Daily Bread

⁴ He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.^{(A) 5} You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,^(B) but to the people of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.^{(C) 7} But the people of Israel are not willing to listen^(D) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.^{(E) 8} But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.^{(F) 9} I will make your forehead^(G) like the hardest stone, harder than flint.^(H) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(I)”

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart^(J) all the words I speak to you. ¹¹ Go^(K) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’^(L) whether they listen or fail to listen.^(M)”

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up,^(N) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^{[a] 13} It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures^(O) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.^{(P) 14} The Spirit^(Q) then lifted me up^(R) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord^(S) on me. ¹⁵ I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.^(T) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days^(U)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

¹⁶ At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:^{(V) 17} “Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(W) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^{(X) 18} When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(Y)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(Z) 19} But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn^(AA) from their wickedness^(AB) or from their evil ways, they will die^(AC) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.^(AD)

²⁰ “Again, when a righteous person turns^(AE) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(AF) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(AG) 21} But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.^(AH)”

²² The hand of the Lord^(AI) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go^(AJ) out to the plain,^(AK) and there I will speak to you.” ²³ So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,^(AL) and I fell facedown.^(AM)

²⁴ Then the Spirit came into me and raised me^(AN) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.^{(AO) 25} And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.^{(AP) 26} I will make your tongue stick to the roof^(AQ) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.^{(AR) 27} But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(AS) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.^(AT)