1 And he said vnto me, Sonne of man, stand vp vpon thy feete, and I wil speake vnto thee. 2 And the Spirite entred into me, when he had spoken vnto me, and set me vpon my feete, so that I heard him that spake vnto me. 3 And he said vnto me, Sonne of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: for they and their fathers haue rebelled against me, euen vnto this very day. 4 For they are impudent children, and stiffe hearted: I do send thee vnto them, and thou shalt say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God. 5 But surely they will not heare, neither in deede will they cease: for they are a rebellious house: yet shall they knowe that there hath bene a Prophet among them. 6 And thou sonne of man, feare them not, neither be afraide of their wordes, although rebels, and thornes be with thee, and thou remainest with scorpions: feare not their wordes, nor be afrayde at their lookes, for they are a rebellious house. 7 Therefore thou shalt speake my words vnto them: but surely they will not heare, neither will they in deede cease: for they are rebellious. 8 But thou sonne of man, heare what I say vnto thee: be not thou rebellious, like this rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eate that I giue thee. 9 And when I looked vp, beholde, an hande was sent vnto me, and loe, a roule of a booke was therein. 10 And he spred it before me, and it was written within and without, and there was written therein, Lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
The Lord Chooses Ezekiel
1 The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, I want you to stand up and listen.” 2 After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the Lord said:
3 Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop. 4 They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, the Lord God, have chosen you to tell them what I say. 5 Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.
6 Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a bunch of scorpions. But be brave 7 and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not. 8 Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.
And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.
9 Just then, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll. 10 The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.