Ezekiel 3

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 He then said, 'Son of man, eat what you see; eat this scroll, then go and speak to the House of Israel.'	1 He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you; eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
2 I opened my mouth; he gave me the scrol to eat	2 So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 and then said, 'Son of man, feed on this scrol which I am giving you and eat your fil .' So I ate it, and ittasted sweet as honey.	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:
4 He then said, 'Son of man, go to the House of Israel and tel them what I have said.	4 Son of man, go now to the house of Israel, and speak my words to them.
5 You are not being sent to a nation that speaks a difficult foreign language; you are being sent to theHouse of Israel.	5 Not to a people with difficult speech and barbarous language am I sending you,
6 Not to big nations that speak difficult foreign languages, and whose words you would not understand --if I sent you to them, they would listen to you;	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;
7 but the House of Israel wil not listen to you because it wil not listen to me. The whole House of Israel isdefiant and obstinate.	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.
8 But now, I am making you as defiant as they are, and as obstinate as they are;	8 But I will make your face as hard as theirs, and your brow as stubborn as theirs,
9 I am making your resolution as hard as a diamond, harder than flint. So do not be afraid of them, do notbe overawed by them, for they are a tribe of rebels.'	9 like diamond, harder than flint. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.
10 Then he said, 'Son of man, take to heart everything I say to you, listen carefully,	10 Son of man, he said to me, take into your heart all my words that I speak to you; hear them well.
11 then go to your exiled countrymen and talk to them. Say to them, "Lord Yahweh says this," whetherthey listen or not.'	11 Now go to the exiles, to your countrymen, and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD!--whether they heed or resist!
12 The spirit lifted me up, and behind me I heard a great vibrating sound, 'Blessed be the glory ofYahweh in his dwel ing-place!'	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:
13 This was the sound of the living creatures' wings beating against each other, and the sound of thewheels beside them: a great vibrating sound.	13 the noise made by the wings of the living creatures striking one another, and by the wheels alongside them, a loud rumbling.
14 The spirit lifted me up and took me, and I went, bitter and angry, and the hand of Yahweh lay heavy onme.	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.
15 I came to Tel Abib, to the exiles beside the River Chebar where they were living, and there I stayedwith them in a stupor for seven days.	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.
16 After seven days the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows,	16 At the end of seven days. . .
17 'Son of man, I have appointed you as watchman for the House of Israel. When you hear a word frommy mouth, warn them from 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.
18 If I say to someone wicked, "You wil die," and you do not warn this person; if you do not speak towarn someone wicked to renounce evil and so save his life, it is the wicked person who will die for the guilt, but Ishall hold you responsible for that death.	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.
19 If, however, you do warn someone wicked who then fails to renounce wickedness and evil ways, thewicked person wil die for the guilt, but you yourself wil have saved your life.	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.
20 When someone upright renounces uprightness to do evil and I set a trap for him, it is he who will die;since you failed to warn him, he wil die for his guilt, and the uprightness he practised wil no longer beremembered; but I shal hold you responsible for his death.	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.
21 If, however, you warn someone upright not to sin and this person does not sin, such a one wil live,thanks to your warning, and you too wil have saved your life.'	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.
22 While I was there the hand of Yahweh came on me; he said, 'Get up, go out into the valley, and there Ishall speak to you.'	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.
23 I got up and went out into the val ey; the glory of Yahweh was resting there, like the glory I had seenby the River Chebar, and I fel to the ground.	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,
24 The spirit of Yahweh then entered me and put me on my feet and spoke to me. He said, 'Go and shutyourself in your house.	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.
25 Son of man, you are about to be tied and bound, and unable to mix with other people.	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.)
26 I am going to make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth; you will be dumb, and no longer ableto reprove them, for they are a tribe of rebels.	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.
27 When I speak to you, however, I shal open your mouth and then you will say to them, "Lord Yahwehsays this: Let anyone prepared to listen, listen; let anyone who refuses, refuse!"-for they are a tribe of rebels.'	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.