The Watchman's Duty

331 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 2 'Son of man, speak unto the sons of thy people, and thou hast said unto them: A land—when I bring in against it a sword, And the people of the land have taken one man out of their borders, And made him to them for a watchman. 3 And he hath seen the sword coming against the land, And hath blown with a trumpet, and hath warned the people, 4 And the hearer hath heard the voice of the trumpet, and he hath not taken warning, And come in doth the sword, and taketh him away, His blood is on his head. 5 The voice of the trumpet he heard, And he hath not taken warning, his blood is on him, And he who took warning his soul hath delivered. 6 And the watchman, when he seeth the sword coming in, And he hath not blown with a trumpet, And the people hath not been warned, And come in doth a sword, And taketh away of them—a soul, He in his iniquity is taken away, And his blood from the hand of the watchman I require. 7 And thou, son of man, A watchman I gave thee to the house of Israel, And thou hast heard from My mouth a word, And thou hast warned them from Me. 8 In My saying to the wicked, O wicked one—thou dost surely die, And thou hast not spoken to warn the wicked from his way, He—the wicked—in his iniquity doth die, And his blood from thy hand I require. 9 And thou, when thou hast warned the wicked of his way, to turn back from it, And he hath not turned back from his way, He in his iniquity doth die, And thou thy soul hast delivered.

God's Way Is Just

10 And thou, son of man, say unto the house of Israel: Rightly ye have spoken, saying: Surely our transgressions and our sins 'are' on us, And in them we are wasting away, How, then, do we live? 11 Say unto them, I live—an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, I delight not in the death of the wicked, But—in the turning of the wicked from his way, And he hath lived, Turn back, turn back, from your evil ways, Yea, why do ye die, O house of Israel? 12 And thou, son of man, say unto the sons of thy people: The righteousness of the righteous doth not deliver him in the day of his transgression, And the wickedness of the wicked, He doth not stumble for it in the day of his turning from his wickedness, And the righteous is not able to live in it in the day of his sinning. 13 In My saying of the righteous: He surely liveth, And—he hath trusted on his righteousness, And he hath done perversity, All his righteous acts are not remembered, And for his perversity that he hath done, For it he doth die. 14 And in My saying to the wicked: Thou surely diest, And—he hath turned back from his sin, And hath done judgment and righteousness, 15 (The pledge the wicked restoreth, plunder he repayeth,) In the statutes of life he hath walked, So as not to do perversity, He surely liveth—he doth not die. 16 None of his sin that he hath sinned is remembered to him, Judgment and righteousness he hath done, He doth surely live. 17 And the sons of thy people have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, As to them—their way is not pondered. 18 In the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, And he hath done perversity—he dieth for it. 19 And in the turning back of the wicked from his wickedness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness, by them he liveth. 20 And ye have said: The way of the Lord is not pondered, Each according to his ways do I judge you, O house of Israel.'

The News of Jerusalem's Fall

21 And it cometh to pass, in the twelfth year—in the tenth 'month', in the fifth of the month—of our removal, come in unto me doth one who is escaped from Jerusalem, saying, 'The city hath been smitten.' 22 And the hand of Jehovah hath been unto me in the evening, before the coming in of the escaped one, and He openeth my mouth till the coming in unto me in the morning, and opened is my mouth, and I have not been silent again. 23 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 24 'Son of man, the inhabitants of these wastes on the ground of Israel are speaking, saying: Alone hath been Abraham—and he possesseth the land, and we 'are' many—to us hath the land been given for a possession. 25 Therefore say unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: With the blood ye do eat, And your eyes ye lift up unto your idols, And blood ye shed, and the land ye inherit! 26 Ye have stood on your sword, Ye have done abomination, Each the wife of his neighbour ye have defiled, And the land ye possess! 27 Thus dost thou say unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: I live—do not they who 'are' in the wastes by the sword fall? And they who 'are' on the face of the field, To the beast I have given for food, And they who are in strongholds and in caves by pestilence die. 28 And I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment, And ceased hath the excellency of its strength, And desolated have been mountains of Israel, Without any one passing through. 29 And they have known that I 'am' Jehovah, In My making the land a desolation and an astonishment, For all their abominations that they have done.

