Ezekiel 3 — GNB — Biblija.net

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Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ God said, “Mortal man, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. ³ He said, “Mortal man, eat this scroll that I give you; fill your stomach with it.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey. ⁴ Then God said, “Mortal man, go to the people of Israel and say to them whatever I tell you to say. ⁵ I am not sending you to a nation that speaks a difficult foreign language, but to the Israelites. ⁶ If I sent you to great nations that spoke difficult languages you didn't understand, they would listen to you. ⁷ But none of the people of Israel will be willing to listen; they will not even listen to me. All of them are stubborn and defiant. ⁸ Now I will make you as stubborn and as tough as they are. ⁹ I will make you as firm as a rock, as hard as a diamond; don't be afraid of those rebels.” ¹⁰ God continued, “Mortal man, pay close attention and remember everything I tell you. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Then go to the people of your nation who are in exile and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them, whether they pay attention to you or not.”

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² Then God's spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the loud roar of a voice that said, “Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven above!” ¹³ I heard the wings of the creatures beating together in the air, and the noise of the wheels, as loud as an earthquake. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ The power of the Lord came on me with great force, and as his spirit carried me off, I felt bitter and angry. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ So I came to Tel Abib beside the Chebar River, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ “Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ If I announce that someone evil is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, but I will hold you responsible for his death. ¹⁹ If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared. ^* ²⁰ “If someone truly good starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.” ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² I felt the powerful presence of the Lord and heard him say to me, “Get up and go out into the valley. I will talk to you there.”

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ So I went out into the valley, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen it beside the Chebar River. I fell face downward on the ground, ²⁴ but God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet. The Lord said to me, “Go home and shut yourself up in the house. ²⁵ You will be tied with ropes, mortal man, and you will not be able to go out in public. ²⁶ I will paralyze your tongue so that you won't be able to warn these rebellious people. ²⁷ Then, when I speak to you again and give you back the power of speech, you will tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. Some of them will listen, but some will ignore you, for they are a nation of rebels.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ God said, “Mortal man, get a brick, put it in front of you, and scratch lines on it to represent the city of Jerusalem. ² Then, to represent a siege, put trenches, earthworks, camps, and battering rams all around it. ³ Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel. ⁴ -5 “Then lie down on your left side, and I will place on you the guilt of the nation of Israel. For 390 days you will stay there and suffer because of their guilt. I have sentenced you to one day for each year their punishment will last. ⁶ When you finish that, turn over on your right side and suffer for the guilt of Judah for forty days—one day for each year of their punishment. ⁷ “Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it. ⁸ I will tie you up so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until the siege is over. ⁹ “Now take some wheat, barley, beans, peas, millet, and spelt. Mix them all together and make bread. That is what you are to eat during the 390 days you are lying on your left side. ¹⁰ You will be allowed eight ounces of bread a day, and it will have to last until the next day. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ You will also have a limited amount of water to drink, two cups a day.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² You are to build a fire out of dried human excrement, bake bread on the fire, and eat it where everyone can see you.” ¹³ The Lord said, “This represents the way the Israelites will have to eat food which the Law forbids, when I scatter them to foreign countries.” ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ But I replied, “No, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From childhood on I have never eaten meat from any animal that died a natural death or was killed by wild animals. I have never eaten any food considered unclean.” ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ So God said, “Very well. I will let you use cow dung instead, and you can bake your bread on that.” ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ And he added, “Mortal man, I am going to cut off the supply of bread for Jerusalem. The people there will be distressed and anxious as they measure out the food they eat and the water they drink. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ They will run out of bread and water; they will be in despair, and they will waste away because of their sins.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord said, “Mortal man, take a sharp sword and use it to shave off your beard and all your hair. Then weigh the hair on scales and divide it into three parts. ² Burn up a third of it in the city when the siege is over. Take another third and chop it up with your sword as you move around outside the city. Scatter the remaining third to the winds, and I will pursue it with my sword. ³ Keep back a few hairs and wrap them in the hem of your clothes. ⁴ Then take a few of them out again, throw them in the fire, and let them burn up. From them fire will spread to the whole nation of Israel.” ⁵ The Sovereign Lord said, “Look at Jerusalem. I put her at the center of the world, with other countries all around her. ⁶ But Jerusalem rebelled against my commands and showed that she was more wicked than the other nations, more disobedient than the countries around her. Jerusalem rejected my commands and refused to keep my laws. ⁷ Now listen, Jerusalem, to what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. By not obeying my laws or keeping my commands, you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You have followed the customs of other nations. ⁸ And so I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I am your enemy. I will pass judgment on you where all the nations can see it. ⁹ Because of all the things you do that I hate, I will punish Jerusalem as I have never done before and will never do again. ¹⁰ As a result, parents in Jerusalem will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter in every direction any who are left alive. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ “Therefore, as I am the living God—this is the word of the Sovereign Lord—because you defiled my Temple with all the evil, disgusting things you did, I will cut you down without mercy.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² A third of your people will die from sickness and hunger in the city; a third will be cut down by swords outside the city; and I will scatter the last third to the winds and pursue them with a sword. ¹³ “You will feel all the force of my anger and rage until I am satisfied. When all this happens, you will be convinced that I, the Lord, have spoken to you because I am outraged at your unfaithfulness. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ Everyone from the nations around you who passes by will sneer at you and keep their distance. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “When I am angry and furious with you and punish you, all the nations around you will be terrified. They will look at you with disgust and make fun of you. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ I will cut off your supply of food and let you starve. You will feel the pains of hunger like sharp arrows sent to destroy you. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ I will send hunger and wild animals to kill your children, and will send sickness, violence, and war to kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the mountains of Israel and give them my message. ³ Tell the mountains of Israel to hear the Sovereign Lord's word—to hear what I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling the mountains, the hills, the gorges, and the valleys: I will send a sword to destroy the places where people worship idols. ⁴ The altars will be torn down and the incense altars broken. All the people there will be killed in front of their idols. ⁵ I will scatter the corpses of the people of Israel; I will scatter their bones all around the altars. ⁶ All the cities of Israel will be destroyed, so that all their altars and their idols will be smashed to pieces, their incense altars will be shattered, and everything they made will disappear. ⁷ People will be killed everywhere, and those who survive will acknowledge that I am the Lord. ⁸ “I will let some escape the slaughter and be scattered among the nations, ⁹ where they will live in exile. There they will remember me and know that I have punished them and disgraced them, because their faithless hearts deserted me and they preferred idols to me. And they will be disgusted with themselves because of the evil and degrading things they have done. ¹⁰ They will know that I am the Lord and that my warnings were not empty threats.” ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ The Sovereign Lord said, “Wring your hands! Stamp your feet! Cry in sorrow because of all the evil, disgusting things the Israelites have done. They are going to die in war or of starvation or disease.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² Those far away will get sick and die; those nearby will be killed in war; those who survive will starve to death. They will feel all the force of my anger. ¹³ Corpses will be scattered among the idols and around the altars, scattered on every high hill, on the top of every mountain, under every green tree and every large oak, in every place where they burned sacrifices to their idols. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ Yes, I will reach out and destroy their country. I will make it a wasteland from the southern desert to the city of Riblah in the north, not sparing any place where the Israelites live. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord.” ^*

