Ezekiel Prepares for Exile

12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, you live in the ^(A)midst of the ^(B)rebellious house, who ^(C)have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. ³ So as for you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; that is, go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. ^(D)Perhaps they will ^[a]understand, though they are a rebellious house. ⁴ Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you shall go out ^(E)at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile. ⁵ Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and ^[b]go out through it. ⁶ Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall ^(F)cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a ^(G)sign to the house of Israel.”

⁷ Then I ^(H)did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I ^(I)brought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage 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 the house of Israel, the ^(J)rebellious house, not said to you, ‘^(K)What are you doing?’ ¹⁰ Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord ^[c]God says: “This ^(L)pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are ^[d]in it.”’ ¹¹ Say, ‘I am ^[e]a ^(M)sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will ^(N)go into exile, into captivity.’ ¹² The ^(O)prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. ^[f]They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out through it. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. ¹³ I will also spread My ^(P)net over him, and he will be caught in My net. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will ^(Q)not see it, though he will die there. ¹⁴ And I will ^(R)scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. ¹⁵ So they will ^(S)know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. ¹⁶ But I will ^[g]spare a few of them from the ^(T)sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and ^[h]may ^(U)know that I am the Lord.”