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Ezekiel 2
New English Translation

Ezekiel’s Commission

2 He said to me, “Son of man,[a] stand on your feet and I will speak with you.” 2 As he spoke to me,[b] a wind[c] came into me and stood me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me.

3 He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the house[d] of Israel, to rebellious nations[e] who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted[f] against me to this very day. 4 The people[g] to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted,[h] and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’[i] 5 And as for them,[j] whether they listen[k] or not—for they are a rebellious[l] house[m]—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words. Even though briers[n] and thorns[o] surround you and you live among scorpions—do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you,[p] for they are a rebellious house! 7 You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious. 8 As for you, son of man, listen to what I am saying to you: Do not rebel like that rebellious house! Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

9 Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll. 10 He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front[q] and back;[r] written on it were laments, mourning, and woe.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:1 sn The phrase son of man occurs ninety-three times in the book of Ezekiel. It simply means “human one” and distinguishes the prophet from the nonhuman beings that are present in the world of his vision.
  2. Ezekiel 2:2 tc The phrase “as he spoke to me” is absent from the LXX.
  3. Ezekiel 2:2 tn Or “spirit.” The NIV has “the Spirit,” but the absence of the article in the Hebrew text makes this unlikely. Elsewhere in Ezekiel the Lord’s Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit of the Lord” (11:5; 37:1), “the Spirit of God” (11:24), or “my (that is, the Lord’s) Spirit” (36:27; 37:14; 39:29). Some identify the “spirit” of 2:2 as the spirit that energized the living beings; however, that “spirit” is called “the spirit” (1:12, 20) or “the spirit of the living beings” (1:20-21; 10:17). Still others see the term as referring to an impersonal “spirit” of strength or courage, that is, the term may also be understood as a disposition or attitude. The Hebrew word often refers to a wind in Ezekiel (1:4; 5:10, 12; 12:4; 13:11, 13; 17:10, 21; 19:12; 27:26; 37:9). In 37:5-10 a “breath” originates in the “four winds” and is associated with the Lord’s life-giving breath (see v. 14). This breath enters into the dry bones and gives them life. In a similar fashion the breath of 2:2 (see also 3:24) energizes paralyzed Ezekiel. Breath and wind are related. On the one hand, it is a more normal picture to think of breath rather than wind entering someone, but since wind represents an external force, it seems more likely for wind rather than breath to stand someone up (unless we should understand it as a disposition). It may be that one should envision the breath of the speaker moving like a wind to revive Ezekiel, helping him to regain his breath and invigorating him to stand. A wind also transports the prophet from one place to another (3:12, 14; 8:3; 11:1, 24; 43:5).
  4. Ezekiel 2:3 tc The Hebrew reads “sons of,” while the LXX reads “house,” implying the more common phrase in Ezekiel. Either could be abbreviated with the first letter ב (bet). In preparation for the characterization “house of rebellion,” in vv. 5, 6, and 8 “house” is preferred (L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 1:10 and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel [Hermeneia], 2:564-65).
  5. Ezekiel 2:3 tc Heb “to the rebellious nations.” The phrase “to the rebellious nations” is omitted in the LXX. Elsewhere in Ezekiel the singular word “nation” is used for Israel (36:13-15; 37:22). Here “nations” may have the meaning of “tribes” or refer to the two nations of Israel and Judah.
  6. Ezekiel 2:3 tc This word is omitted from the LXX. tn The Hebrew term used here is the strongest word available for expressing a covenant violation. The word is used in the diplomatic arena to express a treaty violation (2 Kgs 1:1; 3:5, 7).
  7. Ezekiel 2:4 tn Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.
  8. Ezekiel 2:4 tc Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the LXX.
  9. Ezekiel 2:4 tn The phrase “thus says [the Lord]” occurs 129 times in Ezekiel; the announcement is identical to the way messengers often introduced their messages (Gen 32:5; 45:9; Exod 5:10; Num 20:14; Judg 11:15).
  10. Ezekiel 2:5 tn Heb “they”; the phrase “And as for them” has been used in the translation for clarity.
  11. Ezekiel 2:5 tn The Hebrew word implies obedience rather than mere hearing or paying attention.
  12. Ezekiel 2:5 tn This Hebrew adjective is also used to describe the Israelites in Num 17:10 (17:25 HT) and Isa 30:9.
  13. Ezekiel 2:5 sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).
  14. Ezekiel 2:6 tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.
  15. Ezekiel 2:6 tn The Hebrew term is found elsewhere in the OT only in Ezek 28:24.sn Here thorns may be a figure for hostility (Ezek 28:24; Mic 7:4).
  16. Ezekiel 2:6 tn Heb “of their faces.”
  17. Ezekiel 2:10 tn Heb “on the face.”
  18. Ezekiel 2:10 sn Written on the front and back. While it was common for papyrus scrolls to have writing on both sides, the same was not true for leather scrolls.
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Ezekiel 2
Lexham English Bible

The Call of Ezekiel to Speak God’s Words

2 And he said to me, “Son of man,[a] stand on your feet, so that I can speak with you.” 2 And the Spirit[b] came into me as he was speaking to me, and it set me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man,[c] I am sending you to the Israelites,[d] to nations[e] who are rebelling, who rebelled against me, they and their ancestors,[f] they transgressed against me until this very day.[g] 4 And the children[h] are impudent[i] and stubborn,[j] and so I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh!’ 5 And they, whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are a rebellious house, they will know that a prophet was in their midst. 6 And you, son of man,[k] you must not be afraid of them, and you must not be afraid of their words, because[l] briers and thorns are with you, and you are sitting among scorpions. You must not be afraid of their words, and you must not be dismayed because of their looks,[m] for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you must speak my words to them whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 And you, son of man,[n] hear what I am speaking to you: you must not be rebellious like the house of rebellion. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving to you.” 9 And I looked,[o] and look! There was a hand stretched out to me, and look! In it was a scroll with writing.[p] 10 And he rolled it out[q] before me,[r] and it was written on the front and back, and there were written on it laments and mourning and wailing.[s]

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:1 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  2. Ezekiel 2:2 Or “a spirit”
  3. Ezekiel 2:3 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 2:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Ezekiel 2:3 Or “a people”
  6. Ezekiel 2:3 Hebrew “fathers”
  7. Ezekiel 2:3 Literally “until the day the this”
  8. Ezekiel 2:4 Or “sons”
  9. Ezekiel 2:4 Literally “hard of face”
  10. Ezekiel 2:4 Literally “strong of heart”
  11. Ezekiel 2:6 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  12. Ezekiel 2:6 Or “although”
  13. Ezekiel 2:6 Literally “faces”
  14. Ezekiel 2:8 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  15. Ezekiel 2:9 Or “saw”
  16. Ezekiel 2:9 Literally “a scroll of a book”
  17. Ezekiel 2:10 Or “he spread it out”
  18. Ezekiel 2:10 Literally “to the face of me”
  19. Ezekiel 2:10 Or “woe”
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Ezekiel 1
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