Ezekiel 12

1 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

2 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.

“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 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.

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 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.

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

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

6 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.

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 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.

[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 Jehovah came to me in the morning, and said:

The next morning, Yahweh gave me this message:

9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious 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 Jehovah: This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that is therein.

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

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 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.

[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 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.

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 Jehovah, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter 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 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.

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 Jehovah came to me, saying:

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

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

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

19 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.

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

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 Jehovah came to me, saying:

Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

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

“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 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.

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

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

25 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.

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 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

Yahweh also gave me this message:

27 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.”

“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 Jehovah: There shall none of my words be deferred any more; what I speak shall be done, saith the Lord Jehovah.

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.’”