Ezekiel som Guds vagtpost i Israel
1Herren sagde til mig: 2„Du menneske, tal til dit folk og giv dem følgende budskab: Når jeg sender en fjendtlig hær imod et land, udpeger landets befolkning en vagtpost. 3Og når vagtposten får øje på den fremstormende hær, blæser han straks alarm, så folket er advaret. 4Hvis der nu er nogle, der ikke tager advarslen alvorligt, og derfor senere bliver dræbt, så er det deres egen skyld. 5For de hørte jo alarmen, men rettede sig ikke efter den. De er selv skyld i deres død, for hvis de havde lyttet til advarslen, kunne de have reddet livet. 6Men hvis nu vagtposten ser den fremstormende hær og ikke blæser alarm for at advare folket, så er det vagtposten, der er skyld i, at de omkommer. Folket dør godt nok på grund af deres egne synder, men jeg vil kræve vagtposten til regnskab for deres død.
7Du menneske, jeg har udvalgt dig til vagtpost for Israels folk. Derfor skal du høre godt efter, hvad jeg siger, og så advare folket. 8Hvis jeg siger, at nogle onde mennesker skal dø for deres ondskabs skyld, og hvis du ikke advarer dem, så de får mulighed for at omvende sig, da skal de onde mennesker godt nok dø på grund af deres egne synder, men jeg vil kræve dig til regnskab for deres død. 9Advarer du dem derimod, og de nægter at omvende sig, skal de dø på grund af deres synder, men du er uden skyld i deres død.
10Du menneske, du skal sige til Israels folk: I er klar over, at I lider på grund af jeres synder og overtrædelser, og at det snart er ude med jer. I spørger, om I ikke kan gøre noget for at overleve. 11Sig til dem: Så sandt jeg lever, siger Herren, jeg har ingen glæde af, at de onde skal dø. Jeg vil meget hellere se dem omvende sig fra deres ondskab, så de kan redde livet. Åh Israel, omvend jer dog fra jeres synder! Hvorfor ønsker I at dø?
12Du menneske, sig til mit folk: Hvis retskafne mennesker vender sig bort fra mig og gør oprør, kan alle deres tidligere gode gerninger ikke redde dem fra straffen. Og hvis syndige mennesker omvender sig, skal de ikke dø på grund af deres tidligere synder.
13Godt nok har jeg sagt, at retskafne mennesker får et godt liv. Men hvis de bliver for selvsikre og begynder at synde, kan alle deres tidligere gode gerninger ikke redde dem. De skal dø, fordi de har gjort oprør og syndet imod mig. 14Men hvis onde mennesker lytter til min advarsel, omvender sig fra deres synd og begynder at handle retfærdigt, bliver de ikke straffet med døden. 15Hvis de betaler det tilbage, de har stjålet, hvis de udleverer et pant, de har taget i sikkerhed, og hvis de begynder at følge mine love, som sigter på et godt liv, og holder sig fra uretfærdighed, så skal de leve og ikke dø. 16De vil ikke blive dømt på grund af deres tidligere synder, for de har besluttet at gøre det rigtige, og derfor har de ret til at leve.
17‚Det er ikke fair!’ siger I. Hør lige her, Israels folk: Er det mig, der ikke er fair? Er det ikke snarere jer? 18Når retskafne mennesker holder op med at handle ret og i stedet vælger at synde, er det så ikke fair, at de må bære straffen for deres synd og dø? 19Og når onde mennesker tager afstand fra deres tidligere synder og i stedet vælger at adlyde min lov, er det så ikke fair, at de redder livet? 20Hvordan kan I påstå, at det ikke er fair? Bør jeg ikke dømme jer efter jeres handlinger?”
21På den femte dag i den tiende måned i det 12. år af vores eksil ankom en flygtning fra Jerusalem og meddelte, at byen var faldet. 22Aftenen før havde jeg oplevet Herrens kraft over mig, så da manden fra Jerusalem ankom, kunne jeg igen tale.33,22 Jf. 3,26 og 24,25-27. 23Herren sagde da til mig:
24„Du menneske, de overlevende fra Judas folk, som bor spredt mellem ruinerne i Israels land, siger: ‚Abraham var kun én person, men han fik lovning på at få hele det hellige land i eje. Vi er alle sammen hans efterkommere, så det løfte må også gælde os.’ 25Men jeg, Herren, siger: I spiser kød med blod i, dyrker jeres afskyelige afguder og begår mord. Tror I så, at jeg vil give jer landet i eje? 26I stoler på jeres egne våben. I begår de frygteligste synder og er ægteskabsbrydere alle sammen. Og I vil have landet tilbage?
27Sig til dem: Så sandt jeg lever, siger Herren, skal de overlevende blandt Judas ruiner også falde for sværdet! De, som prøver at skjule sig i det fri, skal ædes af de vilde dyr, og de, som gemmer sig i fæstninger og huler, skal dø af sygdom. 28Jeg gør landet til en ødemark og knækker dets stolthed. Jeg gør bjergene så øde, at ingen tør rejse gennem dem. 29Når jeg har lagt hele landet i ruiner som følge af folkets synder, vil de indse, at jeg er Herren.
30Du menneske, dine landsmænd taler om dig, når de mødes ved murene og i døråbningerne. ‚Kom, lad os gå hen og høre, hvilke budskaber Herren har til os,’ siger de. 31Så stimler de sammen hos dig og sætter sig ned for at høre på dig. Men de har ikke tænkt sig at adlyde mine ord, for de taler altid om deres egne ønsker, og de er mest optaget af at søge efter penge og profit. 32For dem er du blot underholdning. Du er som en, der synger kærlighedssange med en smuk stemme og spiller på harpe for dem. De hører ordene, men de vil ikke adlyde. 33Men når profetierne bliver til virkelighed—og vær sikker på, at hvert eneste ord vil gå i opfyldelse—vil de indse, at det var en Herrens profet, der talte til dem.”
Renewal of Ezekiel’s call as watchman
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2‘Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: “When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.”
7‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8When I say to the wicked, “You wicked person, you will surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for33:8 Or in; also in verse 9 their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10‘Son of man, say to the Israelites, “This is what you are saying: ‘Our offences and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of33:10 Or away in them. How then can we live?’ ” 11Say to them, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?”
12‘Therefore, son of man, say to your people, “If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.” 13If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14And if I say to a wicked person, “You will surely die,” but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right – 15if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil – that person will surely live; they will not die. 16None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17‘Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But it is their way that is not just. 18If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20Yet you Israelites say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.’
Jerusalem’s fall explained
21In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, ‘The city has fallen!’ 22Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.
23Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24‘Son of man, the people living in those ruins in the land of Israel are saying, “Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as our possession.” 25Therefore say to them, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: since you eat meat with the blood still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land? 26You rely on your sword, you do detestable things, and each of you defiles his neighbour’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”
27‘Say this to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: as surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague. 28I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains of Israel will become desolate so that no-one will cross them. 29Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable things they have done.”
30‘As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, “Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.” 31My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.
33‘When all this comes true – and it surely will – then they will know that a prophet has been among them.’
