Ezekiel 12
Evangelical Heritage Version
An Action Prophecy About the Prince’s Exile
12 The word of the Lord came to me.
2 Son of man, you are living in the middle of a rebellious house. They have eyes to see, but they do not see, and they have ears to hear, but they do not hear, because they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, you, son of man, pack your baggage for exile, and depart into exile during the daytime, while they are watching. You are to depart into exile from your place to another place, while they are watching. Perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. 4 You are to bring out your baggage, packed for exile, during the daytime, while they are watching. Then in the evening, while they are watching, you are to go out like someone going into exile. 5 While they are watching, dig through the wall, and bring out your baggage through it. 6 While they are watching, lift it up on your shoulder, and carry it out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the ground, for I have made you a warning sign to the house of Israel.
7 I did that, exactly as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage, packed for exile, during the daytime, and then in the evening I dug through the wall by hand. When it was getting dark, I brought my baggage out. I carried it on my shoulder while they were watching.
8 In the morning the word of the Lord came to me. 9 “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, that rebellious house, asked you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 You are to tell them that this is what the Lord God says.”
This burdensome prophecy is about the burdensome prince in Jerusalem,[a] together with the whole house of Israel who are in its midst.
11 Say to them, “I am a warning sign for you.”
Exactly what I have done will be done to them. Into exile, into captivity, they will go. 12 The prince who is in their midst will carry his baggage on his shoulder at dusk and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face, so he will not see the ground with his own eyes. 13 I will spread out my net for him, and he will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die. 14 All those who are around him, his aides and all his troops, I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe my sword against them. 15 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them across many countries. 16 But from among them I will let a small number survive the sword, famine, and plague, in order that they may tell about all their abominations among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
17 The word of the Lord came to me.
18 Son of man, you are to eat your food with trembling, and you are to drink your water with shuddering and anxiety. 19 You are to say to the people of the land: This is what the Lord God says about the inhabitants of Jerusalem on the soil of Israel. They will eat their food with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because everything that filled the land will be devastated because of the violence of all its inhabitants. 20 The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will be devastated. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Two Sayings About Prophecy
21 The word of the Lord came to me.
22 Son of man, what is this saying that you have about the homeland of Israel: “The days keep going by, and every vision fails”?
23 Therefore say this to them. This is what the Lord God says. I will put an end to this saying, and they will no longer use it as a saying in Israel. On the contrary, say to them, “The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled.” 24 For no longer will there be any empty, unreliable visions or slippery, misleading omens within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the Lord. Whatever word I speak will be fulfilled. It will be delayed no longer. For in your own days, you rebellious house, I will speak a word and fulfill it, declares the Lord God.
26 The word of the Lord came to me.
27 Son of man, listen to what the house of Israel is saying: “The vision that he is seeing is for many days in the future, and he is prophesying for distant times.” 28 Therefore, tell the Israelites this is what the Lord God says. None of my words will be delayed any longer, because I will speak a word and it will be fulfilled, declares the Lord God.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:10 The Hebrew reads the prince [is] this burden in Jerusalem. The word for burden can sometimes refer to a warning prophecy, so there is a play on words in this prophecy—the prince carries a burden and he is a burden.
Ezekiel 12
Lexham English Bible
The Announcement of the Imminent Coming of the Exile
12 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] 2 “Son of man,[c] you are dwelling in the midst of the house of rebellion who has eyes to see and they do not see;[d] they have ears to hear,[e] and they do not hear, for they are a house of rebellion. 3 And you, son of man,[f] prepare for yourself[g] the baggage of an exile, and go into exile by day before their eyes. And you must go into[h] exile from your place to another place before their eyes; perhaps they will see that they are a house of rebellion. 4 And you must bring out your baggage like the baggage of an exile by day before their eyes, and you must go out in the evening before their eyes like those who go into exile.[i] 5 Before their eyes dig through for yourself,[j] through the wall, and you must bring the baggage out through it. 6 Before their eyes, on your[k] shoulder, you must lift up the baggage in the dusk, and your face you must cover, so that you may not see the land, for I make you as a sign to the house of Israel.” 7 And I did just as[l] I was commanded; my baggage, like the baggage of an exile, I brought out by day, and in the evening I dug through for myself[m] into[n] the wall with my hand in the dusk; I brought the baggage on my shoulder; I carried it before their eyes. 8 And the word of Yahweh came[o] to me in the morning, saying,[p] 9 “Son of man,[q] did not they, the house of Israel, the house of rebellion, say to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “This oracle is about the prince in Jerusalem and the entire[r] house of Israel who are among them.”’[s] 11 Say, ‘I am your sign, and just as[t] I did, so will it be done to them in the exile; into[u] captivity they will go.’ 12 And the prince who is in the midst of them, on his shoulder he will carry the baggage in the dusk, and[v] he will go out; the wall will be dug through[w] to bring him through it; and he will cover his face so that he will[x] not see the land with his[y] eye. 13 And I will spread out my net on him, and he will be captured in my hunting snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die. 14 And all who are around him, his help[z] and all of his troops I will scatter in every direction,[aa] and I will draw[ab] the sword behind them. 15 And they will know that I am Yahweh when I scatter them[ac] among the nations and I scatter them in the countries. 16 But[ad] I will spare from them a few men[ae] from the sword, from the famine and from the plague, so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations to which they will go, and they will know that I am Yahweh.”
