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And He said unto me, Ben Adam, stand upon thy raglayim, and I will speak unto thee.

And the Ruach [Hakodesh] entered into me just as He spoke unto me, and stood me upon my raglayim, that I heard Him that spoke unto me.

And He said unto me, Ben Adam, I send thee to the Bnei Yisroel, to Goyim HaMoredim (Rebellious Nations [Tribes]) that hath rebelled against Me; they and their Avot have rebelled against Me, even unto this very day.

For they are stubborn banim and chizkei lev (stiffhearted). I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem.

And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will refrain from heeding— for they are a bais meri (house of rebellion), yet shall they know that there hath been a navi among them.

And thou, Ben Adam, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their devarim, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among akrabim (scorpions); be not afraid of their devarim, nor be afraid at their looks, for they are a bais meri.

And thou shalt speak My devarim unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will refrain from heeding; for they are meri (rebellious).

But thou, Ben Adam, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou meri (rebellious) like that bais hameri (rebellious house). Open thy mouth and eat what I give thee.

And when I looked, hinei, a yad was sent unto me; and, hinei, a megillat sefer was therein;

10 And He unrolled the megillah before me; and it was written on front and back: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

The Lord Chooses Ezekiel

The Lord[a] said, “Ezekiel, son of man,[b] I want you to stand up and listen.” After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the Lord said:

Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the Lord God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.

Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a bunch of scorpions. But be brave and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.

And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.

(A) Just then, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll.[c] 10 The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.

Footnotes

  1. 2.1 The Lord: Hebrew “The voice.”
  2. 2.1 Ezekiel, son of man: The Hebrew text has “Son of man,” which is often used in this book when the Lord speaks directly to Ezekiel. It means that Ezekiel is a mere human, yet he is the one the Lord has chosen to be his prophet who speaks for him to the people of Israel.
  3. 2.9 scroll: A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.

And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.