Ezekiel 12
New English Translation
Previewing the Exile
12 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house.[a] They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear,[b] because they are a rebellious house.
3 “Therefore, son of man, pack up your belongings as if for exile. During the day, while they are watching, pretend to go into exile. Go from where you live to another place. Perhaps they will understand,[c] although they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring out your belongings packed for exile during the day while they are watching. And go out at evening, while they are watching, as if for exile. 5 While they are watching, dig a hole in the wall and carry your belongings out through it. 6 While they are watching, raise your baggage onto your shoulder and carry it out in the dark.[d] You must cover your face so that you cannot see the ground[e] because I have made you an object lesson[f] to the house of Israel.”
7 So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage[g] on my shoulder while they watched.
8 The Lord’s message came to me in the morning: 9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The prince will raise this burden in Jerusalem,[h] and all the house of Israel within it.’[i] 11 Say, ‘I am an object lesson[j] for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile and captivity.’
12 “The prince[k] who is among them will raise his belongings[l] onto his shoulder in darkness and will go out. He[m] will dig a hole in the wall to leave through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans[n] (but he will not see it),[o] and there he will die.[p] 14 All his retinue—his attendants and his troops—I will scatter to every wind; I will unleash a sword behind them.
15 “Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among foreign countries. 16 But I will let a small number of them survive the sword, famine, and pestilence, so that they can confess all their abominable practices to the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
17 The Lord’s message came to me: 18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling[q] and drink your water with anxious shaking. 19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the inhabitants of Jerusalem and of the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in fright, for their land will be stripped bare of all it contains because of the violence of all who live in it. 20 The inhabited towns will be left in ruins, and the land will be devastated. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
21 The Lord’s message came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel, ‘The days pass slowly, and every vision fails’? 23 Therefore tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I hereby end this proverb; they will not recite it in Israel any longer.’ But say to them, ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.[r] 24 For there will no longer be any false visions or flattering omens amidst the house of Israel. 25 For I, the Lord, will speak. Whatever word I speak will be accomplished. It will not be delayed any longer. Indeed in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and accomplish it, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
26 The Lord’s message came to me: 27 “Take note, son of man, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for distant days; he is prophesying about the far future.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer! The word I speak will come to pass, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:2 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).
- Ezekiel 12:2 sn This verse is very similar to Isa 6:9-10.
- Ezekiel 12:3 tn Heb “see.” This plays on the uses of “see” in v. 2. They will see his actions with their eyes and perhaps they will “see” with their mind, that is, understand or grasp the point.
- Ezekiel 12:6 tn Apart from this context the Hebrew term occurs only in Gen 15:17, in reference to the darkness after sunset. It may mean twilight.
- Ezekiel 12:6 tn Or “land” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
- Ezekiel 12:6 sn See also Ezek 12:11 and 24:24, 27.
- Ezekiel 12:7 tn The words “my baggage” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied from the context.
