祂对我说:“人子啊,你要把得到的吃下去,要吃下这书卷,然后去向以色列人传讲。” 我张开口,祂就给我吃那书卷, 对我说:“吃下我赐你的这书卷,让它充满你的肚腹。”我便吃了,书卷在我嘴里甘甜如蜜。

祂又对我说:“人子啊,现在你要到以色列人那里,把我的话传给他们。 你不是奉命去语言不通的民族那里,而是到以色列人当中。 我不是派你到那些语言陌生、难懂、你听不明白的民族中。我若果真派你到他们那里,他们一定会听你的话。 然而以色列人却不肯听从你,因为他们顽固不化,不肯听从我。 不过,我要使你的脸像他们的脸一样硬,使你的额像他们的额一样硬。 我要使你的额比火石更硬,如同金刚石。他们虽然是一群叛逆的人,你不要害怕,也不要因为他们的脸色而惊慌。” 10 祂又说:“人子啊,你要留心听我说的一切话,牢记在心。 11 你要到你那些被掳的同胞那里,不论他们听不听,你都要向他们宣告,‘主耶和华这样说。’”

12 那时,灵把我举起,我听见后面有隆隆的声音说:“耶和华的荣耀在祂的居所当受称颂!” 13 我听见活物的翅膀相碰的声音,以及他们旁边的轮子发出的隆隆声。 14 灵把我举起带走了。我心里苦闷,充满愤怒,耶和华大能的手在我身上。 15 我来到住在提勒·亚毕的被掳的人中,在迦巴鲁河边。我感到无比震惊,在他们中间坐了七天。

告诫以色列人

16 过了七天,耶和华对我说: 17 “人子啊,我立你做以色列人的守望者,你要把我告诫他们的话告诉他们。 18 当我说某个恶人必灭亡时,如果你不告诫他,劝告他痛改前非,挽救他的性命,他必死在自己的罪中,而我要追究你的责任。 19 如果你已经告诫他,他还是不肯离开自己的邪恶和罪行,他必死在罪恶之中,而你必免于罪责。 20 如果一个义人偏离正道、犯罪作恶,我会使他跌倒,他必死亡。如果你不告诫他,他必死在罪恶之中,他以前的义行也不会被记念,而我要追究你的责任。 21 如果你告诫他不要犯罪,他听了你的告诫不再犯罪,他必保住性命,你也必免于罪责。”

22 在那里,耶和华的手按在我身上,对我说:“你起来前往平原,我要在那里对你说话。” 23 我到了平原,看见耶和华的荣耀停在那里,那荣耀和我在迦巴鲁河边所见的一样,我就俯伏在地。 24 这时灵进入我里面,使我站立起来。耶和华对我说:“你要把自己关在房子里。 25 人子啊,他们必把你捆绑起来,使你不能到百姓当中。 26 同时,我要使你的舌头紧贴上膛,使你不能开口责备他们,因为他们是一群叛逆的人。 27 但当我对你说话的时候,我必开启你的口,你要向他们宣告,‘主耶和华这样说。’肯听的就让他听,不肯听的就由他不听,因为他们是一群叛逆的人。”

Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, mange ce que tu trouves, mange ce rouleau, et va, parle à la maison d'Israël!

J'ouvris la bouche, et il me fit manger ce rouleau.

Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, nourris ton ventre et remplis tes entrailles de ce rouleau que je te donne! Je le mangeai, et il fut dans ma bouche doux comme du miel.

Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, va vers la maison d'Israël, et dis-leur mes paroles!

Car ce n'est point vers un peuple ayant un langage obscur, une langue inintelligible, que tu es envoyé; c'est à la maison d'Israël.

Ce n'est point vers de nombreux peuples ayant un langage obscur, une langue inintelligible, dont tu ne comprends pas les discours. Si je t'envoyais vers eux, ils t'écouteraient.

Mais la maison d'Israël ne voudra pas t'écouter, parce qu'elle ne veut pas m'écouter; car toute la maison d'Israël a le front dur et le coeur endurci.

Voici, j'endurcirai ta face, pour que tu l'opposes à leur face; j'endurcirai ton front, pour que tu l'opposes à leur front.

Je rendrai ton front comme un diamant, plus dur que le roc. Ne les crains pas, quoiqu'ils soient une famille de rebelles.

10 Il me dit: Fils de l'homme, reçois dans ton coeur et écoute de tes oreilles toutes les paroles que je te dirai!

11 Va vers les captifs, vers les enfants de ton peuple; tu leur parleras, et, qu'ils écoutent ou qu'ils n'écoutent pas, tu leur diras: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Éternel.

12 Et l'esprit m'enleva, et j'entendis derrière moi le bruit d'un grand tumulte: Bénie soit la gloire de l'Éternel, du lieu de sa demeure!

13 J'entendis le bruit des ailes des animaux, frappant l'une contre l'autre, le bruit des roues auprès d'eux, et le bruit d'un grand tumulte.

14 L'esprit m'enleva et m'emporta. J'allais, irrité et furieux, et la main de l'Éternel agissait sur moi avec puissance.

15 J'arrivai à Thel Abib, vers les exilés qui demeuraient près du fleuve du Kebar, et dans le lieu où ils se trouvaient; là je restai sept jours, stupéfait au milieu d'eux.

