12 The Lord gave this message to me: 2 ‘Son of man, you are living among a people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes, but they do not see anything. They have ears, but they do not hear anything. They refuse to listen to me.
3 Because of that, son of man, pretend that you are going away as a prisoner. During the day, prepare your things for the journey. While people are watching, prepare to leave your home and go to another place. The people refuse to obey me, but perhaps they will understand what you are doing. 4 Bring out the things that you have prepared for your journey. Do that during the day while the people are watching you. Then leave your home in the evening while they are watching you. Go away like someone who is travelling to a far country as a prisoner. 5 While the people are watching, dig a hole in the wall of your house. Go out through the hole and carry your things with you. 6 Put your bag of things on your shoulder while the people watch you. Carry it out when it starts to become dark. Cover your face so that you cannot see the ground. I want you to do this so that it warns Israel's people about danger.’
7 So I did what the Lord had told me to do. I carried out a bag of my things to show that I was going on a journey. I prepared these things during the day. Then in the evening I used my hands to dig a hole in the wall of my house. When it became dark, I went out. I carried my bag of things on my shoulder. The people watched me do all this.
8 In the morning, the Lord gave this message to me: 9 ‘Son of man, listen to Israel's people who refuse to obey me. They have asked you, “What are you doing?” 10 Say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: This is a message about the prince who rules in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.”
11 Tell them, “I am teaching you a lesson to warn you about what will happen to you.” As you have done, the people will have to go as prisoners to another country.
12 Their king will leave Jerusalem when it starts to become dark. He will carry his things on his shoulder as he goes out. They will dig a hole in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. 13 I will throw my net over him and I will catch him in my trap. I will take him to Babylon city, in the land of the Chaldeans. But he will not see that land. He will die there. [ a ] 14 I will cause all his officers and soldiers to run away in different directions. Then their enemies will chase after them, to kill them with their swords.
15 I will send the people away from their homes to other countries. They will have to live among foreign people. Then they will know that I am the Lord . 16 But I will save a few of them. War, famine and disease will not kill all of them. When they live among those other nations, they will realize that they have done many disgusting things. And they will know that I am the Lord .’
17 The Lord gave this message to me: 18 ‘Son of man, shake with fear while you eat your food or you drink your water. 19 Then say to the people of Israel, “This is what the Almighty Lord says about the people who live in Jerusalem and in all the land of Israel: They will be afraid while they eat their food. They will shake with fear when they drink their water. An enemy will destroy their land so that nothing remains in it. This will happen because all the people who live there have done violent things. 20 The towns where people live will become heaps of stones. An enemy will destroy the whole land. Then you will know that I am the Lord .” ’
21 The Lord gave this message to me: 22 ‘Son of man, you have this proverb in the land of Israel: “A long time passes and visions never truly happen.” 23 But you must say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will soon stop you from saying the words of that proverb.” Instead, say to them “The time will soon be here when every vision will truly happen. 24 Israel's people will no longer have visions that are false. Nobody will prophesy things that deceive people. 25 But I, the Lord , will speak. Whatever I say will certainly happen. It will happen very soon. Understand this, you people who refuse to obey me. I will do this while you are still alive. I will do all the things that I have said. That is what the Almighty Lord says.” ’
26 The Lord gave this message to me: 27 ‘Son of man, listen to what Israel's people are saying about you! They say, “The things that you see in your vision will not happen for many years. It will be a long time before his messages become true.” 28 So say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will not wait any longer to do what I have said. I will do everything that I have told you. That is what the Almighty Lord says.” ’
12 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ a ] you live among people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes to see what I have done for them, but they don’t see those things. They have ears to hear what I told them to do, but they don’t hear my commands, because they are a rebellious people. 3 So, son of man, pack some things as if you are leaving on a trip. Pretend that you are a prisoner being taken far away. Do this during the day so that everyone can see you. Even though these people refuse to listen to me, maybe when they see you going away, they will understand what I have been trying to tell them.
