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.

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."

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."

how it is besieged, how bulwarks and strong ditches are graven on every side of it. Describe also the tents, and a host of men round about it.

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:

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 the LORD said unto him, "Go thy way through the city of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of them that mourn and are sorry for all the abominations that be done therein."

Then said he that sat therein, to him that had the linen raiment upon him, "Creep in between the wheels that are under the Cherubims, and take thine hand full of hot coals out from between the Cherubims, and cast them over the city. And he crept in, that I might see."

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: The slain men that ye have laid on the ground in this city, are the flesh, and this city is the cauldron: But I will bring you out of it.

But look, whose hearts are disposed to follow their abominations and wicked livings: those men's deeds will I bring upon their own heads, sayeth the LORD God.'"

"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.

"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.'

Tell them therefore, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: I will make that byword to cease, so that it shall no more be commonly used in Israel.' But say this unto them, 'The days are at hand, that everything which hath been prophesied, shall be fulfilled.

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes upon the dry field:

Thus will I perform my wrath upon this wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered mortar, and then will I say unto you: The wall is gone, and the daubers are away.

These are the prophets of Israel, which prophesy unto the city of Jerusalem, and look out visions of peace for them, whereas no peace is, sayeth the LORD God.'

So I planted thee, as the blossom of the field. Thou art grown up, and waxen great: thou hast gotten a marvelous pleasant beauty, thy breasts are come up, thy hair is goodly grown; whereas thou wast naked and bare afore.

Behold, I will stretch out mine hand over thee, and will diminish thy store of food, and deliver thee over into the wiles of the Philistines thine enemies, which are ashamed of thy abominable way.

Gifts are given to all other whores, but thou givest rewards unto all thy lovers; and offerest them gifts, to come unto thee out of all places and to commit fornication with thee.

Therefore thou which didst condemn thy sister: bear thine own shame, for thine own offences that thou hast committed - more abominable than they did, which indeed are more righteous than thou art. Be thou, I say, ashamed; and bear thy shameful rebuke, seeing that thou has proven thy sisters in comparison of the righteous.

"What mean ye by this common proverb, that ye use in the land of Israel, saying, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?

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

And yet sayeth the house of Israel, 'Tush, the way of the LORD is not equal.' Are my ways unright, O ye house of Israel? Are not your ways rather unequal?

"As for thy mother, she is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waterside: her fruits and branches are grown out of many waters,

"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,

hallow my Sabbaths: for they are a token betwixt me and you, that ye may know how that I am the LORD.'

Wherefore, speak unto the house of Israel, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: Ye are even as unclean as your forefathers, and commit whoredom also with their abominations.

and will bring you out of the nations and lands, wherein ye are scattered; and gather you together with a mighty hand, with a stretched out arm and with indignation poured out upon you;

Then said I, "O LORD, they will say of me, 'Tush, they are but fables that he telleth.'"

and pour my indignation upon thee, and will blow upon thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee unto cruel people, which are learned to destroy.

Murderers are there in thee, that shed blood, and eat upon the hills, and in thee they use unhappiness.

"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.

Therefore, thus sayeth the LORD God: Forsomuch as ye all are turned into dross, behold: I will bring you together unto Jerusalem,

like as silver, and brass, iron, tin, and lead, are put together in the furnace and the fire blown there under to melt them: Even so will I gather you, put you in together, and melt you in my wrath and indignation.

thy Prophets that are in thee are sworn together to devour souls, like as a roaring Lion that liveth by his prey. They receive riches and good, and make many widows in thee.

Thy rulers in thee are like ravishing wolves, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, for their own covetous lucre.

O ye all that love virtue and righteousness, judge them! Punish them as adulterers and murderers ought to be judged and punished. For they are breakers of wedlock, and the blood is in their hands.

With that, said the LORD God on this manner: Woe be unto the bloody city of the pot, where upon the rustiness hangeth, and is not yet scoured away. Take out the pieces that are in it, one after another: there need no lots be cast therefore,

Therefore, behold, I will make the cities of Moab weaponless, and take away their strength, their cities, and chief coasts of their land which are the pleasures of the country: As namely. Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim.

Thy daughters that are in the land shall he slay with the sword: but against thee, he shall make bulwarks and grave up ditches about thee, and lift up his shield against thee.

Thy borders are in the midst of the sea, and thy builders have made thee marvelous goodly.

so that thy wares, thy merchandise, thy riches, thy mariners, thy shipmasters, thy helpers, thy occupiers that brought the things necessary, the men of war that are in thee: Yea, and all thy commons shall perish in the midst of the sea, in the day of thy fall.

All they that dwell in the Isles are abashed at thee, and all their kings are afraid; yea, their faces have changed colour.

Again, thus sayeth the LORD God: When the forty years are expired I will gather the Egyptians together again, out of the nations, among whom they were scattered,

the sword cometh upon Egypt. When the wounded men fall down in Egypt, when her people are taken away, and when her foundations are destroyed,

And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I kindle a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers are destroyed.

