⁴ Then He said to me, “Son of man, ^[a]go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. ⁵ For ^(A)you are not being sent to a people of ^[b](B)unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ nor to many peoples of ^[c]unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. ^[d]But I have sent you to ^[e]the people who understand you; ⁷ yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are ^(C)not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is ^[f]stubborn and obstinate. ⁸ Behold, I have made your face just as hard as their faces, and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My ^(D)words which I will speak to you and listen ^[g]closely. ^11 [h]Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or ^[i]not, ‘This is what the Lord ^[j]God says.’”

¹⁶ Now ^(A)at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁷ “Son of man, I have appointed you as a ^(B)watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, ^(C)warn them from Me. ¹⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his ^(D)blood I will require from your hand. ¹⁹ However if you have ^(E)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have ^(F)saved yourself. ²⁰ Again, ^(G)when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an ^(H)obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand. ²¹ However, if you have ^(I)warned ^[a]the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”