- Ezekiel 12:10 tc The MT reads: “The prince, the load/oracle, this, in Jerusalem.” The term מַשָּׂא (massaʾ) may refer to a “burden” or prophetic “oracle” (the two homonyms also coming from the same root, cf. Isa 13:1). Also the preposition ב (bet) can mean “in” or “against.” The Targum says, “Concerning the prince is this oracle,” assuming the addition of a preposition. The LXX reads the word for “burden” as a synonym for leader, as both words are built on the same root, but the result does not make good sense in context. The current translation assumes that the verb יִשָּׂא (yisaʾ) from the root נָשָׂא (nasaʾ) has dropped out due to homoioteleuton (cf. vv. 7 and 12 for the verb). The original text would have three consecutive words based on the root נָשָׂא and an environment conducive to an omission in copying: הַנָּשִׂיא יִשָּׂא הַמַּשָּׂא הַזֶּה (hannasiʾ yissaʾ hammassaʾ hazzeh, “the prince will raise this burden”). Another possibility is that הַנָּשִׂיא is an inadvertent addition based on v. 12, so that the text should be “[This is] the oracle against…,” but the formula typically uses the construct state to mean “the oracle about…,” and this would be the only case where Ezekiel uses this term for an oracle. It is also unlikely that this is a copulative sentence, “The prince is the oracle.” While Hebrew can make copulative sentences without a verb, it is odd to do so with articular nouns. The sequence article + noun + article + noun is normally: a case where the second term is an adverbial accusative of place or time, a case where the second term acts as an adjective, part of a list, a case of apposition, or an improper construct chain (or other textual issue involving one of the apparent articles). Besides this verse, only Jer 4:26 (הַכַּרְמֶל הַמִּדְבָּר, hakkarmel hammidbar, “Carmel is/had become a wilderness”) may be suggested as a place where this syntax makes a copulative sentence, but there the first word should be understood as a proper noun. Also if the syntax were this simple (“the A is the B”), one would have expected the versions to follow it.sn The prince in Jerusalem refers to King Zedekiah. The Hebrew termנָשִׂיא (nasi’, “leader, chief prince”) refers to one lifted up and here means the leader of Jerusalem. The idea in the message is: “As goes the king, so goes the city.” The fortunes of the city are bound up in and symbolized by the king.
- Ezekiel 12:10 tc The MT reads “within them.” Possibly a scribe copied this form from the following verse “among them,” but only “within it” makes sense in this context.
- Ezekiel 12:11 tn object lesson is מוֹפֵת (mofet, “wonder, sign”), which here refers to a sign or portent of bad things to come.
- Ezekiel 12:12 sn The prince is a reference to Zedekiah.
- Ezekiel 12:12 tn The words “his belongings” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.
- Ezekiel 12:12 tc The MT reads “they”; the LXX and Syriac read “he.”
- Ezekiel 12:13 tn Or “Babylonians” (NCV, NLT). sn The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah, while Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, uses both terms.
- Ezekiel 12:13 sn He will not see it. This prediction was fulfilled in 2 Kgs 25:7 and Jer 52:11, which recount how Zedekiah was blinded before being deported to Babylon.
- Ezekiel 12:13 sn There he will die. This was fulfilled when King Zedekiah died in exile (Jer 52:11).
- Ezekiel 12:18 tn The Hebrew term normally refers to an earthquake (see 1 Kgs 19:11; Amos 1:1).
- Ezekiel 12:23 tn Heb “the days draw near, and the word of every vision (draws near).”
Ezekiel 12
King James Version
12 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.
5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.
6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.
7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.
11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.
12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15 And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;
19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
21 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25 For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.
26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying.
27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 12
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 12
Acts Symbolic of the Exile.[a] 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes with which to see, but they do not see, and they have ears with which to hear, but they do not hear, for they are rebellious by their very nature.
3 Therefore, son of man, while they observe you, pack up your belongings and set off from your home into exile during the day. Perhaps this will cause them to understand that they are a rebellious people. 4 Bring out your belongings during the day as they are watching, and in the evening, again as they watch, go forth like one who has been driven into exile.
5 Then, as they continue to observe you, dig a hole in the wall and make your way through it. 6 In their presence, lift your pack onto your shoulder and set out into the darkness. Cover your face so that you may not see the land, for I have established you as a sign for the house of Israel.
7 I did exactly what I had been commanded. In the daytime I brought out my belongings that had been packed for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands. While they looked on, I set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden.
8 On the following morning, this word of the Lord was addressed to me: 9 Son of man, did the house of Israel, that rebellious people, not even ask you what you were doing? 10 Say to them: Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the entire house of Israel living within its territory. 11 Tell them: I am a sign for you. As I have done, so will it be done to them. As captives they will go into exile. 12 Their prince who is among them will shoulder his pack in the darkness and go out through a hole that he has dug in the wall. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.
