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Ezekiel 3:16-27
Easy-to-Read Version
Ezekiel 3:16-27
Easy-to-Read Version
The Watchman of Israel
16 After seven days, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 17 “Son of man, I am making you a watchman for Israel. I will tell you about bad things that will happen to them, and you must warn Israel. 18 If I say, ‘These evil people will die!’ Then you must warn them. You must tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil. If you don’t warn them, they will die because they sinned. But I will also make you responsible for their death, because you did not go to them and save their lives.
19 “If you warn them and tell them to change their lives and stop doing evil, but they refuse to listen, they will die because they sinned. But since you warned them, you will have saved your own life.
20 “If good people stop being good and begin to do evil, and I send something that makes them stumble and sin, they will die because they sinned. But since you did not warn them and remind them of the good things they had done, I will make you responsible for their death.
21 “But if you warn good people and tell them to stop sinning, and they listen to your warning and stop sinning, they will not die. In that way you will have saved your own life.”
22 The Lord’s power came to me. He said to me, “Get up and go to the valley.[a] I will speak to you in that place.”
23 So I got up and went out to the valley. The Glory of the Lord was there—as I had seen it by the Kebar Canal. So I bowed with my face to the ground. 24 But the Spirit came into me and lifted me up on my feet. He said to me, “Go home and lock yourself in your house. 25 Son of man, people will come with ropes and tie you up. They will not let you go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth—you will not be able to talk. So they will not have anyone to teach them that they are doing wrong, because they are always turning against me. 27 But I will talk to you, and then I will allow you to speak. But you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ If a person wants to listen, fine. If a person refuses to listen, fine. But those people always turn against me.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ezekiel 3:22 the valley Possibly, Jezreel Valley, a fertile area where many battles were fought. It is often called simply “The Valley.”
Ezekiel 3:16-27
New International Version
Ezekiel 3:16-27
New International Version
Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman
16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:(A) 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman(B) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(C) 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,(D)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(E) 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn(F) from their wickedness(G) or from their evil ways, they will die(H) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.(I)
20 “Again, when a righteous person turns(J) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block(K) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(L) 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.(M)”
22 The hand of the Lord(N) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go(O) out to the plain,(P) and there I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,(Q) and I fell facedown.(R)
24 Then the Spirit came into me and raised me(S) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.(T) 25 And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.(U) 26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof(V) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.(W) 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’(X) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.(Y)
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
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