Ezekiel’s Commission

1He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find [in this book]; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. 3He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll that I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. 5For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel, 6not to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. But I have sent you to them who should listen to you and pay attention to My message; 7yet the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you and obey you, since they are not willing to listen to Me and obey Me, for the entire house of Israel is stubborn and obstinate. 8Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9I have made your forehead like emery (diamond), harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or be dismayed before them, though they are a rebellious house.” 10Moreover, He said to me, “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words which I will speak to you and hear with your ears (listen closely). 11Go to the [Jewish] exiles [in Babylon], to the children of your people, and speak to them, whether they listen or not, and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’”

12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rushing sound behind me, “Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His place [above the expanse].” 13And then I heard the sound of the wings of the living beings as they touched one another and [I heard] the sound of the wheels beside them, a great rushing sound. 14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went embittered [by the sins of Israel] in the rage of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was strong on me. 15Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the River Chebar at Tel Abib. I sat there for seven days [in the place] where they were living, overwhelmed with astonishment [by my vision and the work before me].

16At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 17“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. 18When I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to tell him to turn from his wicked way to save his life, that same evil man will die in his sin, but you will be responsible for his blood. 19However, if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he will die in his sin; but you have [a]freed yourself [from responsibility]. 20Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness (right standing with God) and sins, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered; but you will be responsible for his blood. 21However, if you have warned the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took warning; also you have [b]freed yourself [from responsibility].”

22The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out to the plain, and I will speak to you.” 23So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory and brilliance of the LORD was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the River Chebar, and I fell face downward. 24Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet; He spoke and said to me, “Go, shut yourself up in your house. 25As for you, son of man, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them so that you cannot go out among them. 26And I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you cannot talk and you cannot be a man who rebukes the people, for they are a rebellious house. 27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses [to hear], let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.