Ezekiel 3

1 “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.”

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

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

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

3 “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.

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.

4 Then he told me, “Son of man, now you are to go to the people of Israel and give my message to them.

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

5 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.

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

6 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.

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.

7 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.

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.

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

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

9 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.”

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.

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

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.

11 Go to your people who are in exile. Tell them this is what the Lord God says, whether they listen or not.”

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.

12 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!)

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.

13 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.

[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.

14 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.

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.

15 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.

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.

16 After the seven days had passed, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,

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

17 “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.

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.

18 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.

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.

19 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.

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.

20 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.

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.

21 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.”

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.

22 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.”

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.

23 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.

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.

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

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.

25 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.

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:

26 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.

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 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.”

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.