Old/New Testament
Ezekiel Cuts His Hair
5 “Now, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], take a sharp sword, and use it like a barber’s razor to shave your head and beard. Then take scales and weigh and divide the hair. 2 Burn one-third with fire ·in the middle of [inside] the city when the days of the ·attack on Jerusalem [L siege] are over. Then take one-third and cut it up with the ·knife [sword] all around the city. And scatter one-third to the wind. This is how I will chase them with ·a sword [unsheathed sword]. 3 Also take a few of these hairs and ·tie [bind; tuck] them in the ·folds [edge] of your clothes. 4 Take a few more and throw them into the fire and burn them up. From there a fire will spread to all the ·people [L house] of Israel.
5 “This is what the Lord God says: This is Jerusalem. I have put her at the center of the nations with countries all around her. 6 But she has ·refused to obey [rebelled against] my ·laws [judgments] and has been more ·evil [wicked] than the nations. She has refused to ·obey [L walk in] my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], even more than ·nations [lands] around her. The people of Jerusalem have rejected my ·laws [judgments] and have not ·lived by [L walked in] my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
7 “So this is what the Lord God says: You have ·caused more trouble [been more insubordinate/arrogant] than the nations around you. You have not followed my ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] or obeyed my ·laws [judgments]. You have not even obeyed the ·laws [judgments] of the nations around you.
8 “So this is what the Lord God says: [L Look; T Behold] I myself am against you, and I will ·punish you [L execute judgments in your midst] ·as the nations watch [in the sight of the nations]. 9 I will do things ·among [to] you that I have not done before and that I will never do anything like again, because ·you do the things I hate [of your detestable practices/or idols]. 10 So ·parents [fathers] among you will eat their ·children [sons], and ·children [sons] will eat their ·parents [fathers; C because of horrific starvation during the siege; Deut. 28:53–57; Jer. 19:9; Lam. 4:10]. I will ·punish you [execute judgments] and will scatter to the winds all ·who are left alive [the survivors]. 11 So the Lord God says: You have ·made my Temple unclean [defiled my sanctuary] with all your ·evil idols [abominations] and ·the hateful things you do [your detestable practices/or idols]. Because of this, as surely as I live, I will ·cut you off [or shave you; C a humiliation]. ·I will have [L My eye will show] no pity, and I will show no mercy. 12 A third of you will die by ·disease [plague; pestilence] or be ·destroyed [overcome; consumed] by ·hunger [famine] inside your walls. A third will fall dead by the sword ·outside your walls [all around]. And a third I will scatter in every direction as I chase them with a ·sword [L drawn/unsheathed sword]. 13 Then my anger will ·come to an end [be finished]. ·I will use it up against them […and my wrath will cease], and then I will be ·satisfied [calmed; appeased]. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken. After I have carried out my ·anger [wrath] against them, they will know ·how strongly I felt [my zeal/jealousy].
14 “I will make you a ruin and a ·shame [reproach; object of mockery] among the nations around you, ·to be seen by [L in the eyes of] all who pass by. 15 Then you will be ·shamed [a reproach/object of mockery] and ·made fun of [taunted] by the nations around. You will be a warning and a ·terror [horror] to them. This will happen when I ·punish [execute judgments against] you in my ·great anger [L anger, wrath, and furious rebukes]. I, the Lord, have spoken. 16 I will ·send a time of hunger [L shoot deadly and destructive arrows of famine] to destroy you, and then I will make your ·hunger [famine] get even worse, and I will cut off your supply of food. 17 I will send a time of hunger and wild animals against you, and they will ·kill your children [L bereave you]. ·Disease [Plague; Pestilence] and death will sweep through your people, and I will bring the sword against you to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Prophecies Against the Mountains
6 Again the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], ·look [L set your face] toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them. 3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord God. The Lord God says this to the mountains, the hills, the ravines, and the valleys: [L Look; T Behold] I ·will [or am about to] bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your ·places of idol worship [L high places; C pagan worship sites; Deut. 12; 2 Kin. 23:8]. 4 Your altars will be ·destroyed [desolated] and your incense altars ·broken down [smashed]. ·Your people will be killed [L I will throw down your slain] in front of your idols. 5 I will lay the dead bodies of the Israelites in front of their idols, and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 In all the places you live, cities will become ·empty [desolate; laid waste]. The ·places of idol worship [L high places; 6:3] will be ruined; your altars will become ·lonely [wasted] ruins. Your idols will be ·broken [smashed] and ·brought to an end [ruined]. Your incense altars will be cut down, and ·the things you made [your works; or the idols/religious objects you have made] will be wiped out. 7 ·Your people will be killed and [L The slain will] fall among you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
8 “‘But I will leave some people alive; some will ·not be killed by the nations [L escape the sword] when you are scattered among the foreign lands. 9 Then those who have escaped will remember me, as they live among the nations where they have been taken as captives. They will remember how I was ·hurt [grieved; crushed] ·because they were unfaithful to me [L by their adulterous heart] and turned away from me and ·desired to worship [by their eyes that have prostituted themselves with] their idols. They will ·hate [loathe] themselves because of ·the evil things they did that I hate [their abominations/detestable practices]. 10 Then they will know that I am the Lord. I did not ·bring this terrible thing on them for no reason [or threaten in vain this catastrophe against them].
