{Gimel} He hath so hedged me in, that I cannot get out; and hath laid heavy links upon me.

{Khet} Namely, that the mercies of the LORD are not clean gone, and that his loving-kindness ceaseth not.

{Tet} O how good is the LORD unto them that put their trust in him, and to the soul that seeketh after him?

{Mem} What is he then that sayeth, "There should something be done without the LORD's commandment:

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto the God that is in heaven.

Thou hast hid thyself in a cloud, that our prayer should not go through.

{Tsadi} Mine enemies hunted me out sharply, like a bird; yea, and that without a cause.

Thou hast well considered how they go about to do me harm, and that all their counsels are against me.

The lips of mine enemies, and their devices that they take against me, all the day long.

Give them the thing, that their own heart is afraid of: even thy curse.

{Beth} The children of Zion that were always in honour, and clothed with the most precious gold: how are they now become like the earthen vessels which be made with the potter's hand?

{Daleth} The tongues of the sucking children, cleave to the roof of their mouths for very thirst. The young children ask bread, but there is no man that giveth it them.

{He} They that were wont to fair delicately, perish in the streets; they that afore were brought up in purple, make now much of dung.

{Vav} The sin of the daughter of my people is become greater than the wickedness of Sodom, that suddenly was destroyed, and not taken with hands.

{Khet} But now their faces are very black: Insomuch, that thou shouldest not know them in the streets. Their skin cleaveth to their bones; It is withered, and become like a dry stock.

{Tet} They that be slain with the sword, are happier than such as die of hunger, and perish away famishing for the fruits of the field.

{Yod} The women, which of nature are pitiful, have sodden their own children with their hands that they might be their meat, in the miserable destruction of the daughter of my people.

{Lamed} Neither the kings of the earth, nor all the inhabiters of the world, would have believed that the enemy and adversary should have come in at the gates of the city of Jerusalem.

{Mem} Which nevertheless is come to pass for the sins of her prophets, and for the wickedness of her priests that have shed innocents' blood within her.

{Nun} So that these blind men went stumbling in the streets, and stained themselves with blood, which else would touch no bloody cloth.

{Pe} Wherefore yet our eyes fail us, while we look for vain help: seeing we be ever waiting upon a people that can do us no good.

{Tsadi} They lay so sharp wait for us, that we can not go safe upon the streets: for our end is come, our days are fulfilled, our end is here.

{Shin} And thou, O daughter Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz, be glad and rejoice: for the cup shall come unto thee also, which when thou suppest of thou shalt be drunk.

Afore time we yielded ourselves to the Egyptians, and now to the Assyrians, only that we might have bread enough.

The garland of our head is fallen: alas, that ever we sinned so sore!

because of the hill of Zion that is destroyed: Insomuch that the foxes run upon it.

But thou, O LORD, that remainest for evermore, and thy seat, world without end:

It chanced, in the thirtieth year, the fifth day of the fourth Month, that I was among the prisoners by the river of Chebar: where the heavens opened, and I saw a vision of God.

that every one had four faces and four wings.

yet were the wings so, that one ever touched another. When they went, they turned them not about: but each one went straight forward.

Their faces also and their wings were spread out above: so that two wings of one touched ever two wings of another, and with the other two they covered their body.

Above over the heads of the beasts there was a firmament, which was fashioned as it had been of the most pure Crystal, and that was spread out above upon their heads:

Now when they stood still, and had let down their wings, it thundered in the firmament that was above their heads.

Above the firmament that was over their heads, there was the fashion of a seat, as it had been made of Sapphire. Upon the seat there sat one like a man.

I beheld him, and he was like a clear light, as it had been all of fire within from his loins upward. And beneath when I looked upon him under the loins, methought he was like a shining fire, that giveth light on every side.

Yea the shine and glister that lightened round about, was like a rainbow, which in a rainy day appeareth in the clouds. Even so was the similitude, wherein the glory of the LORD appeared. When I saw it, I fell upon my face, and hearkened unto the voice of him that spake.

And as he was communing with me, the spirit came in to me, and set me up upon my feet: so that I marked the thing, that he said unto me.

Yea, I will send thee unto a people that have rough visages and stiff stomachs: unto whom thou shalt say on this manner, 'This the LORD God himself hath spoken,'

that whether they be obedient or no - for it is a froward household - they may know yet that there hath been a Prophet among them.

See that thou speak my words unto them, whether they be obedient or not, for they are obstinate.

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.

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

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:

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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 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."

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.

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.

But thou shalt sleep upon thy left side, and lay the sin of the house of Israel upon thee. Certain days appointed, thou shalt sleep upon that side, and bear their sins.

Therefore set now thy face against that besieged Jerusalem, and discover thine arm, that thou mayest prophesy against it.

Behold, I will lay chains upon thee, that thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.

"Wherefore, take unto thee wheat, barley, beans, growell seed, Millium and fitches: and put these together in a vessel, and make thee loaves of bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou must lie upon thy side: that thou mayest have bread to eat, for three hundred and ninety days.

And the meat that thou eatest, shall have a certain weight appointed: namely twenty shekels every day. This appointed meat shalt thou eat daily, from the beginning to the end.

