Ezekiel 2:1-3:3

New International Version

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

2 He said to me, “Son of man,^[a]^(A) stand^(B) up on your feet and I will speak to you.^(C)” ²As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me^(D) to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

³He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.^(E) ⁴The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.^(F) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(G) ⁵And whether they listen or fail to listen^(H)—for they are a rebellious people^(I)—they will know that a prophet has been among them.^(J) ⁶And you, son of man, do not be afraid^(K) of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns^(L) are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(M) ⁷You must speak^(N) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.^(O) ⁸But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel^(P) like that rebellious people;^(Q) open your mouth and eat^(R) what I give you.”

⁹Then I looked, and I saw a hand^(S) stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,^(T) ¹⁰which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.^(U)

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ²So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate^(V) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey^(W) in my mouth.

Footnotes

Ezekiel 2:1 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being. The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here and throughout Ezekiel because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.

Lamentations 3:17-33

New International Version

¹⁷I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”^(A)

¹⁹I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness^(B) and the gall.^(C)
²⁰I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast^(D) within me.^(E)
²¹Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²²Because of the Lord’s great love^(F) we are not consumed,^(G)
    for his compassions never fail.^(H)
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.^(I)
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;^(J)
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;^(K)
²⁶it is good to wait quietly^(L)
    for the salvation of the Lord.^(M)
²⁷It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

²⁸Let him sit alone in silence,^(N)
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹Let him bury his face in the dust^(O)—
    there may yet be hope.^(P)
³⁰Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,^(Q)
    and let him be filled with disgrace.^(R)

³¹For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.^(S)
³²Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.^(T)
³³For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.^(U)

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Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

New International Version

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time^(A) for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,^(B)
³    a time to kill^(C) and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵    a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶    a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷    a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent^(D) and a time to speak,
⁸    a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.