The Readable Bible: Ezekiel & Daniel

Ezekiel Daniel

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Ezekiel Daniel

A Cry for Repentance

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Birmingham, Alabama

The Readable Bible: Ezekiel – Daniel

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

The Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of five hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to The Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from The Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

.

Map Notes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jewish

Subject Index

The Call of Ezekiel

Be a Courageous

To Be a Watchman

Jerusalem’s Siege Prophesied

Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel 4

5

Living Illustration of the Siege Instructions 5

Ezekiel 5

Jerusalem’s Destruction Prophesied

Prophecy Against Idolatry

The End Has Come

on Israel for Their Sin

Ezekiel 6

8 Ezekiel 7

9

10

Ezekiel 8

The Price for Putting Idols in the Temple 11

Israel’s Abominations

12

Ezekiel 9 Ezekiel 10

The Glory of the Lord Leaves the Temple 13 Ezekiel 11

God’s Promise to Reassemble Israel

14 Judgment on Israel’s Leaders 15

The Glory of the Lord Leaves Jerusalem

Ezekiel Acts Out Israel’s Exile

False Prophets Condemned

16

Ezekiel 12

16 Ezekiel 13

18

Ezekiel 14

19 Punishment of the Land and Jerusalem 20

Idolatrous Elders

Ezekiel 15

Jerusalem’s Inhabitants Are Useless

21

Ezekiel 16

Jerusalem: Chosen Yet Unfaithful 22 Jerusalem Will Be Punished

Yet God Will Establish His Covenant

Parable of the Eagles and the Vine

Ezekiel 17

25

27

27

Ezekiel

The Soul Who Sins

Lament over the Princes

Israel’s Continuing Rebellion

Judgment and

Babylon: The Sword of the Lord

Jerusalem’s Blood-Soaked, Sinful History

Immoral Sisters

Immoral Sisters

Parable of the Boiling

Wife Dies

Part 2. Judgment on Foreign Nations

Prophecy Against Ammon

Against Moab and Seir

19

Ezekiel 20

Ezekiel 21

22

Ezekiel 23

24

Ezekiel 25

Against Edom..................................................................

Against Philistia

Prophecy Against Tyre

Lament over Tyre

Tyre’s Trading Partners

Prophecy Against the Ruler of Tyre

Lament over the King of Tyre

Against Sidon

Prophecy Against Egypt

Prophecy Against Egypt

Prophecy Against Egypt

Against Pharaoh (I)

Ezekiel 26

Ezekiel 27

Ezekiel 28

Ezekiel 29

Ezekiel 30

Ezekiel 31

Prophecy Against Pharaoh

Lament over Pharaoh

Against Pharaoh

Part 3. Hope for Judah and Jerusalem

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Watchman over Israel

Falls, yet Israel Continues in Rebellion

Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel

Will Save His Flock

Ezekiel 32

Ezekiel 33

Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel 35

Prophecy Against Edom..................................................................

Ezekiel 36

A Message to Israel’s Mountains

Concern for His Holy Name

Message to Israel

Ezekiel 37

The Vision of Dry Bones 75 Reuniting of Judah and Israel

Ezekiel 38

Prophecy Against Gog and Magog

Prophecy Against Gog

God Will Restore Israel

Illustration: Ezekiel’s Temple

Part 4. The Restored Temple

Ezekiel’s Vision of God’s New Temple

Temple Specifications

Temple Specifications

75

77 Ezekiel 39

Temple Specifications

Temple Specifications

Ezekiel 40

41

Part

Portion of the Land

The Holy Portion

Holy Portion

Table: Holy Portion of the Land

Table: Levite Portion of the Land

Table: City Property

Table: Land for the Prince

Note: Weights and Measures

Land

95

. . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Offerings for the Prince of Israel 96 Atonement for the Temple

Table: Passover Regulations

Table: Festival of Shelters Offerings

Table: New Moon and Sabbath

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Limitations on the Prince’s Right to Give Gifts

