Ezekiel 3

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

And he said unto me, Son of man, eat what thou findest: eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.

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

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

3 He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your belly and your bowels with it.” Then I ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

And he said unto me, Son of man, feed thy belly, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I am giving unto thee. And I ate it; and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.

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

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

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

For not to a people of an obscure speech and of a difficult tongue art thou sent, but to the house of Israel;

6 not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can’t understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.

Not to many people of an obscure speech and of a difficult tongue, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would truly have hearkened unto thee.

7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, for they will not listen to me; for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.

But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel have a bold forehead, and a hard heart.

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

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

9 I have made your forehead as a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: thou shalt not fear them, nor shalt thou be dismayed at their presence, though they be a rebellious family.

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

And he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I will speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear [them] with thy ears.

11 Go to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ whether they will hear, or whether they will refuse.”

And go, get thee to those in exile, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal: whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, “Blessed be the LORD’s glory from his place.”

Then a 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.

13 I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.

[I heard] also the sound of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the sound of the wheels at the same time with them, and 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; and the LORD’s hand was strong on me.

So a spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I walked in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the inspiration of the Lord was strong upon me.

15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv who lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

Then came I to the exiles at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Kebar, and I remained where they dwelt, and I remained there in a state of confusion among them seven days.

16 At the end of seven days, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

And it came to pass at the end of seven days, That the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word from my mouth, and warn them from me.

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18 When I tell the wicked, ‘You will surely die;’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity; but I will require his blood at your hand.

When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou dost not give him warning, and speakest not to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life: the same wicked man shall die through his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he doesn’t turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.”

But thou, —if thou hast warned the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way: he shall indeed die in his iniquity; but thou hast surely delivered thy soul.

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

Again, When a righteous man do turn from his righteousness, and do what is wrong: then will I lay a stumbling-block before him, [so that] he shall die; yet if thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his acts of righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require from thy hand.

21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous not sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.”

But if thou hast truly warned him, —the righteous, that the righteous should not sin, and he doth not sin: he shall surely live, because he attended to the warning, and thou hast surely delivered thy own soul.

22 The LORD’s hand was there on me; and he said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and I will talk with you there.”

And the inspiration of the Lord came there over me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the valley, and there will I speak with thee.

23 Then I arose, and went out into the plain, and behold, the LORD’s glory stood there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar. Then I fell on my face.

And I arose, and went forth into the valley; and, behold, there was the glory of the Lord standing, like that glory which I had seen by the river Kebar: and I fell down on my face.

24 Then the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me, and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house.

Then entered a spirit into me, and placed me upright on my feet, and spoke with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself up within thy house.

25 But you, son of man, behold, they will put ropes on you, and will bind you with them, and you will not go out among them.

But thou, O son of man, behold, they put ropes upon thee, and bind thee with them, that thou canst not go out among them:

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

And I will let thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not become to them a man who reproveth; for they are a rebellious family.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.”

But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forebear; for they are a rebellious family.