1MOREOVER he said to me, Son of man, eat that which you find; eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel. 2So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that scroll. 3And he said to me, Son of man, fill your belly with this scroll that I give you. Then I ate it and it was in my mouth sweet as honey.

4And he said to me, Son of man, go to them of the captivity, to the children of Israel, and speak my words to them. 5For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel; 6Nor to many peoples whose speech you do not understand. Surely, if I send you to them, they would listen to you. 7But the house of Israel will not listen to you; for they will not hearken to me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and stubborn of heart. 8Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. 9As an adamant harder than flint have I made your forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 10Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart and hear with your ears. 11And go and get you to them of the captivity, to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, Thus says the LORD God; perhaps they will listen, and tremble.

12Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. 13I heard also the sound of the wings of the living creatures touching one another and the sound of the wheels beside them and a noise of a great rushing. 14So the spirit lifted me up, and carried me away, and I went in the strength of my spirit; and the hand of the LORD was strong upon me. 15Then I came to the exiles at Tel-akib, who dwelt by the river Chebar, and I stayed there astonished among them seven days.

16And it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came upon me, saying. 17Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the words of my mouth and give them warning from me. 18When I say to the sinner, You shall surely die; but you have not warned him, nor have you spoken to warn the sinner from his wicked way, to save his life; the same sinner shall die in his iniquity; and his blood will I require at your hand. 19But if you warn the sinner, and he turn not from his sin nor from his evil way, he shall die in his sins; but you have delivered your soul. 20Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, I will lay a stumbling block before him, and he shall die; because you have not given him warning, he shall die in his sins and his righteousness which he had done shall not be remembered; and his blood will I require at your hand. 21Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous man, that he may not sin, and he does not sin, the righteous man shall surely live, because he is warned; and you have delivered your soul.

22And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will talk to you there. 23Then I arose and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. 24Then the spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet, and spoke with me and said to me, Go, shut yourself in your house. 25And you, O Son of man, behold, they shall put chains upon you, and shall bind you with them, that you cannot go out among them. 26And I will make your tongue cleave to your palate, and you shall be dumb and shall not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house. 27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, Thus says the LORD God: He that hears, let him hear; and he that trembles, let him tremble; for they are a rebellious house.