Ezekiel 2:6-3:11

English Standard Version

⁶ And you, son of man, ^(A)be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, ^(B)though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on ^(C)scorpions.^[a] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ And you shall speak my words to them, ^(D)whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.

⁸ “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. ^(E)Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and ^(F)eat what I give you.” ⁹ And when I looked, behold, ^(G)a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, ^(H)a scroll of a book was in it. ¹⁰ And he spread it before me. And it had writing ^(I)on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

3 And he said to me, ^(J)“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. ^(K)Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” ^(L)Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth ^(M)as sweet as honey.

⁴ And he said to me, ^(N)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. ^(O)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ^7 (P)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^(Q)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. ^8 (R)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ Like ^(S)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(T)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, ^(U)all my words that I shall speak to you receive ^(V)in your heart, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go to the exiles, ^(W)to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ^(X)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ ^(Y)whether they hear or refuse to hear.”