Ezekiel 3
New American Standard Bible
Ezekiel’s Commission
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; (A)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I (B)opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and (C)fill your [a]body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I (D)ate it, and it was as sweet as (E)honey in my mouth.
4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, [b]go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For (F)you are not being sent to a people of [c](G)unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of [d]unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. [e]But I have sent you to [f]the people who understand you; 7 yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, since they are (H)not willing to listen to Me. The entire house of Israel certainly is [g]stubborn and obstinate. 8 Behold, I have made your face just as hard as their faces, and your forehead just as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint I have made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, since they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, take into your heart all My (I)words which I will speak to you and listen [h]closely. 11 [i]Go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or [j]not, ‘This is what the Lord [k]God says.’”
12 Then the (J)Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great (K)rumbling sound behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place!” 13 And I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another and the sound of the (L)wheels beside them, even a great rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away; and I went embittered in the rage of my spirit, and (M)the hand of the Lord was strong on me. 15 Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the river Chebar at Tel-abib, and I sat there for (N)seven days where they were living, causing consternation among them.
16 Now (O)at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a (P)watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, (Q)warn them from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way so that he may live, that wicked person shall die for wrongdoing, but his (R)blood I will require from your hand. 19 However if you have (S)warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die for wrongdoing, but you have (T)saved yourself. 20 Again, (U)when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, and I place an (V)obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require from your hand. 21 However, if you have (W)warned [l]the righteous person that the righteous is not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall certainly live because he took warning; and you have saved yourself.”
22 Now the hand of the Lord was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will (X)speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the (Y)glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory that (Z)I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face. 24 But the (AA)Spirit entered me and set me up on my feet; and He spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And as for you, son of man, they will (AB)put ropes [m]around you and bind you with them so that you do not go out among them. 26 Moreover, (AC)I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be unable to speak and will not be a man who reprimands them, since they are a rebellious house. 27 But (AD)when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [n]God says:’ The one who hears, let him hear; and the one who refuses, let him refuse; (AE)for they are a rebellious house.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:3 Lit inward parts
- Ezekiel 3:4 Lit go, come
- Ezekiel 3:5 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
- Ezekiel 3:6 Lit deep lip and heavy tongue
- Ezekiel 3:6 Or I certainly have sent
- Ezekiel 3:6 Lit them, they understand
- Ezekiel 3:7 Lit of a hard forehead and hard of heart
- Ezekiel 3:10 Lit with your ears
- Ezekiel 3:11 Lit Go, come
- Ezekiel 3:11 Lit refrain
- Ezekiel 3:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Ezekiel 3:21 Lit him, the righteous
- Ezekiel 3:25 Lit on
- Ezekiel 3:27 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Ezekiel 3
New King James Version
The Responsibility of the Prophet
3 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; (A)eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll.
3 And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I (B)ate, and it was in my mouth (C)like honey in sweetness.
4 Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, 6 not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, (D)had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you, (E)because they will not listen to Me; (F)for all the house of Israel are [a]impudent and hard-hearted. 8 Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads. 9 (G)Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; (H)do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
10 Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, (I)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.”
12 Then (J)the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous voice: “Blessed is the (K)glory of the Lord from His place!” 13 I also heard the (L)noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels beside them, and a great thunderous noise. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the [b]heat of my spirit; but (M)the hand of the Lord was strong upon me. 15 Then I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and (N)I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
Ezekiel Is a Watchman
16 Now it (O)came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 17 (P)“Son of man, I have made you (Q)a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them (R)warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man (S)shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; (T)but you have delivered your soul.
20 “Again, when a (U)righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”
22 (V)Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out (W)into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.”
23 So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, (X)the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I (Y)saw by the River Chebar; (Z)and I fell on my face. 24 Then (AA)the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25 And you, O son of man, surely (AB)they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them. 26 (AC)I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and (AD)not be [c]one to rebuke them, (AE)for they are a rebellious house. 27 (AF)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, (AG)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:7 Lit. strong of forehead
- Ezekiel 3:14 Or anger
- Ezekiel 3:26 Lit. one who rebukes
Ezekiel 3
King James Version
3 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
3 And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.
13 I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.
14 So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me.
15 Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
16 And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
20 Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
21 Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
22 And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
23 Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.
24 Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.
25 But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:
26 And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.
27 But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 3
Revised Standard Version
3 1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go, get you to the house of Israel, and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9 Like adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead; fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go, get you to the exiles, to your people, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’; whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
Ezekiel at the River Chebar
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the Lord arose[a] from its place, I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake; 13 it was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, that sounded like a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me; 15 and I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Chebar.[b] And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life. 20 Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you will have saved your life.”
Ezekiel Isolated and Silenced
22 And the hand of the Lord was there upon me; and he said to me, “Arise, go forth into the plain,[c] and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went forth into the plain;[d] and lo, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 24 But the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people; 26 and I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be dumb and unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’; he that will hear, let him hear; and he that will refuse to hear, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:12 Cn: Heb blessed be the glory of the Lord
- Ezekiel 3:15 Heb Chebar, and to where they dwelt. Another reading is Chebar, and I sat where they sat
- Ezekiel 3:22 Or valley
- Ezekiel 3:23 Or valley
Ezekiel 3
English Standard Version
3 And he said to me, (A)“Son of man, eat whatever you find here. (B)Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” (C)Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth (D)as sweet as honey.
4 And he said to me, (E)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. (F)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 (G)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel (H)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 (I)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like (J)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. (K)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, (L)all my words that I shall speak to you receive (M)in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, (N)to your people, and speak to them and say to them, (O)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ (P)whether they hear or refuse to hear.”
12 (Q)Then the Spirit[a] lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice[b] of (R)a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of (S)the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of (T)a great earthquake. 14 (U)The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the (V)hand of the Lord being strong upon me. 15 (W)And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling (X)by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.[c] And (Y)I sat there (Z)overwhelmed among them (AA)seven days.
A Watchman for Israel
16 (AB)And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 (AC)“Son of man, (AD)I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall (AE)give them warning from me. 18 (AF)If I say to the wicked, (AG)‘You shall surely die,’ (AH)and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person (AI)shall die for[d] his iniquity, (AJ)but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 (AK)But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, (AL)but you (AM)will have delivered your soul. 20 (AN)Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, (AO)and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. (AP)Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, (AQ)and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, (AR)but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”
22 (AS)And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into (AT)the valley,[e] and (AU)there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, (AV)the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen (AW)by the Chebar canal, (AX)and I fell on my face. 24 (AY)But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, (AZ)cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that (BA)you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, (BB)for they are a rebellious house. 27 (BC)But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, (BD)‘Thus says the Lord God.’ (BE)He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 3:12 Or the wind; also verse 14
- Ezekiel 3:12 Or sound
- Ezekiel 3:15 Or Chebar, and to where they dwelt
- Ezekiel 3:18 Or in; also verses 19, 20
- Ezekiel 3:22 Or plain; also verse 23
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
