“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

“Also take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side, 390 days. 10 The food you eat each day will weigh eight ounces;[a] you will eat it at set times.[b] 11 You will also drink a ration of water, a sixth of a gallon,[c] which you will drink at set times. 12 You will eat it as you would a barley cake and bake it over dried human excrement in their sight.” 13 The Lord said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their bread—ceremonially unclean—among the nations where I will banish them.”(A)

14 But I said, “Oh, Lord God, I have never been defiled. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally or was mauled by wild beasts.(B) And impure meat has never entered my mouth.”(C)

15 He replied to me, “Look, I will let you use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that.” 16 He said to me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem.(D) They will anxiously eat food they have weighed out and in dread drink rationed water(E) 17 for lack of bread and water. Everyone will be devastated and waste away because of their iniquity.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 4:10 Lit 20 shekels
  2. 4:10 Lit from time to time, also in v. 11
  3. 4:11 Lit hin