1 The Lord said, “Ezekiel, son of man, after you eat this scroll, go speak to the people of Israel.”
2-3 He handed me the scroll and said, “Eat this and fill up on it.” So I ate the scroll, and it tasted sweet as honey.
4 The Lord said:
Ezekiel, I am sending you to your own people. 5-6 They are Israelites, not some strangers who speak a foreign language you can't understand. If I were to send you to foreign nations, they would listen to you. 7 But the people of Israel will refuse to listen, because they have refused to listen to me. All of them are stubborn and hardheaded, 8 so I will make you as stubborn as they are. 9 You will be so determined to speak my message that nothing will stop you. I will make you hard like a diamond, and you'll have no reason to be afraid of those arrogant rebels.
10 Listen carefully to everything I say and then think about it. 11 Then go to the people who were brought here to Babylonia with you and tell them you have a message from me, the Lord God. Do this, whether they listen to you or not.
12 The Spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the Lord started to leave, I heard a loud, thundering noise behind me. 13 It was the sound made by the creatures' wings as they brushed against each other, and by the rumble of the wheels beside them. 14 Then the Spirit carried me away.
The Lord's power had taken complete control of me, and I was both annoyed and angry.
15 When I was back with the others living at Abib Hill near the Chebar River, I sat among them for seven days, shocked at what had happened to me.
The Lord Appoints Ezekiel To Stand Watch
(Ezekiel 33.1-9)16 Seven days after I had seen the brightness of the Lord's glory, the Lord said:
17 Ezekiel, son of man, I have appointed you to stand watch for the people of Israel. So listen to what I say, then warn them for me. 18 When I tell wicked people they will die because of their sins, you must warn them to turn from their sinful ways so they won't be punished. If you refuse, you are responsible for their death. 19 However, if you do warn them, and they keep on sinning, they will die because of their sins, and you will be innocent.
20 Now suppose faithful people start sinning, and I decide to put stumbling blocks in their paths to make them fall. They deserve to die because of their sins. So if you refuse to warn them, I will forget about the times they were faithful, and I will hold you responsible for their death. 21 But if you do warn them, and they listen to you and stop sinning, I will let them live. And you will be innocent.
Ezekiel Cannot Talk
22 The Lord took control of me and said, “Stand up! Go into the valley, and I will talk with you there.”
23 I immediately went to the valley, where I saw the brightness of the Lord's glory, just as I had seen it near the Chebar River, and I bowed with my face to the ground. 24 His Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then the Lord said:
Go back and lock yourself in your house! 25 You will be tied up to keep you inside, 26 and I will make you unable to talk or to warn those who have rebelled against me. 27 But the time will come, when I will tell you what to say, and you will again be able to speak my message. Some of them will listen; others will be stubborn and refuse to listen.
1 Elob ge tita ǃoa ge mî: “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, nē ta ra mā tsi-e ǂû; nē ǂkhanisa ǂû, îts ǃgû tsî Israeli omma sī ǃhoaǀî.” 2 O ta ge ti amsa ge ǁkhowa-am tsîb ge ǂkhanisa ǂû tanise ge mā te. 3 ǁÎb ge tita ǃoa ge mî: “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, nē ta ra mā tsi ǂkhanisa ǂû, îts sa ǃnāba ǁîs ǀkha ǀoaǀoa.” O ta ge ǁîsa ge ǂû tsîs ge ǁîsa ti amǃnâs ǃnâ dani-i khami ge ǂkhon i.
4 Ob ge Eloba tita ǃoa ge mî: “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli ommi ǃoa ǃgû, î ti ǂhunuma mîde ǁîna mîba. 5 Sats ge ǃhao ǃhoaǀgaub tsî ǃgom gowaba ūhâ khoen ǁga sîhe tama hâ, xawe Israeli khoen ǁga. 6 ǂGui khoen ǃhao ǃhoaǀgaugu tsî ǃgom gowaga ūhân ǁgas ose, mîdi ânats ǁnâuǃā tidena. Amase, ǁîn ǁga ta ga sî tsi, on ge ǁîna nî ǃgâ tsi. 7 Xawe Israeli khoen ge ǃgâ tsi tide, ǁîn ǃgâ tsi ǂgao tama xui-ao. Hoaraga Israeli khoen a ǃnâudanaxa tsî karosaǂgao amaga. 8 Mû, tita ge ǁîn aidi ǃoa-ai karosa aisa nî dība tsi, tsî ǁîn ǃūdi ǃoa-ai sa ǃūsa nî ǃgariǃgari. 9 Sa ǃūsa ta ge diamantǀuis khami nî dī, ǃgareǀuib ǃgâ-ai karosase; ǁîna tā ǃao tamas ka io tā ǃhuri ǁîn ra mûsen ǀgaub xa, ǁîn a khâikhâisenxa ǁae xuige.”
