耶路撒冷被困的预兆

“人子啊,你去拿一块砖放在自己面前,把耶路撒冷城画在上面。 然后围困这城,建垒筑台,扎营围攻,四面架起撞城锤。 拿一个铁盘当作铁墙放在你和城中间。你要面向这城,围困攻击这城。这是给以色列人的一个征兆。

“你要向左侧卧,担当以色列人的罪恶。要用你向左侧卧的天数担当以色列人的罪恶。 他们犯罪多少年,我要让你侧卧多少天。你要担当以色列人的罪恶三百九十天。 然后,你再向右侧卧,担当犹大的罪恶四十天。你侧卧的天数代表他们犯罪的年数。 你要面向被围困的耶路撒冷,光着臂膀说预言斥责这城。 我要用绳索捆绑你,使你不能侧转,直到你围城的日子期满。

“你要拿小麦、大麦、豆、扁豆、小米和粗麦装在器皿中用来为自己做饼,作为你三百九十天侧卧期间的粮食。 10 你每天要按时按量吃二百克, 11 每天要按时按量喝六百毫升水。 12 你要像吃大麦饼一样吃这些饼,要在众人面前用人粪来烤饼。” 13 耶和华说:“我把以色列人驱逐到各国的时候,他们也要这样吃不洁净的食物。”

14 我说:“唉,主耶和华啊!我从来没有玷污过自己,我自幼至今从未吃过自然死去的或被野兽撕碎的动物,不洁净的肉从未入过我的口。” 15 于是祂对我说:“好吧,我容许你用牛粪代替人粪来烤饼。” 16 又说:“人子啊,我要断绝耶路撒冷的粮源,叫他们焦虑地吃限量的饼,恐惧地喝限量的水。 17 他们必缺粮少水,绝望地面面相觑,因自己的罪恶而灭亡。”

Anúncio do cerco de Jerusalém

Deus me disse:

—Homem mortal, pegue um tijolo e coloque-o diante de você. Faça nele um desenho da cidade de Jerusalém. Construa uma muralha ao redor da cidade e uma rampa que chegue até ela. Ponha um acampamento como sendo do inimigo. Cerque aquela cidade com máquinas para que seja derrubada. Tome uma lâmina de ferro e coloque-a como se fosse uma muralha entre você e a cidade. Fixe seu olhar nela para assim mostrar que você está contra a cidade. Isto servirá de sinal aos israelitas.

—Fique deitado sobre seu lado esquerdo e leve sobre você a culpa do povo de Israel. Todo o tempo em que você estiver atacando a cidade, você levará a culpa dela. Você deverá sofrer pela culpa de Israel durante trezentos e noventa dias[a]. Isso mostrará quanto tempo Israel será punido: um dia para cada ano. Este é o tempo durante o qual você levará a culpa de Israel. Após esse tempo, você vai ficar deitado no seu lado direito e sofrer pela culpa de Judá durante quarenta dias. Isso mostrará quanto tempo Judá será punida: um dia para cada ano. Você terá que ficar concentrado no cerco de Jerusalém, terá que levantar seu braço em sinal de castigo e profetizar contra ela. Amarrarei você com cordas para que não se vire de um lado para outro até terminar o cerco[b].

—Você vai fazer o seguinte para ter comida. Você deverá ter algum grão para fazer pão. Pegue trigo, cevada, feijão, lentilhas, trigo miúdo e aveia. Misture todos esses alimentos num recipiente, amasse todos eles e faça pão suficiente para os trezentos e noventa dias nos quais você ficará deitado. Cada dia que você permanecer deitado, poderá comer um pão. 10 Você só poderá usar para fazer pão apenas duzentos e trinta gramas de farinha para cada dia. Você vai comer o pão aos poucos durante todo o dia. 11 Também tomará meio litro de água aos poucos durante todo o dia. 12 Cada dia assará um pão de cevada diante do povo, usando fezes humanas como combustível.

13 Depois, o SENHOR também disse:

—O povo de Israel deverá comer deste jeito o pão impuro[c] quando eles estiverem vivendo no meio dos estrangeiros.

14 Então exclamei:

—Ó Senhor DEUS, não pode ser! Eu nunca comi nada impuro. Jamais provei nada nojento nem nada que algum animal tenha matado. Desde que era um menino até agora, nunca comi nada impuro.

15 Então Deus me disse:

—Pode usar cocô de vaca em vez de fezes humanas como combustível para assar o seu pão.

16 Depois me disse:

—Vou cortar os alimentos em Jerusalém e comerão com ansiedade, e mesmo assim beberão da água que também vou cortar. 17 Que fiquem espantados pela escassez de pão e água! Que apodreçam por causa dos seus pecados!

Footnotes

  1. 4.5 trezentos e noventa dias A LXX tem: “cento e noventa dias”.
  2. 4.8 cerco É um jogo de palavras. Em hebraico a palavra pode significar “cerco contra a cidade”, “fome” ou “tempos difíceis”. Ver também 5.2.
  3. 4.13 pão impuro Ver Lv 11–15 a respeito das coisas puras e impuras.

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp(A) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.(B) Then take an iron pan,(C) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward(D) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign(E) to the people of Israel.(F)

“Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin(G) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.(H) Turn your face(I) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.(J)

“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;(K) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels[b](L) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin[c] of water and drink it at set times.(M) 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement(N) for fuel.” 13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”(O)

14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord!(P) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead(Q) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.(R)

15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off(S) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,(T) 17 for food and water will be scarce.(U) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of[d] their sin.(V)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side
  2. Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  3. Ezekiel 4:11 That is, about 2/3 quart or about 0.6 liter
  4. Ezekiel 4:17 Or away in

The Siege of Jerusalem Portrayed

“You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. (A)Lay siege against it, build a (B)siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be (C)besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. (D)This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

“Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; (E)so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

“Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. (F)And surely I will [a]restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.

“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”

13 Then the Lord said, “So (G)shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”

14 So I said, (H)“Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten (I)what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has (J)abominable[b] flesh ever come into my mouth.”

15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”

16 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the (K)supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall (L)eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall (M)drink water by measure and with dread, 17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and (N)waste away because of their iniquity.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:8 Lit. put ropes on
  2. Ezekiel 4:14 Ritually unclean flesh, Lev. 7:18