At the same time came the word of the LORD unto Ezekiel the son of Buzi the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the water of Chebar, where the hand of the LORD came upon him.

And then said he unto me, "Stand up upon thy feet, O thou son of man, and I will talk with thee."

And he said, "Behold, thou son of man: I will send thee to the children of Israel, to those renegades and obstinate people - for they have taken part against me, and are run away from me: both they and their forefathers unto this day.

"Therefore, thou son of man, fear them not; neither be afraid of their words: for they shall rebel against thee, and despise thee. Yea, thou shalt dwell among scorpions. But fear not their words, be not abashed at their looks: for it is a froward household.

Therefore, thou son of man, obey thou all things, that I say unto thee, and be not thou stiffnecked, like as they are a stiffnecked household. Open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee."

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."

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.

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.

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:

"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.

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, take a tile stone, and lay it before thee, and describe upon it the city of Jerusalem;

And he said unto me, "Behold thou son of man, I will minish all the provision of bread in Jerusalem, so that they shall weigh their bread, and eat it with scarceness. But as for water, they shall have a very little measure thereof, to drink.

O Thou son of man, take thee then a sharp knife, namely a razor. Take that, and shave the hair of thy head and beard: Then take the scales and weight, and divide the hair asunder.

For in thee the fathers shall be fain to eat their own sons, and the sons their own fathers. Such a court will I keep in thee, and the whole remnant will I scatter into all the winds.

"Thou son of man, turn thy face to the mountains of Israel, that thou mayest prophesy unto them,

"Thee I call, O thou son of man. Thus sayeth the LORD God unto the land of Israel: The end cometh: yea, verily the end cometh upon all the four corners of the land.

And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, O lift up thine eyes, and look toward the north." Then lift I up mine eyes toward the north, and behold: beside the port northward, there was an altar made unto the image of provocation in the very entering in.

And he said furthermore unto me, "Thou son of man, seest thou what these do? Seest thou the great abominations that the house of Israel commit in this place? Which ought not to be done in my sanctuary: But turn thee about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations."

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, dig through the wall." And when I digged through the wall, behold there was a door.

There stood also before the images: Seventy lords of the counsel of the house of Israel; and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. And every one of them had a censor in his hand, and out of the incense there went a smoke, as it had been a cloud.

Then said he unto me, "Thou son of man, hast thou seen what the Senators of the house of Israel do secretly, everyone in his chamber? For they say, 'Tush, the LORD seeth us not, the LORD regardeth not the world.'"

Then said he unto me, "Hast thou seen this, thou son of man? Turn ye about, and thou shalt see yet greater abominations."

And he said unto me, "Hast thou seen this thou son of man? Thinketh the house of Israel that it is but a trifle to do these abominations here? Should they fill the land full of wickedness, and undertake to provoke me unto anger? Yea, and purposely to cast up their noses upon me?

Moreover, the spirit of the LORD lift me up, and brought me unto the east port of the LORD's house. And behold, there were twenty five men under the door: among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, the rulers of the people.

Then said the LORD unto me, "Thou son of man: these men imagine mischief, and a wicked counsel take they in this city,

Therefore shalt thou prophesy unto them: yea, prophesy shalt thou unto them, O son of man."

Now when I preached, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah died. Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, "O LORD God, wilt thou then utterly destroy all the remnant in Israel?"

"Thou son of man: thy brethren, thy kinsfolk, and the whole house of Judah which dwell at Jerusalem, say, 'They be gone far from the LORD, but the land is given us in possession.'

"Thou son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a froward household: which have eyes to see, and yet see not; ears have they to hear, and yet hear they not. For they are an obstinate household.

Therefore, O thou son of man, make thy gear ready to flit, and go forth by fair daylight, that they may see. Yea, even in their sight shalt thou go from thy place to another place: if peradventure they will consider that they be an unobedient household.

"Thou son of man, if Israel, that froward household, ask thee and say, 'What doest thou there?'

"Thou son of man: with a fearful trembling shalt thou eat thy bread, with carefulness and sorrow shalt thou drink thy water.

"Thou son of man, what manner of byword is that, which ye use in the land of Israel? Saying, 'Tush, seeing that the days are so slack in coming, all the visions are of none effect.'

"Behold, thou son of man: The house of Israel say in this manner, 'Tush, as for the vision that he hath seen, it will be many a day or it come to pass: It is far off yet, the thing that he prophesieth.'