Places for Sacrifices

96

. 97

Water from the Temple 99

The Temple River

Division of the Land

Table: Property of the Twelve Tribes

Land Divisions in Restored Israel

Table: Tribal Land Assignments/Specifications

City Gates

City Size and Gate Names

Part 1. Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar

Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar

and His Friends

Nebuchadnezzar’s

Meshach, and Abednego

the Furnace

Daniel 3

Daniel 4

of King Nebuchadnezzar

Dreams of a Sky-High Tree

Interprets the Dream

Interpretation Fulfilled

of Nebuchadnezzar

Part 2. Daniel and Belshazzar

Belshazzar Abuses the Temple Vessels

Responds by Writing on the Wall

Interprets the Writing

Part 3. Daniel and Darius

Daniel 5

Daniel 6

Daniel Defies

Statute

in the Lion’s Den

Honors

of King Darius

Part 5. Prophecies About Countries and Kings

Mighty King Will Rise Up in Persia

A Different Mighty King Will Rise Up

The King of the South Will Become Strong

The King of the South Will Defeat the North

The King of the North Will Attack the South and Be Defeated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

The King of the South Will Attack the North and Be Victorious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

The King of the North Will Attack the South and Be Victorious 128

The King of the North Will Die Expanding His Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

A New King of the North Will Have a Short Reign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Map: North vs. South . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A Nonroyal Man Will Become King of the North

He Will Wage War Unsuccessfully 130

Will Wage War Again, Lose, and Turn Against God

The King of the North Will Conquer Many Nations.

Preface

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them.

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format. Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!).

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s.

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years.

Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people.

L

Before You Read

Words in italics are additions to the biblical text.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Please browse the glossary before you begin reading. You will find helpful information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important explanations of the words “L” and “Yahweh.”

Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets

Old Testament prophets were spokespersons for God, proclaiming the will of God. Sometimes God gave them a vision or understanding of the future, and depending on what that future held, they warned or encouraged people by telling them what God had said.

Generally, the prophets’ lives were lonely ones. They typically felt alone in their faith—sometimes they had to proclaim that judgment was coming, making them quite unpopular among a people who were enjoying their rebellion against God. Other times they had to proclaim that, though everyone had given up hope, God would restore Israel. Such preaching led to isolation, abuse, and ridicule by both kings and commoners.a Nevertheless, they stood for God regardless of the consequences.

The prophets were only people, just like us. They had moments of doubt, waning faith,b and self-pity.c They sometimes wanted to quitd and cried out to God for relief, even for vengeance on their enemies.e

God used the prophets for many purposes, to correct people, call them to repentance and a restored relationship with him, encourage them, reveal truths about himself and his creation, tell people what he wanted them to do, reveal actions that he was going to take (e.g., pronounce judgment or blessing), announce who he had appointed as Israel’s leader, and lay a foundation of knowledge to help people recognize the coming Messiah, Jesus.

God revealed coming events to some prophets. While informing the people about the future was important, it was a small part of the prophets’ overall ministries. Every prophecy’s foundational purpose was to bring people back to a walk with God by strengthening their faith. Predictive prophecy (and the recording of it) was to strengthen future generations in their faith, confirming that the past, present, and future are all within the knowledge and control of God.

The prophetic books record not only the words God spoke to and through the prophets but also the thoughts of the prophets themselves and the people to whom they spoke. When there is an unclear or abrupt change in the source of the words, The Readable Bible alerts you with an italicized lead-in (e.g., “And I replied . . .”).

In the prophetic books, “Declares the Lord” occurs several hundred times within prophetic utterances. It is often unclear whether the expression is a comment of the prophet or words of God. It usually means “this is a solemn declaration/message.”

Except in cases where the expression is clearly words of the prophet, in prophetic books it is punctuated as words of God.

a See 1 Kings 22:26–27.

b See Exodus 4:1–13.

c See Jeremiah 15:10.

d See 1 Kings 19:1–4; Jonah 4:1.

e See Jeremiah 11:19–12:4.

