Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Ezekiel Is Watchman for Israel

33 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: ² “Human, speak to your people and say to them: ‘Suppose I bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men and make him their watchman. ³ When he sees the enemy coming to attack the land, he will blow the trumpet and warn the people. ⁴ If they hear the sound of the trumpet but do nothing, the enemy will come and kill them. They will be responsible for their own deaths. ⁵ They heard the sound of the trumpet but didn’t do anything. So they are to blame for their own deaths. If they had done something, they would have saved their own lives. ⁶ But if the watchman sees the enemy coming to attack and does not blow the trumpet, the people will not be warned. Then if the enemy comes and kills any of them, they have died because of their own sin. But I will punish the watchman for their deaths.’

²⁹ “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives. ³⁰ You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.’ ³¹ But you give proof that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. ³² And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started.

³³ “You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! How are you going to escape God’s judgment? ³⁴ So I tell you this: I am sending to you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will beat in your synagogues and chase from town to town. ³⁵ So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth—from the murder of that good man Abel to the murder of Zechariah^[a] son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. ³⁶ I tell you the truth, all of these things will happen to you people who are living now.