"Thou son of man, speak prophecy against those prophets that preach in Israel: and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, 'Hear ye the word of the LORD.

"Wherefore, O thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people which prophesy out of their own hearts: and speak thou prophecy against them,

"Thou son of man, these men bear their idols in their hearts, and go purposely upon the stumbling block of their own wickedness: how dare they then ask counsel at me?

"Thou son of man, when the land sinneth against me and goeth forth in wickedness: I will stretch out mine hand upon it, and destroy all the provision of their bread, and send dearth upon them, to destroy man and beast in the land.

if these three men also were in the land, as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall save neither sons nor daughters, but be only delivered themselves: and as for the land, it shall be waste.

and if these three men were therein: As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only be saved themselves.

and if Noah, Daniel and Job were therein: as truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but save their own souls in their righteousness.

yet shall there be a remnant saved therein, which shall bring forth their sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way, and what they take in hand, and ye shall be comforted, as touching all the plagues that I have brought upon Jerusalem.

"Thou son of man: What cometh of the vine among all other trees? And of the vine stock among all other timber of the grove?

"Thou son of man, show the city of Jerusalem their abominations,

Thou hast taken thine own sons and daughters, whom thou hast begotten unto me: and these hast thou offered up to them, to be their meat. Is this but a small whoredom of thine, thinkest thou,

"Thou son of man, put forth a dark speaking and a parable unto the house of Israel,

Behold, all souls are mine. Like as the father is mine, so is the son mine also. The soul that sinneth, shall die.

"If he now get a son, that is a murderer, a shedder of blood: if he do one of these things

Now if this man get a son also, that seeth all his father's sins, which he hath done, and feareth, neither doth such like:

And yet say ye, 'Wherefore then should not this son bear his father's sin?' Therefore, because the son hath done equity and right, hath kept all my commandments and done them: therefore shall he live indeed.

The soul that sinneth, she shall die. The son shall not bear part of the father's wickedness. The righteousness of the right shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

"Thou son of man: speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Are ye come hither to ask anything at me? As truly as I live, sayeth the LORD God,

I will give you no answer.' Wilt thou not reprove them, thou son of man? Wilt thou not reprove them? Show them the abominations of their forefathers, and tell them: 'Thus sayeth the LORD God:

Moreover, I said unto their sons in the wilderness, 'Walk not in the statutes of your forefathers; keep not their ordinances, and defile not yourselves with their idols,

Notwithstanding, their sons rebelled against me also: they walked not in my statutes, they kept not my laws to fulfill them, which he that doth shall live in them; neither hallowed they my Sabbath days. Then I made me again to pour out my indignation over them, and to satisfy my wrath upon them in the wilderness.

"Therefore, O thou son of man, tell the house of Israel, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Beside all this, your forefathers have yet blasphemed me more, and greatly offended against me.

"Thou son of man, set thy face toward the south, and speak to the south wind,

"Thou son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, speak against the Sanctuary, and prophesy against the land of Israel, say to the land of Israel,

Mourn therefore, O thou son of man, that thy loins crack withal; yea mourn bitterly for them.

"Thou son of man, prophesy and speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: speak, the sword is sharpened and well scoured.

Sharpened is it for the slaughter, and scoured that it may be bright. O, the destroying staff of my son shall bring down all wood.

Cry, O thou son of man, and howl: for this sword shall smite my people, and all the rulers in Israel, which with my people shall be slain down to the ground through this sword. Smite therefore thou upon thy thigh, for it is gone forth to make a trial.

Prophesy, thou son of man, and smite thine hands together: make the sword two edged, yea make it three edged, that manslayer's sword, that sword of the great slaughter, which shall smite them even in their privy chambers:

"Thou son of man, make thee two streets, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come. Both these streets shall go out of one land. He shall set him up a place; at the head of the street shall he choose him out a corner.

"And thou, O son of man, prophesy and speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God to the children of Ammon, and to their blasphemy,' speak thou, 'The sword, the sword is drawn forth already to the slaughter, and scoured that it glistereth

"Thou son of man, wilt thou not reprove this bloodthirsty city? Show them their abominations,

"Thou son of man, the house of Israel is turned to dross. All they that should be brass, tin, iron and lead, are in the fire become dross.