I will make the Heathen shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell, with them that descend into the pit. All the trees of Eden, with all the chosen and best trees of Lebanon, yea, and all they that are planted upon the waters, shall mourn with him also in the lower habitations:

whose graves lie beside him in the low pit. His commons are buried round about his grave: all together wounded and slain with the sword, which men afore time brought fear in to the land of the living.

There is Elam also with all his people, and their graves round about: which all being wounded and slain with the sword, are gone down uncircumcised under the earth. Which, nevertheless, sometime brought fear into the land of the living: for the which they bear their shame, with the others that be gone down to the grave.

Their burial is given them and all their people, among them that be slain. Their graves are round about all them, which be uncircumcised, and with them that be slain through the sword: for seeing that in times past they made the land of the living afraid, they must now bear their own shame, with them that go down to the pit, and lie among them, that be slain.

There is Meshech also and Tubal, and their people, and their graves round about. These all are among the uncircumcised, and them that be slain with the sword, because afore time they made the land of the living afraid.

Should not they then lie also among the worthies, and uncircumcised Giants which with their weapons are gone down to hell? Whose swords are laid under their heads, whose wickedness is upon their bones, because that as worthies they have brought fear in to the land of the living.

There is the land of Edom with her kings and princes also, which with their strength are laid by them that were slain with the sword. Yea, among the uncircumcised, and them which are gone down in to the pit.

Moreover, there be all the princes of the north, with all of the Sidonians, which are gone down to the slain. With their fear and strength they are come to confusion, and lie there uncircumcised, among those that be slain with the sword: and bear their own shame, with them that be gone down to the pit.

"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.'

Thus are they scattered here and there without a shepherd: yea, all the beasts of the field devour them, and they go astray.

Thus sayeth the LORD God: As truly as I live, forsomuch as my sheep are robbed, and devoured of all the wild beasts of the field, having no shepherd: and seeing that my shepherds take no regard of my sheep, but feed themselves only, and not my sheep:

Like as a shepherd among the flock seeketh after the sheep that are scattered abroad, even so will I seek after my sheep, and gather them together out of all places, where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Thus shall they understand, that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, sayeth the LORD God.

Ye men are my flock; ye are the sheep of my pasture: and I am your God, sayeth the LORD God.'"

His mountains will I fill with his slain men: thy hills, dales and valleys shall lie full of them that are slain with the sword.

Yea, and that thou also mayest be sure, that I the LORD have heard all thy despiteful words, which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, 'Lo, they are made waste, and given us to devour.'

Thus sayeth the LORD God: Because your enemy hath said upon you, 'Aha, the high everlasting places are now become ours':

Therefore, hear the word of the LORD God, O ye mountains of Israel. Thus sayeth the LORD God unto the mountains, and hills; valleys and dales; to the void wilderness and desolate cities, which are spoiled and had in derision on every side among the residue of the Heathen.

Now when they were gone unto the Heathen, and come in among them they dishonoured my holy name: so that it was said of them, 'Are these the people of God, and must go out of their own land?'

Then shall it be said, 'This wasteland is become like a garden of pleasure, and the void, desolate and broken down cities are now strong, and fenced again.'

Like as the holy flock and the flock of Jerusalem are in the high solemn feasts: so shall also the wild wasted cities be filled with flocks of men. And they shall know, that I am the LORD."

Moreover, he said unto me, "Thou son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, we are clean cut off.'

Therefore prepare thee; set thyself in array with all thy people that are come unto thee by heaps, and be thou their defense.

The very fishes in the sea, the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, and all the men that are upon the earth shall tremble for fear of me. The hills also shall be turned upside down, the stairs of stone shall fall, and all walls shall sink to the ground:

and this toward the North, is the priests' that wait upon the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, which of the sons of Levi come near to the LORD, to minister unto him."

from the ground to the lower steps the length is two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lower steps to the higher are four cubits, and the breadth but one cubit.

And he said unto me, "Thou son of man, thus sayeth the LORD God: These are the ordinances and laws of the altar, in the day when it is made to offer burnt offerings, and to sprinkle blood there upon.

When these days are expired, then upon the eighth day and so forth, the priests shall offer their burnt offerings and health offerings upon the altar, so will I be merciful unto you, sayeth the LORD God."

No nor the Levites that are gone back from me, and have deceived the people of Israel with errors, going after their idols: therefore shall they bear their own wickedness.

And in the feast of the seven days he shall offer every day a bullock and a ram, that are without blemish, for a burnt offering unto the LORD: and a he goat daily for a sin offering.

These are the names of the tribes that lie upon the north side, by the way of Hethlon, till thou comest unto Hamath and Hazarenan, the borders of Damascus toward the north beside Hamath: Dan shall have his portion from the east quarter unto the west.

Yea, this same place shall be the priests, that are of the children of Zadok and have kept my holy ordinance: which went not astray in the error of the children of Israel, like as the Levites are gone astray.