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the land of Israel: This is the end for the whole land! ³ “Israel, the end has come. You will feel my anger, because I am judging you for what you have done. I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct. ⁴ I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the Lord.” ⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “One disaster after another is coming on you. ⁶ It's all over. This is the end. You are finished. ⁷ The end is coming for you people who live in the land. The time is near when there will be no more celebrations at the mountain shrines, only confusion. ⁸ “Very soon now you will feel all the force of my anger. I am judging you for what you have done, and I will pay you back for all your disgusting conduct. ⁹ I will not spare you or show you any mercy. I am going to punish you for the disgusting things you have done, so that you will know that I am the Lord and that I am the one who punishes you.” ¹⁰ The day of disaster is coming. Violence is flourishing. Pride is at its height. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Violence produces more wickedness. Nothing of theirs will remain, nothing of their wealth, their splendor, or their glory.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² The time is coming. The day is near when buying and selling will have no more meaning, because God's punishment will fall on everyone alike. ¹³ No merchants will live long enough to get back what they have lost, because God's anger is on everyone. Those who are evil cannot survive. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ The trumpet blows, and everyone gets ready. But no one goes off to war, for God's anger will fall on everyone alike. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ There is fighting in the streets, and sickness and hunger in the houses. Anyone who is out in the country will die in the fighting, and anyone in the city will be a victim of sickness and hunger. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ Some will escape to the mountains like doves frightened from the valleys. All of them will moan over their sins. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ Everyone's hands will be weak, and their knees will shake.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ They will put on sackcloth and they will tremble all over. Their heads will be shaved, and they will all be disgraced. ¹⁹ They will throw their gold and silver away in the streets like garbage, because neither silver nor gold can save them when the Lord pours out his fury. They cannot use it to satisfy their desires or fill their stomachs. Gold and silver led them into sin. ^* ²⁰ Once they were proud of their beautiful jewels, but they used them to make disgusting idols. That is why the Lord has made their wealth repulsive to them.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ “I will let foreigners rob them,” says the Lord, “and lawbreakers will take all their wealth and defile it. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² I will not interfere when my treasured Temple is profaned, when robbers break into it and defile it.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ “Everything is in confusion —the land is full of murders and the cities are full of violence. ²⁴ I will bring the most evil nations here and let them have your homes. Your strongest men will lose their confidence when I let the nations profane the places where you worship. ²⁵ Despair is coming. You will look for peace and never find it. ²⁶ One disaster will follow another, and a steady stream of bad news will pour in. You will beg the prophets to reveal what they foresee. The priests will have nothing to teach the people, and the elders will have no advice to give. ²⁷ The king will mourn, the prince will give up hope, and the people will shake with fear. I will punish you for all you have done, and will judge you in the same way as you have judged others. This will show you that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ On the fifth day of the sixth month of the sixth year of our exile, the leaders of the exiles from Judah were sitting in my house with me. Suddenly the power of the Sovereign Lord came on me. ² I looked up and saw a vision of a fiery human form. From the waist down his body looked like fire, and from the waist up he was shining like polished bronze. ³ He reached out what seemed to be a hand and grabbed me by the hair. Then in this vision God's spirit lifted me high in the air and took me to Jerusalem. He took me to the inner entrance of the north gate of the Temple, where there was an idol that was an outrage to God. ⁴ There I saw the dazzling light that shows the presence of Israel's God, just as I had seen it when I was by the Chebar River. ⁵ God said to me, “Mortal man, look toward the north.” I looked, and there near the altar by the entrance of the gateway I saw the idol that was an outrage to God. ⁶ God said to me, “Mortal man, do you see what is happening? Look at the disgusting things the people of Israel are doing here, driving me farther and farther away from my holy place. You will see even more disgraceful things than this.” ⁷ He took me to the entrance of the outer courtyard and showed me a hole in the wall. ⁸ He said, “Mortal man, break through the wall here.” I broke through it and found a door. ⁹ He told me, “Go in and look at the evil, disgusting things they are doing there.” ¹⁰ So I went in and looked. The walls were covered with drawings of snakes and other unclean animals, and of the other things which the Israelites were worshiping. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Seventy Israelite leaders were there, including Jaazaniah son of Shaphan. Each one was holding an incense burner, and smoke was rising from the incense.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² God asked me, “Mortal man, do you see what the Israelite leaders are doing in secret? They are all worshiping in a room full of images. Their excuse is: ‘The Lord doesn't see us! He has abandoned the country.’” ¹³ Then the Lord said to me, “You are going to see them do even more disgusting things than that.” ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ So he took me to the north gate of the Temple and showed me women weeping over the death of the god Tammuz. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ He asked, “Mortal man, do you see that? You will see even more disgusting things.” ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ So he took me to the inner courtyard of the Temple. There near the entrance of the sanctuary, between the altar and the porch, were about twenty-five men. They had turned their backs to the sanctuary and were bowing low toward the east, worshiping the rising sun. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ The Lord said to me, “Mortal man, do you see that? These people of Judah are not satisfied with merely doing all the disgusting things you have seen here and with spreading violence throughout the country. No, they must come and do them right here in the Temple and make me even more angry. Look how they insult me in the most offensive way possible!