Introduction to Ezekiel

The prophet Ezekiel was a member of a priestly family and was part of the first wave of exiles taken to Babylon in 597 BC. His prophetic career began five years before he was taken to Babylon and lasted twenty-one years. Although he was a priest by birth, he probably never served in the temple at Jerusalem due to his young age at the time he was taken to Babylon.

The book of Ezekiel is unique in that it was addressed to the Jews living in Babylon during the first half of the exile. The Jews needed to adjust to the new reality of being a people with neither a king nor a land of their own. They were now a people held together only through their tribal relationships, their God, and their Scriptures.

Ezekiel’s writing contains many fantastic visions, including wheels inside of wheelsa and the Valley of Dry Bones.b There are also warnings of judgment against the Israelites remaining in the land and against other nations. Ezekiel sometimes uses allegory, as in the story of the wicked sisters Oholah and Oholibah.c In chapters 14, 18, and 33, theological discourses reapply the Law based on Israel’s new situation.

Ezekiel lived in Babylonia during most of the time he was active as a prophet. This is important for the development of Judeo-Christian faith, for ever since the exodus, the promised land had always been the location where God’s prophetic work took place and central in his plans for his people. In Ezekiel God raised up a prophet who spent most of his life outside the promised land, speaking to a community that also lived outside that region. This demonstrated to God’s people that his activity is not confined to a geographic area. God works and speaks wherever he chooses, according to his plans.

Ezekiel’s message was strong medicine for the people who heard it. It challenged many of their most deeply held assumptions about the God of Israel: He is active throughout the world and among all peoples, not just in Israel and their territory. His relationship with his people continued when they were removed from their land and their temple, and their exile did not mean he was finished with them. In fact, those who went into exile became the backbone of the new Jewish nation. They replaced those who had never gone into exile. Ezekiel’s message drove his audience to carefully rethink everything they thought they knew about God. May his profound theology and unusual visions do the same for us today.

a See Ezekiel 1:15–21.

b See Ezekiel 37:1–14.

c See Ezekiel 37.

Ezekiel

Part 1. Judgment on Judah and Israel

Ezekiel 1 Four Creatures

1 In late Junea in the thirtieth year,b I was among the exiles by the Kebar Canal.c The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2 On the next day d (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachine ), 3 the word of the L came to Ezekiel son of Buzi, the priest in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar Canal. The hand of the L was upon him there.

4 As I watched, to my surprise, a gale was coming from the north—a huge cloud with churning fire surrounded by bright light, and in its midst was something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. 5 In the middle there was something like four living creatures.

The Living Creaturesf 1:5–22

Appearance

Faces

Human in form. 5 Glowing like burning charcoal, like there were torches going back and forth between the creatures. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of it. 13

Descriptiong 11a Four per creature 6, 8

Number

One like the face of a human, and also on the right side, the face of a lion, and on the left side, the face of a bull. The four of them also had the face of an eagle. 10

Wings Four 6

One on each of their four sides 8 Each touched its neighbor. 9a Spread out from above. Each creature had two touching those of another and two covering their own bodies. 11b

Legs Straight 7

Feet

Like calf’s hooves that gleamed like burnished bronze 7 Hands Human in form, under their wings on their four sides 8

a Literally, “on the fifth day of the fourth month.”

b There are several theories regarding what the thirty years are linked to: Ezekiel’s birth, a king’s reign, etc.

c “Kebar Canal”: An unknown location; one of Babylon’s many canals.

d Literally, “fifth day of the fourth month.”

e About late June 592 BC.

f The description in the table can seem confusing. There are many interpretations of what the creatures looked like. Ezekiel 10:1 identifies them as cherubim.

g Literally, “Such were their faces.”

Movement

They didn’t turn as they went; each went straight ahead.

