Ezekiel, 3

1. He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.

1. He then said, 'Son of man, eat what you see; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.'

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

2. I opened my mouth; he gave me the scroll to eat

3. Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said:

3. and then said, 'Son of man, feed on this scroll which I am giving you and eat your fill.' So I ate it, and it tasted sweet as honey.

4. Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.

4. He then said, 'Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tell them what I have said.

5. Not to a people with difficult speech and barbarous language am I sending you,

5. You are not being sent to a nation that speaks a difficult foreign language; you are being sent to the House of Israel.

6. nor to the many peoples (with difficult speech and barbarous language) whose words you cannot understand. If I were to send you to these, they would listen to you;

6. Not to big nations that speak difficult foreign languages, and whose words you would not understand -- if I sent you to them, they would listen to you;

7. but the house of Israel will refuse to listen to you, since they will not listen to me. For the whole house of Israel is stubborn of brow and obstinate in heart.

7. but the House of Israel will not listen to you because it will not listen to me. The whole House of Israel is defiant and obstinate.

8. But I will make your face as hard as theirs, and your brow as stubborn as theirs,

8. But now, I am making you as defiant as they are, and as obstinate as they are;

9. like diamond, harder than flint. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

9. I am making your resolution as hard as a diamond, harder than flint. So do not be afraid of them, do not be overawed by them, for they are a tribe of rebels.'

10. Son of man, he said to me, take into your heart all my words that I speak to you; hear them well.

10. Then he said, 'Son of man, take to heart everything I say to you, listen carefully,

11. Now go to the exiles, to your countrymen, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD!--whether they heed or resist!

11. then go to your exiled countrymen and talk to them. Say to them, "Lord Yahweh says this," whether they listen or not.'

12. Then spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the noise of a loud rumbling as the glory of the LORD rose from its place:

12. The spirit lifted me up, and behind me I heard a great vibrating sound, 'Blessed be the glory of Yahweh in his dwelling-place!'

13. the noise made by the wings of the living creatures striking one another, and by the wheels alongside them, a loud rumbling.

13. This was the sound of the living creatures' wings beating against each other, and the sound of the wheels beside them: a great vibrating sound.

14. The spirit which had lifted me up seized me, and I went off spiritually stirred, while the hand of the LORD rested heavily upon me.

14. The spirit lifted me up and took me, and I went, bitter and angry, and the hand of Yahweh lay heavy on me.

15. Thus I came to the exiles who lived at Tel-abib by the river Chebar, and for seven days I sat among them distraught.

15. I came to Tel Abib, to the exiles beside the River Chebar where they were living, and there I stayed with them in a stupor for seven days.

16. At the end of seven days. . .

16. After seven days the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

17. Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me.

17. 'Son of man, I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, warn them from me.

18. If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.

18. If I say to someone wicked, "You will die," and you do not warn this person; if you do not speak to warn someone wicked to renounce evil and so save his life, it is the wicked person who will die for the guilt, but I shall hold you responsible for that death.

19. If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life.

19. If, however, you do warn someone wicked who then fails to renounce wickedness and evil ways, the wicked person will die for the guilt, but you yourself will have saved your life.

20. If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death if you did not warn him.

20. When someone upright renounces uprightness to do evil and I set a trap for him, it is he who will die; since you failed to warn him, he will die for his guilt, and the uprightness he practised will no longer be remembered; but I shall hold you responsible for his death.

21. When, on the other hand, you have warned a virtuous man not to sin, and he has in fact not sinned, he shall surely live because of the warning, and you shall save your own life.

21. If, however, you warn someone upright not to sin and this person does not sin, such a one will live, thanks to your warning, and you too will have saved your life.'

22. The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he said to me: Get up and go out into the plain, where I will speak with you.

22. While I was there the hand of Yahweh came on me; he said, 'Get up, go out into the valley, and there I shall speak to you.'

23. So I got up and went out into the plain, and I saw that the glory of the LORD was in that place, like the glory I had seen by the river Chebar. I fell prone,

23. I got up and went out into the valley; the glory of Yahweh was resting there, like the glory I had seen by the River Chebar, and I fell to the ground.

24. but then spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me. He said to me: Go shut yourself up in your house.

24. The spirit of Yahweh then entered me and put me on my feet and spoke to me. He said, 'Go and shut yourself in your house.

25. (As for you, son of man, they will put cords upon you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.)

25. Son of man, you are about to be tied and bound, and unable to mix with other people.

26. I will make your tongue stick to your palate so that you will be dumb and unable to rebuke them for being a rebellious house.

26. I am going to make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth; you will be dumb, and no longer able to reprove them, for they are a tribe of rebels.

27. Only when I speak with you and open your mouth, shall you say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD! Let him heed who will, and let him resist who will, for they are a rebellious house.

27. When I speak to you, however, I shall open your mouth and then you will say to them, "Lord Yahweh says this: Let anyone prepared to listen, listen; let anyone who refuses, refuse!"-for they are a tribe of rebels.'