4 “During the day, take your bags outside so that the people can see you. Then in the evening, pretend you are going away. Act as if you are a prisoner going to a faraway country. 5 While the people are watching, make a hole in the wall and go out through that hole in the wall. 6 At night, put your bag on your shoulder and leave. Cover your face so that you cannot see where you are going. You must do these things so that the people can see you, because I am using you as an example to the family of Israel.”
7 So I did as I was commanded. During the day, I took my bags and acted as if I were going to a faraway country. That evening, I used my hands and made a hole in the wall. During the night, I put my bag on my shoulder and left. I did this so that all the people could see me.
8 The next morning, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 9 “Son of man, did the people of Israel—those people who always refuse to obey—ask you what you were doing? 10 Tell them that this is what the Lord God said. This sad message is about the leader of Jerusalem and all the people of Israel who live there. 11 Tell them, ‘I am an example for all of you. What I have done will happen to you.’ You will be forced to go to a faraway country as prisoners. 12 And your leader will make a hole in the wall and sneak out at night. He will cover his face so that people will not recognize him. His eyes will not be able to see where he is going. 13 He will try to escape, but I will catch him! He will be caught in my trap. Then I will bring him to Babylonia—the land of the Chaldeans. But he will not be able to see where he is going. [ b ] 14 I will force the king’s people to live in the foreign countries around Israel, and I will scatter his army to the winds. The enemy soldiers will chase after them. 15 Then they will know that I am the Lord . They will know that I scattered them among the nations. They will know that I forced them to go to other countries.
16 “But I will let a few of the people live. They will not die from the disease, hunger, and war. I will let them live so that they can tell other people about the terrible things they did against me. Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, you must act as if you are very frightened. You must shake when you eat your food. You must act worried and afraid when you drink your water. 19 You must say this to the common people: ‘This is what the Lord God says to the people living in Jerusalem and in the other parts of Israel. You will be very worried while you eat your food. You will be terrified while you drink your water, because everything in your country will be destroyed! This will happen because the people living there are so violent. 20 Many people live in your cities now, but those cities will be ruined. Your whole country will be destroyed! Then you will know that I am the Lord .’”
21 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 22 “Son of man, why do people quote this saying about the land of Israel:
‘Trouble will not come soon;
what is seen in visions will not come’?
23 “Tell the people that the Lord God will end that saying. They will not say that about Israel anymore. Now they will quote this saying:
‘Trouble will come soon;
what is seen in visions will happen.’
24 “There will not be any more false visions in Israel. There will not be any more magicians telling things that don’t come true. 25 That’s because I am the Lord , and if I say something will happen, it will happen! I will not wait any longer. Those troubles are coming soon—in your own lifetime. Hear me, you people who always refuse to obey! When I say something, I make it happen.” This is what the Lord God said.
26 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 27 “Son of man, the people of Israel think that the visions I give you are for a time far in the future. They think you are talking about things that will happen many years from now. 28 So you must tell them this: ‘The Lord God says, I will not delay any longer. If I say something will happen, it will happen!’” This is what the Lord God said.
12 The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
3 Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.
4 Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.
5 Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.
6 In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.
7 And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,
9 Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?
10 Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.
11 Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.
12 And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.
13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
14 And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15 And they shall know that I am the Lord , when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.
16 But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord .
17 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
18 Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;
19 And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.
20 And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord .
21 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
23 Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God ; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
24 For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.
25 For I am the Lord : I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God .
26 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying.
27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.
28 Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God ; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God .
12 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, you live in the ( A ) midst of the ( B ) rebellious house, who ( C ) have eyes to see but do not see, ears to hear but do not hear; for they are a rebellious house. 3 So as for you, son of man, prepare for yourself baggage for exile and go into exile by day in their sight; that is, go into exile from your place to another place in their sight. ( D ) Perhaps they will [ a ] understand, though they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring your baggage out by day in their sight, as baggage for exile. Then you shall go out ( E ) at evening in their sight, as those who are going into exile. 5 Dig a hole through the wall in their sight and [ b ] go out through it. 6 Load the baggage on your shoulder in their sight and carry it out in the dark. You shall ( F ) cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have set you as a ( G ) sign to the house of Israel.”
