He 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.(A) The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.(B) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’(C) And whether they listen or fail to listen(D)—for they are a rebellious people(E)—they will know that a prophet has been among them.(F) And you, son of man, do not be afraid(G) of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns(H) 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.(I) You must speak(J) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.(K)

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He said to me: Human one, I’m sending you to the Israelites, a traitorous and rebellious people. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. I’m sending you to their hardheaded and hard-hearted descendants, and you will say to them: The Lord God proclaims. Whether they listen or whether they refuse, since they are a household of rebels, they will know that a prophet has been among them.

And as for you, human one, don’t be afraid of them or their words. Don’t be afraid! You possess thistles and thorns that subdue scorpions.[a] Don’t be afraid of their words or shrink from their presence, because they are a household of rebels. You’ll speak my words to them whether they listen or whether they refuse. They are just a household[b] of rebels!

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:6 Or thistles and thorns are with you, and you sit on scorpions.
  2. Ezekiel 2:7 LXX, Syr, Tg; MT lacks household.