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.”