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
Tree of Life Version
Ezekiel Portrays the Siege of Jerusalem
4 “Now you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you. Engrave on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build earthworks against it, raise an assault ramp against it; pitch camps against it and place battering rams all around it. 3 Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face toward it so that it is under siege. So you will lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Then you are to lie on your left side, and set on it the punishment of the house of Israel; according to the number of days that you lie on it, you will bear their iniquity. 5 I have appointed the years of their punishment to you as a number of days—390 days. So you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these, you will lie on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah—40 days—a day for each year, I have appointed to you. 7 You will set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
8 “Behold, I will put ropes upon you. You will not be able to turn from side to side until you have completed the days of your siege. 9 Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and rye, and put them in one bowl. You will make bread from them for the number of days that you will lie on your side; for 390 days, you will eat it. 10 The food that you will eat will be 20 shekels a day by weight[a]. You may eat from it from time to time. 11 You are also to drink water by measure, a sixth of a hin[b]. You may drink it from time to time. 12 Eat it as barley cakes. Bake it on human dung before their eyes.”
13 Then Adonai said, “This is how Bnei-Yisrael will eat their bread—unclean, among the nations where I will scatter them.”
14 Then I said, “Ah, Adonai Elohim! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up until now have I not eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts. Tainted meat has never come into my mouth.”
15 He said to me, “See, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung. So you will prepare your bread on it.” 16 Then he said to me, “Son of man, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, in anxiety, and they will drink water by measure, in horror. 17 On account of their lack of bread and water they will be appalled at one another and waste away in their iniquity.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 4:10 About 8 ounces.
- Ezekiel 4:11 About 3 cups.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.