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ Then I heard God shout, “Come here, you men who are going to punish the city. Bring your weapons with you.” ² At once six men came from the outer north gate of the Temple, each one carrying a weapon. With them was a man dressed in linen clothes, carrying something to write with. They all came and stood by the bronze altar. ³ Then the dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel rose up from the winged creatures where it had been, and moved to the entrance of the Temple. The Lord called to the man dressed in linen, ⁴ “Go through the whole city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is distressed and troubled because of all the disgusting things being done in the city.” ⁵ And I heard God say to the other men, “Follow him through the city and kill. Spare no one; have mercy on no one. ⁶ Kill the old men, young men, young women, mothers, and children. But don't touch anyone who has the mark on his forehead. Start here at my Temple.” So they began with the leaders who were standing there at the Temple. ⁷ God said to them, “Defile the Temple. Fill its courtyards with corpses. Get to work!” So they began to kill the people in the city. ⁸ While the killing was going on, I was there alone. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, “Sovereign Lord, are you so angry with Jerusalem that you are going to kill everyone left in Israel?” ⁹ God answered, “The people of Israel and Judah are guilty of terrible sins. They have committed murder all over the land and have filled Jerusalem with crime. They say that I, the Lord, have abandoned their country and that I don't see them. ¹⁰ But I will not have pity on them; I will do to them what they have done to others.” ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Then the man wearing linen clothes returned and reported to the Lord, “I have carried out your orders.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ I looked at the dome over the heads of the living creatures and above them was something that seemed to be a throne made of sapphire. ² God said to the man wearing linen clothes, “Go between the wheels under the creatures and fill your hands with burning coals. Then scatter the coals over the city.” I watched him go. ³ The creatures were standing to the south of the Temple when he went in, and a cloud filled the inner courtyard. ⁴ The dazzling light of the Lord's presence rose up from the creatures and moved to the entrance of the Temple. Then the cloud filled the Temple, and the courtyard was blazing with the light. ⁵ The noise made by the creatures' wings was heard even in the outer courtyard. It sounded like the voice of Almighty God. ⁶ When the Lord commanded the man wearing linen clothes to take some fire from between the wheels that were under the creatures, the man went in and stood by one of the wheels. ⁷ One of the creatures reached his hand into the fire that was there among them, picked up some coals, and put them in the hands of the man in linen. The man took the coals and left. ⁸ I saw that each creature had what looked like a human hand under each of its wings. ⁹ -10 I also saw that there were four wheels, all alike, one beside each creature. The wheels shone like precious stones, and each one had another wheel which intersected it at right angles.

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ When the creatures moved, they could go in any direction without turning. They all moved together in the direction they wanted to go, without having to turn around.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² Their bodies, backs, hands, wings, and wheels were covered with eyes. ¹³ I heard a voice calling out, “Whirling wheels.” ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ Each creature had four faces. The first was the face of a bull, the second a human face, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ (They were the same creatures that I had seen by the Chebar River.) When the creatures rose in the air ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ and moved, the wheels went with them. Whenever they spread their wings to fly, the wheels still went with them. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ When the creatures stopped, the wheels stopped; and when the creatures flew, the wheels went with them, because the creatures controlled them.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ Then the dazzling light of the Lord's presence left the entrance of the Temple and moved to a place above the creatures. ¹⁹ They spread their wings and flew up from the earth while I was watching, and the wheels went with them. They paused at the east gate of the Temple, and the dazzling light was over them. ^* ²⁰ I recognized them as the same creatures which I had seen beneath the God of Israel at the Chebar River.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ Each of them had four faces, four wings, and what looked like a human hand under each wing. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² Their faces looked exactly like the faces I had seen by the Chebar River. Each creature moved straight ahead.

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ God's spirit lifted me up and took me to the east gate of the Temple. There near the gate I saw twenty-five men, including Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, two leaders of the nation. ² God said to me, “Mortal man, these men make evil plans and give bad advice in this city. ³ They say, ‘We will soon be building houses again. The city is like a cooking pot, and we are like the meat in it, but at least it protects us from the fire.’ ⁴ Now then, denounce them, mortal man.” ⁵ The spirit of the Lord took control of me, and the Lord told me to give the people this message: “People of Israel, I know what you are saying and what you are planning. ⁶ You have murdered so many people here in the city that the streets are full of corpses. ⁷ “So this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to you. This city is a cooking pot all right, but what is the meat? The corpses of those you have killed! You will not be here—I will throw you out of the city! ⁸ Are you afraid of swords? I will bring soldiers with swords to attack you. ⁹ I will take you out of the city and hand you over to foreigners. I have sentenced you to death, ¹⁰ and you will be killed in battle in your own country. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ This city will not protect you the way a pot protects the meat in it. I will punish you wherever you may be in the land of Israel.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² You will know that I am the Lord and that while you were keeping the laws of the neighboring nations, you were breaking mylaws and disobeying mycommands.” ¹³ While I was prophesying, Pelatiah dropped dead. I threw myself face downward on the ground and shouted, “No, Sovereign Lord! Are you going to kill everyone left in Israel?” ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ The Lord spoke to me. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “Mortal man,” he said, “the people who live in Jerusalem are talking about you and those of your nation who are in exile. They say, ‘The exiles are too far away to worship the Lord. He has given us possession of the land.’ ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ “Now tell your fellow exiles what I am saying. I am the one who sent them to live in far-off nations and scattered them in other countries. Yet, for the time being I will be present with them in the lands where they have gone. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ “So tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. I will gather them out of the countries where I scattered them, and will give the land of Israel back to them.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ When they return, they are to get rid of all the filthy, disgusting idols they find. ¹⁹ I will give them a new heart and a new mind. I will take away their stubborn heart of stone and will give them an obedient heart. ^* ²⁰ Then they will keep my laws and faithfully obey all my commands. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ But I will punish the people who love to worship filthy, disgusting idols. I will punish them for what they have done.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² The living creatures began to fly, and the wheels went with them. The dazzling light of the presence of the God of Israel was over them.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ Then the dazzling light left the city and moved to the mountain east of it. ²⁴ In the vision the spirit of God lifted me up and brought me back to the exiles in Babylonia. Then the vision faded, ²⁵ and I told the exiles everything that the Lord had shown me.

