*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 3 ©
The prophet eats up that roll at the command of God, v. 1, etc. Who again charges, instructs and strengthens him against the people’s obstinacy, 4. Shows him again His glory, and instructs him concerning the office of a faithful prophet, and the usefulness thereof, 12. The glory of the Lord is shown unto him again, 22. God shuts and opens the prophet’s mouth, 25, etc.
MOREOVER he said unto me, Son of man, 1eata2that thou findest; eat this 3roll, and go speak unto the 4house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.
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; 5andb it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
¶And he said unto me, Son of man, go,c get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
For thou art not sent to a people 6of a strange speech and of an hard 7language, but to the house of Israel;
Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not 8understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened 9unto thee.
But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for 10all the house of Israel are 11impudent and 12hardhearted.
Behold,d I have made thy face 13strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
As an 14adamant harder than flinte have I made thy forehead: fearf them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, 15though they be a rebellious house.
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.
And go, get thee to 16them of the captivity, unto the 17children of 18thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; 19whetherg they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
Thenh the 20spirit took me up, and I heard behind me 21a voice of a great rushing, saying, 22Blessed be the glory of the 23LORD 24from his place.
25I heard also 26the noise of the wings of the living creatures that 27touched 28one another, and 29the noise of the wheels over against 30them, and a noise of a great rushing.
So the 31spirit lifted me up, and 32took me away, and I went in 33bitterness, 34in the heat of my 35spirit; but the 36hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
¶Then I came to them of the 37captivity at 38Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of 39Chebar, 40and I sat where they sat, and 41remained there 42astonished 43among them 44seveni days.
And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Sonj of man, I have made thee a 45watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them 46warning 47from me.
Whenk I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely 48die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his 49wicked way, 50to save his life; the same wicked man shall die 51in his iniquity; but his 52blood will I require at thine hand.
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 53delivered thy soul.
Again, Whenl a 54righteous man doth turn from his 55righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a 56stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die 57in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done 58shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and 59he doth not sin, he shall 60surely live, because he is 61warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
¶And the hand of the LORD 62was 63there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the 64plain, and I will there talk with thee.
Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the 65glory of the LORD stood there, asm the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and 66I fell on my face.
Thenn the spirit 67entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and 68spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself 69within thine house.
But thou, O son of man, behold, 70they 71shall put 72bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out 73among them:
And 74I will make thy tongue cleave 75to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: foro they are 76a rebellious house.
But when I speak with thee, I will open thy 77mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; 78Hep that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.