And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, get thee soon unto the house of Israel, and show them the words that I command thee.

For I send thee not to a people that hath a strange, unknown, or hard speech, but unto the house of Israel;

But the house of Israel will not follow thee, for they will not follow me. Yea, all the house of Israel have stiff foreheads, and hard hearts.

Not to many nations which have divers speeches and hard languages, whose words thou understandest not. Nevertheless, if I sent thee to those people, they would follow thee:

Behold, therefore, I will make thy face prevail against their faces, and harden thy forehead against their foreheads;

so that thy forehead shall be harder than an Adamant or flint stone: that thou mayest fear them the less, and be less afraid of them, for they are a froward household."

He said moreover unto me, "Thou son of man, take diligent heed with thine ears, to the words that I speak unto thee, fasten them in thine heart:

and go to the prisoners of thy people. Speak unto them, and say on this manner, 'Thus the LORD God hath spoken: Whether ye hear, or hear not.'"

If I say unto thee, concerning the ungodly man, that without doubt he must die: and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest unto him, that he may turn from his evil way, and so to live - Then shall the same ungodly man die in his own unrighteousness, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

With that, the spirit took me up. And I heard the noise of a great rushing and removing of the most blessed glory of the LORD out of his place.

And when the seven days were expired, the LORD said unto me,

After this said he unto me, "Thou son of man, eat that, whatsoever it be: Yea, eat that closed book, and go thy way, and speak unto the children of Israel."

Now when the spirit took me up, and carried me away, I went with a heavy and sorrowful mind, but the hand of the LORD comforted me right soon.

"Now if a righteous man go from his righteousness, and do the thing that is evil: I will lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning - Yea, die shall he in his own sin, so that the virtue which he did before shall not be thought upon, but his blood will I require of thine hand.

I heard also the noise of the wings of the beasts, that rushed one against another; yea, and the rattling of the wheels that were by them - which rushing and noise was very great.

And so in the beginning of the Month Abib, I came to the prisoners that dwelt by the water of Chebar and remained in that place, where they were: And so continued I among them seven days, being very sorry.

Nevertheless, if thou give warning unto the wicked: and he yet forsake not his ungodliness - Then shall he die in his own wickedness, but thou hast discharged thy soul.

So when I had risen up, and gone forth into the field: Behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like as I saw it afore, by the waters of Chebar. Then fell I down upon my face,

And there came the hand of the LORD upon me, and he said unto me, "Stand up and go into the field, that I may there talk with thee."

Nevertheless, if thou exhortest the righteous, that he sin not, and so the righteous do not sin - then shall he live, because he hath received thy warning, and thou hast discharged thy soul."

and said unto me, "Thou son of man, thy belly shall eat, and thy bowels shall be filled with the book, that I give thee." Then did I eat the book and it was, in my mouth, sweeter than honey.

But when I speak unto thee, then open thy mouth, and say, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: whoso heareth, let him hear; who so will not, let him leave.' For it is an obstinate household."

So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the book for to eat,

and the spirit came in to me, which set me up upon my feet, and said thus unto me, "Go thy way, and shut thyself in thine house.

And I will make thy tongue cleave so to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and not be as a chider with them: for it is an obstinate household.

Behold, O thou son of man, there shall chains be brought for thee, to bind thee withal, so that thou shalt not escape out of them.

"Thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore take good heed to the words, and give them warning at my commandment.