Old/New Testament

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate^(A) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey^(B) in my mouth.

⁴ He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.^{(C) 5} You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,^(D) but to the people of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.^{(E) 7} But the people of Israel are not willing to listen^(F) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.^{(G) 8} But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.^{(H) 9} I will make your forehead^(I) like the hardest stone, harder than flint.^(J) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(K)”

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart^(L) all the words I speak to you. ¹¹ Go^(M) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’^(N) whether they listen or fail to listen.^(O)”

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up,^(P) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^{[a] 13} It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures^(Q) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.^{(R) 14} The Spirit^(S) then lifted me up^(T) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord^(U) on me. ¹⁵ I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.^(V) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days^(W)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

¹⁶ At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:^{(X) 17} “Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(Y) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^{(Z) 18} When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(AA)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(AB) 19} But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn^(AC) from their wickedness^(AD) or from their evil ways, they will die^(AE) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.^(AF)

²⁰ “Again, when a righteous person turns^(AG) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(AH) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(AI) 21} But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.^(AJ)”

²² The hand of the Lord^(AK) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go^(AL) out to the plain,^(AM) and there I will speak to you.” ²³ So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,^(AN) and I fell facedown.^(AO)

²⁴ Then the Spirit came into me and raised me^(AP) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.^{(AQ) 25} And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.^{(AR) 26} I will make your tongue stick to the roof^(AS) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.^{(AT) 27} But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(AU) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.^(AV)

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. ² Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp^(AW) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.^{(AX) 3} Then take an iron pan,^(AY) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward^(AZ) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign^(BA) to the people of Israel.^(BB)

⁴ “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.^[c] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. ⁵ I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

⁶ “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin^(BC) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.^{(BD) 7} Turn your face^(BE) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. ⁸ I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.^(BF)

⁹ “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;^(BG) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. ¹⁰ Weigh out twenty shekels^[d](BH) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. ¹¹ Also measure out a sixth of a hin^[e] of water and drink it at set times.^{(BI) 12} Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement^(BJ) for fuel.” ¹³ The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”^(BK)

¹⁴ Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord!^(BL) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead^(BM) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.^(BN)”

¹⁵ “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

¹⁶ He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off^(BO) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,^{(BP) 17} for food and water will be scarce.^(BQ) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of^[f] their sin.^(BR)

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.^(A)

²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons,^(B) and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.^(C)

²³ By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born,^(D) because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.^(E)

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.^{(F) 25} He chose to be mistreated^(G) along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace^(H) for the sake of Christ^(I) as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.^{(J) 27} By faith he left Egypt,^(K) not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer^(L) of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^(M)

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.^(N)

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.^(O)

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[a](P)

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,^(Q) Barak,^(R) Samson^(S) and Jephthah,^(T) about David^(U) and Samuel^(V) and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms,^(W) administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,^{(X) 34} quenched the fury of the flames,^(Y) and escaped the edge of the sword;^(Z) whose weakness was turned to strength;^(AA) and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.^{(AB) 35} Women received back their dead, raised to life again.^(AC) There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging,^(AD) and even chains and imprisonment.^{(AE) 37} They were put to death by stoning;^[b](AF) they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.^(AG) They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,^(AH) destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves^(AI) and in holes in the ground.

³⁹ These were all commended^(AJ) for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,^{(AK) 40} since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us^(AL) would they be made perfect.^(AM)