Ezekiel 3

1 He said to me, “Son of man, what you have found, eat. Eat this scroll, then go speak to the house of Israel.”

And he said to me, Son of man, eat that which thou find. Eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.

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

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

3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I have given to you!” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

And he said to me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

4 Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.

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

5 For you are not being sent to a people of strange speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel—

For thou are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel,

6 not to many peoples of strange speech or a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

not to many peoples of a strange speech, and of a hard language, whose words thou cannot understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken to thee.

7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me. So all the house of Israel is strong browed and hard hearted.

But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee, for they will not hearken to me. For all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart.

8 Behold! I have made your face as stubborn as their faces and your brow as hard as their brows.

Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads.

9 I have made your brow like a diamond, harder than flint! Do not fear them or be discouraged by their faces, since they are a rebellious house.”

As an adamant, harder than flint, I have made thy forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

10 Then he said to me, “Son of man, all the words that I announce to you—take them into your heart and hear them with your ears!

Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to thee, receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears.

11 Then go to the captives, to your people, and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says,' whether they will listen or not.”

And go, get thee to those of the captivity, to the sons of thy people, and speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the lord Jehovah, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of Yahweh from his place!”

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from his place.

13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a great earthquake.

And I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched each other, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.

14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness in my spirit's rage, for the hand of Yahweh was powerfully pressing on me!

So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away. And I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me.

15 So I went to the captives at Tel Aviv who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed there among them for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.

Then I came to those of the captivity at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Chebar, and to where they dwelt. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

16 Then it happened after seven days that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel, so listen to the word from my mouth, and give them my warning.

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18 When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die' and you do not warn him or speak a warning to the wicked about his evil deeds so he might live—the wicked one will die for his sin, but I will require his blood from your hand.

When I say to a wicked man, Thou shall surely die, and thou give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked man from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked deeds, then he will die for his sin, but you will have rescued your own life.

Yet if thou warn the wicked man, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou have delivered thy soul.

20 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and acts unjustly, and I set a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and I will not call to mind the righteous deeds that he performed, but I will require his blood from your hand.

Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because thou have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

21 But if you warn the righteous man to stop sinning so that he no longer sins, he will surely live since he was warned; and you will have rescued your own life.”

Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous man not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and thou have delivered thy soul.

22 So the hand of Yahweh was on me there, and he said to me, “Arise! Go out into the plain, and I will speak with you there!”

And the hand of Jehovah was there upon me, and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will talk with thee there.

23 I arose and went out into the plain, and there the glory of Yahweh was staying, like the glory that I had seen beside the Kebar Canal; so I fell on my face.

Then I arose, and went forth into the plain. And, behold, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face.

24 The Spirit came to me and stood me up on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, “Go and shut yourself up within your house,

Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut thyself within thy house.

25 for now, son of man, they will place ropes upon you and tie you so you cannot go out among them.

But thou, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shall not escape from them.

26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so you will be mute, and you will not be able to rebuke them, since they are a rebellious house.

And I will make thy tongue cling to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shall be mute, and shall not be a reprover to them, for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth so you will say to them, 'This is what the Lord Yahweh says.' The one who will hear will hear; the one who will not listen will not listen, for they are a rebellious house!”

But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shall say to them, Thus says the lord Jehovah. He who hears, let him hear, and he who forbears, let him forbear, for they are a rebellious house.