< Ezekiel 3 >

1 And he said to me: “Son of man, eat whatever you will find; eat this scroll, and, going forth, speak to the sons of Israel.”
He said to me, "Son of man, eat that which you find. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."
2 And I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll.
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the scroll.
3 And he said to me: “Son of man, your stomach shall eat, and your interior shall be filled with this scroll, which I am giving to you.” And I ate it, and in my mouth it became as sweet as honey.
He said to me, "Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your belly with this scroll that I give you." Then I ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 And he said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and you shall speak my words to them.
He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.
5 For you will be sent, not to a people of profound words or of an unknown language, but to the house of Israel,
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6 and not to many peoples of profound words or of an unknown language, whose words you would not be able to understand. But if you were sent to them, they would listen to you.
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 Yet the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you. For they are not willing to listen to me. Certainly, the entire house of Israel has a brazen forehead and a hardened heart.
But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not listen to me: for all the house of Israel are obstinate and hard-hearted.
8 Behold, I have made your face stronger than their faces, and your forehead harder than their foreheads.
Look, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
9 I have made your face like hardened iron and like flint. You should not fear them, and you should not have dread before their face. For they are a provoking house.”
As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house."
10 And he said to me: “Son of man, listen with your ears, and take into your heart, all my words, which I am speaking to you.
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 And go forth and enter to those of the transmigration, to the sons of your people. And you shall speak to them. And you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Perhaps it may be that they will listen and be quieted.”
And go to the exiles, to the children of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, 'Thus says the LORD'; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12 And the Spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion, saying, “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his place,”
Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, "Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place."
13 and the voice of the wings of the living creatures striking against one another, and the voice of the wheels following the living creatures, and the voice of a great commotion.
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 Then the Spirit lifted me and took me away. And I went forth in bitterness, with the indignation of my spirit. For the hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me.
So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the anger of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was strong on me.
15 And I went to those of the transmigration, to the stockpile of new crops, to those who were living beside the river Chebar. And I sat where they were sitting. And I remained there for seven days, while mourning in their midst.
Then I came to them of the exiles at Tel Aviv, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
16 Then, when seven days had passed, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
It happened at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. And so, you shall listen to the word from my mouth, and you shall announce it to them from me.
"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 If, when I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ you do not announce it to him, and you do not speak so that he may turn aside from his impious way and live, then the same impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand.
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; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at your hand.
19 But if you announce it to the impious man, and he is not converted from his impiety and from his impious way, then indeed he will die in his iniquity. But you will have delivered your own soul.
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 Moreover, if the just man turns aside from his justice and commits iniquity, I will place a stumbling block before him. He shall die, because you have not announced to him. He shall die in his sin, and his justices that he did shall not be remembered. Yet truly, I will attribute his blood to your hand.
"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 done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at your hand.
21 But if you announce to the just man, so that the just man may not sin, and he does not sin, then he shall certainly live, because you have announced to him. And you will have delivered your own soul.”
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 And the hand of the Lord was over me. And he said to me: “Rise up, and go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”
The hand of the LORD was there on me; and he said to me, "Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with you."
23 And I rose up, and I went out to the plain. And behold, the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that I saw beside the river Chebar. And I fell upon my face.
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and look, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24 And the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spoke to me, and he said to me: “Enter and enclose yourself in the midst of your house.
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 And as for you, son of man, behold: they shall put chains upon you and bind you with them. And you shall not go out from their midst.
But you, son of man, look, they shall lay bands on you, and shall bind you with them, and you shall not go out among them:
26 And I will cause your tongue to adhere to the roof of your mouth. And you will be mute, not like a man who reproaches. For they are a provoking house.
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 will speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them: ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ Whoever is listening, let him hear. And whoever is quieted, let him be quieted. For they are a provoking house.”
But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, 'Thus says the LORD': He who hears, let him hear; and he who forbears, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

< Ezekiel 3 >