Ezekiel 3

1 Then said he unto me, Son of man What thou findest, eat, —eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

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.”

2 So I opened my mouth, —and he caused me to eat this roll.

And I opened my mouth, and he fed me that scroll.

3 Then said he unto me Son of man. Thy belly, cause thou to eat and thy bowels, fill thou with this roll which I am giving unto thee. So I did eat, and it became in my mouth, as honey for sweetness.

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.

4 Then said he unto me, — Son of man Go get thee unto the house of Israel, and thou shalt speak with my words, unto them.

And he said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and you shall speak my words to them.

5 For not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue, art thou sent —[but] unto the house of Israel:

For you will be sent, not to a people of profound words or of an unknown language, but to the house of Israel,

6 not unto many peoples deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou couldst not understand, —surely if unto them I had sent thee, they would have hearkened unto thee.

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.

7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to hearken unto thee, for they are not willing to hearken unto me, —for all the house of Israel are bold of forehead and hard of heart.

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.

8 Lo! I have made thy face bold like as their faces, and thy forehead bold like as their forehead.

Behold, I have made your face stronger than their faces, and your forehead harder than their foreheads.

9 As an adamant harder than flint, have I made thy forehead, —thou shalt not fear them neither shalt thou be dismayed at their faces, For a perverse house, they are!

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.”

10 Then said he unto me, — Son of man. All my words which I shall speak unto thee, receive thou into thy heart and in thine ears, hear thou:

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.

11 then go get thee unto them of the captivity, unto the sons of thy people, and thou shalt speak unto them and say unto them, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear.

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.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing, — Blessed be the glory of Yahweh. From his place!

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,”

13 Yea the sound of the wings of the living ones, gently touching each other, and the sound of the wheels, along with them, even the sound of a great rushing.

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.

14 So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away, —and I went bitterly, in the rage of my spirit, but the hand of Yahweh upon me was strong.

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.

15 Thus came I unto them of the captivity, at Tel-abib. who were dwelling towards he river Chebar and I dwelt where They were dwelling; yea I dwelt there seven days, stunned in their midst,

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.

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

Then, when seven days had passed, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

17 Son of man, A watchman, have I appointed thee to the house of Israel, —and thou shalt hear, at my mouth a message, and shalt warn them from me.

“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.

18 When I say to the lawless man— Thou shalt surely die, and thou hast not given him warning, neither hast spoken to warn the lawless man from his lawless way, to save himself alive the same lawless man in his iniquity shall die, but his blood, at thy hand, will I require.

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.

19 Whereas when thou hast warned a lawless man, and he hath not turned from his lawlessness and from his lawless way he in his iniquity shall die, but Thou hast delivered thine own soul.

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.

20 And when a righteous man hath turned from his righteousness, and committed perversity, and I have suffered a stumbling- block to be laid before him he shall die, —though thou hast not warned him, in his sin, shall he die, neither shall be remembered his righteous deeds which he hath done, but his blood, at thy hand will I require;

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.

21 whereas when Thou hast warned a righteous man. That a righteous man must not sin and he hath not sinned, he shall surely live in that he took warning, and thou hast delivered thine own soul.

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.”

22 Then came upon me there the hand of Yahweh, —and he said unto me, Arise go forth into the valley, and there, will I speak with thee.

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.”

23 So I arose and went forth into the valley, and lo! there the glory of Yahweh, standing, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, -and I fell upon my face.

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.

24 Then the Spirit entered into me, and caused me to stand upon my feet, —and he spake with me and said unto me, Go in shut thyself up, in the midst of thine own house,

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.

25 And thou—O son of man, lo! they have put upon thee bands, and they will bind thee therewith, -. so that thou go not forth in their midst;

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.

26 thy tongue also, will I cause to cleave unto the roof of thy mouth, so shalt thou be dumb and not be to them a reprover, — For a perverse house, they are!

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.

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them. Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, —He that is minded to hear, let him hear, And he that is minded to forbear, let him forbear! For a perverse house, they are!

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.”