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Ezekiel Sees the Lord's Glory
I am Ezekiel—a priest and the son of Buzi. Five years after King Jehoiachin of Judah had been led away as a prisoner to Babylonia, I was living near the Chebar River among those who had been taken there with him. Then on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, the heavens suddenly opened. The Lord placed his hand upon me and showed me some visions.
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The Lord Chooses Ezekiel
The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.”
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Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop.
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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.
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The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go speak to the people of Israel.”
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The Lord said: Ezekiel, I am sending you to your own people.
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The Lord Appoints Ezekiel To Stand Watch
(Ezekiel 33.1-9)
Seven days after I had seen the brightness of the Lord's glory, the Lord said:
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Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me.
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Ezekiel Cannot Talk
The Lord took control of me and said, “Stand up! Go into the valley, and I will talk with you there.”
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Ezekiel Acts Out an Attack on Jerusalem
The Lord said:
Ezekiel, son of man, find a brick and sketch a picture of Jerusalem on it.
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Ezekiel, the people of Jerusalem will starve. They will have so little food and water that they will be afraid and hopeless.
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Jerusalem's Coming Destruction
The Lord said:
Ezekiel, son of man, get a sharp sword and use it to cut off your hair and beard. Weigh the hair and divide it into three equal piles.
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Ezekiel, son of man, face the hills of Israel and tell them:
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The Lord God then said: Ezekiel, beat your fists together and stomp your feet in despair! Moan in sorrow, because the people of Israel have done disgusting things and now will be killed by enemy troops, or they will die from starvation and disease.
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Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel that I am saying: Israel will soon come to an end! Your whole country is about to be destroyed
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Ezekiel Sees the Terrible Sins of Jerusalem
Six years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the leaders of Judah were meeting with me in my house. On the fifth day of the sixth month, the Lord God suddenly took control of me,
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God said to me, “Ezekiel, son of man, look north.” And when I did, I saw that repulsive idol by the altar near the gate.
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God said, “Ezekiel, do you see what horrible things Israel's leaders are doing in secret? They have filled their rooms with idols. And they say I can't see them, because they think I have already deserted Israel.
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God said, “Ezekiel, it's bad enough that the people of Judah are doing these disgusting things. But they have also spread violence and injustice everywhere in Israel and have made me very angry. They have disgraced and insulted me in the worst possible way.
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Ezekiel Condemns Jerusalem's Wicked Leaders
The Lord's Spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the temple, where I saw 25 men, including the two leaders, Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah.
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The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, these men are making evil plans and giving dangerous advice to the people of Jerusalem.
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So, Ezekiel, condemn them!”
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Ezekiel, son of man, the people living in Jerusalem claim that you and the other Israelites who were taken to Babylonia are too far away to worship me. They also claim that the land of Israel now belongs only to them.
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Ezekiel Acts Out Israel's Captivity
The Lord said:
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Ezekiel, son of man, you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but refuse to see; they have ears, but refuse to listen.
