Add parallel Print Page Options

Moreover He said unto me, Ben Adam, eat that thou findest; eat this megillah, and go speak unto Bais Yisroel.

So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that megillah.

And He said unto me, Ben Adam, cause thy beten to eat, and fill thy bowels with this megillah that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as devash for sweetness.

And He said unto me, Ben Adam, go, get thee unto the Bais Yisroel, and speak My words unto them.

For thou art not sent to an Am Imkei Safah (a people of indecipherable language) and of obscure lashon, but to Bais Yisroel;

Not to amim rabbim of indecipherable language and obscure lashon whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have paid heed unto thee.

But Bais Yisroel will not pay heed unto thee; for they will not pay heed unto Me; for kol Bais Yisroel are khizkei metzach (hard-set of brow) and keshei-lev (hard-hearted).

Hinei, I have made thy face chazakim against their faces, and thy metzach chazak (forehead strong) against their metzach.

As a shamir (adamant, hardest stone) more chazak than flint have I made thy metzach (forehead); fear them not, neither be terrified at their looks, though they be a bais meri (house of rebellion).

10 Moreover He said unto me, Ben Adam, all My words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine lev, and hear with thine oznayim.

11 And go, get thee to them of the Golus, unto the Bnei Amecha, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; whether they will hear, or whether they will refrain.

12 Then the Ruach [Hakodesh] lifted me and took me up, and I heard behind me a kol ra’ash gadol (a voice of a great rustling), saying, Baruch Kavod Hashem from His makom (place, home).

13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the Chayos that touched one another, and the noise of the Ofanim (wheels) opposite them, and a voice of ra’ash gadol.

14 So the Ruach [Hakodesh] lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in mar (bitterness), in the anger of my ruach; but the yad Hashem was chazah upon me.

15 Then I came to them of the Golus at Tel Aviv, that dwelt by the Nahar Kevar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there speechlessly astounded among them shivat yamim.

16 And it came to pass at the end of shivat yamim, that the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

17 Ben Adam, I have made thee a tzofeh (watchman) unto the Bais Yisroel; therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.

18 When I say unto the rasha, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the rasha from his derech harasha’ah, to save his life; the same rasha shall die in his avon; but I will hold accountable thine yad for his dahm.

19 Yet if thou warn the rasha, and he turn not from his resha, nor from his derech harasha’ah, he shall die in his avon; but thou hast saved thy nefesh.

20 Again, When a tzaddik doth turn from his tzedek, and commit evil, and I lay a michshol (stumbling block of temptation) before him, he shall die; because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his chattat, and his tzidkot which he hath worked shall not be remembered; but I will hold accountable thine yad for his dahm.

21 Nevertheless if thou warn the tzaddik, that the tzaddik sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast saved thy nefesh.

22 And the Yad Hashem (Hand, Power of Hashem) was there upon me; and He said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there speak with thee.

23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain; and, hinei, the Kavod Hashem stood there, as the Kavod which I saw by the Nahar Kevar; I fell on my face.

24 Then the Ruach [Hakodesh] entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spoke with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself in the confines of thine bais.

25 But thou, O Ben Adam, hinei, they tied on thee ropes, and have bound thee with them, that thou canst not go out among them;

26 And I will make thy leshon cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be mute, and shalt not be to them an ish mokhi’ach (admonisher); for they are a bais meri.

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that refuseth, let him refuse; for they are a bais meri.

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate(A) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey(B) in my mouth.

He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.(C) You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,(D) but to the people of Israel— not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.(E) But the people of Israel are not willing to listen(F) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.(G) But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.(H) I will make your forehead(I) like the hardest stone, harder than flint.(J) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.(K)

10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart(L) all the words I speak to you. 11 Go(M) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’(N) whether they listen or fail to listen.(O)

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up,(P) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.[a] 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures(Q) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.(R) 14 The Spirit(S) then lifted me up(T) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord(U) on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.(V) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days(W)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:(X) 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman(Y) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(Z) 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,(AA)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(AB) 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn(AC) from their wickedness(AD) or from their evil ways, they will die(AE) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.(AF)

20 “Again, when a righteous person turns(AG) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block(AH) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(AI) 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.(AJ)

22 The hand of the Lord(AK) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go(AL) out to the plain,(AM) and there I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,(AN) and I fell facedown.(AO)

24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me(AP) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.(AQ) 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.(AR) 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof(AS) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.(AT) 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’(AU) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound—may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place
  2. Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20