Ezekiel

Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

1Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is in front of you. Eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the people of Israel."

NoteA "roll" in the King James Version is a scroll: a long sheet of writing rolled up. Books with pages did not exist yet.

2So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

2So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

3He said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you. Fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.

4And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

4Then he said to me, "Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.

5For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

5You are not being sent to a people whose speech is strange and whose language is hard to learn. You are sent to Israel.

6Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

6You are not being sent to many nations with strange speech and hard languages, whose words you could not understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

7But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

7But the people of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to me. All of Israel is stubborn and hard-hearted.

8Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

8Look, I will make your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

9As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

9I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or shaken by their looks, even though they are a rebellious people."

Note"Adamant" was the old word for the hardest known stone. Flint is a very hard rock used to make knives, so "harder than flint" means extremely hard.

10Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

10Then he said to me, "Son of man, listen closely to every word I speak to you, and take it into your heart.

11And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

11Now go to your own people, the ones taken away from home, and speak to them. Tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says,' whether they listen or refuse."

12Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.

12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and behind me I heard a loud rumbling sound: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD in his own place!"

13I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

13It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other, and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rumbling noise.

14So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

14So the Spirit lifted me up and carried me away. I went feeling bitter and angry inside, and the LORD's hand held me strongly.

15Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

15I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the River Chebar. I sat where they sat, and stayed there among them seven days, stunned.

16And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

16At the end of the seven days, the word of the LORD came to me. He said:

17Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, and give them my warning.

NoteA watchman stood on a city wall and shouted a warning when he saw danger coming. Ezekiel's job is to warn people the same way.

18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

18Suppose I say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak up to turn him from his evil way and save his life. He will die because of his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.

19Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

19But if you do warn the wicked man, and he does not turn from his wickedness or his evil way, he will die because of his sin. You, though, will have saved yourself.

20Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

20And if a good man turns away from doing right and does evil, and I put something in his path that trips him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin. The good things he did will not be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for his death.

21Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

21But if you warn the good man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live, because he took the warning. And you will have saved yourself."

22And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

22The hand of the LORD was on me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and I will talk with you there."

23Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

23So I got up and went out to the plain. The glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the River Chebar. I fell facedown.

24Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

24Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke with me and said, "Go, shut yourself inside your house.

25But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

25As for you, son of man, people will tie you up with ropes so you cannot go out among them.

26And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.

26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. You will be silent and unable to correct them, for they are a rebellious people.

Note"Dumb" here means unable to speak. It does not mean unintelligent.

27But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you will tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.' Whoever listens, let him listen. Whoever refuses, let him refuse. For they are a rebellious people."