13:1 Eze 2:8, 9Naye akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, kula kile kilichoko mbele yako, kula huu ukurasa wa kitabu, kisha uende ukaseme na nyumba ya Israeli.” 23:2 Hes 11:25; Amu 13:25; Neh 9:30Ndipo nikafungua kinywa changu, naye akanilisha ule ukurasa wa kitabu.
33:3 Yer 15:16; Za 19:10; Ufu 10:9-10; Za 19:10Ndipo akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, kula ukurasa huu wa kitabu ninaokupa ujaze tumbo lako.” Kwa hiyo nikaula, ulikuwa mtamu kama asali kinywani mwangu.
4Kisha akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, sasa nenda katika nyumba ya Israeli ukaseme nao maneno yangu. 53:5 Isa 28:11; Yn 1:2Hukutumwa kwa taifa lenye maneno ya kutatiza na lugha ngumu, bali kwa nyumba ya Israeli. 63:6 Yn 3:5-10; Mt 11:21-23Sikukutuma kwa mataifa mengi yenye maneno ya kutatiza na lugha ngumu ambao maneno yao hutayaelewa. Hakika ningekutuma kwa watu hao, wangekusikiliza. 73:7 Isa 48:4; Yn 15:20-23; Yer 7:27; Eze 2:4Lakini nyumba ya Israeli haitakusikiliza kwa kuwa hawako radhi kunisikiliza mimi, kwa kuwa nyumba yote ya Israeli ni wenye vipaji vya nyuso vigumu na mioyo ya ukaidi. 83:8 Yer 1:18; 15:20Tazama nimefanya uso wako mgumu dhidi ya nyuso zao na kipaji cha uso wako kigumu dhidi ya vipaji vya nyuso zao. 93:9 Isa 50:7; 48:4; Mik 3:8; Eze 2:6; 4:6; Yer 5:3Kama vile almasi ilivyo ngumu kuliko gumegume, ndivyo nilivyokifanya kipaji cha uso wako. Usiwaogope wala usiwahofu, ijapokuwa ni nyumba ya kuasi.”
103:10 Ay 22:22Naye akaniambia, “Mwanadamu, sikiliza kwa makini na uyatie moyoni mwako maneno yote nitakayosema nawe. 113:11 Eze 43:5; Mdo 8:39; Eze 8:3Kisha nenda kwa watu wa taifa lako walio uhamishoni, ukaseme nao. Waambie, ‘Hivi ndivyo Bwana Mwenyezi asemavyo,’ kwamba watasikiliza au hawatasikiliza.”
123:12 Eze 3:14; 8:3; 43:5Ndipo Roho akaniinua, nikasikia sauti kubwa nyuma yangu ya ngurumo. (Utukufu wa Bwana na utukuzwe katika mahali pa makao yake!) 133:13 Eze 1:24; 10:5, 16-17; 1:15Ilikuwa ni sauti ya mabawa ya wale viumbe hai yakisuguana moja kwa jingine, sauti kama ya ngurumo. 143:14 1Fal 18:12; Isa 8:11; Eze 37:1Ndipo Roho aliponiinua na kunipeleka mbali. Nikaenda nikiwa na uchungu na hasira moyoni mwangu, nao mkono wa Bwana ukiwa juu yangu. 153:15 Mwa 50:10; Ay 2:13Nikafika kwa wale watu waliokuwa uhamishoni huko Tel-Abibu karibu na Mto Kebari. Nikakaa miongoni mwao kwa muda wa siku saba, nikiwa nimejawa na mshangao.
Onyo Kwa Israeli
163:16 Yer 42:7Mwishoni mwa hizo siku saba neno la Bwana likanijia kusema: 173:17 Isa 52:8; Yer 6:17; Wim 5:7; Eze 11:4; Yer 1:17; Isa 58:1“Mwanadamu, nimekufanya uwe mlinzi wa nyumba ya Israeli, kwa hiyo sikia neno nisemalo, ukawape onyo litokalo kwangu. 183:18 Eze 33:6; Rum 1:16; Mwa 2:17; Yn 8:21Nimwambiapo mtu mwovu, ‘Hakika utakufa,’ na wewe usipomwonya mtu huyo au kumshauri aache njia zake mbaya ili kuokoa maisha yake, huyo mtu mwovu atakufa katika dhambi yake na damu yake nitaidai mkononi mwako. 193:19 2Fal 17:13; 1Tim 4:14-16; Za 7:12; Yer 42:16; Eze 14:14-20; Mdo 18:6Lakini ukimwonya mtu mwovu naye akakataa kuacha uovu wake na njia zake mbaya, atakufa katika dhambi yake, lakini wewe utakuwa umejiokoa nafsi yako.
203:20 2Pet 2:20; Za 125:5; Eze 18:24; Yer 34:16; Isa 8:14; Law 26:37“Tena, mtu mwenye haki akiacha haki yake na kutenda maovu, nami nikaweka kikwazo mbele yake mtu huyo atakufa. Kwa kuwa hukumwonya, atakufa katika dhambi yake. Mambo ya haki aliyotenda, hayatakumbukwa, damu yake nitaidai mkononi mwako. 213:21 Mdo 20:31; Rum 2:7Lakini ukimwonya mwenye haki asitende dhambi na akaacha kutenda dhambi, hakika ataishi kwa sababu alipokea maonyo na utakuwa umejiokoa nafsi yako.”
223:22 Eze 8:4; Mdo 9:6Mkono wa Bwana ulikuwa juu yangu huko, naye akaniambia, “Simama uende mpaka sehemu tambarare, nami nitasema nawe huko.” 233:23 Mwa 17:3; Eze 1:28Kwa hiyo niliinuka nikaenda mpaka mahali pa tambarare. Utukufu wa Bwana ulikuwa umesimama huko, kama utukufu ule niliouona kando ya Mto Kebari, nami nikaanguka kifudifudi.
243:24 Eze 2:2; Yer 15:17Ndipo Roho akaja ndani yangu akanisimamisha kwa miguu yangu. Akasema nami akaniambia: “Nenda ukajifungie ndani ya nyumba yako. 253:25 Eze 4:8Nawe, ee mwanadamu, watakufunga kwa kamba, watakufunga ili usiweze kutoka na kuwaendea watu. 263:26 Eze 33:22; Hos 4:4; Eze 24:27; Za 22:15; Eze 2:5Nitaufanya ulimi wako ushikamane kwenye kaa la kinywa chako, ili uwe kimya usiweze kuwakemea, wajapokuwa ni nyumba ya kuasi. 273:27 Eze 24:27; 29:21; Ufu 22:11; Eze 12:3; 33:22Lakini nitakaposema nawe, nitafungua kinywa chako nawe utawaambia, ‘Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenyezi asemalo.’ Yeyote atakayesikiliza na asikilize, na yeyote atakayekataa na akatae; kwa kuwa wao ni nyumba ya kuasi.
1And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. 5You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel— 6not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. 8But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”
10And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11Go now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’ whether they listen or fail to listen.”
12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.3:12 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text sound—may the glory of the Lord be praised from his place 13It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.
Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman
16At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17“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. 18When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for3:18 Or in; also in verses 19 and 20 their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.
20“Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”
22The hand of the Lord was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.” 23So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River, and I fell facedown.
24Then the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house. 25And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people. 26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people. 27But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.