11 “‘This is what the Lord God says: Clap your hands, stamp your feet, and ·groan [L say, “Ah!”] because of all the ·hateful, evil things [evil and detestable practices] the ·people [L house] of Israel have done. They will ·die by war [L fall by the sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·disease [plague; pestilence; Lev. 26:25–26]. 12 The person who is far away will die by ·disease [plague; pestilence]. The one who is nearby will ·die in war [fall by the sword]. The person who ·is still alive [L remains and is spared] and has escaped these will die from ·hunger [famine]. So I will ·carry out [spend; exhaust] my ·anger [wrath; fury] on them. 13 Their people will lie dead among their idols around the altars, on every high hill, on all the mountain tops, and under every green tree and leafy oak—all the places where they offered ·sweet-smelling [fragrant; or pleasing] incense to their idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will ·use my power [L stretch out my hand] against them to make the land ·empty [desolate] and wasted from the ·desert [wilderness] to ·Diblah,[a] wherever they live. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Ezekiel Tells of the End
7 Again the ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came], saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], the Lord God says this to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end has come for you, and I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable; L place upon you] for all your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. 4 ·I will have no pity on [L My eye will not pity] you; I will not ·hold back punishment from [spare] you. Instead, I will make you pay for the way you have lived and for your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 “This is what the Lord God says: Disaster ·on top of [or unheard of] disaster ·is [L look/T behold, it is] coming. 6 The end has come! The end has come! It has ·stirred itself up [aroused; awakened] against you! Look! It ·has come [or is coming]! 7 ·Disaster [Doom] has come for you who live in the land! The time has come; the day of is near. It will be a day of ·confusion [panic], not ·celebration [shouts of joy], on the mountains. 8 Soon I will pour out my ·anger [wrath] against you; I will ·carry out [spend; exhaust] my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived and will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·everything you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. 9 ·I will show no pity [L My eye will not pity you], and I will not ·hold back punishment [spare you]. I will ·pay you back [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·the way you have lived and the things you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord who ·punishes [strikes you].
10 “·Look [T Behold], the day is here. ·Look [T Behold] It has come. ·Disaster [Doom] has ·come [gone out], ·violence has grown [L the rod has budded; Num. 17; C may refer to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God’s judgment], ·and there is more pride than ever [L pride/arrogance has blossomed]. 11 Violence has grown into a ·weapon [rod; staff] for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left—none of that crowd, none of their wealth, and ·nothing of value [or none of their prominent ones]. 12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Don’t let the buyer ·be happy [rejoice] or the seller ·be sad [grieve; mourn], because my ·burning anger [wrath] is against the whole crowd. 13 Sellers will not ·return to the land [or recover the property] they have sold as long as they live, because the vision against all that crowd will not be ·changed [revoked; reversed]. Because of their ·sins [iniquity], they will not ·save [preserve] their lives. 14 They have blown the trumpet, and everything is ready. But no one is going to the battle, because my ·anger [wrath] is against all that crowd.