10 ǃAruǀîb ge Eloba tita ǃoa ge mî: “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, ti mîdi tita ga satsa mîbadi hoade, sa ǂgaob ǃnâ ū, îts sa ǂgaera ǀkha ǃgâ. 11 ǃKhōsaben ǁga ǃgû, sa khoen ǁga, î ǁîna mîba: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî’: Nēsin ga ǃgâs, ǃgâ taman ga is hoasa.”
12 Ob ge gagaba ge ūkhâi te tsî ta ge ǃKhūb di ǂkhaisib ra ǁîb ǃkhaisa xu khâimâ khami ti ǃgâb ai ǃgari dommi kai ǂkhupiba ūhâba ge ǁnâu. 13 Nēb ge ûitsama kurusabegu ǁgabogu hîa gere tsâǀkhāgu gu di ǀō ge iba, tsî ǀnūdi di ǀōba ǁîgu xōǀkhā, kai ǃhūǂgubib khami gere ǀōba. 14 Gagab ge ūkhâi te tsî ge tanibē te; tsûaǂgao hâse ta ge ǁaixa hâ gagas ǀkha ge ǃgû, ǃKhūb ǃommi tita ai ǀgaisase hâ hîa. 15 Tel-Abibs tawa hâ ǃkhōsaben, Kebarǃāb tawa ge ǁan hâ in tawa ta ge ge sī. Tsî ta ge burugâ hâse ǁîn ǁaegu hû tsēde ge hâ.
ǃKhūb ge Esekiela ǃkhē-aose ra ǁgaumâi
(Esekiel 33:1-9)16 Hû tsēdi khaoǃgâs ge ǃKhūb di mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 17 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, tita ge ǃkhē-aose Israeli khoen ǂama ge ǁgaumâi tsi. Ti mîsats ga ǁnâu ǁaeb hoabats ge ǁîna tita xu hâ ǃkhâikhomsa nî mā. 18 ǂKhabadī-aon ǃoa ta ga mî: ‘Amase du ge nî ǁō,’ ti, tsîts ga ǁîna ǃkhâikhom tama i tamas ka io ǂkhabadī-aona ǁîn ǂkhaba daoga xu ǃkhâikhom tama i, ǁîn ûiba sâus ǃaroma, on ge ǁnāti ī ǂkhabadī-aona nî ǁō, ǁîn tsūdīn ǃaroma; xawe ǁîn di ǀaob ge sats ai nî ôahe. 19 ǂKhaba khoebats ga ǃkhâikhom tsîb ga ǁoreǀû tama i, ob ge ǁîba nî ǁō, noxopab a ǁore-aose, xawe sa ûib ge nî sâuhe.
20 “ǁKhātin ga ǂhanu-aina ǁîn ǂhanu-aisiba xu dabasen tsî tsūdī, tsî ta ga tita ǁîn aiǃâ ǃnôa-aiǃnao-e ǁgui, on ge ǁîna nî ǁō. ǁÎnats ge ǃkhâikhom tama hâ i xui-aon ge ǁîna, ǁîn ǁoren ǃaroma nî ǁō tsî ǁîn ǂhanu-ai dīgu ge ǂâihōhe tide; xawe ta ge ǁîn ǀaoba sats ai nî ôa. 21 Xawets ga ǂhanu-aina ǁoren tidese ǃkhâikhom, tsîn ga ǁore tama i, on ge ǁîna amase nî ûi, ǃkhâikhomsan go ǁnâu-am xui-ao; tsîts ge sa ûiba nî sâu.”
Esekieli ge ǃhoa ǁkhā tide
22 Ob ge ǁnāpa ǃKhūb ǃomma tita ai ge hâ i; tsîb ge tita ǃoa ge mî: “Khâimâ, ǃgoaǃnāb ǁga ǃgû, ǁnāpa ta ge tita sats ǀkha nî ǃhoa.”
23 O ta ge khâimâ tsî ǃgoaǃnāb ǁga ge ǃgû; tsîb ge ǃKhūb di ǂkhaisiba ǁnāpa ge mâ i, ǁnā ǂkhaisib Kebarǃāb tawa ta ge mû hâ ib khami; o ta ge ti ais ai ge ǁnāǁgoe. 24 Gagab ge tita ǃnâ ge ǂgâ tsî ti ǂaira ai ge mâi te; tsîb ge ǃKhūba tita ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGû, î sa oms ǃnâ sī ǂganamǂgāsen. 25 Sats xasa, khoenôa ǀgôatse, sats ai gu ge tsuriga nî ǁguihe tsîts ge ǁîgu ǀkha nî ǃgaeǃnonhe, khoen ǁaeguba ǃoats ǂoa tidese. 26 Tsî tita ge sa namsa sa ǂkharub ai nî ǂae kai, ǃhoats tide tsîts ǁîna ǂgai-oa tidese. ǁÎn a khâikhâisenxa ǁae xui-ao. 27 Xawe tita ga sats ǀkha ǃhoa, o ta ge sa amsa nî ǁkhowa-am tsîts ge ǁîn ǃoa nî mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî:’ An ǃgâ ǂgao rana ǃgâ tsî ǂgao tama ga ina ǂkhā; ǁîn a khâikhâisenxa ǁae xuige.”
