< Jezekiel 12 >
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Son of man, you dwell 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.
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.
3 You therefore, son of man, prepare yourself baggage for going into captivity by day in their sight; and you shall be led into captivity from your place into another place in their sight; that they may see that it is a provoking house.
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.
4 And you shall carry forth your baggage, baggage for captivity, by day before their eyes: and you shall go forth at even, as a captive goes forth, in their sight.
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.
5 Dig for yourself into the wall [of the house], and you shall pass through it in their sight:
Make a hole in the wall, before their eyes, and go out through it.
6 you shall be lifted up on [men's] shoulders, and shall go forth in secret: you shall cover your face, and shall not see the ground: because I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.
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.
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.
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.
8 And the word of the Lord came to me in the morning, saying,
And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
9 Son of man, have not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to you, What do you?
Son of man, has not Israel, the uncontrolled people, said to you, What are you doing?
10 Say to them, Thus says the Lord God, the Prince and the Ruler in Israel, even to all the house of Israel who are in the midst of them:
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.
11 say, I am performing signs: as I have done, so shall it be to him: they shall go into banishment and captivity.
Say, I am your sign: as I have done, so will it be done to them: they will go away as prisoners.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
18 Son of man, eat your bread with sorrow, and drink [your] water with torment and affliction.
Son of man, take your food with shaking fear, and your water with trouble and care;
19 And you shall say to the people of the land, Thus says 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.
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.
20 And their inhabited cities shall be laid utterly waste, and the land shall be desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.
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.
21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
22 Son of man, what is your parable on the land of Israel, that you say, The days are long, the vision has perished?
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?
23 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord; I will even set aside this parable, and the house of Israel shall no more at all use this parable: for you shall say to them, The days are at hand, and the import of every vision.
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.
24 For there shall no more be any false vision, nor any one prophesying flatteries in the midst of the children of Israel.
For there will be no more false visions or smooth use of secret arts in Israel.
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], says the Lord.
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.
26 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
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.
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.
28 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord; Henceforth none of my words shall linger, which I shall speak: I will speak and do, says the Lord.
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.