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BibleStudyIt Ezekiel 2

  • Ezekiel Chapter 2

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God chooses Ezekiel to be his messenger

2 The voice said to me, ‘Son of man, you must stand up on your feet. Then I will speak to you.’ 2 A spirit came into me while he spoke. [ a ] He made me stand up and I heard him speak to me.

3 He said, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to Israel's people. They are a nation of people who have turned against me. They and their ancestors have refused to obey me, even until today. 4 I am sending you to speak to these people. They do not accept my authority and they refuse to change. But you must say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says.”

5 The Israelites may listen to what you say, or they may not listen. They do not want to obey me. But they will know that I have sent a prophet to them. 6 You must not be afraid of them, son of man. Do not be afraid of their words either. It may seem that you are living with thorn bushes all around you. You may think that they can hurt you like dangerous scorpions. But do not be afraid of what they say to you, or how they look at you. Remember that they refuse to obey me. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen to you or not. They are people who refuse to obey me. 8 But you must listen to what I say to you, son of man. Do not refuse to obey me, as those people refuse to obey me. Open your mouth and eat what I will give to you.’

9 When I looked, I saw a hand! It held out a scroll towards me. [ b ] 10 He opened the scroll so that I could see inside it. I saw words that were written on both sides of the scroll. There were sad funeral songs, and words about great trouble that make you weep.

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 ‘A spirit’ or ‘a wind’. The same Hebrew word may mean either of these.
  2. 2:9 In those days, people wrote books on scrolls. Usually they would only write on one side of the skin or paper. But here there were words written on both sides.

The Lord Speaks to Ezekiel

2 The voice said, “Son of man, [ a ] stand up and I will speak with you.”

2 Then the Spirit came into me [ b ] and lifted me up on my feet, and I listened to the one who spoke to me. 3 He said, “Son of man, I am sending you to speak to the family of Israel. Those people and their ancestors turned against me many times. They have sinned against me many times—and they are still sinning against me today. 4 I am sending you to speak to them, but they are very stubborn. They are very hardheaded, but you must speak to them. You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’ 5 They are people who refuse to obey, so they may not listen to you. But even if they don’t stop sinning, at least they will know that there is a prophet living among them.

6 “Son of man, don’t be afraid of the people or what they say. It is true: they will turn against you and try to hurt you. Their words will be sharp like thorns and will sting like scorpions. But don’t be afraid of what they say. They are people who refuse to obey, but don’t be afraid of them. 7 You must tell them what I say, whether they listen or not. They are people who usually refuse to listen!

8 “Son of man, listen to what I am telling you. Don’t turn against me like those people who refuse to obey. Now open your mouth to receive the words I will give you to speak.”

9 Then I saw an arm reach out toward me. It was holding a scroll with words written on it. 10 It rolled the scroll open in front of me. Words were on the front and on the back of the scroll. There were all kinds of sad songs, sad stories, and warnings.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:1 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel, as one the Lord chose to be his prophet. It is used in this sense throughout this book.
  2. Ezekiel 2:2 the Spirit came into me Or “a wind came.”

2 And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

2 And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.

3 And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day.

4 For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God .

5 And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.

8 But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee.

9 And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;

10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

The Prophet’s Call

2 Then He said to me, “Son of man, ( A ) stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as He spoke to me the ( B ) Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me. 3 Then He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have ( C ) rebelled against Me; ( D ) they and their fathers have revolted against Me to this very day. 4 So I am sending you to those who are [ a ] ( E ) impudent and obstinate children, and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [ b ] God says:’ 5 As for them, ( F ) whether they listen or [ c ] not—for they are a rebellious house—they will ( G ) know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And as for you, son of man, you are ( H ) not to fear them nor fear their words, though ( I ) thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; you are not to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, since they are a rebellious house. 7 But you shall ( J ) speak My words to them ( K ) whether they listen or [ d ] not, for they are rebellious.

8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth wide and ( L ) eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and behold, a ( M ) hand was extended to me; and behold, a [ e ] ( N ) scroll was in it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were songs of mourning, sighing, and ( O ) woe.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:4 Lit hard-faced and hard-hearted
  2. Ezekiel 2:4 Heb YHWH , usually rendered Lord
  3. Ezekiel 2:5 Lit refrain
  4. Ezekiel 2:7 Lit refrain
  5. Ezekiel 2:9 Lit scroll of a book

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

2 He said to me, “Son of man, [ a ] ( A ) stand ( B ) up on your feet and I will speak to you. ( C ) 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me ( D ) to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. ( E ) 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. ( F ) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ ( G ) 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen ( H ) —for they are a rebellious people ( I ) —they will know that a prophet has been among them. ( J ) 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid ( K ) of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns ( L ) are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. ( M ) 7 You must speak ( N ) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. ( O ) 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel ( P ) like that rebellious people; ( Q ) open your mouth and eat ( R ) what I give you.”

9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand ( S ) stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, ( T ) 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe. ( U )

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:1 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being . The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here and throughout Ezekiel because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.