“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;(A) 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[a](B) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin[b] of water and drink it at set times.(C) 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement(D) 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.”(E)

14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord!(F) I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead(G) or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.(H)

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(I) the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,(J) 17 for food and water will be scarce.(K) They will be appalled at the sight of each other and will waste away because of[c] their sin.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:10 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  2. Ezekiel 4:11 That is, about 2/3 quart or about 0.6 liter
  3. Ezekiel 4:17 Or away in

“And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer,[a] and put them into a single vessel and make your (A)bread from them. (B)During the number of days that you lie on your side, (C)390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be (D)by weight, (E)twenty shekels[b] a day; from day to day[c] you shall eat it. 11 And water you shall drink (F)by measure, the sixth part of a hin;[d] from day to day you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it (G)in their sight on human dung.” 13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat (H)their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, (I)“Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself.[e] (J)From my youth up till now I have never eaten (K)what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has (L)tainted meat come into my mouth.” 15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 16 Moreover, he said to me, (M)“Son of man, behold, (N)I will break the supply[f] of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread (O)by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water (P)by measure and in dismay. 17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and (Q)look at one another in dismay, and (R)rot away because of their punishment.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 4:9 A type of wheat
  2. Ezekiel 4:10 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  3. Ezekiel 4:10 Or at a set time daily; also verse 11
  4. Ezekiel 4:11 A hin was about 4 quarts or 3.5 liters
  5. Ezekiel 4:14 Hebrew my soul (or throat) has never been made unclean
  6. Ezekiel 4:16 Hebrew staff