Wherever the windh went, they went, not turning from their course. 9b, 12

The living creatures ran back and forth like bolts of lightning. 14

Wheels seen as I looked at the living creatures. 15

Placement

Appearance & Workmanship

Movement

On the ground beside each creature with its four faces

Like sparkling topaz, their appearance was as if one wheel were within another wheel. All four of the wheels looked alike. 16

Wherever the spirit went, the wheels would go. 20 They went in any of the four directions without turning. 17 Whenever the creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them; 19, 21 were lifted off the ground, the wheels were lifted up along beside them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels; 19 21 stood still, the wheels would as well.

Rims Lofty and awesome, all four of them filled with eyes all around. 18

Covering Something like a vault i was over the head of the living creatures, like the awesome gleam of icej spread out over their heads. 22

23 Beneath the vault their wings went straight, each to its neighbor. Each one had two wings covering its body. 24 When they moved, I heard the sound of their wings beating. It was like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, the sound of a tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 When they stood still and their wings relaxed, a voice came from above the vault that was over their heads. 26 Above the vault that was over there heads there was something like a throne with an appearance like sapphire.k

High above on the thronelike seat was a figure like that of a man. 27 I saw that his appearance from the waist upward was like glowing metal, like fire all around it. And the appearance of his waist and downward looked something like fire, and brilliant light surrounded him. 28 The brilliant light around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. This appearance resembled the glory of the L. I looked, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice speaking.

2 Ezekiel

The Call of Ezekiel

To Be a Courageous Spokesman

1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and made me stand on my feet. And I continued listening to the one speaking to me. 3 He said to me, “Son of man,

h Or “the spirit.”

i “Vault”: a self-supporting arched roof.

j Or “crystal.”

k Or “lapis lazuli.”

I’m sending you to the Israelites, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me.

They and their ancestors have transgressed against me up to this very day.

4 I’m sending you to stubborn children with hard hearts.

You shall tell them, ‘ The Lord G says this.’

5 Whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious people—they’ll know that a prophet has been among them.

6 “As for you, son of man, do not fear them or their words— though briars and thorns are around you, though you live among scorpions. Don’t fear their words or be intimidated by them,a for they are a rebellious people.

7 You shall speak my words to them, whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

8 “As for you, son of man, listen to what I’m telling you: Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious people. Open your mouth and eat what I’m about to give you.”

9 I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. And to my surprise, a scroll was in it. 10 He spread it out before me, and it had writing on the front and back. Lamentations, mourning, and woe were written on it.

Ezekiel 3

1 He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the Israelites.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he fed me this scroll. 3 Then he told me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I’m giving you.” I ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my mouth.

4 Then he said to me, “Son of man, go to the Israelites and speak my words to them. 5 For you aren’t being sent to a people with obscure speech or a difficult language,b but to the Israelites. 6 You aren’t being sent to many peoples with obscure speech or a difficult language, whose words you won’t understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the Israelites won’t be willing to listen to you, because they aren’t willing to listen to me. All the Israelites are stubborn and obstinate.c

8 “Look, I will strengthen your unyielding face just asd much as theirs, and I’ll harden your forehead just as much as they have hardened theirs.

9 Like diamond is harder than flint, that’s how I’ll make your forehead. Do not fear them, and don’t be intimidated by them, for they are a rebellious people.”

a Literally, “be dismayed by their faces.” Also in Ezekiel 3:9.

b Literally, “a heavy tongue.”

c Literally, “of strengthened foreheads and hardened hearts.”

d Literally, “alongside of.”

10 He continued, “Son of man, take to heart and listen with your ears to all my words, which I will speak to you. 11 Then go to the exiles, your people,a and speak to them.

Tell them that the Lord G says this, whether they listen or not.”

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great thundering voice behind me: “Blessed be the glory of the L from his place.” 13 I heard the sound of the creatures’ wings brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a great thunderous sound. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went with bitterness and a raging spirit, and the hand of the L was strong upon me. 15 I came to the exiles at Tel Aviv,b those who were staying by the Kebar Canal. And I sat there where they were living, overwhelmed, for seven days.