Barley cakes shalt thou eat, yet shalt thou first strike them over with man's dung, that they may see it."

And with that said the LORD, "Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread in the midst of the Gentiles, among whom I will scatter them."

Then said I, "O LORD God: Behold, my soul was yet never stained, for from my youth up to this hour. I did never eat of a dead carcass, or that which was slain of wild beasts, neither came there ever any unclean flesh in my mouth."

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.

And burn the third part thereof in the fire in the midst of the city, and cut the other third part in pieces with a knife. As for the third part that remaineth, cast it in the wind, and then show the bare knife.

Moreover, thus said the LORD God, "This same is Jerusalem. I set her in the midst of the Heathen and nations that are round about her:

but she hath despised my judgments more than the Gentiles themselves, and broken my commandments more than the nations that lie round about her. For they have cast out mine ordinances, and not walked in my laws.

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as ye with your wickedness far exceed the Heathen that dwell round about you - For ye have not walked in my laws, neither have ye kept mine ordinances -

and will handle thee of such a fashion as I never did before, and as I never will do from that time forth, and that because of all thine abominations.

One third part within thee shall die of the pestilence and of hunger: Another third part shall be slain down round about thee with the sword: The other third part, that remaineth, will I scatter abroad toward all the winds, and draw out the sword after them.

Thus will I perform my indignation and set my wrath against them, and ease myself. So that when I have fulfilled mine anger against them, they shall know that I am the LORD, which with a fervent jealousy have spoken it.

Moreover, I will make thee waste and abhorred before all the Heathen that dwell about thee, and in the sight of all them that go by thee:

so that when I punish thee in my wrath, in mine anger, and with the plague of my hot displeasure, thou shalt be a very abomination, shame, a gasping and wondering stock among the Heathen that lie about thee. Even I, the LORD, have spoken it: and it shall come to pass.

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

Your slain men shall lie among you, that ye may learn to know, how that I am the LORD.

"Those that among you have escaped the sword, will I leave among the Gentiles, for I will scatter you among the nations.

And they that escape from you, shall think upon me among the Heathen, where they shall be in captivity. As for that whorish and unfaithful heart of theirs, wherewith they run away from me, I will break it: Yea, and put out those eyes of theirs, that committed fornication with their idols. Then shall they be ashamed, and displeased with their selves, for the wickedness and abominations, which they have done:

and shall learn to know how that it is not in vain, that I, the LORD, spake to bring such misery upon them.'"

Whoso is far off, shall die of the pestilence; he that is nigh at hand shall perish with the sword; and the others that are besieged shall die of hunger. Thus will I satisfy my wrathful displeasure upon them.

And so shall ye learn to know that I am the LORD, when your slain men lie among your gods, and about your altars; upon all high hills and tops of mountains; among all green trees; among all thick oaks; even in the places where they did sacrifice to all their idols.

I will stretch mine hand out upon them, and will make the land waste: So that it shall lie desolate and void from the wilderness of Diblath forth, through all their habitations: to learn them for to know, that I am the LORD.'"

Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee: but reward thee according to thy ways, and declare thy abominations. Then shall ye know that I am the LORD.

The end is here: The end, I say, that waiteth for thee is come already.

The hour is come against thee that dwellest in the land. The time is at hand; the day of sedition is hard by: and no glad tidings upon the mountains.

Mine eye shall not oversee thee, neither will I spare thee; but reward thee after thy ways, and show thy abominations, to learn you for to know how that I am the LORD that smiteth.

The time cometh, the day draweth nigh. Whoso buyeth, let him not rejoice: he that selleth, let him not be sorry. For why? Trouble shall come in the midst of all rest:

so that the seller shall not come again to the buyer, for neither of them both shall live. For the vision shall come so greatly over all, that it shall not be hindered: No man also with his wickedness shall be able to save his own life.

The sword shall be without; pestilence and hunger within: so that whoso is in the field shall be slain with the sword; and he that is in the city shall perish with hunger and pestilence.

The king shall mourn, the princes shall be clothed with heaviness, and the hands of the people in the land shall tremble for fear. I will do unto them after their own ways, and according to their own judgments will I judge them: to learn them for to know, that I am the LORD."

It happened that in the sixth year, the fifth day of the sixth Month, I sat in my house, and the lords of the counsel of Judah with me. And the hand of the LORD God fell even there upon me.

This similitude stretched out a hand, and took me by the hairy locks of my head, and the spirit lift me up betwixt heaven and earth: And God brought me in a vision to Jerusalem, into the court of the inward port that lieth toward the north. There stood an image, with whom he that hath all things in his power was very wroth.

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."

And with that brought he me to the court gate: and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall.

And he said unto me, "Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see the great abominations that they do."

And with that he brought me to the door of the port of the LORD's house, toward the north. And behold, there sat women mourning for Tammuz.

And so he brought me into the inward court of the LORD's house. And behold, at the port of the LORD's house, betwixt the fore entry and the altar, there were five and twenty men that turned their backs on the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east, and these worshiped the sun.

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?

Therefore will I also do something in my wrathful displeasure: so that mine eye shall not oversee them, neither will I spare them. Yea, and though they cry in mine ears with loud voice, yet will I not hear them."