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious. ³ “Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you. ⁴ While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile. ⁵ While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it. ⁶ Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can't see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites.” ⁷ I did what the Lord told me to do. That day I packed a bundle as a refugee would, and that evening as it was getting dark I dug a hole in the wall with my hands and went out. While everyone watched, I put the pack on my shoulder and left. ⁸ The next morning the Lord spoke to me. ⁹ “Mortal man,” he said, “now that those Israelite rebels are asking you what you're doing, ¹⁰ tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This message is for the prince ruling in Jerusalem and for all the people who live there. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Tell them that what you have done is a sign of what will happen to them—they will be refugees and captives.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² The prince who is ruling them will shoulder his pack in the dark and escape through a hole that they dig for him in the wall. He will cover his eyes and not see where he is going. ¹³ But I will spread out my net and trap him in it. Then I will take him to the city of Babylon, where he will die without having seen it. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ I will scatter in every direction all the members of his court and his advisers and bodyguards, and people will search for them to kill them. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “When I scatter them among the other nations and in foreign countries, they will know that I am the Lord. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ I will let a few of them survive the war, the famine, and the diseases, so that there among the nations they will realize how disgusting their actions have been and will acknowledge that I am the Lord.” ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to me.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ “Mortal man,” he said, “tremble when you eat, and shake with fear when you drink. ¹⁹ Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign Lord to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless. ^* ²⁰ Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ The Lord spoke to me. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² “Mortal man,” he said, “why do the people of Israel repeat this proverb: ‘Time goes by, and predictions come to nothing’?

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ Now tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, have to say about that. I will put an end to that proverb. It won't be repeated in Israel any more. Tell them instead: The time has come, and the predictions are coming true! ²⁴ “Among the people of Israel there will be no more false visions or misleading prophecies. ²⁵ I, the Lord, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord. ²⁶ The Lord said to me, ²⁷ “Mortal man, the Israelites think that your visions and prophecies are about the distant future.

A Sword and the Ammonites

²⁸ So tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: There will be no more delay. What I have said will be done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce the prophets of Israel who make up their own prophecies. Tell them to listen to the word of the Lord.” ³ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions. ⁴ People of Israel, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of a city. ⁵ They don't guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they rebuild the walls, and so Israel cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the Lord. ⁶ Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true! ⁷ I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I haven't spoken to you!” ⁸ So the Sovereign Lord says to them, “Your words are false, and your visions are lies. I am against you. ⁹ I am about to punish you prophets who have false visions and make misleading predictions. You will not be there when my people gather to make decisions; your names will not be included in the list of the citizens of Israel; you will never return to your land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁰ “The prophets mislead my people by saying that all is well. All is certainly not well! My people have put up a wall of loose stones, and then the prophets have come and covered it with whitewash. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Tell the prophets that their wall is going to fall down. I will send a pouring rain. Hailstones will fall on it, and a strong wind will blow against it.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² The wall will collapse, and everyone will ask you what good the whitewash did.” ¹³ Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In my anger I will send a strong wind, pouring rain, and hailstones to destroy the wall. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ I intend to break down the wall they whitewashed, to shatter it, and to leave the foundation stones bare. It will collapse and kill you all. Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “The wall and those who covered it with whitewash will feel the force of my anger. Then I will tell you that the wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it— ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ those prophets who assured Jerusalem that all was well, when all was not well!” The Sovereign Lord has spoken. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ The Lord said, “Now, mortal man, look at the women among your people who make up predictions. Denounce them

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ and tell them what the Sovereign Lord is saying to them: “You women are doomed! You sew magic wristbands for everyone and make magic scarves for everyone to wear on their heads, so that they can have power over other people's lives. You want to possess the power of life and death over my people and to use it for your own benefit. ¹⁹ You dishonor me in front of my people in order to get a few handfuls of barley and a few pieces of bread. You kill people who don't deserve to die, and you keep people alive who don't deserve to live. So you tell lies to my people, and they believe you.” ^* ²⁰ Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “I hate the wristbands that you use in your attempt to control life and death. I will rip them off your arms and set free the people that you were controlling.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ I will rip off your scarves and let my people escape from your power once and for all. Then you will know that I am the Lord. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² “By your lies you discourage good people, whom I do not wish to hurt. You prevent evil people from giving up evil and saving their lives.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ So now your false visions and misleading predictions are over. I am rescuing my people from your power, so that you will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ Some of the leaders of the Israelites came to consult me about the Lord's will. ² Then the Lord spoke to me. ³ “Mortal man,” he said, “these men have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols lead them into sin. Do they think I will give them an answer? ⁴ “Now speak to them and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: Each of you Israelites who have given your heart to idols and let them lead you into sin and who then come to consult a prophet, will get an answer from me—the answer that your many idols deserve! ⁵ All those idols have turned the Israelites away from me, but by my answer I hope to win back their loyalty. ⁶ “Now then, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Turn back and leave your disgusting idols. ⁷ “Whenever one of you Israelites or one of you foreigners who live in the Israelite community turn away from me and worship idols, and then go to consult a prophet, I, the Lord, will give you your answer! ⁸ I will oppose you. I will make an example of you. I will remove you from the community of my people, so that all of you will know that I am the Lord. ⁹ “If any prophets are deceived into giving a false answer, it is because I, the Lord, have deceived them. I will remove them from the people of Israel. ¹⁰ Both prophets and anyone who consults them will get the same punishment. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ I will do this to keep the Israelites from deserting me and defiling themselves by their sins. They are to be my people, and I will be their God.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² The Lord spoke to me. ¹³ “Mortal man,” he said, “if a country sins and is unfaithful to me, I will reach out and destroy its supply of food. I will send a famine and kill people and animals alike. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ Even if those three men, Noah, Danel, and Job, were living there, their goodness would save only their own lives.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “Or I might send wild animals to kill the people, making the land so dangerous that no one could travel through it, ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ and even if those three men lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their own children. They would save only their own lives, and the land would become a wilderness. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ “Or I might bring war on that country and send destructive weapons to wipe out people and animals alike,