To Be a Watchman

16 At the end of seven days, the word of the L came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the Israelites. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me.

18 When I tell the wicked, ‘You’ll surely die,’ but you don’t warn them, speak to warn the wicked to turn from their wicked way and live, that wicked person will die guilty, but I’ll consider you responsible.c 19 But as for you, when you warn the wicked person and they don’t turn from their wickedness and their wicked way, they’ll die guilty, but you will have saved your life.d

20 Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, I’ll put a stumbling block before them, and they will die. They will die in their sin because you didn’t warn them. Their righteous acts that they did won’t be remembered, and I’ll consider you responsible. 21 But as for you, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and they do not sin, they’ll surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved your life.”

22 The L’s hand was upon me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and I’ll speak to you there.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain and saw the glory of the L was standing there. It was like the glory that I saw at the Kebar Canal.

I fell on my face. 24 The Spirit entered me and stood me on my feet, and the Le spoke to me. He said, “Go, shut yourself up inside your house. 25 As for you, son of man, beware; they’ll tie you with ropes. They’ll bind you with them so you cannot go out among them. 26 I’ll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and

a Literally, “the sons of your people.”

b “Tel Aviv”: an unknown location in Babylon.

c Literally, “I will seek his blood from your hand.” And verse 20.

d Or “saved your soul.” And verse 21.

e Literally, “he.”

you’ll be unable to speak. You won’t be one who rebukes them, because they are a rebellious people. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you shall tell them, ‘ The Lord G says this.’ Those who listen will listen, and those who refuse will refuse, for they are a rebellious people.”

Illustration of the Siege

a Illustration

The Siege

Jerusalem’s Siege Prophesied

1. “As for you, son of man, take a brick, place it in front of you, and inscribe the city of Jerusalem on it. 1

2. Lay siege to it and build a siege wall against it. Pile up a ramp against it and put enemy camps against it. Put battering rams all around it. 2

3. Take an iron plate and make it an iron wall between you and the city. 3a

4. Set your face toward it so that it’ll appear to be under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign for the Israelites. 3b

5 Lie down on your left side and put the sin of the Israelites on it. You shall bear their sin for the number of days that you lie on it. 4 390 days As for me, I have assigned you the years of their sin as a number of days. You shall bear the sin of the Israelites. 5

6. After that, lie down a second time, on your right side. You shall bear the sin of the people of Judah. 6a 40 days A day for each year. 6b Moreover, ropes will hold you in placeb until you have completed the days of your siege. 8

7. Set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it.” 7

The Famine

13 The L said, “In this way the Israelites will eat defiled food among the nations where I’ll drive them.

1. Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt, and put them in one container and make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side. 9

Eat eight ouncesc by weight per day at a set time.d 10

. Drink three cupse of water by measure, drinking at a set time. 11

Eat the food as barley pancakes, having baked it within their sight over human feces.” 12

a Literally, “number of days.”

b Literally, “hold you so you cannot turn from one side to another.”

c Literally, “twenty shekels.” And verse 11 “three cups” is literally, “one-sixth a hin.”

d Literally, “per day from time to time.” And verse 11.

e Literally, “a sixth of a hin.”

14 I said, “Oh, Lord G, believe me! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now, I have never eaten something found dead or torn by beasts. Unclean meat has never entered my mouth.”

15 So he said to me, “Look here: I have given you cow manure instead of human feces. You may cook your food over that.” 16 He continued, “Son of man, hear this: I’m ending the food supply a in Jerusalem. They’ll anxiously eat rationed foodb and drink rationed water with shuddering, 17 because food and water will be scarce. They’ll be horrified at the sight of each other and will rot away in their sin.

5 Ezekiel

Jerusalem’s Destruction Prophesied

1 “As for you, son of man:

Take a sharp sword. Use it as c a barber’s razor and shaved your head and your beard. Take a balance scale and divide up the hair.

