Ezekiel 3

1 He said to me, Son of man, eat that which you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll.3 He said to me, Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you. Then I ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.4 He said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and speak my words to 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;6 not to many peoples of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words you can not understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.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 obstinatet and hard-hearted.8 Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads.9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead: don’t be afraid of them, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.10 Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.11 Go to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh; 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 glory of Yahweh 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.14 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 Yahweh was strong on me.15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.16 It happened at the end of seven days, that the word of Yahweh came to 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 give them warning from me.18 When I tell the wicked, You shall surely die; and you give him no warning, nor speak 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 your hand.19 Yet if you warn the wicked, and he doesn’t turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.20 Again, when a righteous man does turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has doneshall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at your hand.21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man, that the righteous not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you have delivered your soul.22 The hand of Yahweh was there on me; and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you.23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and behold, the glory of Yahweh stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.24 Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me on my feet; and he spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut yourself inside your house.25 But you, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands on you, and shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out among them:26 and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, that you shall be mute, and shall not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: He who hears, let him hear; and he who forbears, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

Ezekiel 3

1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you see in front of yout – eat this scroll – and then go and speak to the house of Israel.”

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

3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving to you.” So I ate it,ss and it was sweet like honey in my mouth.
4 He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speecht and difficult language,t butt to the house of Israel –6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understandt – surely ifs I had sent you to them, they would listen to you!

7 But the house of Israel is unwilling to listen to you,s because they are not willing to listen to me,s for the whole house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted.t
8 “I have made your face adamantt to match their faces, and your forehead hard to match their foreheads.

9 I have made your forehead harder than flint – like diamond!t Do not fear them or be terrified of the looks they give you,t for they are a rebellious house.”
10 And he said to me, “Son of man, take all my words that I speak to you to heart and listen carefully.

11 Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen,t and speak to them – say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ whether they pay attention or not.”

Ezekiel Before the Exiles

12 Then a wind lifted me ups and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place,s13 and the sound of the living beings’ wings brushing against each other, and the sound of the wheels alongside them, a great rumbling sound.14 A wind lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly,t my spirit full of fury, and the hand of the Lord rested powerfullyts on me.

15 I came to the exiles at Tel Abib,s who lived by the Kebar River.t I sat dumbfounded among them there, where they were living, for seven days.s
16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:s17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchmant for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.18 When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,”s and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity,t but I will hold you accountable for his death.t

19 But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will have saved your own life.t
20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstaclet before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and het does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”

Isolated and Silenced

22 The handts of the Lord rested on me there, and he said to me, “Get up, go out to the valley,s and I will speak with you there.”

23 So I got up and went out to the valley, and the glory of the Lord was standing there, just like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,t and I threw myself face down.
24 Then a windt came into me and stood me on my feet. The Lordt spoke to me and said, “Go shut yourself in your house.25 As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and tie you up with them, so you cannot go out among them.26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to reprovet them, for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tonguet and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse,t for they are a rebellious house.