while people watched, I put my sack of belongings on my shoulder and left.

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

The next morning, Yahweh gave me this message:

9 Son of man, have not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to thee, What doest thou?

“You human, the rebellious people [MTY] of Israel asked you, ‘What are you doing?’

10 Say to them, Thus saith the Lord God, the Prince and the Ruler in Israel, even to all the house of Israel who are in the midst of them:

[So go back and] say to them, ‘What I did is about the king in Jerusalem and all the [other] people of Israel who are there.’

11 say, I am performing signs: as I have done, so shall it be to him: they shall go into banishment and captivity.

Tell [them], ‘[What I did] is a warning to you.’ What has happened to you will happen to them. They will be captured and forced to go to another country.

12 And the prince in the midst of them shall be borne upon shoulders, and shall go forth in secret through the wall, and shall dig so that he may go forth thereby: he shall cover his face, that he may not be seen by [any] eye, and he himself shall not see the ground.

Their king will put his belongings on his shoulder at dusk and leave. [His servants] will dig a hole through the city wall, [and he will take his belongings] through it. He will cover his face in order [others will not recognize] him.

13 And I will spread out my net upon him, and he shall be caught in my toils: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; but he shall not see it, though he shall die there.

[it will be as though] I will spread a net for [to be captured]; [enemy soldiers will] capture him and take him to [city]. But he will [be able to] see it; and there he will die.

14 And I will scatter to every wind all his assistants round about him, and all that help him; and I will draw out a sword after them;

I will scatter in all directions [IDM] all those who have been around him—his advisors and his soldiers—and I will cause his enemies to pursue them, with their swords ready to strike them.

15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have scattered them among the nations; and I will disperse them in the countries.

Then, when I scatter them among many nations [DOU], they will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

16 And I will leave of them [a few] men in number [spared] from the sword, and from famine, and pestilence; that they may declare all their iniquities among the nations whither they have gone; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

But I will spare/save a few of them from being killed by swords and from dying from famines or plagues, with the result that in the nations to which they are forced to go, they will realize/admit that they have been doing disgusting things, and they will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].”

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Then Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

18 Son of man, eat thy bread with sorrow, and drink [thy] water with torment and affliction.

“You human, tremble while you eat your food, and shudder fearfully while you drink your water.

19 And thou shalt say to the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, on the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread in scarcity, and shall drink their water in desolation, that the land may be desolate with all that it contains: for all that dwell in it are ungodly.

Tell [this to] the Israeli people: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says about those who are [still] living in Jerusalem and [other places in] Israel: They also will be very anxious/worried [DOU] while they eat their food and drink their water, because their country will [soon] have everything taken away. That will happen because the people who live there [continually] act [very] violently.

20 And their inhabited cities shall be laid utterly waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

The towns where people live will be devastated, and the land will become barren/empty. Then you people will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].'”

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

22 Son of man, what is your parable on the land of Israel, that ye say, The days are long, the vision has perished?

“You human, the people in Israel have this proverb/saying: ‘The days pass, and [the prophets] predict never happens.’

23 Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord; I will even set aside this parable, and the house of Israel shall no more at all use this parable: for thou shalt say to them, The days are at hand, and the import of every vision.

So say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: I am going to prove that (what they say/that proverb) is not correct, and then they will never say that again in Israel.’ Tell them, ‘It will soon be the time when everything that the prophets have predicted will happen.

24 For there shall no more be any false vision, nor any one prophesying flatteries in the midst of the children of Israel.

No longer [false prophets tell] to the Israeli people false visions, or prophecies that try to please people.

25 For I the Lord will speak my words; I will speak and perform [them], and will no more delay, for in your days, O provoking house, I will speak the word, and will perform [it], saith the Lord.

Instead, I, Yahweh, will say what I want to tell the people, and what I predict will quickly happen. You rebellious people, I will cause to happen everything that I say will happen. [That is what I, ] Yahweh the Lord, say.’”

26 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Yahweh also gave me this message:

27 Son of man, behold, the provoking house of Israel boldly say, The vision which this man sees is for many days, and he prophesies for times afar off.

“You human, the Israeli people are [constantly] saying [about you], ‘The things that he sees in [will not happen soon]. They are [things that will happen] many years from now, far in the future.’

28 Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord; Henceforth none of my words shall linger, which I shall speak: I will speak and do, saith the Lord.

Therefore say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord [DOU] says: I will no longer [causing to happen] any of the things that I have prophesied. Whatever I have predicted [very soon] happen.’”