15 “The sword is outside, and ·disease [pestilence; plague] and ·hunger [famine] are inside [6:12]. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword. ·Hunger [Famine] and ·disease [pestilence; plague] will destroy those in the city. 16 ·Those who are left alive and [The survivors] who escape will be on the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys about their own ·sin [iniquity]. 17 All hands ·will hang weakly with fear [are weak/limp], and all knees will ·become weak as water [or be wet with urine; L run with water]. 18 They will put on ·rough cloth to show how sad they are [burlap; sackcloth]. ·They will tremble all over with fear [L Terror/Horror covers them]. Their faces will show their shame, and all their heads will be shaved. 19 The people will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. Their silver and gold will not save them from the Lord’s ·anger [wrath]. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, because it ·caused them to fall [was their stumbling block] into sin. 20 ·They were proud of their beautiful jewelry [or They used God’s ornaments for their own prideful means; C the ornaments could refer to the temple treasures] and used it to make their ·idols [abominable images] and their ·evil statues, which I hate [detestable/abominable idols]. So I will turn their wealth into ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. 21 I will give it to foreigners as loot from war and to the ·evil [or most wicked] people in the world as ·treasure [plunder], and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it. 22 I will also turn [L my face] away from the ·people [L house] of Israel, and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] my treasured place. Then robbers will enter and ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it.
23 “·Make chains for captives [L Prepare/Forge the chains], because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. 24 So I will bring the ·worst [most evil/wicked/ruthless] of the nations to take over the people’s houses. I will also end the pride of the strong, and their ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be ·dishonored [desecrated; defiled; C ritually]. 25 ·When the people are suffering greatly [or Terror/Anguish is coming!], they will look for peace, but there will be none. 26 Disaster will come on top of disaster, and rumor will be added to rumor. Then they will ·try to get [seek] a vision from a prophet; the ·teachings of God [L laws; instructions] from the priest and the ·advice [counsel] from the elders ·will be lost [perishes]. 27 The king will ·cry greatly [mourn], the prince will ·give up hope [L be clothed/wrapped in despair], and the hands of the people of land will shake with fear. I will ·punish [deal with] them for the way they have lived. The way they have judged others is the way I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Follow Jesus’ Example
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by a great cloud of ·people whose lives tell us what faith means [L witnesses], let us run the race that is before us ·and never give up [with endurance/perseverance]. ·We should [Let us] ·remove from our lives [get rid of; cast aside] anything that ·would get in the way [impedes/hinders us] and the sin that so easily ·holds us back [entangles/clings to us]. 2 Let us ·look only to [keep our eyes on] Jesus, the ·One who began [Pioneer/Founder of; or Leader/Prince of] our faith and who ·makes it perfect [completes it]. He ·suffered death on [L endured] the cross, ·accepting the shame as if it were nothing [L disregarding/despising the shame] because of the joy that ·God put before [lay ahead for] him. And now he is sitting at the right ·side [L hand] of God’s throne [1:3; 13; Ps. 110:1]. 3 Think about Jesus, who endured such ·hostility [opposition] from sinful people, so that you will not ·get tired [grow weary; get discouraged] and ·stop trying [give up].
God Is like a Father
4 You are struggling against sin, but your ·struggles [resistance; opposition] have not yet ·caused you to be killed [resulted in bloodshed/L blood]. 5 ·You have forgotten [or Have you forgotten…?] the ·encouraging words [exhortation] that ·call you his [or address you as] ·children [or sons]:
“My ·child [or son], don’t ·think the Lord’s discipline is worth nothing [scorn/treat lightly/make light of the Lord’s discipline],
and don’t ·stop trying [get discouraged] when he ·corrects [rebukes] you.
6 [L For; Because] The Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he ·punishes [chastises; severely disciplines] everyone he accepts as his child [Prov. 3:11–12].”
7 ·So hold on through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline [L Persevere in discipline]. God is treating you as ·children [or sons]. ·All children are [L For what child/son is not…?] disciplined by their fathers. 8 If you are never disciplined (and every ·child [or son] must be disciplined), you are ·not true children [L illegitimate and not (true) children/sons]. 9 [Furthermore; Moreover] We have all had ·fathers [or parents] here on earth who disciplined us, and we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from ·the Father of our spirits [or our spiritual Father; or the Father of all spirit beings; 12:23; Num. 16:22] so we will have [C eternal or true spiritual] life. 10 ·Our fathers on earth [L They] disciplined us for a short time in the way they thought was best. But God disciplines us ·to help us [for our good/benefit], so we can ·become holy as he is [L share in his holiness]. 11 We do not enjoy being disciplined. It is painful at the time, but later, after we have ·learned from [been trained by] it, ·we have peace [L it produces/bears the fruit of peace], ·because we start living in the right way [or …and righteousness].
