Old/New Testament

Ezekiel Is Watchman for Israel

33 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, speak to your people. Say to them: ‘I might bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men. They may make him their watchman. ³ This watchman might see the enemy coming to attack the land. And he blows the trumpet and warns the people. ⁴ A person might hear the sound of the trumpet, but do nothing. Then the enemy will come and kill him. That person will be responsible for his own death. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet. But he did not do anything. So he is to blame for his own death. If he had done something, he would have saved his own life. ⁶ But the watchman might see the enemy coming to attack and not blow the trumpet. So the people are not warned. Then the enemy comes and kills one of them. That person has died because of his own sin. But I will punish the watchman for the person’s death.’

⁷ “As for you, human being, I have made you a watchman for Israel. If you hear a message from me, you must warn them for me. ⁸ I might say to the wicked person: ‘Wicked man, you will surely die.’ But you might not speak to warn the evil person to stop doing evil. Then he will die while still a sinner. But I will punish you for his death. ⁹ But you might warn a wicked person to stop doing evil. If he does not stop, he will die while still a sinner. But you have saved your life.

¹⁰ “So you, human being, say to Israel: ‘You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?’ ¹¹ Say to them: ‘The Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. I do not want a wicked person to die. I want him to stop doing evil and live. Turn back! Turn back from your wicked ways! You don’t want to die, people of Israel.’

¹² “And you, human being, say to your people: ‘The goodness of a good person will not save him when he sins. The evil of the wicked person will not cause him to be punished if he turns from it. A good person will not be able to live by the good he did earlier if he sins.’ ¹³ I might tell the good person, “You will surely live.” But he might think he has done enough good and then do evil. Then none of the good things he did will be remembered. He will die because of the evil he has done. ¹⁴ Or, I might say to the wicked person, “You will surely die.” But he might turn from his sin and do what is right and honest. ¹⁵ He returns what somebody gave him as a promise to repay a loan. He pays back what he stole. He lives by the rules that give life. He does not sin. Then that one will surely live. He will not die. ¹⁶ He will not be punished for any of his sins. He now does what is right and fair. He will surely live.

¹⁷ “But your people say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their own way that is not fair. ¹⁸ The good person might turn from his goodness and do evil. Then he will die for his evil. ¹⁹ But the wicked person might stop doing evil and do what is right and fair. Then he will live. ²⁰ You still say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Israel, I will judge each of you by his own ways.”

The Fall of Jerusalem Explained

²¹ It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity. It was on the fifth day of the tenth month. A person who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me. He said, “Jerusalem has been defeated.” ²² Now I had felt the power of the Lord on me the evening before. The Lord had made me able to talk again. He did this before the person came to me in the morning. I could speak. I was not without speech anymore.

²³ Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ²⁴ “Human being, people who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: ‘Abraham was only one person. Yet he was given the land as his own. Surely the land has been given to us, who are many, as our very own.’ ²⁵ So say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You ask your idols for help. You murder people. Should you then have the land as your very own? ²⁶ You depend on your sword. You do terrible things which I hate. Each of you commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife. So should you have the land?’

²⁷ “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. Those who are among the city ruins in Israel will be killed in war. Those who live in the country will be eaten by wild animals. People hiding in the strong places and caves will die of disease. ²⁸ I will make the land an empty desert. The people’s pride in the land’s power will end. The mountains of Israel will become empty. No one will pass through them. ²⁹ They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an empty desert. This is because of the things they have done that I hate.’

³⁰ “But as for you, human being, your people talk against you. They talk by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to each other: ‘Come now, and hear the message from the Lord.’ ³¹ So they come to you as if they are still my people. They sit before you. They hear your words. But they will not do them. With their mouths they tell me they love me. But their hearts desire their selfish profits. ³² To your people you are nothing more than a singer who sings love songs. You are like one who has a beautiful voice. You are like one who plays a musical instrument well. They hear your words, but they will not do them.

³³ “This will come true. It will surely happen. Then the people will know that a prophet has been among them.”

The Leaders Are Like Shepherds

34 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, prophesy against the leaders of Israel, who are like shepherds. Prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: How terrible it will be for the shepherds of Israel who feed only themselves! Why don’t the shepherds feed the flock? ³ You eat the milk curds from the sheep. You clothe yourselves with the wool from the sheep. You kill the fat sheep. But you do not feed the flock. ⁴ You have not made the weak strong. You have not healed the sick. You have not put bandages on those that were hurt. You have not brought back those who strayed away. You have not searched for the lost. You ruled the sheep with cruel force. ⁵ The sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd. Then they became food for every wild animal. ⁶ My flock wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over all the face of the earth. And no one searched or looked for them.

