Ezekiel, 12

1. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

1. The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

2. 'Son of man, you are living among a tribe of rebels who have eyes and never see, they have ears and never hear, because they are a tribe of rebels.

2. Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they [are] a rebellious house.

3. So, son of man, pack an exile's bundle and set off for exile by daylight while they watch. You will leave your home and go somewhere else while they watch. Then perhaps they will see that they are a tribe of rebels.

3. Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they [be] a rebellious house.

4. You will pack your baggage like an exile's bundle, by daylight, while they watch, and leave like an exile in the evening, while they watch.

4. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

5. While they watch, make a hole in the wall, and go out through it.

5. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

6. While they watch, you will shoulder your pack and go out into the dark; you will cover your face so that you cannot see the ground, since I have made you an omen for the House of Israel.'

6. In their sight shalt thou bear [it] upon [thy] shoulders, [and] carry [it] forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee [for] a sign unto the house of Israel.

7. I did as I had been told. I packed my baggage like an exile's bundle, by daylight; and in the evening I made a hole through the wall with my hands; then I went out into the dark and shouldered my pack while they watched.

7. And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought [it] forth in the twilight, [and] I bare [it] upon [my] shoulder in their sight.

8. Next morning the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

8. And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

9. 'Son of man, did not the House of Israel, did not that tribe of rebels, ask you, "What are you doing?"

9. Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

10. Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: This prophecy concerns Jerusalem and the whole House of Israel who live there."

10. Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden [concerneth] the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that [are] among them.

11. Say, "I am an omen for you; as I have done, so will be done to them; they will be deported into exile.

11. Say, I [am] your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove [and] go into captivity.

12. Their prince will shoulder his pack in the dark and go out through the wall; a hole will be made to let him out; he will cover his face, so that he cannot see the country.

12. And the prince that [is] among them shall bear upon [his] shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with [his] eyes.

13. I shall throw my net over him and catch him in my mesh; I shall take him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldaeans, though he will not see it; and there he will die.

13. My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon [to] the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

14. And all those in attendance on him, his army and all his troops, I shall scatter to all the winds and unsheathe the sword behind them.

14. And I will scatter toward every wind all that [are] about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

15. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I scatter them throughout the nations and disperse them in foreign countries.

15. And they shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

16. But I shall let a few of them escape the sword, famine and plague, to describe all their loathsome practices to the peoples among whom they will go, so that these too may know that I am Yahweh." '

16. But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I [am] the LORD.

17. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

17. Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

18. 'Son of man, you are to tremble as you eat your food and shudder apprehensively as you drink your water,

18. Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

19. and you are to say to the people of the country, "The Lord Yahweh says this to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They will shudder apprehensively as they eat their food, and drink their water in fear, so that the country and its population may be freed from the violence of its inhabitants.

19. And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

20. When the populous cities have been destroyed and the country has been reduced to desert, then you will know that I am Yahweh." '

20. And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD.

21. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

21. And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

22. 'Son of man, what do you understand by the saying pronounced over the land of Israel, "Days go by and visions fade"?

22. Son of man, what [is] that proverb [that] ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

23. 'Very well, tell them, "The Lord Yahweh says this: I shall put an end to this saying; it will never be used in Israel again." Instead, tell them: "The days are coming when every vision will come true,

23. Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

24. for there will be no more futile visions or deceptive prophecy in the House of Israel,

24. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

25. since I, Yahweh, shall speak. And what I shall say will come true without delay; for what I shall say, I shall perform in your own lifetime, you tribe of rebels -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '

25. For I [am] the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.

26. The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,

26. Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

27. 'Son of man, the House of Israel is now saying, "The vision that this man sees concerns the distant future; he is prophesying for times far ahead."

27. Son of man, behold, [they of] the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth [is] for many days [to come], and he prophesieth of the times [that are] far off.

28. Very well, tell them, "The Lord Yahweh says this: There will be no further delay in the fulfilling of any of my words. What I have said shall be done now -- declares the Lord Yahweh." '

28. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.