Ezekiel 3

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

1God said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find here." "Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the people of Israel." Son of man is God's name for Ezekiel. It means human being.

NoteThe old word "roll" means a scroll. Long ago, books were long sheets rolled up instead of pages.

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

2So I opened my mouth. God gave me the scroll to eat.

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.

3God said, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you." "Fill your stomach with it." So I ate it. In my mouth it tasted 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 God said to me, "Son of man, go to the people of Israel." "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;

5"I am not sending you to people who speak a strange, hard language." "I am sending you to your own people, 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.

6"You are not going to many far-off peoples 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.

7"But the people of Israel will not listen to you." "That is because they will not listen to me." "All of them are stubborn and hard inside."

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

8"Look, I will make your face as hard as their faces." "I will make 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.

9"I will make your forehead like a diamond, harder than stone." "Do not be afraid of them." "Do not be upset by their angry looks." "They are a people who fight against me."

NoteThe old word "adamant" means the hardest stone people knew. Today we would say diamond.

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.

10God said to me, "Son of man, listen closely to every word I speak to you." "Keep my words deep in 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.

11"Now go to your own people, the ones taken far from home." "Speak to them and say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.'" "Say it whether they listen or refuse to listen."

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 God's Spirit lifted me up. Behind me I heard a loud rumbling sound. It said, "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.

13I also heard the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other. I heard the wheels beside them too. It was a great rumbling sound.

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.

14God's Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went feeling bitter and angry inside. But the strong hand of the LORD was on me.

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 my people who lived far from home, at Tel-abib by the Kebar River. I sat down where they sat. I stayed there among them for seven days, too stunned to speak.

NoteThe old word "astonished" here means stunned and overwhelmed, not happily surprised.

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

16After the seven days were over, the LORD spoke 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." A watchman guards a city and shouts when danger comes. "So listen to what I say, and warn the people for me."

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.

18"Suppose I say to a bad man, 'You will surely die.'" "If you do not warn him to stop his bad ways, he will die for the wrong he did." "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.

19"But suppose you do warn the bad man, and he will not change." "He will die for the wrong he did." "You, though, will have saved your own life."

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.

20"Now suppose a good man stops doing good and starts doing wrong." "I will put something in his path that makes him fall, and he will die." "If you did not warn him, he dies for 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.

21"But suppose you warn the good man not to sin, and he does not sin." "He will surely live, because he listened to your warning." "And you will have saved your own life."

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. He said to me, "Get up and go out to the flat open land." "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 flat open land. The bright glory of the LORD was standing there. It looked like the glory I saw by the Kebar River. I fell down with my face to the ground.

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 God's Spirit came into me and stood me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, "Go and 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:

25"And you, son of man, listen. People will tie you up with ropes." "You will not be able to 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.

26"I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth." "You will not be able to speak or correct them." "They are a people who fight against me."

NoteThe old word "dumb" here means not able to speak. It does not mean silly or unwise.

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.

27"But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth." "Then you will tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.'" "Whoever will listen, let him listen." "Whoever refuses, let him refuse." "They are a people who fight against me."