Ezekiel 3-7
New American Standard Bible
Ezekiel’s Commission
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; (A)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I (B)opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and (C)fill your [a]body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I (D)ate it, and it was as sweet as (E)honey in my mouth.
4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, [b]go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For (F)you are not being sent to a people of [c](G)unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of [d]unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. [e]But I have sent you to [f]the people who understand you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are (H)not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is [g]stubborn and obstinate. 8 Behold, I have made your face just as hard as their faces, and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My (I)words which I will speak to you and listen [h]closely. 11 [i]Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or [j]not, ‘This is what the Lord [k]God says.’”
12 Then the (J)Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great (K)rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place!” 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the (L)wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and (M)the hand of the Lord was strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there for (N)seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.
16 Now (O)at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a (P)watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, (Q)warn them from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his (R)blood I will require from your hand. 19 However if you have (S)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have (T)saved yourself. 20 Again, (U)when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an (V)obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand. 21 However, if you have (W)warned [l]the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”
22 Now the hand of the Lord was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will (X)speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the (Y)glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that (Z)I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. 24 But the (AA)Spirit entered me and set me up on my feet; and He spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And as for you, son of man, they will (AB)put ropes [m]around you and bind you with them so that you do not go out among them. 26 Moreover, (AC)I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be unable to speak and will not be a man who reprimands them, since they are a rebellious house. 27 But (AD)when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [n]God says:’ The one who hears, let him hear; and the one who refuses, let him refuse; (AE)for they are a rebellious house.
Siege of Jerusalem Predicted
4 “Now you, son of man, (AF)get yourself a brick, place it before you, and inscribe a city on it—Jerusalem. 2 Then (AG)lay siege against it, build a siege wall, pile up an assault ramp, set up camps, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city, and direct your face toward it so that (AH)it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a (AI)sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Then you are to lie down on your left side and put the wrongdoing of the house of Israel on it; you shall (AJ)bear their wrongdoing for the number of days that you lie on it. 5 For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their wrongdoing, 390 days; so (AK)you shall bear the wrongdoing of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the wrongdoing of the house of Judah; I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for (AL)each year. 7 Then you shall direct your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and (AM)prophesy against it. 8 Now behold, I will (AN)put ropes [o]around you so that you cannot turn from your one side to your other until you have completed the days of your siege.
Defiled Bread
9 “But as for you, take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and (AO)spelt, and put them in one vessel and make them into bread for yourself; you shall eat it according to the number of the days that you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 Your food which you eat shall be (AP)twenty shekels a day by weight; you shall eat it from time to time. 11 The water you drink shall be a [p]sixth of a hin by measure; you shall drink it from time to time. 12 You shall eat it as a barley cake, having baked it in their sight over human (AQ)dung.” 13 Then the Lord said, “In this way the sons of Israel will eat their bread (AR)unclean among the nations where I will scatter them.” 14 But I said, “(AS)Oh, Lord [q]God! Behold, [r]I have (AT)never been defiled; for from my youth until now I have never eaten what (AU)died of itself or was torn by animals, nor has any (AV)unclean meat ever entered my mouth!” 15 Then He said to me, “See, I will give you cow’s dung in place of human dung, so that you may prepare your bread over it.” 16 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, behold, I am going to (AW)break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by (AX)weight and with anxiety, and drink water by (AY)measure and in horror, 17 because bread and water will be scarce; and they will tremble with one another and (AZ)waste away in their guilt.
Jerusalem’s Desolation Foretold
5 “As for you, son of man, take a (BA)sharp sword; take and [s]use it as a barber’s razor on your head and beard. Then take (BB)scales for weighing and divide [t]the hair. 2 A third you shall burn in the fire at the center of the city, when the (BC)days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take a third and strike it with the sword all around [u]the city, and a third you shall scatter to the wind; for I will (BD)unsheathe a sword behind them. 3 Take also a few hairs in number from [v]them and bind them in the hems of your robes. 4 Take again some of them and throw them into the fire and burn them in the fire; from it a fire will [w]spread to all the house of Israel.
