Mission to Rebellious Israel

2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet^(A) and I will speak with you.” ² As He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet,^(B) and I listened to the One who was speaking to me. ³ He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to^[a] the rebellious pagans^[b] who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day.^{(C) 4} The children are obstinate^[c] and hardhearted.^(D) I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ ⁵ Whether they listen or refuse to listen^(E)—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.^(F)

⁶ “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words,^(G) though briers and thorns are beside you and you live among scorpions.^(H) Don’t be afraid of their words or be discouraged by the look on their faces, for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ But speak My words to them whether they listen or refuse to listen,^(I) for they are rebellious.

⁸ “And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you: Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”^{(J) 9} So I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me,^(K) and there was a written scroll in it.^{(L) 10} When He unrolled it before me, it was written on the front and back; words of lamentation, mourning, and woe were written on it.

3 He said to me: “Son of man, eat what you find here. Eat this scroll,^(M) then go and speak to the house of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. ³ “Son of man,” He said to me, “eat^[d] and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you.” So I ate it,^(N) and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.^(O)

⁴ Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. ⁵ For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel. ⁶ You are not being sent to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.^{(P) 7} But the house of Israel will not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to Me.^(Q) For the whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hardhearted. ⁸ Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.^{(R) 9} I have made your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Don’t be afraid of them or discouraged by the look on their faces, even though they are a rebellious house.”

¹⁰ Next He said to me: “Son of man, listen carefully to all My words that I speak to you and take them to heart. ¹¹ Go to your people, the exiles, and speak to them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ whether they listen or refuse to listen.”^(S)

¹² The Spirit then lifted me up,^(T) and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me—praise the glory of the Lord in His place!— ¹³ with the^[e] sound of the living creatures’ wings brushing against each other^(U) and the sound of the wheels beside them,^(V) a great rumbling sound. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I left in bitterness and in an angry spirit, and the Lord’s hand was on me powerfully.^{(W) 15} I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were living by the Chebar Canal, and I sat there among them stunned for seven days.^(X)