Ezekiel 2

New International Version

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

2 He said to me, “Son of man,^[a]^(A) stand^(B) up on your feet and I will speak to you.^(C)” ²As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me^(D) to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

³He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day.^(E) ⁴The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.^(F) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(G) ⁵And whether they listen or fail to listen^(H)—for they are a rebellious people^(I)—they will know that a prophet has been among them.^(J) ⁶And you, son of man, do not be afraid^(K) of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns^(L) are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(M) ⁷You must speak^(N) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.^(O) ⁸But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel^(P) like that rebellious people;^(Q) open your mouth and eat^(R) what I give you.”

⁹Then I looked, and I saw a hand^(S) stretched out to me. In it was a scroll,^(T) ¹⁰which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.^(U)

Footnotes

Ezekiel 2:1 The Hebrew phrase ben adam means human being. The phrase son of man is retained as a form of address here and throughout Ezekiel because of its possible association with “Son of Man” in the New Testament.

Micah 3

New International Version

Leaders and Prophets Rebuked

3 Then I said,

“Listen, you leaders^(A) of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
²    you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;^(B)
³who eat my people’s flesh,^(C)
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;^(D)
who chop^(E) them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?^(F)”

⁴Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.^(G)
At that time he will hide his face^(H) from them
because of the evil they have done.^(I)

⁵This is what the Lord says:

“As for the prophets
    who lead my people astray,^(J)
they proclaim ‘peace’^(K)
    if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
    who refuses to feed them.
⁶Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
    and darkness, without divination.^(L)
The sun will set for the prophets,^(M)
    and the day will go dark for them.^(N)
⁷The seers will be ashamed^(O)
    and the diviners disgraced.^(P)
They will all cover^(Q) their faces^(R)
    because there is no answer from God.^(S)”
⁸But as for me, I am filled with power,
    with the Spirit of the Lord,
    and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
    to Israel his sin.^(T)

⁹Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
    and distort all that is right;^(U)
¹⁰who build^(V) Zion with bloodshed,^(W)
    and Jerusalem with wickedness.^(X)
¹¹Her leaders judge for a bribe,^(Y)
    her priests teach for a price,^(Z)
    and her prophets tell fortunes for money.^(AA)
Yet they look^(AB) for the Lord’s support and say,
    “Is not the Lord among us?
    No disaster will come upon us.”^(AC)
¹²Therefore because of you,
    Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,^(AD)
    the temple^(AE) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.^(AF)

Isaiah 56

New International Version

Salvation for Others

56 This is what the Lord says:

“Maintain justice^(A)
    and do what is right,^(B)
for my salvation^(C) is close at hand
    and my righteousness^(D) will soon be revealed.
²Blessed^(E) is the one who does this—
    the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath^(F) without desecrating it,
    and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”

³Let no foreigner^(G) who is bound to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”^(H)
And let no eunuch^(I) complain,
“I am only a dry tree.”

⁴For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs^(J) who keep my Sabbaths,
    who choose what pleases me
    and hold fast to my covenant^(K)—
⁵to them I will give within my temple and its walls^(L)
    a memorial^(M) and a name
    better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name^(N)
    that will endure forever.^(O)
⁶And foreigners^(P) who bind themselves to the Lord
    to minister^(Q) to him,
to love the name^(R) of the Lord,
    and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath^(S) without desecrating it
    and who hold fast to my covenant—
⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain^(T)
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices^(U)
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.^(V)”^(W)
⁸The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather^(X) still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

⁹Come, all you beasts of the field,^(Y)
    come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
¹⁰Israel’s watchmen^(Z) are blind,
    they all lack knowledge;^(AA)
they are all mute dogs,
    they cannot bark;
they lie around and dream,
    they love to sleep.^(AB)
¹¹They are dogs with mighty appetites;
    they never have enough.
They are shepherds^(AC) who lack understanding;^(AD)
    they all turn to their own way,^(AE)
    they seek their own gain.^(AF)
¹²“Come,” each one cries, “let me get wine!^(AG)
    Let us drink our fill of beer!
And tomorrow will be like today,
    or even far better.”^(AH)