30 And thou, son of man, the sons of thy people who are speaking about thee, By the walls, and in openings of the houses, Have spoken one with another, each with his brother, Saying: Come in, I pray you, And hear what 'is' the word that cometh out from Jehovah. 31 And they come in unto thee as the coming in of a people, And they sit before thee—My people, And have heard thy words, and they do them not, For doting loves with their mouth they are making, After their dishonest gain their heart is going. 32 And lo, thou 'art' to them as a singer of doting loves, A pleasant voice, and playing well on an instrument, And they have heard thy words, and they are not doing them. 33 And in its coming in—lo, it hath come, And they have known that a prophet hath been in their midst!'

31 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, that which thou findest eat, eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel.' 2 And I open my mouth, and He causeth me to eat this roll. 3 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, thy belly thou dost feed, and thy bowels thou dost fill with this roll that I am giving unto thee;' and I eat it, and it is in my mouth as honey for sweetness. 4 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, go, enter in unto the house of Israel, and thou hast spoken with My words unto them. 5 For, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue 'art' thou sent—unto the house of Israel; 6 not unto many peoples, deep of lip and heavy of tongue, whose words thou dost not understand. If I had not sent thee unto them—they, they do hearken unto thee, 7 but the house of Israel are not willing to hearken unto thee, for they are not willing to hearken unto Me, for all the house of Israel are brazen-faced and strong-hearted. 8 'Lo, I have made thy face strong against their face, and thy forehead strong against their forehead. 9 As an adamant harder than a rock I have made thy forehead; thou dost not fear them, nor art thou affrighted before them, for a rebellious house 'are' they.' 10 And He saith unto me, 'Son of man, all My words, that I speak unto thee, receive with thy heart, and with thine ears hear; 11 and go, enter in unto the Removed, unto the sons of thy people, and thou hast spoken unto them, and hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: whether they hear, or whether they forbear.' 12 And lift me up doth a spirit, and I hear behind me a noise, a great rushing—'Blessed 'is' the honour of Jehovah from His place!'— 13 even a noise of the wings of the living creatures touching one another, and a noise of the wheels over-against them, even a noise of a great rushing. 14 And a spirit hath lifted me up, and doth take me away, and I go bitterly, in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of Jehovah on me 'is' strong. 15 And I come in unto the Removed, at Tel-Ahib, who are dwelling at the river Chebar, and where they are dwelling I also dwell seven days, causing astonishment in their midst.

A Watchman to Israel

16 And it cometh to pass, at the end of seven days, 17 that there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, 'Son of man, a watchman I have given thee to the house of Israel, and thou hast heard from My mouth a word, and hast warned them from Me. 18 In My saying to the wicked: Thou dost surely die; and thou hast not warned him, nor hast spoken to warn the wicked from his wicked way, so that he doth live; he—the wicked—in his iniquity dieth, and his blood from thy hand I require. 19 And thou, because thou hast warned the wicked, and he hath not turned back from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he in his iniquity dieth, and thou thy soul hast delivered. 20 'And in the turning back of the righteous from his righteousness, and he hath done perversity, and I have put a stumbling-block before him, he dieth; because thou hast not warned him, in his sin he dieth, and not remembered is his righteousness that he hath done, and his blood from thy hand I require. 21 And thou, because thou hast warned him—the righteous—that the righteous sin not, and he hath not sinned, he surely liveth, because he hath been warned; and thou thy soul hast delivered.'

The Prophet Made Dumb

22 And there is on me there a hand of Jehovah, and He saith to me, 'Rise, go forth to the valley, and there I do speak with thee.' 23 And I rise and go forth unto the valley, and lo, there the honour of Jehovah is standing as the honour that I had seen by the river Chebar, and I fall on my face. 24 And come into me doth a spirit, and causeth me to stand on my feet, and He speaketh with me, and saith unto me, 'Go in, be shut up in the midst of thy house. 25 'And thou, son of man, lo, they have put on thee thick bands, and have bound thee with them, and thou goest not forth in their midst; 26 and thy tongue I cause to cleave unto thy palate, and thou hast been dumb, and art not to them for a reprover, for a rebellious house 'are' they. 27 And in My speaking with thee, I do open thy mouth, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah; the hearer doth hear, and the forbearer doth forbear; for a rebellious house 'are' they.