The Lantern

Ezekiel3

Ezekiel Eats the Scroll

And he said to me: Son of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel.

And I opened my mouth, and he fed me this scroll.

And he said to me: Son of man, let your belly eat and fill your bowels with this scroll that I am giving you. And I ate it, and it was in my mouth like honey for sweetness.

And he said to me: Son of man, go, come to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them.

For you are not sent to a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue, but to the house of Israel —

not to many peoples deep of lip and heavy of tongue whose words you cannot hear. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would listen to you.

But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me; for all the house of Israel are firm of forehead and hard of heart.

See, I have made your face firm against their faces, and your forehead firm against their foreheads.

Like adamant, firmer than flint, I have made your forehead. Do not fear them, and do not be shattered before them, for they are a house of rebellion.

And he said to me: Son of man, all my words that I speak to you, take into your heart and hear with your ears.

And go, come to the exile, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD — whether they listen or whether they cease.

And a spirit lifted me, and I heard behind me the sound of a great quaking: Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place —

and the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing each against the next, and the sound of the wheels alongside them, and the sound of a great quaking.

And a spirit lifted me and took me, and I went bitter in the wrath of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was firm on me.

And I came to the exile at Tel-abib, those dwelling by the river Chebar, and I dwelt where they were dwelling; and I sat there seven days, desolate among them.

A Watchman for Israel

And it was at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. And you will hear a word from my mouth and warn them from me.

When I say to the wicked: You will surely die — and you have not warned him and have not spoken to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to keep him alive — he, the wicked, will die in his iniquity, and his blood I will require from your hand.

But you, if you have warned the wicked and he has not turned from his wickedness and from his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, and you have delivered your soul.

And when a righteous one turns from his righteousness and does injustice, and I set a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered; and his blood I will require from your hand.

But you, if you have warned the righteous one that the righteous should not sin, and he has not sinned, he will surely live, because he was warned; and you have delivered your soul.

And the hand of the LORD was on me there, and he said to me: Rise, go out to the valley, and there I will speak with you.

And I rose and went out to the valley, and see: there the glory of the LORD was standing, like the glory I had seen by the river Chebar. And I fell on my face.

And a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me: Go, shut yourself inside your house.

And you, son of man — see, they will put ropes on you and bind you with them, and you will not go out among them.

And I will make your tongue cling to your palate, and you will be mute and will not be a man who reproves for them, for they are a house of rebellion.

But when I speak with you I will open your mouth, and you will say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD. Let the one who listens, listen; and the one who ceases, cease — for they are a house of rebellion.