⁴ And he said to me, ^(A)“Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. ⁵ For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. ^(B)Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. ^7 (C)But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel ^(D)have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. ^8 (E)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. ⁹ Like ^(F)emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. ^(G)Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” ¹⁰ Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, ^(H)all my words that I shall speak to you receive ^(I)in your heart, and hear with your ears. ¹¹ And go to the exiles, ^(J)to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ^(K)‘Thus says the Lord God,’ ^(L)whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

^12 (M)Then the Spirit^[a] lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice^[b] of ^(N)a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” ¹³ It was the sound of the wings of ^(O)the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of ^(P)a great earthquake. ^14 (Q)The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the ^(R)hand of the Lord being strong upon me. ^15 (S)And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling ^(T)by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.^[c] And ^(U)I sat there ^(V)overwhelmed among them ^(W)seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

^16 (X)And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: ^17 (Y)“Son of man, ^(Z)I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall ^(AA)give them warning from me.