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ and even if those three men lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their children, but only their own lives. ¹⁹ “If I send an epidemic on that country and in my anger take many lives, killing people and animals, ^* ²⁰ even if Noah, Danel, and Job lived there—as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God—they would not be able to save even their own children. Their goodness would save only their own lives.”

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “I will send my four worst punishments on Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—to destroy people and animals alike. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² If some survive and save their children, look at them when they come to you. See how evil they are, and be convinced that the punishment I am bringing on Jerusalem is justified;

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ then you will know that there was good reason for everything I did.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “how does a vine compare with a tree? What good is a branch of a grapevine compared with the trees of the forest? ³ Can you use it to make anything? Can you even make a peg out of it to hang things on? ⁴ It is only good for building a fire. And when the ends are burned up and the middle is charred, can you make anything out of it? ⁵ It was useless even before it was burned. Now that the fire has burned it and charred it, it is even more useless.” ⁶ Now this is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “Just as a vine is taken from the forest and burned, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem ⁷ and will punish them. They have escaped one fire, but now fire will burn them up. When I punish them, you will know that I am the Lord. ⁸ They have been unfaithful to me, and so I will make the country a wilderness.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me again. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “point out to Jerusalem what disgusting things she has done. ³ Tell Jerusalem what the Sovereign Lord is saying to her: “You were born in the land of Canaan. Your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. ⁴ When you were born, no one cut your umbilical cord or washed you or rubbed you with salt or wrapped you in cloths. ⁵ No one took enough pity on you to do any of these things for you. When you were born, no one loved you. You were thrown out in an open field. ⁶ “Then I passed by and saw you squirming in your own blood. You were covered with blood, but I wouldn't let you die. ⁷ I made you grow like a healthy plant. You grew strong and tall and became a young woman. Your breasts were well-formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked. ⁸ “As I passed by again, I saw that the time had come for you to fall in love. I covered your naked body with my coat and promised to love you. Yes, I made a marriage covenant with you, and you became mine.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says. ⁹ “Then I took water and washed the blood off you. I rubbed olive oil on your skin. ¹⁰ I dressed you in embroidered gowns and gave you shoes of the best leather, a linen headband, and a silk cloak. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ I put jewels on you—bracelets and necklaces.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² I gave you a nose ring and earrings and a beautiful crown to wear. ¹³ You had ornaments of gold and silver, and you always wore clothes of embroidered linen and silk. You ate bread made from the best flour, and had honey and olive oil to eat. Your beauty was dazzling, and you became a queen. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ You became famous in every nation for your perfect beauty, because I was the one who made you so lovely.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ “But you took advantage of your beauty and fame to sleep with everyone who came along. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ You used some of your clothes to decorate your places of worship, and just like a prostitute, you gave yourself to everyone. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ You took the silver and gold jewelry that I had given you, used it to make male images, and committed adultery with them.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ You took the embroidered clothes I gave you and put them on the images, and you offered to the images the olive oil and incense I had given you. ¹⁹ I gave you food—the best flour, olive oil, and honey—but you offered it as a sacrifice to win the favor of idols.” This is what the Sovereign Lord says. ^* ²⁰ “Then you took the sons and the daughters you had borne me and offered them as sacrifices to idols. Wasn't it bad enough to be unfaithful to me,

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ without taking my children and sacrificing them to idols? ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² During your disgusting life as a prostitute you never once remembered your childhood—when you were naked, squirming in your own blood.”

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ The Sovereign Lord said, “You are doomed! Doomed! You did all that evil, and then ²⁴ by the side of every road you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. ²⁵ You dragged your beauty through the mud. You offered yourself to everyone who came by, and you were more of a prostitute every day. ²⁶ You let your lustful neighbors, the Egyptians, go to bed with you, and you used your prostitution to make me angry. ²⁷ “Now I have raised my hand to punish you and to take away your share of my blessing. I have handed you over to the Philistines, who hate you and are disgusted with your immoral actions.

A Sword and the Ammonites

²⁸ “Because you were not satisfied by the others, you went running after the Assyrians. You were their prostitute, but they didn't satisfy you either. ²⁹ You were also a prostitute for the Babylonians, that nation of merchants, but they didn't satisfy you either.” ³⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord is saying: “You have done all this like a shameless prostitute. ³¹ On every street you built places to worship idols and practice prostitution. But you are not out for money like a common prostitute. ³² You are like a woman who commits adultery with strangers instead of loving her husband.

God Punishes and Forgives

³³ A prostitute is paid, but you gave presents to all your lovers and bribed them to come from everywhere to sleep with you. ³⁴ You are a special kind of prostitute. No one forced you to become one. You didn't get paid; you paid them! Yes, you are different.”

