Ezekiel 3

1 Moreover he said to me, Son of man, eat what thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.

And he said to me, Son of man, take this roll for your food, and go and say my words to the children of Israel.

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

And, on my opening my mouth, he made me take the roll as food.

3 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 did I eat [it]; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

And he said to me, Son of man, let your stomach make a meal of it and let your inside be full of this roll which I am giving you. Then I took it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

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

And he said to me, Son of man, go now to the children of Israel, and say my words to them.

5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, [but] to the house of Israel;

For you are not sent to a people whose talk is strange and whose language is hard, but to the children of Israel;

6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened to thee.

Not to a number of peoples whose talk is strange and whose language is hard and whose words are not clear to you. Truly, if I sent you to them they would give ear to you.

7 But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee; for they will not hearken to me: for all the house of Israel [are] impudent and hard-hearted.

But the children of Israel will not give ear to you; for they have no mind to give ear to me: for all the children of Israel have a hard brow and a stiff heart.

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

See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your brow hard against their brows.

9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they [are] a rebellious house.

Like a diamond harder than rock I have made your brow: have no fear of them and do not be overcome by their looks, for they are an uncontrolled people.

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

Then he said to me, Son of man, take into your heart all my words which I am about to say to you, and let your ears be open to them.

11 And depart, go to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and speak to them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

And go now to those who have been taken away as prisoners, to the children of your people, and say to them, This is what the Lord has said; if they give ear or if they do not.

12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, [saying], Blessed [be] the glory of the LORD from his place.

Then I was lifted up by the wind, and at my back the sound of a great rushing came to my ears when the glory of the Lord was lifted up from his place.

13 [I heard] also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and the noise of a great rushing.

And there was the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another, and the sound of the wheels at their side, the sound of a great rushing.

14 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 the LORD was strong upon me.

And the wind, lifting me up, took me away: and I went in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord was strong on me.

15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Kebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

Then I came to those who had been taken away as prisoners, who were at Telabib by the river Chebar, and I was seated among them full of wonder for seven days.

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

And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

17 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.

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel: so give ear to the word of my mouth, and give them word from me of their danger.

18 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, to save his life; the same wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; and you give him no word of it and say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his evil way, so that he may be safe; that same evil man will come to death in his evil-doing; but I will make you responsible for his blood.

19 Yet if thou shalt warn the wicked, and he shall not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

But if you give the evil-doer word of his danger, and he is not turned from his sin or from his evil way, death will overtake him in his evil-doing; but your life will be safe.

20 Again, When a righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

Again, when an upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, and I put a cause of falling in his way, death will overtake him: because you have given him no word of his danger, death will overtake him in his evil-doing, and there will be no memory of the upright acts which he has done; but I will make you responsible for his blood.

21 Nevertheless if thou shalt warn the righteous [man], that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

But if you say to the upright man that he is not to do evil, he will certainly keep his life because he took note of your word; and your life will be safe.

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

And the hand of the Lord was on me there; and he said, Get up and go out into the valley and there I will have talk with you.

23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Kebar: and I fell on my face.

Then I got up and went out into the valley; and I saw the glory of the Lord resting there as I had seen it by the river Chebar; and I went down on my face.

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

Then the spirit came into me and put me on my feet; and he had talk with me and said to me, Go and keep yourself shut up inside your house.

25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

But see, O son of man, I will put bands on you, prisoning you in them, and you will not go out among them:

26 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.

And I will make your tongue fixed to the roof of your mouth, so that you have no voice and may not make protests to them: for they are an uncontrolled people.

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they [are] a rebellious house.

But when I have talk with you I will make your mouth open, and you are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Let the hearer give ear; and as for him who will not, let him keep his ears shut: for they are an uncontrolled people.