*THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
EZEKIEL
Ezekiel 4 ©
The Prophet is commanded by God to portray the siege of Jerusalem upon a tile plate, v. 1. etc. As also the time of God’s forbearance with backsliding of Israel and Judah, 4. Likewise the great famine that would be in Jerusalem during the siege, 9, etc.
THOU also, son of man, take thee a 1tile, and lay it before thee, and 2pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
And 3lay siege against it, and build a 4forta against it, and 5cast a 6mountb against it; set the camp also against it, and set 7battering rams against it round about.
Moreover take thou unto thee 8an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and 9set thy face against it, and it shall be 10besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a 11sign to the house of Israel.
12Lie thou also upon thy 13left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: 14according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear 15their iniquity.
For I have 16laid upon thee 17the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, 18three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thouc bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
19And when thou hast accomplished them, 20lie again on thy 21right side, and thou shalt 22bear the iniquity of the house of Judah 23forty days: I have appointed thee 24each day for a year.
Therefore thou shalt set thy 25face toward 26the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be 27uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
And, behold, 28I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee 29from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of 30thy 31siege.
¶ 32Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and 33millet, and fitches,d and put them 34in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, 35three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.
And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty 36shekels a day: 37from time to time shalt thou eat it.
Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an 38hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
And thou shalt eat it 39as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with 40dung that cometh out of man, 41in their sight.
And the LORD said, Even thus shall the 42children of Israel eat their 43defilede bread among the 44Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, 45my soul hath not been 46polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which 47dieth of itself, or is 48torn in pieces; neither came there 49abominable flesh into my mouth.
Then he said unto me, Lo, 50I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will 51breakf the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread 52by weight, and with 53care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with 54astonishment:
55That they may want bread and water, and be astonied 56one with another, and consume away 57for their iniquity.