13 However, I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will take him to Babylon, into the land of the Chaldeans, where he will die without ever seeing it. 14 As for his retinue, his attendants, and all his troops, I will scatter them to the four winds and pursue them with the sword.
15 Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them throughout foreign countries. 16 However, I will allow a few of them to escape the sword, famine, and pestilence so that they may relate all of their abominable practices to the nations where they have been exiled. Thus they will know that I am the Lord.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 Son of man, tremble as you eat your bread, and shake with anxiety as you drink your water, 19 and you are to say to the people of that land: Thus says the Lord about those who live in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread in fearfulness and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything within it because of the violence of all those who live there. 20 The inhabited cities will lie in ruins, and the land will be a desolate waste. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.
21 Fulfillment of Visions. This word of the Lord then came to me: 22 Son of man, there is a saying that has become fashionable in regard to the land of Israel: “The days drag by, and no visions are ever fulfilled.” 23 Therefore, tell the people: Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and it will never again be spoken in the land of Israel.
Rather, say to them: The days are close at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. 24 There will no longer be any false visions or deceptive divinations within the house of Israel. 25 For I, the Lord, will speak, and what I say will come true without the slightest delay. In your lifetime, O rebellious house, whatever I speak will be fulfilled, says the Lord God.
26 This word of the Lord then came to me: 27 Son of man, the house of Israel is saying, “The vision that this man relates is meant to be fulfilled in the far distant future.” 28 Therefore say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: The fulfillment of my words will not be delayed any longer. What I have said will be done now. This is the word of the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:1 Israel will go into exile; her king, after trying to escape, will leave Palestine, blinded and in chains (see 2 Ki 25:4-7).
Ezekiel 12
New King James Version
Judah’s Captivity Portrayed
12 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of (A)a rebellious house, which (B)has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; (C)for they are a rebellious house.
3 “Therefore, son of man, prepare your belongings for captivity, and go into captivity by day in their sight. You shall go from your place into captivity to another place in their sight. It may be that they will consider, though they are a rebellious house. 4 By day you shall bring out your belongings in their sight, as though going into captivity; and at evening you shall go in their sight, like those who go into captivity. 5 Dig through the wall in their sight, and carry your belongings out through it. 6 In their sight you shall bear them on your shoulders and carry them out at twilight; you shall cover your face, so that you cannot see the ground, (D)for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel.”
7 So I did as I was commanded. I brought out my belongings by day, as though going into captivity, and at evening I dug through the wall with my hand. I brought them out at twilight, and I bore them on my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, (E)the rebellious house, said to you, (F)‘What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “This (G)burden[a] concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.” ’ 11 Say, (H)‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; (I)they shall be carried away into captivity.’ 12 And (J)the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. 13 I will also spread My (K)net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. (L)I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there. 14 (M)I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and (N)I will draw out the sword after them.
15 (O)“Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. 16 (P)But I will spare a few of their men from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the Gentiles wherever they go. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Judgment Not Postponed
17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (Q)eat your bread with [b]quaking, and drink your water with trembling and anxiety. 19 And say to the people of the land, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the land of Israel: “They shall eat their bread with anxiety, and drink their water with dread, so that her land may (R)be emptied of all who are in it, (S)because of the violence of all those who dwell in it. 20 Then the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall become desolate; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, (T)‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’? 23 Tell them therefore, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I will lay this proverb to rest, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel.” ’ But say to them, ‘ (U)“The days are at hand, and the [c]fulfillment of every vision. 24 For (V)no more shall there be any (W)false[d] vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I am the Lord. I speak, and (X)the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and (Y)perform it,” says the Lord God.’ ”
26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 (Z)“Son of man, look, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is (AA)for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 (AB)Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak (AC)will be done,” says the Lord God.’ ”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 12:10 oracle, prophecy
- Ezekiel 12:18 shaking
- Ezekiel 12:23 Lit. word
- Ezekiel 12:24 Lit. vain
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
