Ezekiel

Introduction
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48

CHAPTER 2

Eating of the Scroll. 1The voice said to me: Son of man,^* stand up! I wish to speak to you. 2As he spoke to me, the spirit ^* entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard the one who was speaking^a 3say to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.^b 4Their children are bold of face and stubborn of heart—to them I am sending you. You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD.^c 5And whether they hear or resist—they are a rebellious house—they shall know that a prophet has been among them.^d 6But as for you, son of man, do not fear them or their words. Do not fear, even though there are briers or thorns and you sit among scorpions.^* Do not be afraid of their words or be terrified by their looks for they are a rebellious house.^e 7You must speak my words to them, whether they hear or resist, because they are rebellious.^f 8But you, son of man, hear me when I speak to you and do not rebel like this rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.^g

9 ^h It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me; in it was a written scroll. 10He unrolled it before me; it was covered with writing front and back. Written on it was: Lamentation, wailing, woe!ⁱ

* [2:1] Son of man: in Hebrew, “son/daughter of…” is a common idiom expressing affiliation in a group; in this case, “a human being.” The title is God’s habitual way of addressing the prophet throughout this book, probably used to emphasize the separation of the divine and the human.

* [2:2] The spirit: lit., wind, breath; a vital power, coming from God, which enables the prophet to hear the divine word; cf. 8:3; 11:1, 24.

* [2:6] And you sit among scorpions: the prophet must be prepared for bitter opposition.

a. [2:2] Ez 3:24; Dn 8:18.

b. [2:3] Ez 20:8, 13.

c. [2:4] Ex 32:9.

d. [2:5] Ez 3:11, 27; 33:33.

e. [2:6] Dt 31:6.

f. [2:7] Ez 3:10–11; Jer 7:27.

g. [2:8] Jer 15:16.

h. [2:9] Ez 8:3; Rev 10:2.

i. [2:10] Zec 5:3; Rev 5:1.