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.”

“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 fed me that scroll.

I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

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.

“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 he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to 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 you are not being sent to a people of strange speech or difficult language, but to 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 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.

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

Look! I'm going to make you as tough as them, and as strong-minded as them.

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.”

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 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!

“Son of man,” he added, “pay close attention to everything I tell you, and think deeply about it yourself.

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.”

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 earthquake: “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 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.

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 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!

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 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.

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

After the seven days had passed, a message from the Lord 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 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 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.

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 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.

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 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, 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 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.”

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 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!”

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 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.

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 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 came into me and made me stand upright. He told me, “Go into your house and shut the door.

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

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 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.

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 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!”

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.”