¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me: ^18 (A)“Son of man, ^(B)eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with anxiety. ¹⁹ And say to the people of the land, Thus says the Lord God concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: ^(C)They shall eat their bread with anxiety, ^(D)and drink water in dismay. In this way ^(E)her land will be stripped of all it contains, ^(F)on account of the violence of all those who dwell in it. ^20 (G)And the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

²¹ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²² “Son of man, ^(H)what is this proverb that you^[a] have about the land of Israel, saying, ^(I)‘The days grow long, and every vision comes to nothing’? ²³ Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.’ But say to them, ^(J)The days are near, and the fulfillment^[b] of every vision. ^24 (K)For there shall be no more any ^(L)false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. ²⁵ For I am the Lord; I will speak ^(M)the word that I will speak, and it will be performed. ^(N)It will no longer be delayed, but in your days, ^(O)O rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it, declares the Lord God.”

²⁶ And the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁷ “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, ^(P)‘The vision that he sees is ^(Q)for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ ²⁸ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(R)None of my words will be delayed any longer, ^(S)but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”