Ezekiel 3

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.	1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."
2 So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.	2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Son of man, he then said to me, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you. I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. He said:	3 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.
4 Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.	4 And he said to me, "Son of man, go, get you to the house of Israel, and speak with my words to them.
5 Not to a people with difficult speech and barbarous language am I sending you,	5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel--
6 nor to the many peoples (with difficult speech and barbarous language) whose words you cannot understand. If I were to send you to these, they would listen to you;	6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you.
7 but the house of Israel will refuse to listen to you, since they will not listen to me. For the whole house of Israel is stubborn of brow and obstinate in heart.	7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they are not willing to listen to me; because all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stubborn heart.
8 But I will make your face as hard as theirs, and your brow as stubborn as theirs,	8 Behold, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads.
9 like diamond, harder than flint. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.	9 Like adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead; fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house."
10 Son of man, he said to me, take into your heart all my words that I speak to you; hear them well.	10 Moreover he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.
11 Now go to the exiles, to your countrymen, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD!--whether they heed or resist!	11 And go, get you to the exiles, to your people, and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD'; whether they hear or refuse to hear."
12 Then spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the noise of a loud rumbling as the glory of the LORD rose from its place:	12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the LORD arose from its place, I heard behind me the sound of a great earthquake;
13 the noise made by the wings of the living creatures striking one another, and by the wheels alongside them, a loud rumbling.	13 it was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, that sounded like a great earthquake.
14 The spirit which had lifted me up seized me, and I went off spiritually stirred, while the hand of the LORD rested heavily upon me.	14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me;
15 Thus I came to the exiles who lived at Tel-abib by the river Chebar, and for seven days I sat among them distraught.	15 and I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Chebar. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
16 At the end of seven days. . .	16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came to me:
17 Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them for me.	17 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
18 If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.	18 If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.
19 If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life.	19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life.
20 If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death if you did not warn him.	20 Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.
21 When, on the other hand, you have warned a virtuous man not to sin, and he has in fact not sinned, he shall surely live because of the warning, and you shall save your own life.	21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you will have saved your life."
22 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he said to me: Get up and go out into the plain, where I will speak with you.	22 And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said to me, "Arise, go forth into the plain, and there I will speak with you."
23 So I got up and went out into the plain, and I saw that the glory of the LORD was in that place, like the glory I had seen by the river Chebar. I fell prone,	23 So I arose and went forth into the plain; and, lo, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory which I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24 but then spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me. He said to me: Go shut yourself up in your house.	24 But the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut yourself within your house.
25 (As for you, son of man, they will put cords upon you and bind you with them, so that you cannot go out among them.)	25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people;
26 I will make your tongue stick to your palate so that you will be dumb and unable to rebuke them for being a rebellious house.	26 and I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be dumb and unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house.
27 Only when I speak with you and open your mouth, shall you say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD! Let him heed who will, and let him resist who will, for they are a rebellious house.	27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD'; he that will hear, let him hear; and he that will refuse to hear, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.