The Prophet is sent to call the people from their error.

And [a]he said unto me, [b]Son of man, stand up upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee.

[c]And the Spirit entered into me, when he had spoken unto me, and set me upon my feet, so that I heard him that spake unto me.

And he said unto me, Son of Man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: for they and their fathers have rebelled against me, even unto this very day.

For they are [d]impudent children, and stiff-hearted: I do send thee unto them, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.

But surely they will not hear, neither indeed will they cease: for they are a rebellious house: yet shall they know that [e]there hath been a Prophet among them.

And thou son of man, [f]fear them not, neither be afraid of their words, although rebels and thorns be with thee, and thou remainest with scorpions: fear not their words, nor be afraid at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.

Therefore thou shalt speak my words unto them: but surely they will not hear, neither will they indeed cease: for they are rebellious.

But thou son of man, hear what I say unto thee: be not thou rebellious, like this rebellious house: open thy mouth, and [g]eat that I give thee.

And when I looked up, behold, an hand was sent unto me, and lo, a roll of a book was therein.

10 And he spread it before me, and it was written within and without, and there was written therein, [h]Lamentations and mourning, and woe.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 2:1 That is, the Lord.
  2. Ezekiel 2:1 Meaning, man which is but earth and ashes, which was to humble him, and cause him to consider his own state, and God’s grace.
  3. Ezekiel 2:2 So that he could not abide God’s presence, till God’s Spirit did enter into him.
  4. Ezekiel 2:4 Hebrew, hard of face.
  5. Ezekiel 2:5 This declareth on the one part God’s great affection toward his people, that notwithstanding their rebellion, yet he will send his Prophets among them, and admonisheth his ministers on the other part that they cease not to do their duty, though the people be never so obstinate: for the word of God shall be either to their salvation or greater condemnation.
  6. Ezekiel 2:6 Read Jer. 1:17, he showeth that for none afflictions they should cease to do their duties.
  7. Ezekiel 2:8 He doth not only exhort him to his duty, but also giveth him the means wherewith he may be able to execute it.
  8. Ezekiel 2:10 He showeth what were the contents of this book: to wit, God’s judgments against the wicked.

Ezekiel’s Call to Be a Prophet

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

He 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) The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.(F) Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’(G) And 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) And 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) You must speak(N) my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.(O) But 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.”

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

Footnotes

  1. 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.