Ezekiel 3

1 And he said unto me, Son of man, eat what thou findest: eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.

And he said to me: “Son of man, eat whatever you will find; eat this scroll, and, going forth, speak to the sons of Israel.”

2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat this roll.

And I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, feed thy belly, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I am giving unto thee. And I ate it; and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

And he said to me: “Son of man, your stomach shall eat, and your interior shall be filled with this scroll, which I am giving to you.” And I ate it, and in my mouth it became as sweet as honey.

4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

And he said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and you shall speak my words to them.

5 For not to a people of an obscure speech and of a difficult tongue art thou sent, but to the house of Israel;

For you will be sent, not to a people of profound words or of an unknown language, but to the house of Israel,

6 Not to many people of an obscure speech and of a difficult tongue, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would truly have hearkened unto thee.

and not to many peoples of profound words or of an unknown language, whose words you would not be able to understand. But if you were sent to them, they would listen to you.

7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel have a bold forehead, and a hard heart.

Yet the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you. For they are not willing to listen to me. Certainly, the entire house of Israel has a brazen forehead and a hardened heart.

8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their face, and thy forehead strong against their forehead.

Behold, I have made your face stronger than their faces, and your forehead harder than their foreheads.

9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: thou shalt not fear them, nor shalt thou be dismayed at their presence, though they be a rebellious family.

I have made your face like hardened iron and like flint. You should not fear them, and you should not have dread before their face. For they are a provoking house.”

10 And he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I will speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear [them] with thy ears.

And he said to me: “Son of man, listen with your ears, and take into your heart, all my words, which I am speaking to you.

11 And go, get thee to those in exile, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal: whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

And go forth and enter to those of the transmigration, to the sons of your people. And you shall speak to them. And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Perhaps it may be that they will listen and be quieted.”

12 Then a spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, [saying, ] Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

And the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion, saying, “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place,”

13 [I heard] also the sound of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the sound of the wheels at the same time with them, and the sound of a great rushing.

and the voice of the wings of the living creatures striking against one another, and the voice of the wheels following the living creatures, and the voice of a great commotion.

14 So a spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I walked in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the inspiration of the Lord was strong upon me.

Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. And I went forth in bitterness, with the indignation of my spirit. For the hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me.

15 Then came I to the exiles at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Kebar, and I remained where they dwelt, and I remained there in a state of confusion among them seven days.

And I went to those of the transmigration, to the stockpile of new crops, to those who were living beside the river Chebar. And I sat where they were sitting. And I remained there for seven days, while mourning in their midst.

16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, That the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

Then, when seven days had passed, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and give them warning from me.

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. And so, you shall listen to the word from my mouth, and you shall announce it to them from me.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou dost not give him warning, and speakest not to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life: the same wicked man shall die through his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

If, when I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ you do not announce it to him, and you do not speak so that he may turn aside from his impious way and live, then the same impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand.

19 But thou, —if thou hast warned the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way: he shall indeed die in his iniquity; but thou hast surely delivered thy soul.

But if you announce it to the impious man, and he is not converted from his impiety and from his impious way, then indeed he will die in his iniquity. But you will have delivered your own soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man do turn from his righteousness, and do what is wrong: then will I lay a stumbling-block before him, [so that] he shall die; yet if thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his acts of righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require from thy hand.

Moreover, if the just man turns aside from his justice and commits iniquity, I will place a stumbling block before him. He shall die, because you have not announced to him. He shall die in his sin, and his justices that he did shall not be remembered. Yet truly, I will attribute his blood to your hand.

21 But if thou hast truly warned him, —the righteous, that the righteous should not sin, and he doth not sin: he shall surely live, because he attended to the warning, and thou hast surely delivered thy own soul.

But if you announce to the just man, so that the just man may not sin, and he does not sin, then he shall certainly live, because you have announced to him. And you will have delivered your own soul.”

22 And the inspiration of the Lord came there over me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the valley, and there will I speak with thee.

And the hand of the Lord was over me. And he said to me: “Rise up, and go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”

23 And I arose, and went forth into the valley; and, behold, there was the glory of the Lord standing, like that glory which I had seen by the river Kebar: and I fell down on my face.

And I rose up, and I went out to the plain. And behold, the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that I saw beside the river Chebar. And I fell upon my face.

24 Then entered a spirit into me, and placed me upright on my feet, and spoke with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself up within thy house.

And the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spoke to me, and he said to me: “Enter and enclose yourself in the midst of your house.

25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they put ropes upon thee, and bind thee with them, that thou canst not go out among them:

And as for you, son of man, behold: they shall put chains upon you and bind you with them. And you shall not go out from their midst.

26 And I will let thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not become to them a man who reproveth; for they are a rebellious family.

And I will cause your tongue to adhere to the roof of your mouth. And you will be mute, not like a man who reproaches. For they are a provoking house.

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forebear; for they are a rebellious family.

But when I will speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whoever is listening, let him hear. And whoever is quieted, let him be quieted. For they are a provoking house.”