17 And the word of Yahweh came[af] to me, saying,[ag] 18 “Son of man,[ah] you must eat your food with trembling, and your water with shuddering, and with anxiety you must drink. 19 And you must say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the inhabitants of Jerusalem about the land of Israel: “They will eat their food with anxiety and their water they will drink with horror, because their land will be desolate from[ai] its fullness because of all the violence of those who are dwelling in it.[aj] 20 And the inhabited cites will be desolate,[ak] and the land will be a desolation, and you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”
21 And the word of Yahweh came[al] to me, saying,[am] 22 “Son of man,[an] what is this proverb you people have[ao] about the land of Israel, saying,[ap] ‘The days are prolonged,[aq] and every vision has come to nothing.’ 23 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “I will put an end to this proverb, and they will not quote it as a proverb again in Israel.”’ But[ar] say to them, ‘The days are near, and also the word of every vision.’ 24 For there will not be any longer any false vision[as] or flattering divination in the midst of the house of Israel. 25 For I, Yahweh, I will speak what I will speak as a word, and it will be done. It will not prolong itself any longer, for in your days, house of rebellion, I will speak a word and I will fulfill it!” declares[at] the Lord Yahweh. 26 And the word of Yahweh came[au] to me, saying,[av] 27 “Son of man,[aw] look! The house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he is seeing is for many days from now, and for distant times he is prophesying.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “None of my words will be prolonged any longer that I speak as a word, and it will be fulfilled!”’” declares[ax] the Lord Yahweh.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:1 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 12:1 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 12:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:2 Literally “which eyes are for them to see and not they see”
- Ezekiel 12:2 Literally “ears are for them to hear”
- Ezekiel 12:3 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:3 Hebrew “you”
- Ezekiel 12:3 Hebrew “in”
- Ezekiel 12:4 Literally “like the goers out of an exile”
- Ezekiel 12:5 Hebrew “you”
- Ezekiel 12:6 Literally “the”
- Ezekiel 12:7 Literally “so as that”
- Ezekiel 12:7 Hebrew “me”
- Ezekiel 12:7 Hebrew “in”
- Ezekiel 12:8 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 12:8 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 12:9 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:10 Literally “all of”
- Ezekiel 12:10 Literally “which they are in the midst of them”
- Ezekiel 12:11 Literally “as that”
- Ezekiel 12:11 Hebrew “in”
- Ezekiel 12:12 Or “in the dusk he will go out”
- Ezekiel 12:12 Literally “through the wall they will dig”
- Ezekiel 12:12 Or “may”
- Ezekiel 12:12 Hebrew “the”
- Ezekiel 12:14 Or “support”
- Ezekiel 12:14 Literally “to every direction of the wind”
- Ezekiel 12:14 Or “unsheathe”
- Ezekiel 12:15 Literally “at my scattering them”
- Ezekiel 12:16 Or “And”
- Ezekiel 12:16 Literally “men of number”
- Ezekiel 12:17 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 12:17 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 12:18 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:19 Or “of”
- Ezekiel 12:19 Literally “the ones dwelling in it”
- Ezekiel 12:20 Literally “the being inhabited cities they will be desolate”
- Ezekiel 12:21 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 12:21 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 12:22 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:22 Literally “to you”
- Ezekiel 12:22 Literally “to you”
- Ezekiel 12:22 Literally “they are long the days”
- Ezekiel 12:23 Hebrew “But if”
- Ezekiel 12:24 Literally “every vision of falseness”
- Ezekiel 12:25 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 12:26 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 12:26 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 12:27 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 12:28 Literally “declaration of”
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