Old/New Testament
Ezekiel’s Commission to Prophesy
3 Then he told me, “Son of Man, eat! Eat what you see[a]—this scroll—and then go talk to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth and he fed me[b] the scroll.
3 Then he told me, “Son of Man, fill your stomach and digest this scroll that I’m giving you.” So I ate it, and it was like sweet honey in my mouth.
4 Then he told me, “Son of Man, go to the house of Israel and tell them what I have to say to them, 5 because you’re not going to a people whose speech you cannot understand or whose language is difficult to speak. Instead, you’re going to the house of Israel. 6 This isn’t a large group of people whose speech is unintelligible to you or whose language is difficult for you to comprehend. Frankly, if I had sent you to that kind of people,[c] they would certainly have listened to you! 7 But the house of Israel won’t listen to you, since they weren’t willing to listen to me. That’s because the entire house of Israel is hard-headed and hard-hearted. 8 So pay attention! I’m going to make you just as obstinate[d] and unyielding as they are.[e] 9 I’m making you harder than flint—like diamond! So you are not to fear them or be intimidated by how they look at you,[f] since they’re a rebellious group.”
Ezekiel is Commissioned to Speak
10 Next, he told me, “Son of Man, take to heart every word that I’m telling you. Listen carefully, 11 then go immediately[g] to the exiles; that is, to your people’s descendants, and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says…’ whether they listen or not.”[h]
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up and I heard a great earthquake behind me and the glory of the Lord arose from his place, 13 accompanied by the sound of the wings of the living creatures gently touching each other and with the sound of the wheels emanating from the front, accompanied by a great earthquake.
Ezekiel Addresses the Israelis
14 Then the Spirit lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly with an angry attitude as the hand of the Lord rested on me. 15 I came to the exiles at Tel-abib by the Chebar River and sat down among them for seven days, appalled. 16 At the end of the seven days, this message from the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of Man,” he said,[i] “I’ve appointed you to be a watchman[j] over the house of Israel. Therefore when you hear a message that comes from me, you are to warn them for me.
18 “So when I say to a wicked person, ‘You’re about to die,’ if you don’t warn or instruct that wicked person that his behavior[k] is wicked so he can live, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I’ll hold you responsible for his death.[l] 19 If you warn the wicked person, and he doesn’t repent of his wickedness or of his wicked behavior,[m] he’ll die in his sin, but you will have saved your own life.
20 “When a righteous man abandons his righteousness to practice unrighteousness, I’ll set a stumbling block before him. He’ll die. If you don’t warn him, he’ll die in his sin and the righteous deeds that he had practiced won’t be remembered, but you’ll be held responsible for his death.[n] 21 If you warn the righteous person, so that he[o] doesn’t commit sin, then he’ll live, since he had been warned. And you will have saved your life.”
Ezekiel Sees God in the Valley
22 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he told me, “Get up! Go to the valley, and I’ll speak with you there.” 23 So I got up, went to the valley, and there was the glory of the Lord, standing there just like[p] I had seen at the Chebar River. So I fell on my face.
24 The Spirit entered me, rested on me, caused me to stand on my feet, and then he spoke to me. This is what he had to say: “Go barricade yourself in your house. 25 Now pay attention! They’re going to bind you with ropes, tying you up right in their midst, so you won’t be able to circulate freely among them. 26 Meanwhile, I’ll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you’ll be mute and unable to reprove them, since they’re a rebellious group.[q] 27 But when I speak with you, I’ll open your mouth so you can say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“As for those who will listen,
‘Let them listen,’
but as for those who refuse,
‘Let them refuse,’
since they’re a rebellious group.”’”[r]
The Vision of the Brick
4 “And now Son of Man, you are to take a brick,[s] set it in front of you, and inscribe on it the outline of[t] the city—that is, Jerusalem.[u] 2 You are to lay siege against it, build a rampart around it, set a bulwark against it, encircle it with a berm, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it. 3 Then you are to take a flat, iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city.
“Next, you are to turn toward it, oppose[v] it, and place it under siege, because you are to lay siege to it. All of this will serve as a sign to the house of Israel.
4 “Now as for you, you are to sleep[w] on your left side, symbolically[x] bearing the punishment[y] of the house of Israel while you’re counting the days you’ll be sleeping on your left side[z] to bear symbolically[aa] the punishment for[ab] their sin. 5 I’ve assigned you to sleep this way for 390 days, representing the years they’ve been sinning,[ac] as you bear symbolically[ad] the punishment of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed this, you are to sleep[ae] on your right side, symbolically[af] bearing the iniquity of Judah for 40 days. Each day that I’ve assigned to you represents one year. 7 After this, you are to turn toward the rampart of Jerusalem and oppose[ag] it with your bare arms, because I’m going to prophesy about it. 8 Look! I’ll tie you up[ah] so that you’re unable to turn from one side to the other until you’ve completed your siege.”
Ezekiel’s Menu
9 “Furthermore, you are to take some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and mix them together in one container. Then you are to make bread from these grains sufficient to supply you through the time during which you’ll be sleeping on your side. You are to eat it for 390 days. 10 The food that you’ll be eating is to consist of portions weighing 20 shekels,[ai] to be consumed daily at regular intervals.[aj] 11 You are to measure one sixth of one hin[ak] of water each time you drink it. 12 You are to eat it as barley cakes and bake it right in front of them, using dried human dung for cooking fuel.”[al]
13 Then the Lord said, “This is how the Israelis will be eating unclean food among the nations, where I’ll be sending them.”
14 “Now, Lord God,” I replied, “I’ve never been defiled, ever since I was young until now. I haven’t eaten an animal that died on its own or was torn by beasts, and no unclean meat has ever entered my mouth!”
15 “Very well,” he responded. “I’ll allow you to substitute cow’s dung for human dung. Cook your food[am] over that.”
16 He also told me, “Son of Man, look! I’m about to disrupt the source[an] of bread in Jerusalem. As a result, they’ll ration bread by weight while their terror continues to grow and they’ll ration drinking water while their horror continues to mount! 17 Indeed, they’ll need bread and water, but everyone will be panic-stricken as they waste away in their iniquity.”
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons “and worshipped while leaning[a] on the top of his staff.”
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelis and gave them instructions about burying[b] his bones.
23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after he was born, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and were not afraid of the king’s order.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 because he preferred being mistreated with God’s people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah[c] was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, without being afraid of the king’s anger, and he persevered because he saw the one who is invisible.
28 By faith he established the Passover and the sprinkling of blood to keep the destroyer of the firstborn from touching the people.[d]
29 By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it were dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had welcomed the spies with a greeting of[e] peace.
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 put out raging fires, escaped death by[f] the sword, found strength in weakness, became powerful in battle, and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received their dead raised back to life. Other people were brutally tortured, but refused to be ransomed, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Still others endured taunts and floggings, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins. They were needy, oppressed, and mistreated. 38 The world wasn’t worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and from caves to holes in the ground.
39 All these people won approval for their faith but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us, so that they would not be perfected without us.
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