Ezekiel the Watchman for Israel

1Againe, the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying: 2Thou sonne of man, speake to the children of thy people, and tell them: When I sende a sworde vpon a lande, if the people of the lande take a man of their coastes, and set him to be their watchman: 3If when he seeth the sworde come vpon the lande, he shall blow the trumpet and warne the people: 4Then he that heareth the noyse of the trumpet and wyll not be warned, and the sworde come and take him away, his blood shalbe vpon his owne head. 5For he heard the sounde of the trumpet, and would not be warned, therefore his blood be vpon him: but he that receaueth warning, he shall saue his lyfe. 6Againe, if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, so that the people is not warned, if the sworde come then, and take any man from among them: the same shalbe taken away in his owne sinne, but his blood wyl I require at the watchmans hand.

7And thou O sonne at man, I haue made thee a watchman vnto the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt here the worde at my mouth, and thou shalt warne them from me. 8If I say vnto the wicked, thou wicked, thou shalt surely dye: & thou speakest not to admonish the wicked of his way: that wicked man shall dye in his owne sinne, but his blood wyl I require at thy hande. 9Neuerthelesse, if thou warne the wicked of his way to tourne from it, and he yet wyll not be turned from his way: then shal he dye in his iniquitie, but thou hast deliuered thy soule.

The Message of the Watchman

10Therfore O thou sonne of man, speake vnto the house of Israel, yea say thus: If our offences and sinnes lye vpon vs, and we be consumed in them, howe should we then liue? 11Tell them, as truely as I liue saith the Lorde God, I haue no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but much rather that the wicked tourne from his way, and lyue: Turne you, turne you from your wicked wayes, for why wil ye dye O ye of the house of Israel? 12Therefore thou sonne of man, tell the children of thy people, the righteousnes of the righteous shall not saue him in the day of his iniquitie: againe, the wickednes of the wicked shall not ouerthrow him for it in the day that he returneth from his wickednes: neither shall the righteous lyue for it in the day that he sinneth. 13If I say vnto the righteous, he shall surely lyue, and so he trust to his owne righteousnes, and do sinne: then shall his righteousnes be no more thought vpon, but in his wickednes that he hath done, in it he shall dye. 14Againe, if I say vnto the wicked, thou shalt surely dye: and so he turne from his sinnes, and do the thing that is lawfull and right, 15Insomuch that the same wicked man geueth the pledge againe, restoreth that he had take away by robbery, walketh in the commaundementes of lyfe, and doth none iniquitie: then shall he surely lyue and not dye. 16None of the sinnes that he hath committed shalbe mentioned vnto him: for insomuch as he doth now the thing that is lawfull and right, he shall lyue,

17And yet the children of thy people say, the way of the Lorde is not equall: but their owne way is rather vnequall. 18When the righteous turneth from his righteousnes, and doth the thing that is wicked, he shall dye therein. 19But if the wicked turne from his wickednes, doing the thing that is lawfull and right, he shall lyue therefore. 20Yet ye say, the way of the Lorde is not equall: O ye house of Israel, I wyll iudge euery one of you after his wayes.

Word of Jerusalem’s Fall

21In the twelfth yere, the fift day of the tenth moneth of our captiuitie, one which was escaped out of Hierusalem, came vnto me and said, The citie is smitten. 22Nowe the hande of the Lorde had ben vpon me the euening afore this man which was escaped came vnto me, and had opened my mouth vntill the morning that he came to me: yea, my mouth was opened, so that I was no more dumbe.

23Then came the worde of the Lorde vnto me, and saide: 24Thou sonne of man, these that dwell in the wasted lande of Israel talke and say: Abraham was but one man, and he had the lande in possession: nowe are we many, and the lande is geuen vs to possesse also. 25And therefore tel them, thus saith the Lorde God, In the blood haue ye eaten, your eyes haue ye lift vp to idols, and haue shed blood: shall ye then haue the lande in possession? 26Ye leane vpon your swordes, ye worke abhominations, euery one defileth his neighbours wyfe: and shall ye then possesse the lande? 27Say thou thus vnto them, thus saith the lorde God: As truely as I liue, they that are in the desolate places shall fall by the sworde, and him that is vpon the fielde wyll I geue vnto the beastes to be deuoured: and they that be in the strong holdes and dennes shall dye of the pestilence. 28For I wyll make the lande so desolate and waste, that the pompe of her strength shall ceasse: the mountaynes of Israel shalbe so waste, that no man shall trauaile thereby. 29Then shall they knowe that I am the Lorde, when I make the land desolate and waste, because of all their abhominations that they haue wrought.

30And thou sonne of man, the children of thy people that talke of thee by the waters and in the doores of their houses, and speake one to another, euery one to his brother, saying, Come I praye you, let vs heare what worde is gone foorth from the Lorde: 31They come vnto thee as the people vseth to come, and my people syt before thee, and heare thy wordes, but they do not therafter: for in their mouthes they make a iest of them, and their heart goeth after their couetousnes. 32And lo, thou art vnto them as a testing song of one that hath a pleasaunt voyce, and can sing well: for they heare thy wordes, but do them not. 33When this commeth to passe (lo it commeth:) then shall they knowe that there hath ben a prophete among them.