Ezekiel 3

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

He gently told me, "Human, consume what you discover; savor this scroll, then go share its wisdom with Israel."

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

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

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

He told me, "Human, eat this scroll I'm giving you, let it nourish you." So, I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

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

He told me, "Human, go to Israel's home and share my message with them."

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

You're not sent to those who speak unfamiliar tongues or difficult languages, but to your own people, the Israelites.

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

If I had sent you to people speaking a foreign language, hard to understand, they would have listened to you.

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

But the people of Israel won't listen to you, just as they won't listen to me. They are stubborn and closed-hearted.

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

Look, I've given you the strength to stand firm against them, your resolve as unyielding as theirs.

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

I've made your resolve stronger than the toughest stone. Don't be afraid or intimidated by their harsh stares, even if they're defiant.

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

He told me, "Listen closely, human. Take my words to heart and truly hear them with your ears."

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

Go, reach out to those in captivity, your own people. Speak to them, tell them what the Lord God says. It doesn't matter if they listen or ignore, just deliver His message.

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

Suddenly, I felt the spirit lift me, and a powerful voice echoed from behind, praising the magnificent glory of the LORD from where He resides.

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

I felt the stirring energy of the living beings as their wings brushed against each other, and the echoing rumble of the wheels nearby, all culminating in a powerful, overwhelming surge.

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

The spirit swept me off my feet, carrying me away. I went in bitterness, my spirit burning with anger, and the hand of the LORD pressed strongly upon me.

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

I arrived among the captives in Telabib, near the Chebar River. I sat with them, sharing their space, and for seven days, I was utterly overwhelmed, lost in a sea of disbelief and shock.

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

After a week had passed, I felt a profound message from the Lord speaking to me.

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

My dear, I've chosen you to be a guardian for Israel. So, listen closely to my words and alert them on my behalf.

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

When I tell a wrongdoer they're headed for death, and you don't warn them or try to guide them from their harmful path to save their life, they'll still meet their end due to their wrongs. But you'll bear the guilt for their fate.

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

But if you warn a wrongdoer and they don't turn from their wickedness and their harmful ways, they will die in their sin. But by warning them, you've saved yourself.

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

When a good man abandons his goodness and does wrong, and I place obstacles in his path, he will perish. If you don't warn him, he will die in his sin, his past good deeds forgotten. You'll bear the responsibility for his downfall.

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

If you caution a good person not to sin and they listen, they will surely thrive because of your warning; you've also saved your own soul.

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

The Lord's touch was upon me, and He gently commanded, "Stand up, journey into the open field, and there, we will converse."

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

Then, I stood up and ventured into the open field. There, I saw the magnificent glory of the Lord, just as radiant as when I saw it by the Chebar River. Overwhelmed, I fell to my knees in awe.

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

The spirit filled me, steadied me, and spoke, guiding me to seek solitude in my home.

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

But you, dear human, understand this: they will restrain you, tie you down, and prevent you from mingling with them.

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

I will silence your voice, making you unable to correct them, for they are a defiant people.

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

When I talk to you, I'll give you the words. You'll tell them, 'This is what the Lord says: Listen if you will, ignore if you must, because they are a defiant people.'