God's Judgment on Jerusalem

³⁵ Now then, Jerusalem, you whore! Hear what the Lord is saying. ³⁶ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “You stripped off your clothes, and like a prostitute, you gave yourself to your lovers and to all your disgusting idols, and you killed your children as sacrifices to idols. ³⁷ Because of this I will bring all your former lovers together—the ones you liked and the ones you hated. I will bring them around you in a circle, and then I will strip off your clothes and let them see you naked. ³⁸ I will condemn you for adultery and murder, and in my anger and fury I will punish you with death. ³⁹ I will put you in their power, and they will tear down the places where you engage in prostitution and worship idols. They will take away your clothes and jewels and leave you completely naked. ⁴⁰ “They will stir up a crowd to stone you, and they will cut you to pieces with their swords. ^* ⁴¹ They will burn your houses down and let crowds of women see your punishment. I will make you stop being a prostitute and make you stop giving gifts to your lovers. ⁴² Then my anger will be over, and I will be calm. I will not be angry or jealous any more. ⁴³ You have forgotten how I treated you when you were young, and you have made me angry by all the things you did. That is why I have made you pay for them all. Why did you add sexual immorality to all the other disgusting things you did?” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

⁴⁴ The Lord said, “People will use this proverb about you, Jerusalem: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

Fire in the South

⁴⁵ You really are your mother's daughter. She detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who hated their husbands and their children. You and your sister cities had a Hittite mother and an Amorite father. ⁴⁶ “Your older sister, with her villages, is Samaria, in the north. Your younger sister, with her villages, is Sodom, in the south. ⁴⁷ Were you satisfied to follow in their footsteps and copy their disgusting actions? No, in only a little while you were acting worse than they were in everything you did. ⁴⁸ “As surely as I am the living God,” the Sovereign Lord says, “your sister Sodom and her villages never did the evil that you and your villages have done. ⁴⁹ She and her daughters were proud because they had plenty to eat and lived in peace and quiet, but they did not take care of the poor and the underprivileged. ⁵⁰ They were proud and stubborn and did the things that I hate, so I destroyed them, as you well know. ⁵¹ “Samaria did not sin half as much as you have. You have acted more disgustingly than she ever did. Your corruption makes your sisters look innocent by comparison. ⁵² And now you will have to endure your disgrace. Your sins are so much worse than those of your sisters that they look innocent beside you. Now blush and bear your shame, because you make your sisters look pure.”

Sodom and Samaria Will Be Restored

⁵³ The Lord said to Jerusalem, “I will make them prosperous again—Sodom and her villages and Samaria and her villages. Yes, I will make you prosperous too. ⁵⁴ You will be ashamed of yourself, and your disgrace will show your sisters how well-off they are. ⁵⁵ They will become prosperous again, and you and your villages will also be restored. ⁵⁶ Didn't you joke about Sodom in those days when you were proud ⁵⁷ and before the evil you did had been exposed? Now you are just like her—a joke to the Edomites, the Philistines, and your other neighbors who hate you. ⁵⁸ You must suffer for the obscene, disgusting things you have done.” The Lord has spoken.

A Covenant That Lasts Forever

⁵⁹ The Sovereign Lord says, “I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant. ⁶⁰ But I will honor the covenant I made with you when you were young, and I will make a covenant with you that will last forever. ⁶¹ You will remember how you have acted, and be ashamed of it when you get your older sister and your younger sister back. I will let them be like daughters to you, even though this was not part of my covenant with you. ⁶² I will renew my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶³ I will forgive all the wrongs you have done, but you will remember them and be too ashamed to open your mouth.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites a parable ³ to let them know what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them: There was a giant eagle with beautiful feathers and huge wings, spread wide. He flew to the Lebanon Mountains and broke off the top of a cedar tree, ⁴ which he carried to a land of commerce and placed in a city of merchants. ⁵ Then he took a young plant from the land of Israel and planted it in a fertile field, where there was always water to make it grow. ⁶ The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves. ⁷ “There was another giant eagle with huge wings and thick plumage. And now the vine sent its roots toward him and turned its leaves toward him, in the hope that he would give it more water than there was in the garden where it was growing. ⁸ But the vine had already been planted in a fertile, well-watered field so that it could grow leaves and bear grapes and be a magnificent vine. ⁹ “So I, the Sovereign Lord, ask: Will this vine live and grow? Won't the first eagle pull it up by its roots, pull off the grapes, and break off the branches and let them wither? It will not take much strength or a mighty nation to pull it up. ¹⁰ Yes, it is planted, but will it live and grow? Won't it wither when the east wind strikes it? Won't it wither there where it is growing?” ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ The Lord said to me,

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia. ¹³ He took one of the king's family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished! ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape.” ¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep. ^* ²⁰ I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.” ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“I will take the top of a tall cedar
and break off a tender sprout;
I will plant it on a high mountain,

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ on Israel's highest mountain.
It will grow branches and bear seed
and become a magnificent cedar.
Birds of every kind will live there
and find shelter in its shade.
²⁴ All the trees in the land will know
that I am the Lord.
I cut down the tall trees
and make small trees grow tall.
I wither up the green trees
and make the dry trees become green. I, the Lord, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me ² and said, “What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel?
‘The parents ate the sour grapes,
But the children got the sour taste.’ ³ “As surely as I am the living God,” says the Sovereign Lord, “you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more. ⁴ The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die. ⁵ “Suppose there is a truly good man, righteous and honest. ⁶ He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife or have intercourse with a woman during her period. ⁷ He doesn't cheat or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security; he feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. ⁸ He doesn't lend money for profit. He refuses to do evil and gives an honest decision in any dispute. ⁹ Such a man obeys my commands and carefully keeps my laws. He is righteous, and he will live,” says the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁰ “Then suppose this man has a son who robs and kills, who does any of these things ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ that the father never did. He eats sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines and seduces other men's wives.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² He cheats the poor, he robs, he keeps what a borrower gives him as security. He goes to pagan shrines, worships disgusting idols, ¹³ and lends money for profit. Will he live? No, he will not. He has done all these disgusting things, and so he will die. He will be to blame for his own death. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ “Now suppose this second man has a son. He sees all the sins his father practiced, but does not follow his example. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ He doesn't worship the idols of the Israelites or eat the sacrifices offered at forbidden shrines. He doesn't seduce another man's wife ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ or oppress anyone or rob anyone. He returns what a borrower gives him as security. He feeds the hungry and gives clothing to the naked. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ He refuses to do evil and doesn't lend money for profit. He keeps my laws and obeys my commands. He will not die because of his father's sins, but he will certainly live.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ His father, on the other hand, cheated and robbed and always did evil to everyone. And so he died because of the sins he himself had committed. ¹⁹ “But you ask, ‘Why shouldn't the son suffer because of his father's sins?’ The answer is that the son did what was right and good. He kept my laws and followed them carefully, and so he will certainly live. ^* ²⁰ It is the one who sins who will die. A son is not to suffer because of his father's sins, nor a father because of the sins of his son. Good people will be rewarded for doing good, and evil people will suffer for the evil they do.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ “If someone evil stops sinning and keeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, he will not die; he will certainly live. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² All his sins will be forgiven, and he will live, because he did what is right.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ Do you think I enjoy seeing evil people die?” asks the Sovereign Lord. “No, I would rather see them repent and live. ²⁴ “But if a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing all the evil, disgusting things that evil people do, will he go on living? No! None of the good he did will be remembered. He will die because of his unfaithfulness and his sins. ²⁵ “But you say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ Listen to me, you Israelites. Do you think my way of doing things isn't right? It is your way that isn't right. ²⁶ When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, he dies because of the evil he has done. ²⁷ When someone evil stops sinning and does what is right and good, he saves his life.

