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 findest; 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 gave me the roll 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.

And he said to me, Son of man, let thy stomach eat, and fill thy body with this roll which 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 my words to them!

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

For not to a people of a dark speech and a hard language art thou sent, 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 nations of a dark speech and a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Truly, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened 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 the whole house of Israel is brazen-faced and stiff-hearted.

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 strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong 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, have I made thy forehead; fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks; for 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, which 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 them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and speak to them, and say to them, Thus saith 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 sound, as of a great rushing, saying, “Praised be the majesty 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.

I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures, that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even a 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; but 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 them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river Chebar; and I dwelt where they dwelt; I even dwelt astonished among them seven days.

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

And at the end of seven days, the word of Jehovah came to me, and said:

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 set thee as a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them 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 the wicked, Thou shalt surely die! and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he may live, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity; but his blood will I require 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, and he turn not from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but thou hast 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 turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, and he shall die because thou hast not given him warning, he will die for his sin; and his righteousness which he hath done will not be remembered; but his blood will I require 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.”

Yet if thou warn the righteous man, that he sin not, and the righteous man doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he hath received warning; and thou hast 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 there will I speak with thee.

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 lo, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon 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 spake 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.

And behold, O son of man, bands shall be put upon thee, and thou shalt be bound therewith; and thou shalt not go out among 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 cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; 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 shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: He that will hear, let him hear, and he that will forbear, let him forbear; for they are a rebellious house.