Ezekiel 2

1 He said to me, “You human, stand up while I speak to you.”

“Son of man,” He said to me, “stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.”

2 While he spoke to me, [God’s] Spirit entered me and enabled me to stand up. Then I heard him speak to me.

And as He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me.

3 He said, “You human, I will send you to the Israeli people. They are people who have turned away from me and rebelled against me. Their ancestors rebelled against me, and they themselves are still rebelling against me.

“Son of man,” He said to me, “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me. To this very day they and their fathers have rebelled against Me.

4 The people to whom I will send you are very stubborn [DOU]. But say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you.’

They are obstinate and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’

5 [when you tell them my messages], perhaps those rebellious people will heed those messages and perhaps they will not heed them, but they will know [you are] a prophet who has been among them.

And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

6 And you human, you must not be afraid of them or afraid of what they say. [Living among them will be like] living in the midst of briers or scorpions, but do not be afraid of them. They are rebellious people [MTY], but do not allow them to cause you to become afraid.

But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns surround you, and you dwell among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their presence, though they are a rebellious house.

7 Tell them my message, but do not expect them to pay attention to it, because they [very] rebellious.

But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.

8 But human, you must pay attention to what I say. Do not be rebellious like they are. [Now] open your mouth and eat what I give to you.”

And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

9 Then, as I watched, I saw his hand that was stretched toward me. In his hand was a scroll.

Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,

10 He unrolled the scroll. On both sides of it were written words that expressed sorrow and mourning and words about trouble/disaster.

which He unrolled before me. And written on the front and back of it were words of lamentation, mourning, and woe.