Old/New Testament
Eat the Scroll
3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find—eat this scroll. Then go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He gave me that scroll to eat, 3 as He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” I ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey.
4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel, 6 nor to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult tongue, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to Me. Surely the whole house of Israel has a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 I will make your forehead like adamant, harder than flint. Do not fear them. Do not be dismayed by their faces, for they are a rebellious house.”
10 Furthermore, He said to me: “Son of man, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all My words that I will speak to you. 11 Go to the exiles, to the children of your people. Speak to them. Tell them, ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim.’ Whether they will listen or whether they will refuse to listen.”
12 Then the Ruach lifted me up. I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake—“Blessed is the glory of Adonai from His place!”— 13 also the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, the sound of the wheels beside them and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Ruach lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit. The hand of Adonai was strong upon me. 15 I came to the exiles at Tel-Abib who lived by the river Chebar. I sat where they were dwelling. I sat there overwhelmed among them for seven days.
Watchman Must Warn
16 Now at the end of seven days, the word of Adonai came to me saying: 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak to warn the wicked of his wicked way, to save his life, that wicked person will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand. 19 Yet you, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul. 20 When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and acts perversely, I will lay a stumbling block before him and he will die. Because you have not warned him, he will die in his sin. His righteous deeds that he has done will not be remembered—but I will require his blood at your hand. 21 If you warn the righteous person not to sin and the righteous person does not sin, he will surely live, because he took warning. You will have delivered your soul.”
22 The hand of Adonai came upon me there. He said to me: “Arise, go out to the valley. I will speak with you there.” 23 So I arose, and went out to the valley. Behold, the glory of Adonai stood there—like the glory that I saw by the River Chebar—and I fell on my face. 24 The Ruach came into me, and stood me upon my feet. Then He spoke with me and said to me: “Go, shut yourself in your house. 25 You, son of man, behold, ropes will be put on you. You will be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth. You will be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth. You will say to them: ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim.’ he that hears, let him hear. He that refuses to hear, let him refuse—for they are a rebellious house.”
Ezekiel Portrays the Siege of Jerusalem
4 “Now you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you. Engrave on it a city, Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build earthworks against it, raise an assault ramp against it; pitch camps against it and place battering rams all around it. 3 Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face toward it so that it is under siege. So you will lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Then you are to lie on your left side, and set on it the punishment of the house of Israel; according to the number of days that you lie on it, you will bear their iniquity. 5 I have appointed the years of their punishment to you as a number of days—390 days. So you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these, you will lie on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah—40 days—a day for each year, I have appointed to you. 7 You will set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.
8 “Behold, I will put ropes upon you. You will not be able to turn from side to side until you have completed the days of your siege. 9 Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and rye, and put them in one bowl. You will make bread from them for the number of days that you will lie on your side; for 390 days, you will eat it. 10 The food that you will eat will be 20 shekels a day by weight[a]. You may eat from it from time to time. 11 You are also to drink water by measure, a sixth of a hin[b]. You may drink it from time to time. 12 Eat it as barley cakes. Bake it on human dung before their eyes.”
13 Then Adonai said, “This is how Bnei-Yisrael will eat their bread—unclean, among the nations where I will scatter them.”
14 Then I said, “Ah, Adonai Elohim! Behold, I have never defiled myself. From my youth up until now have I not eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts. Tainted meat has never come into my mouth.”
15 He said to me, “See, I have given you cow dung instead of human dung. So you will prepare your bread on it.” 16 Then he said to me, “Son of man, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, in anxiety, and they will drink water by measure, in horror. 17 On account of their lack of bread and water they will be appalled at one another and waste away in their iniquity.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he bowed in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, made mention of the exodus of Bnei-Yisrael and gave instructions about his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was an extraordinary child and they were not afraid of the king’s decree. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 Instead he chose to suffer mistreatment along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the disgrace of Messiah[a] as greater riches than the treasures of Egypt—because he was looking ahead to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger—for he persevered as if seeing the One who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the smearing of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as if on dry ground. When the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were circled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she welcomed the spies with shalom.
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets. 33 By faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, and made foreign armies flee.
35 Women received their dead raised back to life; and others were tortured, after not accepting release, so they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced the trial of mocking and scourging—yes, and even chains and prison.
37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were murdered with the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them! They wandered around in deserts and mountains, caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, though commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised— 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that only with us would they reach perfection.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.