3 Then the Lord said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], eat what ·you find [you see; is before you]; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he ·gave [fed] me the scroll to eat.

³ He said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], eat this scroll which I am giving you, and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth [Jer. 15:16; Rev. 10:9, 10].

⁴ Then he said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], go to the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel, and speak my words to them. ⁵ [^LFor; Because] You are not being sent to people ·whose speech you can’t understand [of obscure/foreign language; ^Ldeep of lip], ·whose language is difficult [^Land heavy tongue]. You are being sent to [^Lthe house of] Israel. ⁶ You are not being sent to many nations ·whose speech you can’t understand [of obscure/foreign language; ^Ldeep of lip], ·whose language is difficult [^Land heavy tongue], whose words you cannot understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me. Yes, all the ·people [^Lhouse] of Israel are ·stubborn [hardheaded] and ·will not obey [hardhearted]. ⁸ ·See [^TBehold], I now make ·you as stubborn [^Lyour face as strong as their face] and ·as hard as they are [^Lyour forehead as strong as their forehead]. ⁹ I am making ·you [^Lyour forehead] as hard as ·a diamond [or flint; or the hardest stone], harder than ·stone [or flint]. Don’t be afraid of them or be ·frightened [terrified; dismayed] by them, though they are a ·people who turn against me [^Lrebellious house].”

¹⁰ Also, he said to me, “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], ·believe [^Ltake in your heart] all the words I will speak to you, and ·listen carefully to them [^Lhear with your ears]. ¹¹ Then go to the ·captives [exiles], ·your own [^Lthe sons of your] people, and say to them, ‘The Lord God says this.’ Tell them this whether they listen or not.”

¹² Then ·the Spirit [or the spirit; or a wind] lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling ·sound [or voice] behind me, ·saying, “Praise the glory of the Lord [^Chis manifest presence] in heaven [or as the glory of the Lord rose from its place].” ¹³ ·I heard [or It was the sound of] the wings of the living creatures touching each other and the sound of the wheels by them. It was a loud rumbling sound. ¹⁴ So ·the Spirit [or the spirit; or a wind] lifted me up and took me away. I ·was unhappy and angry [^Lwent in bitterness in the heat/wrath of my spirit], and I felt the great ·power [^Lhand] of the Lord. ¹⁵ I came to the ·captives [exiles] from Judah, who lived by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1] at Tel Abib. I sat there seven days where these people lived, feeling ·shocked [stunned; overwhelmed; distressed].

Israel’s Warning

¹⁶ ·After [^LAt the end of] seven days the ·Lord spoke his word [^Lword of the Lord came] to me again. He said, ¹⁷ “·Human [^TSon of man; 2:1], I ·now make [or have made] you a watchman for [^Lthe house of] Israel. Any time you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me. ¹⁸ ·When [or If] I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ but you don’t speak out to warn them to stop their evil ways, they will die ·in their sin [for their iniquity]. But I will hold you ·responsible [accountable] for their death. ¹⁹ But if you warn the wicked and they do not turn from their wickedness or their ·evil ways [wicked lifestyle], they will die because of their sin. But you will have saved your ·life [soul].

²⁰ “Again, ·those who do right [the righteous] may turn away from ·doing good [righteousness] and ·do evil [commit iniquity/injustice]. If I ·make something bad happen to [^Llay a stumbling block before] them, they will die. Because you have not warned them, they will die because of their sin, and the ·good [righteous things] they did will not be remembered. But I will hold you ·responsible [accountable] for their deaths. ²¹ But if you have warned ·those good people [the righteous] not to sin, and they do not sin, they will surely live, because they ·believed [took; received] the warning. And you will have saved your ·life [soul].”

²² Then I felt the ·power [^Lhand] of the Lord there. He said to me, “Get up and go out to the ·plain [or valley]. There I will speak to you.” ²³ So I got up and went out to the ·plain [or valley]. ·I saw [^TAnd behold] the glory of the Lord [^Chis manifest presence] standing there, like the glory I saw by the Kebar ·River [Canal; 1:1], and I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground.

²⁴ Then the Spirit entered me and ·made me stand [set me] on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go, shut yourself up in your house. ²⁵ As for you, ·human [^Tson of man; 2:1], the people will tie you up with ·ropes [cords] so that you will not be able to go out among them. ²⁶ Also, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you will be silent [^CEzekiel would be mute for seven and a half years (see dates in 1:1–3 and 33:21–22), except when the Lord opened his mouth with prophetic revelations; v. 27]. You will not be able to ·argue with [rebuke; reprove] the people, ·even though they turn against me [^Lfor they are a rebellious house]. ²⁷ But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘The Lord God says this.’ Those who will listen, let them listen. Those who refuse, let them refuse, because they are a ·people who turn against me [rebellious house].