5 “This is what the Lord [x]God says: ‘This is (BE)Jerusalem; I have placed her at the (BF)center of the nations, with lands around her. 6 But she has rebelled against My ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against My statutes (BG)more than the lands which surround her; for they have (BH)rejected My ordinances and have not walked [y]in My statutes.’ 7 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have (BI)more turmoil than the nations that surround you and have not walked in My statutes, nor executed My ordinances, nor acted in accordance with the ordinances of the nations around you,’ 8 therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I, even I, am (BJ)against you, and I will (BK)execute judgments among you in the sight of the nations. 9 And because of all your abominations I will do among you what I have (BL)not done, and the like of which I will never do again. 10 Therefore, (BM)fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers; for I will execute judgments on you and (BN)scatter all your remnant to every wind. 11 Therefore as I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘Because you have (BO)defiled My sanctuary with all your (BP)detestable idols and with all your abominations, I definitely will also withdraw and My eye will have no pity, and I also will not spare. 12 A third of you will die by (BQ)plague or perish by famine among you, a third will fall by the sword around you, and a third I will (BR)scatter to every wind, and I will (BS)unsheathe a sword behind them.
13 ‘Then My anger will be spent and I will satisfy My wrath on them, and I will be (BT)appeased; then they will know that I, the Lord, have (BU)spoken in My zeal, when I have spent My wrath upon them. 14 Moreover, I will make you a site of ruins and a (BV)disgrace among the nations that surround you, in the sight of everyone who passes by. 15 So [z]it will be a disgrace, an object of abuse, a (BW)warning, and an object of horror to the nations that surround you when I (BX)execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and raging reprimands. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 When I send against them the [aa]deadly arrows of famine which [ab]were for the destruction of those whom I will send to destroy you, then I will also intensify the famine upon you and break off your [ac]provision of bread. 17 (BY)I will send on you famine and vicious animals, and they will bereave you of children; (BZ)plague and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”
Idolatrous Worship Denounced
6 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the (CA)mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them 3 and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord [ad]God! This is what the Lord [ae]God says to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: “Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword against you, and (CB)I will destroy your high places. 4 So your (CC)altars will become deserted and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. 5 I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your (CD)bones around your altars. 6 [af]Everywhere you live, (CE)cities will be in ruins and the high places will be deserted, so that your altars will be in ruins and [ag]deserted, your (CF)idols will be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars will be cut down, and your works wiped out. 7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.
8 “However, I will leave a (CG)remnant, in that you will have those who (CH)escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Then those of you who escape will (CI)remember Me among the nations to which they will be taken captive, how I have [ah](CJ)been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which committed infidelity with their idols; and they will (CK)loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them.”’
11 “This is what the Lord [ai]God says: ‘Clap your hands, (CL)stamp your foot and say, “(CM)Woe, because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel, which will fall by the (CN)sword, famine, and plague! 12 Anyone who is (CO)far away will die by the plague, anyone who is near will fall by the sword, and anyone who remains and is spared from these will die by the famine. So I will (CP)expend My wrath on them. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their (CQ)dead are among their idols around their altars, on (CR)every high hill, on all the tops of the mountains, under every leafy tree and under every massive oak with thick branches—the places where they offered a soothing aroma to all their idols. 14 So through all their dwelling places I will (CS)stretch out My hand against them and make the land more desolate and waste than the wilderness toward Diblah; so they will know that I am the Lord.”’”
Punishment for Wickedness Foretold
7 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, son of man, this is what the Lord [aj]God says to the land of Israel: ‘An (CT)end! The end is coming on the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end is upon you, for I will send My anger against you; I will judge you according to your ways and [ak]bring all your abominations upon you. 4 And My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you, but I will [al](CU)bring your ways upon you, and your abominations will be among you; then you will (CV)know that I am the Lord!’
5 “This is what the Lord [am]God says: ‘A (CW)disaster, a unique disaster, behold, it is coming! 6 An end [an]is coming; the end has come! It has (CX)awakened against you; behold, it has come! 7 Your [ao]doom has come to you, you inhabitant of the land. The (CY)time has come, the (CZ)day is near—panic rather than joyful shouting on the mountains. 8 Now I will shortly (DA)pour out My wrath on you and expend My anger against you; I will (DB)judge you according to your ways and [ap]bring on you all your abominations. 9 My eye will have no pity nor will I spare you. I will [aq]repay you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst; then you will know that I, the Lord, am striking.
10 ‘Behold, the day! Behold, it is coming! Your [ar]doom has gone forth; the (DC)rod has budded, arrogance has blossomed. 11 Violence [as]has grown into a rod of (DD)wickedness. None of them shall remain, none of their [at]people, none of their (DE)wealth, nor anything eminent among them. 12 The (DF)time has come, the day has arrived. Let neither the (DG)buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn; for (DH)wrath is against all their multitude. 13 Indeed, the seller will not [au](DI)regain [av]what he sold as long as [aw]they both live; for the vision regarding all their multitude will not [ax]be averted, nor will any of them maintain his life by his wrongdoing.
