Ezekiel 2

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

1God said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet. I want to speak to you."

Note"Son of man" is what God calls Ezekiel all through this book. It simply means "human being."

2And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

2As he spoke, God's Spirit came into me and lifted me onto my feet. Then I heard him speaking to me.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

3He said, "Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are a nation that has turned against me. They and their parents have disobeyed me. They are still doing it today."

4For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD.

4"They are stubborn children who will not listen. I am sending you to them. You must tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.'"

5And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

5"Maybe they will listen. Maybe they will refuse. They are a family that keeps turning against me. But they will know that a prophet, someone who tells people what God says, was among them."

NoteThe old word "forbear" here means to refuse to listen.

6And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

6"And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them. Do not be afraid of what they say. It will feel like sitting in sharp, thorny bushes. It will feel like living among stinging scorpions. Do not let their words scare you. Do not let their angry faces scare you. They are a family that keeps turning against me."

7And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

7"Speak my words to them anyway. Maybe they will listen. Maybe they will refuse. They keep turning against me."

8But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

8"But you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not turn against me like these people do. Open your mouth and eat what I give you."

9And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

9Then I looked. A hand was reaching out to me. In the hand was a scroll, a long sheet of writing rolled up.

10And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

10He unrolled it in front of me. There was writing on the front and the back. It was full of sad songs, crying, and trouble.