2 Burn one-third of it in the fire in the middle of the city when the days of the siege are completed.

Cut to pieces one-third of it with the sword, let them fall all around the brick that represents the city,e and scatter one-third to the wind.

In the same way, I’ll draw a sword behind my scattering people.f

3 Take a small number of hairs and stick them in the edges of your clothes.

4 Then

take a few of those and throw them in the midst of the fire. Burn them in the fire, and a fire will spread from it to all the Israelites.

5 “The Lord G says this:

‘ This is Jerusalem. I put her in the middle of the nations; countries are all around her. 6 But because of her wickedness, she has rebelled against my judgments more than the nations and against my statutes more than the countries that surround her. She has rejected my judgments and has not walked in my statutes.’

7 Therefore the Lord G says this:

‘Because you have rebelled more thang the nations that surround you, you haven’t walked in my statutes nor observed my ordinances, not even observed the ordinances of the nations around you,

a Literally, “breaking the staff of bread.”

b Literally, “by weight.”

c Literally, “Take for yourself.”

d Literally, “and pass it over.” To shave yourself was a sign of deep distress.

e See Ezekiel 4:1.

f Literally, “behind them.”

g Or “You have more tumult than”; the Hebrew is uncertain.

therefore the Lord G says this: ‘Look! I, yes I, am against you. I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 Because of your abominable idols, I’ll do among you what I have never done before, and the like of which I’ll never do again. 10 Therefore parents will eat their children in your midst, and children will eat their parents. I’ll execute judgments among you and scatter all of your survivors to the four winds.a

11 “ ‘ Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord G, because you defiled my sanctuary with all your disgusting idols and all your abominations, I, yes I, will disgrace you;b my eye won’t pity you, nor will I spare you.

12 A third of you will die from the plague or be finished off by the famine among you. A third will fall by the sword of the enemy troops all around you, and a third of you I’ll scatter to the four winds. And I’ll draw the sword behind my scattering people.c

13 “ ‘ Then my anger will be spent, and I will calm my wrath against them. I’ll be avenged. When I have spent my wrath on them, they’ll know that I, the L, have spoken in my zeal. 15b When I execute judgments against you in anger and wrath and fierce reproof, 14 to the eyes of all who pass by, I’ll make you a desolation, a reproach among the nations that surround you. 15a You’ll be a reproach and a term of abuse, and a warning and an object of horror among the nations that surround you.

15c I, the L, have spoken.

16 “ ‘ When I shoot the terrible arrows of famine against you (which were originally intended to destroy those whom I will now send to destroy you), I will increase the famine against you and cut off the food supply.d

17 I’ll send famine against you and ferocious beasts, and they’ll deprive you of your children. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I’ll bring a sword upon you.’

I, the L, have spoken.”

a Literally, “to all the wind” or “to every wind.” And verse 12.

b Literally, “shave you”: an action that confers deep disgrace. Or “withdraw from you.”

c Literally, “behind them.”

d Literally, “and break the staff of bread.”

Prophecy Against Idolatry

1 The word of the L

came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them. 3 Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the words of the Lord G

! The Lord G says this to mountains and heights, riverbeds and valleys: Listen! I’m bringing a sword upon you. I will destroy your high-place shrines 4 Your altars will be devastated; your incense altars will be shattered, and I’ll cause your slain to fall in front of your idols.

5 I’ll put the corpses of the Israelites before their idols and scatter your bones all around your altars.

6 In every place where you live, the cities will be laid waste and the high-place shrines devastated so that your altars will be laid waste and devastated, your idols shattered and ruined, your incense altars smashed, and the things you have made will be wiped out.

7 The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the L

8 “ ‘But I will leave a remnant among the nations, for some will escape the sword when you are scattered among the countries. 9 Your fugitives will remember me among the nations where they are taken as captives—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts that turned away from me and by their eyes that lusted after their idols. They will

loathe themselves for all the evil and abominable things they have done 10 and know that I am the L

, that I didn’t speak an idle threat

11 “ The Lord G says this: ‘Clap your hands and stamp your feet. Say:

to do them this harm.’