14 ‘They have (DJ)blown the trumpet and made everything ready, but no one is going to the battle, for My wrath is against all [ay]their multitude. 15 The (DK)sword is outside the city and the plague and the famine are within. Anyone who is in the field will die by the sword, while famine and the plague will consume those in the city. 16 Even when their survivors (DL)escape, they will be on the mountains like (DM)doves of the valleys, all of them (DN)moaning, each over his own wrongdoing. 17 All (DO)hands will hang limp, and all [az]knees will drip with water. 18 They will (DP)put on sackcloth and (DQ)shuddering will overwhelm them; and shame will be on all faces, and a [ba](DR)bald patch on all their heads. 19 They will (DS)fling their silver into the streets, and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their (DT)silver and their gold will not be able to save them on the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their [bb]appetite, nor can they fill their stomachs, because their wrongdoing has become a cause of stumbling.
The Temple Profaned
20 Moreover, they transformed the splendor of His jewels into pride, and (DU)they made the images of their abominations and their detestable things with it; therefore I will make it an abhorrent thing to them. 21 And I will hand it over to the (DV)foreigners as plunder, and to the wicked of the earth as spoils; and they will profane it. 22 I will also turn My (DW)face away from them, and they will profane My treasure; then robbers will enter and profane it.
23 ‘(DX)Make the [bc]chain, for the land is full of [bd](DY)bloody crimes, and the city is (DZ)full of violence. 24 Therefore, I will bring the worst of the (EA)nations, and they will take possession of their houses. I will also put an end to the (EB)pride of the strong ones, and their (EC)holy places will be profaned. 25 When anguish comes, they will seek (ED)peace, but there will be none. 26 (EE)Disaster will come upon disaster and (EF)rumor will be added to rumor; then they will seek a (EG)vision from a prophet, but the (EH)Law will be lost from the priest, and (EI)counsel from the elders. 27 The king will mourn, the prince will be (EJ)clothed in horror, and the hands of the people of the land will [be]tremble. I will deal with them because of their conduct, and by their judgments I will judge them. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:3 Lit inward parts
- Ezekiel 3:4 Lit go, come
- Ezekiel 3:5 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
- Ezekiel 3:6 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
- Ezekiel 3:6 Or I certainly have sent
- Ezekiel 3:6 Lit them, they understand
- Ezekiel 3:7 Lit of a hard forehead and hard of heart
- Ezekiel 3:10 Lit with your ears
- Ezekiel 3:11 Lit Go, come
- Ezekiel 3:11 Lit refrain
- Ezekiel 3:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 3:21 Lit him, the righteous
- Ezekiel 3:25 Lit on
- Ezekiel 3:27 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 4:8 Lit on
- Ezekiel 4:11 About 0.6 qt. or 0.6 liter
- Ezekiel 4:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 4:14 Lit my soul has
- Ezekiel 5:1 Lit pass it over your head
- Ezekiel 5:1 Lit them
- Ezekiel 5:2 Lit it
- Ezekiel 5:3 Lit there
- Ezekiel 5:4 Lit go out
- Ezekiel 5:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 5:6 Lit in them, My statutes
- Ezekiel 5:15 Ancient versions you
- Ezekiel 5:16 Lit evil
- Ezekiel 5:16 Or are for destruction, which I will send
- Ezekiel 5:16 Lit staff
- Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 6:6 Lit In all your dwellings
- Ezekiel 6:6 As in some ancient versions; MT suffer for their guilt
- Ezekiel 6:9 Lit been broken; another reading is broken their (but unlikely)
- Ezekiel 6:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 7:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 7:3 Lit give
- Ezekiel 7:4 Lit give
- Ezekiel 7:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 7:6 Or has come
- Ezekiel 7:7 Meaning uncertain
- Ezekiel 7:8 Lit give
- Ezekiel 7:9 Lit give
- Ezekiel 7:10 Meaning uncertain
- Ezekiel 7:11 Lit has risen
- Ezekiel 7:11 Or procession
- Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return to
- Ezekiel 7:13 Lit the thing sold; i.e., his inherited land
- Ezekiel 7:13 Lit their life among the living ones
- Ezekiel 7:13 Lit return
- Ezekiel 7:14 Lit her
- Ezekiel 7:17 Heb idiom meaning to wet oneself
- Ezekiel 7:18 I.e., shaved as a sign of mourning
- Ezekiel 7:19 Lit soul
- Ezekiel 7:23 I.e., used for imprisonment
- Ezekiel 7:23 Lit judgment of blood
- Ezekiel 7:27 Lit be horrified
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