A Sword and the Ammonites

²⁸ He realizes what he is doing and stops sinning, so he will certainly not die, but go on living. ²⁹ And you Israelites say, ‘What the Lord does isn't right.’ You think my way isn't right, do you? It is your way that isn't right. ³⁰ “Now I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what you have done. Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and don't let your sin destroy you. ³¹ Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts. Why do you Israelites want to die? ³² I do not want anyone to die,” says the Sovereign Lord. “Turn away from your sins and live.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:
² What a lioness your mother was!
She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.
³ She raised a cub and taught him to hunt;
he learned to eat people.
⁴ The nations heard about him
and trapped him in a pit.
With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.
⁵ She waited until she saw all hope was gone.
Then she raised another of her cubs,
and he grew into a fierce lion.
⁶ When he was full-grown,
he prowled with the other lions.
He too learned to hunt and eat people.
⁷ He wrecked forts, he ruined towns.
The people of the land were terrified
every time he roared.
⁸ The nations gathered to fight him;
people came from everywhere.
They spread their hunting nets
and caught him in their trap.
⁹ They put him in a cage
and took him to the king of Babylonia.
They kept him under guard,
so that his roar would never be heard again
on the hills of Israel.
¹⁰ Your mother was like a grapevine
planted near a stream.
Because there was plenty of water,
the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.
^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ Its branches were strong
and grew to be royal scepters.
The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds;
everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² But angry hands pulled it up by the roots
and threw it to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit.
Its branches were broken off;
they dried up and were burned.
¹³ Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and waterless land.
^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ The stem of the vine caught fire;
fire burned up its branches and fruit.
The branches will never again be strong,
will never be royal scepters. This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again. ^*

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ It was the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year of our exile. Some of the leaders of the Israelite community came to consult me about the Lord's will, and they sat down in front of me. ² Then the Lord spoke to me. ³ “Mortal man,” he said, “speak to these leaders and tell them that the Sovereign Lord is saying: You have come to ask my will, have you? As surely as I am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. ⁴ “Are you ready to pass sentence on them, mortal man? Then do so. Remind them of the disgusting things their ancestors did. ⁵ Tell them what I am saying. When I chose Israel, I made them a promise. I revealed myself to them in Egypt and told them: I am the Lord your God. ⁶ It was then that I promised to take them out of Egypt and lead them to a land I had chosen for them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. ⁷ I told them to throw away the disgusting idols they loved and not to make themselves unclean with the false gods of Egypt, because I am the Lord their God. ⁸ But they defied me and refused to listen. They did not throw away their disgusting idols or give up the Egyptian gods. I was ready to let them feel the full force of my anger there in Egypt. ⁹ But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name, for in the presence of the people among whom they were living I had announced to Israel that I was going to lead them out of Egypt. ¹⁰ “And so I led them out of Egypt into the desert. ^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ I gave them my commands and taught them my laws, which bring life to anyone who obeys them.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² I made the keeping of the Sabbath a sign of the agreement between us, to remind them that I, the Lord, make them holy. ¹³ But even in the desert they defied me. They broke my laws and rejected my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They completely profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to destroy them. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me lead Israel out of Egypt. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ So I made a vow in the desert that I would not take them to the land I had given them, a rich and fertile land, the finest land of all. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ I made the vow because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, and profaned the Sabbath—they preferred to worship their idols. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ “But then I took pity on them. I decided not to kill them there in the desert.

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ Instead, I warned the young people among them: Do not keep the laws your ancestors made; do not follow their customs or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am the Lord your God. Obey my laws and my commands. ^* ²⁰ Make the Sabbath a holy day, so that it will be a sign of the covenant we made, and will remind you that I am the Lord your God.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ “But that generation also defied me. They broke my laws and did not keep my commands, which bring life to anyone who obeys them. They profaned the Sabbath. I was ready to let them feel the force of my anger there in the desert and to kill them all. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² But I did not, since that would have brought dishonor to my name among the nations which had seen me bring Israel out of Egypt.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ So I made another vow in the desert. I vowed that I would scatter them all over the world. ²⁴ I did this because they had rejected my commands, broken my laws, profaned the Sabbath, and worshiped the same idols their ancestors had served. ²⁵ “Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life. ²⁶ I let them defile themselves with their own offerings, and I let them sacrifice their first-born sons. This was to punish them and show them that I am the Lord. ²⁷ “Now then, mortal man, tell the Israelites what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This is another way their ancestors insulted me by their unfaithfulness.