7 Then I ( H ) did so, just as I had been commanded. By day I ( I ) brought out my baggage like the baggage of an exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands; I went out in the dark and carried the baggage on my shoulder in their sight.
8 And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Son of man, has the house of Israel, the ( J ) rebellious house, not said to you, ‘ ( K ) What are you doing?’ 10 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [ c ] God says: “This ( L ) pronouncement concerns the prince in Jerusalem as well as all the house of Israel who are [ d ] in it.”’ 11 Say, ‘I am [ e ] a ( M ) sign to you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will ( N ) go into exile, into captivity.’ 12 The ( O ) prince who is among them will load his baggage on his shoulder in the dark and go out. [ f ] They will dig a hole through the wall to bring it out through it. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land with his eyes. 13 I will also spread My ( P ) net over him, and he will be caught in My net. And I will bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will ( Q ) not see it, though he will die there. 14 And I will ( R ) scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them. 15 So they will ( S ) know that I am the Lord , when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries. 16 But I will [ g ] spare a few of them from the ( T ) sword, the famine, and plague so that they may tell of all their abominations among the nations where they go, and [ h ] may ( U ) know that I am the Lord .”
17 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, ( V ) eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. 19 Then say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Lord God says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: “They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water with horror, because [ i ] their land will be [ j ] ( W ) stripped of its fullness on account of the violence of all who live in it. 20 The inhabited ( X ) cities will be in ruins, and the ( Y ) land will be a desolation. So you will know that I am the Lord .”’”
21 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 22 “Son of man, what is this ( Z ) proverb you people have about the land of Israel, saying, ‘The ( AA ) days are long, and every ( AB ) vision fails’? 23 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will put an end to this proverb so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But tell them, “ ( AC ) The days are approaching as well as the [ k ] fulfillment of every vision. 24 For there will no longer be any [ l ] ( AD ) false vision or deceptive divination within the house of Israel. 25 For I the Lord will speak whatever ( AE ) word I speak, and it will be performed. It will no longer be delayed, for in ( AF ) your days, you ( AG ) rebellious house, I will speak the word and perform it,” declares the Lord God .’”
26 Furthermore, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for ( AH ) many [ m ] years from now , and he prophesies of times far off.’ 28 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “None of My words will be delayed any longer. Whatever word I speak will be performed,”’” declares the Lord God .
12 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. ( A ) They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people. ( B )
3 “Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps ( C ) they will understand, ( D ) though they are a rebellious people. ( E ) 4 During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile. ( F ) 5 While they watch, dig through the wall ( G ) and take your belongings out through it. 6 Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign ( H ) to the Israelites.”
7 So I did as I was commanded. ( I ) During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.
8 In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you, ‘What are you doing?’ ( J )
10 “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’ 11 Say to them, ‘I am a sign ( K ) to you.’
“As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives. ( L )
12 “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk ( M ) and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land. ( N ) 13 I will spread my net ( O ) for him, and he will be caught in my snare; ( P ) I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, ( Q ) but he will not see ( R ) it, and there he will die. ( S ) 14 I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword. ( T )
15 “They will know that I am the Lord , when I disperse them among the nations ( U ) and scatter them through the countries. 16 But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord . ( V ) ”
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, tremble as you eat your food, ( W ) and shudder in fear as you drink your water. 19 Say to the people of the land: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything ( X ) in it because of the violence of all who live there. ( Y ) 20 The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord . ( Z ) ’”
21 The word of the Lord came to me: 22 “Son of man, what is this proverb ( AA ) you have in the land of Israel: ‘The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’? ( AB ) 23 Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them, ‘The days are near ( AC ) when every vision will be fulfilled. ( AD ) 24 For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations ( AE ) among the people of Israel. 25 But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. ( AF ) For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill ( AG ) whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord . ( AH ) ’”
26 The word of the Lord came to me: 27 “Son of man, the Israelites are saying, ‘The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’ ( AI )
28 “Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord .’”
