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Ezekiel 12:1-16
New English Translation

Previewing the Exile

12 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house.[a] They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear,[b] because they are a rebellious house.

3 “Therefore, son of man, pack up your belongings as if for exile. During the day, while they are watching, pretend to go into exile. Go from where you live to another place. Perhaps they will understand,[c] although they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring out your belongings packed for exile during the day while they are watching. And go out at evening, while they are watching, as if for exile. 5 While they are watching, dig a hole in the wall and carry your belongings out through it. 6 While they are watching, raise your baggage onto your shoulder and carry it out in the dark.[d] You must cover your face so that you cannot see the ground[e] because I have made you an object lesson[f] to the house of Israel.”

7 So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage[g] on my shoulder while they watched.

8 The Lord’s message came to me in the morning: 9 “Son of man, has not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The prince will raise this burden in Jerusalem,[h] and all the house of Israel within it.’[i] 11 Say, ‘I am an object lesson[j] for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile and captivity.’

12 “The prince[k] who is among them will raise his belongings[l] onto his shoulder in darkness and will go out. He[m] will dig a hole in the wall to leave through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans[n] (but he will not see it),[o] and there he will die.[p] 14 All his retinue—his attendants and his troops—I will scatter to every wind; I will unleash a sword behind them.

15 “Then they will know that I am the Lord when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among foreign countries. 16 But I will let a small number of them survive the sword, famine, and pestilence, so that they can confess all their abominable practices to the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 12:2 sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).
  2. Ezekiel 12:2 sn This verse is very similar to Isa 6:9-10.
  3. Ezekiel 12:3 tn Heb “see.” This plays on the uses of “see” in v. 2. They will see his actions with their eyes and perhaps they will “see” with their mind, that is, understand or grasp the point.
  4. Ezekiel 12:6 tn Apart from this context the Hebrew term occurs only in Gen 15:17, in reference to the darkness after sunset. It may mean twilight.
  5. Ezekiel 12:6 tn Or “land” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  6. Ezekiel 12:6 sn See also Ezek 12:11 and 24:24, 27.
  7. Ezekiel 12:7 tn The words “my baggage” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied from the context.
  8. Ezekiel 12:10 tc The MT reads: “The prince, the load/oracle, this, in Jerusalem.” The term מַשָּׂא (massaʾ) may refer to a “burden” or prophetic “oracle” (the two homonyms also coming from the same root, cf. Isa 13:1). Also the preposition ב (bet) can mean “in” or “against.” The Targum says, “Concerning the prince is this oracle,” assuming the addition of a preposition. The LXX reads the word for “burden” as a synonym for leader, as both words are built on the same root, but the result does not make good sense in context. The current translation assumes that the verb יִשָּׂא (yisaʾ) from the root נָשָׂא (nasaʾ) has dropped out due to homoioteleuton (cf. vv. 7 and 12 for the verb). The original text would have three consecutive words based on the root נָשָׂא and an environment conducive to an omission in copying: הַנָּשִׂיא יִשָּׂא הַמַּשָּׂא הַזֶּה (hannasiʾ yissaʾ hammassaʾ hazzeh, “the prince will raise this burden”). Another possibility is that הַנָּשִׂיא is an inadvertent addition based on v. 12, so that the text should be “[This is] the oracle against…,” but the formula typically uses the construct state to mean “the oracle about…,” and this would be the only case where Ezekiel uses this term for an oracle. It is also unlikely that this is a copulative sentence, “The prince is the oracle.” While Hebrew can make copulative sentences without a verb, it is odd to do so with articular nouns. The sequence article + noun + article + noun is normally: a case where the second term is an adverbial accusative of place or time, a case where the second term acts as an adjective, part of a list, a case of apposition, or an improper construct chain (or other textual issue involving one of the apparent articles). Besides this verse, only Jer 4:26 (הַכַּרְמֶל הַמִּדְבָּר, hakkarmel hammidbar, “Carmel is/had become a wilderness”) may be suggested as a place where this syntax makes a copulative sentence, but there the first word should be understood as a proper noun. Also if the syntax were this simple (“the A is the B”), one would have expected the versions to follow it.sn The prince in Jerusalem refers to King Zedekiah. The Hebrew termנָשִׂיא (nasi’, “leader, chief prince”) refers to one lifted up and here means the leader of Jerusalem. The idea in the message is: “As goes the king, so goes the city.” The fortunes of the city are bound up in and symbolized by the king.
  9. Ezekiel 12:10 tc The MT reads “within them.” Possibly a scribe copied this form from the following verse “among them,” but only “within it” makes sense in this context.
  10. Ezekiel 12:11 tn object lesson is מוֹפֵת (mofet, “wonder, sign”), which here refers to a sign or portent of bad things to come.
  11. Ezekiel 12:12 sn The prince is a reference to Zedekiah.
  12. Ezekiel 12:12 tn The words “his belongings” are not in the Hebrew text but are implied.
  13. Ezekiel 12:12 tc The MT reads “they”; the LXX and Syriac read “he.”
  14. Ezekiel 12:13 tn Or “Babylonians” (NCV, NLT). sn The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah, while Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, uses both terms.
  15. Ezekiel 12:13 sn He will not see it. This prediction was fulfilled in 2 Kgs 25:7 and Jer 52:11, which recount how Zedekiah was blinded before being deported to Babylon.
  16. Ezekiel 12:13 sn There he will die. This was fulfilled when King Zedekiah died in exile (Jer 52:11).
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Ezekiel 12:1-16
American Standard Version

12 The word of Jehovah also came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the rebellious house, that have eyes to see, and see not, that have ears to hear, and hear not; for they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for [a]removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will [b]consider, though they are a rebellious house. 4 And thou shalt bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for [c]removing; and thou shalt go forth thyself at even in their sight, as when men go forth into exile. 5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. 6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulder, and carry it forth in the dark; thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the land: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for removing, and in the even I digged through the wall with my hand; I brought it forth in the dark, and bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

8 And in the morning came the word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? 10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: This [d]burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel [e]among whom they are. 11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them; they shall go into exile, into captivity. 12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the dark, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, because he shall not see the land with his eyes. 13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. 14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are round about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. 15 And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations whither they come; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 12:3 Or, exile
  2. Ezekiel 12:3 Or, perceive that they are
  3. Ezekiel 12:4 Or, exile
  4. Ezekiel 12:10 Or, oracle
  5. Ezekiel 12:10 Or, that are among them
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