A Sword and the Ammonites

²⁸ I brought them to the land I had promised to give them. When they saw the high hills and green trees, they offered sacrifices at all of them. They made me angry by the sacrifices they burned and by the wine they brought as offerings. ²⁹ I asked them: What are these high places where you go? So they have been called ‘High Places' ever since. ³⁰ Now tell the Israelites what I am saying: Why must you commit the same sins your ancestors did and go running after their idols? ³¹ Even today you offer the same gifts and defile yourselves with the same idols by sacrificing your children to them in the fire. And then you Israelites still come to ask what my will is! As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I will not let you ask me anything. ³² You have made up your minds that you want to be like the other nations, like the people who live in other countries and worship trees and rocks. But that will never be.

God Punishes and Forgives

³³ “As surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I warn you that in my anger I will rule over you with a strong hand, with all my power. ³⁴ I will show you my power and my anger when I gather you together and bring you back from all the countries where you have been scattered.

God's Judgment on Jerusalem

³⁵ I will bring you into the ‘Desert of the Nations,’ and there I will condemn you to your face. ³⁶ I will now condemn you just as I condemned your ancestors in the Sinai Desert,” says the Sovereign Lord. ³⁷ “I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant. ³⁸ I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ³⁹ The Sovereign Lord says, “And now, all you Israelites, suit yourselves! Go on and serve your idols! But I warn you that after this you will have to obey me and stop dishonoring my holy name by offering gifts to your idols. ⁴⁰ There in the land, on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all you people of Israel will worship me. I will be pleased with you and will expect you to bring me your sacrifices, your best offerings, and your holy gifts. ^* ⁴¹ After I bring you out of the countries where you have been scattered and gather you together, I will accept the sacrifices that you burn, and the nations will see that I am holy. ⁴² When I bring you back to Israel, the land that I promised I would give to your ancestors, then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁴³ Then you will remember all the disgraceful things you did and how you defiled yourselves. You will be disgusted with yourselves because of all the evil things you did.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

⁴⁴ When I act to protect my honor, you Israelites will know that I am the Lord, because I do not deal with you as your wicked, evil actions deserve.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

Fire in the South

⁴⁵ The Lord spoke to me. ⁴⁶ “Mortal man,” he said, “look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south. ⁴⁷ Tell the southern forest to hear what the Sovereign Lord is saying: Look! I am starting a fire, and it will burn up every tree in you, whether green or dry. Nothing will be able to put it out. It will spread from south to north, and everyone will feel the heat of the flames. ⁴⁸ They will all see that I, the Lord, set it on fire and that no one can put it out.” ⁴⁹ But I protested, “Sovereign Lord, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles.”

Ezekiel Acts Out the Siege of Jerusalem

Ezekiel Cuts His Hair

The \nd Lord\nd* Condemns Idolatry

The End Is Near for Israel

EZEKIEL'S SECOND VISION OF GOD (8.1—10.22)

Idolatry in Jerusalem

Jerusalem Is Punished

The Glory of the \nd Lord\nd* Leaves the Temple

Jerusalem Is Condemned

The Prophet as a Refugee

Prophecy against False Male Prophets

God Condemns Idolatry

A Parable about a Vine

Jerusalem the Unfaithful

The Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Individual Responsibility

A Song of Sorrow

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Will and Human Defiance

The \nd Lord\nd*'s Sword

¹ The Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel ³ that I, the Lord, am saying: I am your enemy. I will draw my sword and kill all of you, good and evil alike. ⁴ I will use my sword against everyone from south to north. ⁵ Everyone will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword and that I will not put it away. ⁶ “Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you. ⁷ When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken. ⁸ The Lord said to me, ⁹ “Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying:
A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.
¹⁰ It is sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning.
There can be no rejoicing,
for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.
^*

The Parable Is Explained

¹¹ The sword is being polished,
to make it ready for use.
It is sharpened and polished,
to be put in the hands of a killer.

Noah, Danel, and Job

¹² Howl in grief, mortal man;
this sword is meant for my people
and for all the leaders of Israel.
They are going to be killed
with all the rest of my people.
Beat your breast in despair!
¹³ I am testing my people,
and if they refuse to repent,
all these things will happen to them. ^*

God's Promise to the Exiles

¹⁴ “Now, mortal man, prophesy. Clap your hands, and the sword will strike again and again. It is a sword that kills, a sword that terrifies and slaughters. ^*

Punishment for Israel's Sins

¹⁵ It makes my people lose courage and stumble. I am threatening their city with a sword that flashes like lightning and is ready to kill. ^*

The \nd Lord\nd* Appoints Ezekiel as a Lookout

(Ezekiel 33.1-9)

¹⁶ Cut to the right and the left, you sharp sword! Cut wherever you turn. ^*

The Sign of the Trembling Prophet

Prophecy against False Female Prophets

¹⁷ I also will clap my hands, and my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Sword of the King of Babylonia

¹⁸ The Lord spoke to me. ¹⁹ “Mortal man,” he said, “mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork. ^* ²⁰ One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem.

A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message

²¹ The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal. ^*

Ezekiel Will Be Unable to Talk

God's Glory Leaves Jerusalem

God's Promise of Hope

²² Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches.

Jerusalem's Life as a Prostitute

²³ The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured. ²⁴ This then is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Your sins are exposed. Everyone knows how guilty you are. You show your sins in your every action. You stand condemned, and I will hand you over to your enemies. ²⁵ “You wicked, unholy ruler of Israel, your day, the day of your final punishment, is coming. ²⁶ I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. Take off your crown and your turban. Nothing will be the same again. Raise the poor to power! Bring down those who are ruling! ²⁷ Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.

A Sword and the Ammonites

²⁸ “Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them:
‘A sword is ready to destroy;
It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning. ²⁹ The visions that you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You are wicked and evil, and your day is coming, the day of your final punishment. The sword is going to fall on your necks. ³⁰ “ ‘Put up the sword! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born. ³¹ You will feel my anger when I turn it loose on you like a blazing fire. And I will hand you over to brutal men, experts at destruction. ³² You will be destroyed by fire. Your blood will be shed in your own country, and no one will remember you any more.’” The Lord has spoken.

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