Ezekiel 12

1 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me saying:

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

2 Son of man. In the midst of a perverse house, dost thou dwell, — Who have eyes to see—and have not seen. Ears have they to hear—and have no heard, For a perverse house, they are.

“Son of man, you live in the midst of a provoking house. They have eyes to see, and they do not see; and ears to hear, and they do not hear. For they are a provoking house.

3 Thou, therefore Son of man, Prepare thee baggage for exile, and exile thyself, by day, before their eyes, —so shalt thou exile thyself out of thy place unto another place before their eyes, peradventure they will consider— though a perverse house, they are.

As for you, then, son of man, prepare for yourself the supplies for traveling far away, and travel away in the daytime in their sight. And you shall travel from your place to another place in their sight, so that perhaps they may consider it. For they are a provoking house.

4 Therefore shalt thou take forth thy baggage as baggage for exile, by day before their eyes, —and thou thyself, shalt go forth in the evening, before their eyes, like them who go forth to exile.

And you shall carry your supplies outside, like the supplies of one who is traveling far away, in the daytime in their sight. Then you shall go forth in the evening in their presence, just as one goes forth who is moving far away.

5 Before their eyes, break thou forth by thyself through the wall, —and carry forth through it.

Dig for yourself through the wall, before their eyes. And you shall go out through it.

6 Before their eyes, Upon the shoulder, shalt thou lift it. In thick darkness, take it forth, Thy face, shalt thou cover so that thou see not the land; For a sign, have I appointed thee to the house of Israel.

In their sight, you shall be carried on shoulders, you shall be carried in the dark. You shall cover your face, and you shall not see the ground. For I have appointed you as a portent for the house of Israel.”

7 And I did so, just as I was commanded, My baggage, took I forth as baggage for exile by day, and in the evening, I brake forth by myself through the wall, by force: in the twilight, I took it forth—on to my shoulder, I lifted it, before their eyes.

Therefore, I did just as he had instructed me. I brought out my supplies in the daytime, like the supplies of one who is moving far away. And in the evening, I dug myself through the wall by hand. And I went out in the dark, and I was carried on shoulders, in their sight.

8 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me in the morning, saying:

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

9 Son of man, Have not the house of Israel the perverse house, said unto thee, — What art thou doing?

“Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to you: ‘What are you doing?’

10 Say unto them, Thus, saith My Lord, Yahweh, — [For] the Bearer, is this burden, in Jerusalem, and [for] all the house of Israel such as are in their midst.

Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This is the burden concerning my leader who is in Jerusalem, and concerning the entire house of Israel, who are in their midst.

11 Say, I, am your sign: As I have done, so. shall it be done to them, Into exile—into captivity, shall they go.

Say: I am your portent. Just as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They will be taken captive and moved far away.

12 Yea, the Bearer who is in their midst, Upon his shoulder, shall lift it. In thick darkness, shall he go forth, Through the wall, shall they break to bear forth through it, — His face, shall he cover, to the end that, his own eye, may not see the land.

And the leader who is in their midst will be carried on shoulders; he will go forth in darkness. They will dig through the wall, so that they may lead him away. His face will be covered, so that he may not see the land with his eye.

13 Then will I spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare; And I will take him to Babylon. in the land of the Chaldeans, The which, indeed, he shall not see. And yet there, shall he die!

And I will extend my net over him, and he will be captured in my dragnet. And I will lead him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, but he himself will not see it. And there he shall die.

14 And all who are round about him to help him and all his troops, will I scatter to every wind, —and, a sword, will I make bare after them.

And all who are around him, his guards and his companies, I will scatter into every wind. And I will unsheathe the sword after them.

15 So shall they know that, I, am Yahweh, — By my dispersing them among the nations, And scattering them throughout the lands.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have dispersed them among the Gentiles, and will have sowed them among the lands.

16 Yet will I leave remaining of them men easily counted, from the sword from the famine and from the pestilence, —that they may recount all their abominations among the nations whither they have come, So shall they know that, I, am Yahweh.

And I will leave behind a few men of them, apart from the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence, so that they may declare all their wicked deeds among the Gentiles, to whom they will go. And they shall know that I am the Lord.”

17 Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:

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

18 Son of man, Thy bread with trembling, shalt thou eat, — And, thy water in agitation and in fear, shalt thou drink.

“Son of man, eat your bread in consternation. Moreover, drink your water hurriedly and in sorrow.

19 Then shalt thou say unto the people of the land, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem upon the soil of Israel, Their bread with anxious care, shall they eat, And, their water in astonishment, shall they drink, — That her land, may be deserted, of her fulness, because of the violence of all them who dwell therein:

And say to the people of the land: Thus says the Lord God, to those who are living in Jerusalem, in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in anxiety, and drink their water in desolation, so that the land may be desolate before its multitude, because of the iniquity of all who are living in it.

20 Yea, the cities that are inhabited, shall be laid waste, And, the land, shall become, an astonishment, — So shall ye know that, I, am Yahweh.

And cities that are now inhabited will become desolate, and the land will be forsaken. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”

21 And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

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

22 Son of man What is this proverb ye have, concerning the soil of Israel, saying, — The days, are prolonged, Therefore shall every vision come to nought?

“Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel? saying: ‘The days shall be extended in length, and every vision shall perish.’

23 Therefore say unto them, Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, I will cause this proverb to cease, And they shall use it as a proverb no more in Israel, — But speak unto them, The days, are drawn near, And the substance of every vision.

Therefore, say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will cause this proverb to cease, and it shall no longer be a common saying in Israel. And tell them that the days are approaching, and the word of every vision.

24 For there shall no more be— Any vision of falsehood Or divination of deceit, In the midst of the house of Israel.

For there shall no longer be any empty visions, nor any ambiguous divination in the midst of the sons of Israel.

25 For, I, Yahweh will speak whatsoever word I please to speak, And it shall be done, It shall not be delayed any more, — For in your own days, O perverse house, will I speak a word and perform it, Declareth My Lord. Yahweh.

For I, the Lord, will speak. And whatever word I will speak, it shall be done, and it shall not be delayed any more. Instead, in your days, O provoking house, I will speak a word and do it, says the Lord God.”

26 And the word of Yahweh came unto me, saying:

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

27 Son of man. Lo! the house of Israel are saying, the vision which he seeth is for many days, Yea for times far away, hath he prophesied.

“Son of man, behold the house of Israel, those who are saying: ‘The visions that this one sees is many days away,’ and, ‘This man prophesies about times that are far away.’

28 Therefore say unto them. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, None of my words shall be delayed any more, — Whatsoever word I speak, then shall it be performed, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

Because of this, say to them: Thus says the Lord God: No word of mine will be delayed any longer. The word that I will speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.”