¹ And he said to me, Son of man, eat that which thou find. Eat this roll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.

² So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll.

³ And he said to me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

⁴ And he said to me, Son of man, go, get thee to the house of Israel, and speak to them with my words.

⁵ For thou are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel,

⁶ not to many peoples of a strange speech, and of a hard language, whose words thou cannot understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken to thee.

⁷ But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee, for they will not hearken to me. For all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart.

⁸ Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads.

⁹ As an adamant, harder than flint, I have made thy forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.

¹⁰ Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to thee, receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears.

¹¹ And go, get thee to those of the captivity, to the sons of thy people, and speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the lord Jehovah, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from his place.

¹³ And I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched each other, and the noise of the wheels beside them, even the noise of a great rushing.

¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away. And I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me.

¹⁵ Then I came to those of the captivity at Tel-abib, who dwelt by the river Chebar, and to where they dwelt. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,

¹⁷ Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

¹⁸ When I say to a wicked man, Thou shall surely die, and thou give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked man from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

¹⁹ Yet if thou warn the wicked man, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou have delivered thy soul.

²⁰ Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because thou have not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

²¹ Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous man not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and thou have delivered thy soul.

²² And the hand of Jehovah was there upon me, and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will talk with thee there.

²³ Then I arose, and went forth into the plain. And, behold, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face.

²⁴ Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet. And he spoke with me, and said to me, Go, shut thyself within thy house.

²⁵ But thou, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shall not escape from them.

²⁶ And I will make thy tongue cling to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shall be mute, and shall not be a reprover to them, for they are a rebellious house.

²⁷ But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shall say to them, Thus says the lord Jehovah. He who hears, let him hear, and he who forbears, let him forbear, for they are a rebellious house.