"Thou son of man, tell her, 'Thou art an unclean land, which is not rained upon in the day of the cruel wrath:

"Thou son of man, there were two women, that had one mother.

The eldest of them was called Oholah and her youngest sister Oholibah. These two were mine, and bare sons and daughters. Their names were, Samaria, and that was Oholah: and Jerusalem, that was Oholibah.

These discovered her shame, took her sons and daughters, and slew her with the sword: An evil name gat she of all people, and they punished her.

I will put my jealousy upon thee, so that they shall deal cruelly with thee. They shall cut off thy nose and thine ears, and the remnant shall fall through the sword. They shall carry away thy sons and daughters, and the residue shall be burnt in the fire.

The LORD said moreover unto me, "Thou son of man, wilt thou not reprove Oholah and Oholibah? Show them their abominations:

these shall stone them and gore them with their swords. They shall slay their sons and daughters and burn up their houses with fire.

"O thou son of man, write up the name of this day; yea, even the hour of this present day when the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem.

"Thou son of man, behold, I take away the pleasure of thine eyes with a plague: yet shalt thou neither mourn, nor weep, nor water thy cheeks therefore.

'Tell the house of Israel, thus sayeth the LORD God: Behold, I will suspend my sanctuary: even the glory of your power, that pleasure of your eyes, and the thing that ye love: your sons and daughters whom ye have left, shall fall through the sword.

"But behold, O thou son of man: In the day when I take from them their power, their joy and honour, the lust of their eyes, the burden of their bodies - namely, their sons and daughters -

"Thou son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, prophesy upon them,

"Thou son of man, because that Tyre hath spoken upon Jerusalem, 'Aha, now I trow the ports of the people be broken, and she turned unto me, for I have destroyed my belly full.'

"O thou son of man, make a lamentable complaint upon Tyre,

"Thou son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Because thou hast a proud heart and hast said, 'I am a God, I have my seat in the midst of the sea like a God,' whereas thou art but a man, and not God, and yet standest in thine own conceit, that thou art God:

"Thou son of man, make a lamentable complaint over the king of Tyre, and tell him, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Thou art a seal of a likeness, full of wisdom and excellent beauty.

"Thou son of man, set thy face against Sidon. Prophesy upon it,

"O thou son of man, set now face against Pharaoh the king of Egypt: Prophesy against him and against the whole land of Egypt.

"O thou son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath made his host, with great travail and labour to come before Tyre: that every head may be bald, and every shoulder bare. Yet hath Tyre given neither him nor his host any reward, for the great travail that he hath taken there.

"Thou son of man, prophesy and speak, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Mourn, woe worth this day,

"Behold, thou son of man, I will brake the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt: and lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, neither shall any plaster be laid upon it, for to ease it, or to make it so strong as to hold a sword.

"Thou son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to all his people, 'Whom art thou like in thy greatness?

"Thou son of man, take up a lamentation upon Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and say unto him, 'Thou art reputed as a Lion of the Heathen, and as a whalefish in the sea. Thou castest thy waters about thee, thou troublest the waters with thy feet, and stampest in their floods.

"Thou son of man, Take up a lamentation upon the people of Egypt, and cast them down, yea and the mighty people of the Heathen also, even with them that dwell beneath: and with them that go down into the grave.

"Thou son of man, Speak to the children of thy people, and tell them, 'When I send a sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their country, and set him to be their watchman:

And now, O thou son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: that whereas thou hearest anything out of my mouth, thou mayest warn them on my behalf.

"Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel. Yea, say thus, 'Our offenses and sins lie upon us, and we be corrupt in them: how should we then be restored unto life?'

Thou son of man, tell the children of thy people, 'The righteousness of the righteous shall not save him, whensoever he turneth away unfaithfully. Again, the wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, whensoever he converteth from his ungodliness. And the righteousness of the righteous, shall not save his life, whensoever he sinneth.

"Thou son of man, these that dwell in the wasted land of Israel say, 'Abraham was but one man, and he had the land in possession: now are we many, and the land is given us to possess also.'

"And thou, son of man, the children of thy people that talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of their houses, saying one to another, 'Come, let us hear, what word is gone forth from the LORD' -

"Thou son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and speak unto them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Woe be unto the shepherds of Israel, that feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

"Thou son of man, turn thy face toward the mount Seir, prophesy upon it,