16 Au bout de sept jours, la parole de l'Éternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

17 Fils de l'homme, je t'établis comme sentinelle sur la maison d'Israël. Tu écouteras la parole qui sortira de ma bouche, et tu les avertiras de ma part.

18 Quand je dirai au méchant: Tu mourras! si tu ne l'avertis pas, si tu ne parles pas pour détourner le méchant de sa mauvaise voie et pour lui sauver la vie, ce méchant mourra dans son iniquité, et je te redemanderai son sang.

19 Mais si tu avertis le méchant, et qu'il ne se détourne pas de sa méchanceté et de sa mauvaise voie, il mourra dans son iniquité, et toi, tu sauveras ton âme.

20 Si un juste se détourne de sa justice et fait ce qui est mal, je mettrai un piège devant lui, et il mourra; parce que tu ne l'as pas averti, il mourra dans son péché, on ne parlera plus de la justice qu'il a pratiquée, et je te redemanderai son sang.

21 Mais si tu avertis le juste de ne pas pécher, et qu'il ne pèche pas, il vivra, parce qu'il s'est laissé avertir, et toi, tu sauveras ton âme.

22 Là encore la main de l'Éternel fut sur moi, et il me dit: Lève-toi, va dans la vallée, et là je te parlerai.

23 Je me levai, et j'allai dans la vallée; et voici, la gloire de l'Éternel y apparut, telle que je l'avais vue près du fleuve du Kebar. Alors je tombai sur ma face.

24 L'esprit entra en moi, et me fit tenir sur mes pieds. Et l'Éternel me parla et me dit: Va t'enfermer dans ta maison.

25 Fils de l'homme, voici, on mettra sur toi des cordes, avec lesquelles on te liera, afin que tu n'ailles pas au milieu d'eux.

26 J'attacherai ta langue à ton palais, pour que tu sois muet et que tu ne puisses pas les reprendre, car c'est une famille de rebelles.

27 Mais quand je te parlerai, j'ouvrirai ta bouche, pour que tu leur dises: Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Éternel. Que celui qui voudra écouter écoute, et que celui qui ne voudra pas n'écoute pas, car c'est une famille de rebelles.

And he said to me: “Son of dust, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.”

So I took the scroll.

“Eat it all,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted sweet as honey.

Then he said: “Son of dust, I am sending you to the people of Israel with my messages. I am not sending you to some far-off foreign land where you can’t understand the language— no, not to tribes with strange, difficult tongues. (If I did, they would listen!) I am sending you to the people of Israel, and they won’t listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard, impudent, and stubborn. But see, I have made you hard and stubborn too—as tough as they are. I have made your forehead as hard as rock. So don’t be afraid of them, or fear their sullen, angry looks, even though they are such rebels.”

10 Then he added: “Son of dust, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first; listen to them carefully for yourself. 11 Then, afterward, go to your people in exile, and whether or not they will listen, tell them: ‘This is what the Lord God says!’”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and the glory of the Lord began to move away, accompanied by the sound of a great earthquake.[a] 13 It was the noise of the wings of the living beings as they touched against each other, and the sound of their wheels beside them.

14-15 The Spirit lifted me up, and took me away to Tel Abib, another colony of Jewish exiles beside the Chebar River. I went in bitterness and anger,[b] but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. And I sat among them, overwhelmed, for seven days.

16 At the end of the seven days, the Lord said to me:

17 “Son of dust, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel; whenever I send my people a warning, pass it on to them at once. 18 If you refuse to warn the wicked when I want you to tell them, ‘You are under the penalty of death; therefore repent and save your life,’ they will die in their sins, but I will punish you. I will demand your blood for theirs. 19 But if you warn them, and they keep on sinning and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins, but you are blameless—you have done all you could. 20 And if a good man becomes bad, and you refuse to warn him of the consequences, and the Lord destroys him, his previous good deeds won’t help him—he shall die in his sin. But I will hold you responsible for his death and punish you. 21 But if you warn him and he repents, he shall live, and you have saved your own life too.”

22 I was helpless in the hand of God, and when he said to me, “Go out into the valley and I will talk to you there”— 23 I arose and went, and oh, I saw the glory of the Lord there, just as in my first vision! And I fell to the ground on my face.

24 Then the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet. He talked to me and said: “Go, imprison yourself in your house, 25 and I will paralyze you[c] so you can’t leave; 26 and I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you can’t reprove them; for they are rebels. 27 But whenever I give you a message, then I will loosen your tongue and let you speak, and you shall say to them: ‘The Lord God says.’ Let anyone listen who wants to, and let anyone refuse who wants to, for they are rebels.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 3:12 accompanied by the sound of a great earthquake, literally, “I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake.”
  2. Ezekiel 3:14 I went in bitterness and anger, literally, “I went in the heat of my spirit”—not necessarily anger, but indicated here by this reaction.
  3. Ezekiel 3:25 paralyze you, literally, “lay bands upon you.”

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.

15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

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

17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

22 And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

24 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.