Be Careful How You Live
12 ·You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again [L Therefore, strengthen your drooping arms/hands and your weak/disabled knees; Is. 35:3]. 13 ·Keep on the right path [L Make straight/clear paths for your feet; Prov. 4:27], so the ·weak [lame] will not ·stumble [be disabled; put out of joint] but rather be ·strengthened [healed].
14 ·Try to live in [L Pursue] peace with all people, and ·try to live free from sin [L pursue holiness/sanctification]. [L For] Anyone whose life is not ·holy [sanctified] will never see the Lord. 15 ·Be careful [See to it; Take heed] that no one ·fails to receive [falls short of] God’s grace and ·begins to cause trouble among you [L that no bitter root/plant grows up to cause trouble]. ·A person like that [Such a root/plant] can ·ruin [defile; pollute; corrupt] many of you. 16 ·Be careful [See to it; Take heed] that no one takes part in sexual sin or is like Esau and ·never thinks about God [is godless/profane/worldly-minded]. ·As the oldest son, Esau would have received everything from his father, but he sold all that for a single meal [L …who sold his own birthright for one meal; Gen. 25:29–34]. 17 You remember that after Esau did this, he wanted to ·get [L inherit] his father’s blessing, but ·his father refused [L he was rejected]. Esau could find no way to ·change [or repent of] what he had done, even though he ·wanted [pleaded for; sought] the blessing so much that he cried [Gen. 27:34–41].
18 You have not come to ·a mountain [L something] that can be touched and that is burning with fire [C a description of Mount Sinai when Israel received the Law; Ex. 19:18; Deut. 4:11]. You have not come to darkness, gloom, and ·storms [a whirlwind]. 19 You have not come to the noise of a trumpet [Ex. 19:16, 19] or to the sound of ·a voice [L words] like the one the people of Israel heard and begged not to hear another word [C fearing God’s wrath, Israel asked Moses to mediate God’s message; Ex. 20:19; Deut. 5:5; 18:16]. 20 [L For] They ·did not want to hear [could not bear/endure] the command: “If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones [Ex. 19:12–13].” 21 [Indeed,] What they saw was so ·terrible [terrifying] that Moses said, “I am ·shaking [trembling] with fear [Deut. 9:19].”
22 But you have come to Mount Zion [C another name for Jerusalem, here meaning the spiritual city of God’s people; Gal. 4:26; Rev. 21:2], to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem [11:10]. You have come to ·thousands of [tens of thousands/myriads of; countless] angels ·gathered together with joy [in joyful assembly; Deut. 33:2]. 23 You have come to the ·meeting [assembly; congregation; or church] of God’s firstborn [C the first son in a Jewish family received special privileges and a greater share of the inheritance; all God’s people are “firstborn”] children ·whose names are written [who are registered as citizens; Luke 10:20; Rev. 21:27] in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of ·all people [everything; all], and to the spirits of ·good [righteous] people who have been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the ·One who brought [mediator of] the new ·agreement from God to his people [covenant; contract; 8:1–13; Jer. 31:31–34], and you have come to the sprinkled blood [C Jesus’ blood shed on the cross; Heb. 9:19–22] that ·has a better message [speaks of something better; or pleads more insistently] than the blood of Abel [C murdered by his brother Cain; Abel’s “blood cried out” to God for vengeance (Gen. 4:10), but Jesus’ blood cries out with a message of forgiveness and reconciliation].
25 So ·be careful and [see that you] do not refuse to listen when God speaks. If those who refused to listen to him when he warned them on earth did not escape, how much worse will it be for us if we refuse to listen to God who warns us from heaven? 26 When he spoke ·before [then], his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens [Hag. 2:6, 21].” 27 The words “once again” clearly show us that everything that was made—things that can be shaken—will be ·destroyed [removed]. [So that] Only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.
28 So let us be thankful, because we ·have [are receiving] a kingdom that cannot be shaken. [As a result; or In this way] We should worship God in a way that pleases him with ·respect [reverence; devotion] and ·fear [awe], 29 because our God is ·like a fire that burns things up [L a consuming/devouring fire; Deut. 4:24; 9:3].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.