18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped.

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18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and the king took them. Elisha told him, “Strike the ground.” He struck it three times and stopped.

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When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

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When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

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Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed

“And you, (A)O son of man, take a (B)sharp sword. Use it as (C)a barber's razor and (D)pass it over your head and your beard. Then take balances for weighing and divide the hair. (E)A third part you shall burn in the fire (F)in the midst of the city, (G)when the days of the siege are completed. And a third part you shall take and strike with the sword all around the city. (H)And a third part you shall scatter to the wind, and (I)I will unsheathe the sword after them. (J)And you shall take from these a small number and bind them in the skirts of your robe. (K)And of these again you shall take some and cast them into the midst of the fire and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will come out into all the house of Israel.

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God’s Razor of Judgment

“Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor(A) to shave(B) your head and your beard.(C) Then take a set of scales and divide up the hair. When the days of your siege come to an end, burn(D) a third(E) of the hair inside the city. Take a third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And scatter a third to the wind.(F) For I will pursue them with drawn sword.(G) But take a few hairs and tuck them away in the folds of your garment.(H) Again, take a few of these and throw them into the fire(I) and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all Israel.

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The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

“And you, (A)son of man, (B)take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. (C)And put siegeworks against it, (D)and build a siege wall against it, (E)and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, (F)and plant battering rams against it all around. And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; (G)and set your face toward it, (H)and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is (I)a sign for the house of Israel.

“Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment[a] of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, (J)you shall bear their punishment. For I assign to you a number of days, (K)390 days, (L)equal to the number of the years of their punishment. (M)So long shall you bear (N)the punishment of the house of Israel. And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and (O)bear (P)the punishment of the house of Judah. (Q)Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. (R)And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, (S)with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city. And behold, (T)I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed (U)the days of your siege.

“And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer,[b] and put them into a single vessel and make your (V)bread from them. (W)During the number of days that you lie on your side, (X)390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be (Y)by weight, (Z)twenty shekels[c] a day; from day to day[d] you shall eat it.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Or iniquity; also verses 5, 6, 17
  2. Ezekiel 4:9 A type of wheat
  3. Ezekiel 4:10 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  4. Ezekiel 4:10 Or at a set time daily; also verse 11

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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side
  2. Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams

at that time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking (A)naked and barefoot.

Then the Lord said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years (B)as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush,[a] so shall the (C)king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 20:3 Probably Nubia

at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(A) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(B) from your body and the sandals(C) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(D) and barefoot.(E)

Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(F) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(G) as a sign(H) and portent(I) against Egypt(J) and Cush,[a](K) so the king(L) of Assyria will lead away stripped(M) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(N) and Cushite(O) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(P)—to Egypt’s shame.(Q)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5

11 Whenever Moses (A)held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.

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11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(A) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

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Judah's Captivity Symbolized

12 The word of the Lord came to me: (A)“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of (B)a rebellious house, (C)who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are (D)a rebellious house. As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself (E)an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day (F)in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place (G)in their sight. (H)Perhaps they will understand, though[a] they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself (I)at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. In their sight (J)dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you (K)a sign for the house of Israel.”

(L)And I did as I was commanded. (M)I brought out my baggage by day, as baggage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. I brought out my baggage at dusk, carrying it on my shoulder in their sight.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 12:3 Or will see that

The Exile Symbolized

12 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people.(A) They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.(B)

“Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps(C) they will understand,(D) though they are a rebellious people.(E) During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.(F) While they watch, dig through the wall(G) and take your belongings out through it. Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign(H) to the Israelites.”

So I did as I was commanded.(I) During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.

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