Alas! Because of all the evil abominations of the Israelites, they will fall by the sword, famine, and plague.

12 Those far off will die by the plague, those nearby will fall by the sword, and those who are left and are besieged will die from famine.

a Literally, “did not speak emptily.”

I’ll spend my wrath on them.

You’ll know that I am the L when they are slain— among their idols, around their altars, on every lofty height, on the top of every hill, beneath every lush tree, and beneath every leafy oak— the places where they gave a pleasing aroma to all their idols.

14 In every place where they live I’ll punish them and make the land a desolation, more desolate than the wilderness of Diblah. Then they will know that I am the

The End Has Come

1 The word of the L

came to me:

2 “As for you, son of man, the Lord G

says this regarding the land of Israel: ‘ The end! The end has come to the four corners of the land! 3 Now the end is upon you, and I’m sending my anger against you. I’ll judge you according to your ways, and I’ll put the consequences of all your abominations upon you.

4 My eye will have no pity on you, nor will I spare you. For I’ll put the consequences of your ways upon you, and the consequences of your abominations will be among you. Then you will know that I am the L.’

5 “The Lord G says this: ‘One disaster after another disaster a is coming! Believe me! 6 The end is coming! The end has come! It has awakened against you. Look, it is coming! 7 Doom has come to you who live in the land. The time has come; the day is near. There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.b

8 “ ‘Now soon

I will pour out my wrath upon you, and I’ll spend my anger on you. I’ll judge you according to your ways, and I’ll put all the consequences of your abominations upon you.

9 My eye won’t have pity on you, nor will I spare you.

I will put the consequences of your ways upon you, and the consequences of your abominations will be among you. Then you will know that I am the L

who strikes you.

a Literally, “disaster, disaster,” which may refer to one major disaster. b The Hebrew for this line is uncertain.

10 “

‘Pay attention! The day of doom!

Beware, it’s coming! The doom has gone out.

The branch has budded; arrogance has blossomed!

11 Violence has growna into a rod of wickedness. None of them will be left—not their people, wealth, or anything of value among them.

12 “ ‘

The time has come! The day has arrived!

Let the buyer not rejoice nor the seller mourn, for wrath is coming upon the whole multitude.

13 The seller will not return to the ancestral property that was sold as long as both buyer and seller live,b for the vision concerns the whole crowd and will not turn back. Due to their sins, none of them will preserve their life.

14 “ ‘

They have sounded the trumpet. Everyone is ready, but no one goes to battle, for my wrath is against their whole crowd.

15 The sword is outside, and plague and famine are inside. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword; famine and plague will devour those in the city.

Judgment on Israel for Their Sin

16 “ ‘

Their survivors will escape, but they’ll be on the mountains like doves of the valleys—all of them mourning, each one for their sin.

17 Every hand will become limp, and every leg will be wet with urine.c

18 They’ll put on sackcloth, and they’ll be covered with horror. Shame will be on every face, and all of their heads will be shaved.d

19 They will throw their silver out in the streets, and their gold will be as worthless as a used menstrual cloth. Their silver and gold won’t be able to save them on the day of the L’s wrath. Their appetites for wealth won’t be satisfied, nor will their stomachs be filled, for their sin will be a stumbling block.

20 They were proud of their beautiful jewelry e and used it to make their abominable idols.

Therefore

I will make it used menstrual cloth.

21 I’ll make it plunder in the hand of foreigners—spoil for the wicked people of the earth—and they’ll profane it.

a Literally, “has arisen.”

b A reference to the Jubilee Year land redemption described in Leviticus 25:13–34.

c Literally, “every knee will go with water.”

d Literally, “on all of their heads will be baldness.” Shaving one’s head was a sign of deep distress.

e Literally, “They used their beautiful jewelry for pride.”