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Ezekiel 4
Expanded Bible
Ezekiel 4
Expanded Bible
The Map of Jerusalem
4 “Now, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], get yourself a brick, put it in front of you, and ·draw [inscribe; engrave] ·a map [L the city] of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then ·surround it with an army [lay a siege against it]. Build ·battle [siege] works against the city and a ·dirt road to the top of the city walls [siege ramp/mound against it]. Set up camps around it, and put ·heavy logs in place to break down the walls [battering rams all around]. 3 Then get yourself an iron ·plate [pan] and set it up like an iron wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city ·as if to attack it [or and it will be under siege] and then ·attack [besiege it]. This is a sign to [L the house of] Israel.
4 “Then lie down on your left side, and take the ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] of [L the house of] Israel on yourself. Their ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] will be on you for the number of days you lie on your left side. 5 I have ·given [assigned to] you the same number of days as the years of the people’s sin. So you will have the ·guilt of Israel’s sin on you [punishment/iniquity of the house of Israel] for three hundred ninety days.
6 “After you have finished these days, lie down a second time, on your right side. You will then have the ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] of [L the house of] Judah on you. I will give it to you for forty days, a day for each ·year of their sin [L year]. 7 Then you will ·look [L turn your face] toward Jerusalem, which is being ·attacked [besieged]. With your arm bare, you will prophesy against Jerusalem. 8 [L And look/T behold] I will put ·ropes [cords] on you so you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your ·attack on Jerusalem [siege].
9 “Take wheat, barley, beans, ·small peas [lentils], millet and spelt [C a kind of wheat; all foods common to Babylon, where Ezekiel was exiled], and put them in one ·bowl [vessel; container], and make them into bread for yourself. You will eat it the three hundred ninety days you lie on your side. 10 You will eat ·eight ounces [L twenty shekels] of food ·every day at set times [L from time to time]. 11 You will ·drink [L measure out and drink] ·about two-thirds of a quart [L a sixth of a hin] of water ·every day at set times [L from time to time]. 12 Eat your food as you would eat a barley cake, baking it over human dung where the people can see.” 13 Then the Lord said, “In the same way [L the sons/T children of] Israel will eat unclean food [C ritually; Lev. 11] among the nations where I ·force them to go [drive/banish them].”
14 But I said, “·No [Ah], Lord God! I have never ·been made unclean [defiled myself; C ritually]. From the time I was young until now I’ve never eaten anything that died ·by itself [naturally; C a carcass] or was ·torn [mauled] by ·animals [wild beasts]. ·Unclean [Impure; C ritually] meat has never entered my mouth.”
15 “Very well,” he said. “Then I will give you cow’s dung instead of human dung to use for your fire to bake your bread.”
16 He also said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], I am going to cut off the supply of bread to Jerusalem. They will eat the bread that is measured out to them, and they will ·worry as they eat [eat anxiously]. They will drink water that is measured out to them, and they will be in ·shock [terror; dismay] as they drink it. 17 This is because bread and water will be hard to find [C because of the siege] The people will be ·shocked [terrified; dismayed] at the sight of each other, and they will ·become weak [waste away] because of their ·sin [punishment; iniquity].
Ezekiel 4
Common English Bible
Ezekiel 4
Common English Bible
Jerusalem’s siege
4 You, human one, take a brick. Put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Prepare the siege: Build a wall, construct ramps, set up army camps, and place battering rams all around. 3 Take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Face it directly. When it is under siege like this, press hard against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.
4 Now, lie on your left side, and set the guilt of the house of Israel on it. For the length of time that you lie on your side, you will bear their punishment. 5 I appoint to you three hundred ninety days, one day for each year of their guilt. So you will bear the punishment of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these days, lie on your right side to bear the guilt of the house of Judah. I appoint forty days to you, one day for each year. 7 With your arm stretched out, face the siege of Jerusalem directly and prophesy against it. 8 I’ve now bound you with cords so that you can’t turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.
9 You, gather some wheat and barley, beans and lentils, and millet and spelt. Put them in a bowl and make your bread from them. Eat it during the three hundred ninety days that you lie on your side. 10 At fixed times you will eat your food by weight, fourteen ounces a day.[a] 11 You will also ration your water by measure, drinking a sixth of a hin[b] at fixed times each day. 12 Eat it like barley bread, and bake it on human excrement while they watch. 13 The Lord says: In this same way the Israelites will eat their unclean bread among the nations where I am scattering them.
14 And I said: “Ah, Lord God! I’ve never been unclean! From my childhood until now I’ve never eaten anything that wasn’t properly slaughtered,[c] and no unclean meat has ever entered my mouth!”
15 He answered me: “Then I’ll let you use cow dung instead of human excrement. You can make your bread over that.”
16 Then he said to me: Human one, I’m destroying the food supply in Jerusalem. They will anxiously ration and eat their food, and in dismay they will dole out and drink their water. 17 When their food and water dwindles away, everyone will be horrified, and they will waste away because of their guilt.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 4:10 Or twenty shekels
- Ezekiel 4:11 A hin is approximately one gallon.
- Ezekiel 4:14 Or what died of itself or was torn by wild beasts
Ezekiel 4
King James Version
Ezekiel 4
King James Version
4 Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
2 And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.
3 Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
7 Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
8 And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.
10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
13 And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
14 Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.
Ezekiel 4
New King James Version
Ezekiel 4
New King James Version
The Siege of Jerusalem Portrayed
4 “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 (A)Lay siege against it, build a (B)siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be (C)besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. (D)This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. 5 For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; (E)so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.
7 “Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it. 8 (F)And surely I will [a]restrain you so that you cannot turn from one side to another till you have ended the days of your siege.
9 “Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”
13 Then the Lord said, “So (G)shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”
14 So I said, (H)“Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten (I)what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has (J)abominable[b] flesh ever come into my mouth.”
15 Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.”
16 Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, surely I will cut off the (K)supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall (L)eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall (M)drink water by measure and with dread, 17 that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and (N)waste away because of their iniquity.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 4:8 Lit. put ropes on
- Ezekiel 4:14 Ritually unclean flesh, Lev. 7:18
Ezekiel 4
New International Version
Ezekiel 4
New International Version
Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized
4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp(A) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.(B) 3 Then take an iron pan,(C) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward(D) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign(E) to the people of Israel.(F)
4 “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. 5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.
6 “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin(G) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.(H) 7 Turn your face(I) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.(J)
9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;(K) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels[b](L) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin[c] of water and drink it at set times.(M) 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement(N) for fuel.” 13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”(O)
14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord!(P) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead(Q) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.(R)”
15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”
16 He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off(S) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,(T) 17 for food and water will be scarce.(U) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of[d] their sin.(V)
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 4:4 Or upon your side
- Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
- Ezekiel 4:11 That is, about 2/3 quart or about 0.6 liter
- Ezekiel 4:17 Or away in
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.