⁷ “‘So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: ⁸ As surely as I live, my flock has been caught. It has become food for all the wild animals. This is because the flock has no shepherd. The shepherds did not search for my flock. No, they fed themselves instead of my flock. ⁹ So, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ¹⁰ This is what the Lord God says: I am against the shepherds. I will blame them for what has happened to my sheep. I will not let them tend the flock anymore. Then the shepherds will stop feeding themselves. And I will take my flock from their mouths. My sheep will no longer be their food.

¹¹ “‘This is what the Lord God says: I, myself, will search for my sheep. I will take care of them. ¹² A shepherd will take care of his scattered flock when it is found. In the same way I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they are scattered. I will do this on a cloudy and dark day. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations. I will gather them from the countries. I will bring them to their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains and in the ravines of Israel. And I will feed them in all the places where people live in the land. ¹⁴ I will feed them in a good pasture. They will eat grass on the high mountains of Israel. They will lie down on good ground where they eat grass. They will eat in rich grassland on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will feed my flock and lead them to rest, says the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost. I will bring back those that were scattered. I will put bandages on those that were hurt. I will make the weak strong. I will destroy those sheep that are fat and strong. I will tend the sheep with fairness.

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Lord God says: And as for you, my flock, I will judge between one sheep and another. I will judge between the male sheep and the male goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enough for you to eat grass in the good land? Must you crush the rest of the grass with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you make the rest of the water muddy with your feet? ¹⁹ Must my flock eat what you crush? And must they drink what you make muddy with your feet?

²⁰ “‘So this is what the Lord God says to them: I, myself, will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. ²¹ You push with your side and with your shoulder. You knock down all the weak sheep with your horns. You do this until you have forced them away. ²² So I will save my flock. They will not be hurt anymore. I will judge between one sheep and another. ²³ Then I will put one shepherd over them, my servant David. He will feed them. He will tend them and will be their shepherd. ²⁴ Then I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David will be a ruler among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.

²⁵ “‘And I will make an agreement of peace with my sheep. I will remove harmful animals from the land. Then the sheep will live safely in the desert. And they will sleep in the woods without danger. ²⁶ I will bless them and let them live around my hill. I will cause the rains to come when it is time for them. There will be showers to bless them. ²⁷ Also the trees of the field will give their fruit. The land will give its harvest. And the sheep will be safe on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will break the bars of their captivity. And I will save them from the power of those who made them slaves. ²⁸ They will not be led captive by the nations again. The wild animals will not eat them. But they will live safely. No one will make them afraid. ²⁹ I will give them a place famous for its good crops. Then they will no longer suffer from hunger in the land. They will not suffer the insults of other nations anymore. ³⁰ Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. The nation of Israel will know that they are my people, says the Lord God. ³¹ And you, my sheep, are the sheep of my pasture. You are my people and I am your God, says the Lord God.’”

The Flock of God

5 Now I have something to say to the elders in your group. I am also an elder. I myself have seen Christ’s sufferings. And I will share in the glory that will be shown to us. I beg you to ² take care of God’s flock, his people, that you are responsible for. Watch over it because you want to, not because you are forced to do it. That is how God wants it. Do it because you are happy to serve, not because you want money. ³ Do not be like a ruler over people you are responsible for. Be good examples to them. ⁴ Then when Christ, the Head Shepherd, comes, you will get a crown. This crown will be glorious, and it will never lose its beauty.

⁵ In the same way, younger men should be willing to be under older men. And all of you should be very humble with each other.

⁶ So be humble under God’s powerful hand. Then he will lift you up when the right time comes. ⁷ Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.

⁸ Control yourselves and be careful! The devil is your enemy. And he goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat. ⁹ Refuse to give in to the devil. Stand strong in your faith. You know that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are having the same sufferings you have.

¹⁰ Yes, you will suffer for a short time. But after that, God will make everything right. He will make you strong. He will support you and keep you from falling. He is the God who gives all grace. He called you to share in his glory in Christ. That glory will continue forever. ¹¹ All power is his forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹² I wrote this short letter with the help of Silas. I know that he is a faithful brother in Christ. I wrote to comfort and encourage you. I wanted to tell you that this is the true grace of God. Stand strong in that grace.

¹³ The church in Babylon sends you greetings. They were chosen the same as you. Mark, my son in Christ, also greets you. ¹⁴ Give each other a kiss of Christian love when you meet.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.