Ezekiel 12

1 The word of the LORD also came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

“Son of man, you live in the midst of a provoking house. They have eyes to see, and they do not see; and ears to hear, and they do not hear. For they are a provoking house.

3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee thy baggage for captivity, and move by day in their sight; and thou shalt move from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they are a rebellious house.

As for you, then, son of man, prepare for yourself the supplies for traveling far away, and travel away in the daytime in their sight. And you shall travel from your place to another place in their sight, so that perhaps they may consider it. For they are a provoking house.

4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for captivity: and thou shalt go forth at evening in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

And you shall carry your supplies outside, like the supplies of one who is traveling far away, in the daytime in their sight. Then you shall go forth in the evening in their presence, just as one goes forth who is moving far away.

5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry them out through it.

Dig for yourself through the wall, before their eyes. And you shall go out through it.

6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou mayest not see the ground: for I have set thee for a sign to the house of Israel.

In their sight, you shall be carried on shoulders, you shall be carried in the dark. You shall cover your face, and you shall not see the ground. For I have appointed you as a portent for the house of Israel.”

7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my baggage by day, as baggage for captivity, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bore it upon my shoulder in their sight.

Therefore, I did just as he had instructed me. I brought out my supplies in the daytime, like the supplies of one who is moving far away. And in the evening, I dug myself through the wall by hand. And I went out in the dark, and I was carried on shoulders, in their sight.

8 And in the morning came the word of the LORD to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, in the morning, saying:

9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to thee, What doest thou?

“Son of man, has not the house of Israel, the provoking house, said to you: ‘What are you doing?’

10 Say thou to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This is the burden concerning my leader who is in Jerusalem, and concerning the entire house of Israel, who are in their midst.

11 Say, I am your sign: as I have done, so shall it be done to them: they shall move and go into captivity.

Say: I am your portent. Just as I have done, so shall it be done to them. They will be taken captive and moved far away.

12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it: he shall cover his face, that he may not see the ground with his eyes.

And the leader who is in their midst will be carried on shoulders; he will go forth in darkness. They will dig through the wall, so that they may lead him away. His face will be covered, so that he may not see the land with his eye.

13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

And I will extend my net over him, and he will be captured in my dragnet. And I will lead him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, but he himself will not see it. And there he shall die.

14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

And all who are around him, his guards and his companies, I will scatter into every wind. And I will unsheathe the sword after them.

15 And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have dispersed them among the Gentiles, and will have sowed them among the lands.

16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen where they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

And I will leave behind a few men of them, apart from the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence, so that they may declare all their wicked deeds among the Gentiles, to whom they will go. And they shall know that I am the Lord.”

17 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and anxious care;

“Son of man, eat your bread in consternation. Moreover, drink your water hurriedly and in sorrow.

19 And say to the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with anxious care, and drink their water with horror, that her land may be desolate from all that is in it, because of the violence of all them that dwell in it.

And say to the people of the land: Thus says the Lord God, to those who are living in Jerusalem, in the land of Israel: They shall eat their bread in anxiety, and drink their water in desolation, so that the land may be desolate before its multitude, because of the iniquity of all who are living in it.

20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

And cities that are now inhabited will become desolate, and the land will be forsaken. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”

21 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

“Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel? saying: ‘The days shall be extended in length, and every vision shall perish.’

23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say to them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

Therefore, say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will cause this proverb to cease, and it shall no longer be a common saying in Israel. And tell them that the days are approaching, and the word of every vision.

24 For there shall no more be any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

For there shall no longer be any empty visions, nor any ambiguous divination in the midst of the sons of Israel.

25 For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall no more be prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.

For I, the Lord, will speak. And whatever word I will speak, it shall be done, and it shall not be delayed any more. Instead, in your days, O provoking house, I will speak a word and do it, says the Lord God.”

26 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are distant.

“Son of man, behold the house of Israel, those who are saying: ‘The visions that this one sees is many days away,’ and, ‘This man prophesies about times that are far away.’

28 Therefore say to them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be further deferred, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

Because of this, say to them: Thus says the Lord God: No word of mine will be delayed any longer. The word that I will speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.”