Ezekiel 3
1 Then said he unto me, Son of man What thou findest, eat, —eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
“Son of man,” he told me, “eat what you find placed before you. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the people of Israel.”
2 So I opened my mouth, —and he caused me to eat this roll.
I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Then said he unto me Son of man. Thy belly, cause thou to eat and thy bowels, fill thou with this roll which I am giving unto thee. So I did eat, and it became in my mouth, as honey for sweetness.
“Son of man,” he said to me, “eat and fill yourself up with this scroll I'm giving you.” So I ate the scroll, and it tasted as sweet as honey.
4 Then said he unto me, — Son of man Go get thee unto the house of Israel, and thou shalt speak with my words, unto them.
Then he told me, “Son of man, now you are to go to the people of Israel and give my message to them.
5 For not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue, art thou sent —[but] unto the house of Israel:
I'm not sending you to those whose language is foreign to you, to people that you don't know—but to the people of Israel.
6 not unto many peoples deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou couldst not understand, —surely if unto them I had sent thee, they would have hearkened unto thee.
As I say, I'm not sending you to those whose language is foreign to you, to people that you don't know, whose words you don't understand. On the other hand, if I had sent you to foreigners, they would have listened to you.
7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to hearken unto thee, for they are not willing to hearken unto me, —for all the house of Israel are bold of forehead and hard of heart.
But the people of Israel won't want to listen to you, because they don't want to listen to me. All the Israelites are strong-minded and hard-hearted.
8 Lo! I have made thy face bold like as their faces, and thy forehead bold like as their forehead.
Look! I'm going to make you as tough as them, and as strong-minded as them.
9 As an adamant harder than flint, have I made thy forehead, —thou shalt not fear them neither shalt thou be dismayed at their faces, For a perverse house, they are!
I will make your mind like adamant, harder than flint. Don't be afraid of what they say or discouraged by the way they look at you, even though they are a rebellious people.”
10 Then said he unto me, — Son of man. All my words which I shall speak unto thee, receive thou into thy heart and in thine ears, hear thou:
“Son of man,” he added, “pay close attention to everything I tell you, and think deeply about it yourself.
11 then go get thee unto them of the captivity, unto the sons of thy people, and thou shalt speak unto them and say unto them, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.
Go to your people who are in exile. Tell them this is what the Lord God says, whether they listen or not.”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing, — Blessed be the glory of Yahweh. From his place!
The Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a really loud noise behind me that sounded like an earthquake. (Praise to the Lord's glory where he lives!)
13 Yea the sound of the wings of the living ones, gently touching each other, and the sound of the wheels, along with them, even the sound of a great rushing.
It was the sound made by the wings of the beings as they brushed against each other and the noise made by the wheels next to them, a really loud noise that sounded like an earthquake.
14 So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away, —and I went bitterly, in the rage of my spirit, but the hand of Yahweh upon me was strong.
As I said, the Spirit lifted me up and carried me away. As I went I was feeling upset and angry; however the Lord's power had taken full control of me.
15 Thus came I unto them of the captivity, at Tel-abib. who were dwelling towards he river Chebar and I dwelt where They were dwelling; yea I dwelt there seven days, stunned in their midst,
I arrived at the place where the exiles lived, Tel-abib by the River Kebar. I just sat with them, staying with them there for seven days. I was completely overcome with emotion.
16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of Yahweh came unto me saying
After the seven days had passed, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,
17 Son of man, A watchman, have I appointed thee to the house of Israel, —and thou shalt hear, at my mouth a message, and shalt warn them from me.
“Son of man, I have chosen you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Whenever I give you a message, then you must warn them for me.
18 When I say to the lawless man— Thou shalt surely die, and thou hast not given him warning, neither hast spoken to warn the lawless man from his lawless way, to save himself alive the same lawless man in his iniquity shall die, but his blood, at thy hand, will I require.
For example, if I give a warning to someone who's wicked, saying, ‘You are going to die for sure,’ but you don't warn them, if you don't speak out to warn them to stop their wicked ways so they can go on living, then that wicked person will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their death.
19 Whereas when thou hast warned a lawless man, and he hath not turned from his lawlessness and from his lawless way he in his iniquity shall die, but Thou hast delivered thine own soul.
But if you warn them, and they don't stop their wicked ways, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself—you won't die.
20 And when a righteous man hath turned from his righteousness, and committed perversity, and I have suffered a stumbling- block to be laid before him he shall die, —though thou hast not warned him, in his sin, shall he die, neither shall be remembered his righteous deeds which he hath done, but his blood, at thy hand will I require;
Again, if someone who lives right stops doing so and sins and disregards my attempts to correct them, then they will die. If you didn't warn them, they will die in their sins, and the good things they did won't be remembered. In addition, I will hold you responsible for their death.
21 whereas when Thou hast warned a righteous man. That a righteous man must not sin and he hath not sinned, he shall surely live in that he took warning, and thou hast delivered thine own soul.
However, if you warn those who are living right not to sin, and they don't sin, they will live for sure, because they paid attention to your warning, and you will have saved yourself—you won't die.”
22 Then came upon me there the hand of Yahweh, —and he said unto me, Arise go forth into the valley, and there, will I speak with thee.
The Lord's power took control of me there, and he told me, “Get up! Go to the valley, and I will talk to you there.”
23 So I arose and went forth into the valley, and lo! there the glory of Yahweh, standing, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, -and I fell upon my face.
So I got up and went to the valley, and there I saw the Lord's glory. It was like the glory I had seen by the River Kebar. I fell facedown on the ground.
24 Then the Spirit entered into me, and caused me to stand upon my feet, —and he spake with me and said unto me, Go in shut thyself up, in the midst of thine own house,
Then the Spirit came into me and made me stand upright. He told me, “Go into your house and shut the door.
25 And thou—O son of man, lo! they have put upon thee bands, and they will bind thee therewith, -. so that thou go not forth in their midst;
You will be tied up with ropes, son of man. You will be bound so that won't be able to go out among the people.
26 thy tongue also, will I cause to cleave unto the roof of thy mouth, so shalt thou be dumb and not be to them a reprover, — For a perverse house, they are!
I'll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. You won't be able to speak and complain to them, even though they are a rebellious people.
27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, —He that is minded to hear, let him hear, And he that is minded to forbear, let him forbear! For a perverse house, they are!
However, when I talk with you, I will open your mouth so you can tell them that this is what the Lord God says. Those who want to listen will listen, and those who want to refuse will refuse, for they are a rebellious people.”
