Ezequiel 3

¹ Moreover he said to me, Son of man, eat what thou findest;By which is meant that no one is fit to be God's messenger before he has received the word of God in his heart, as in (Eze_3:10) and has a zeal to it, and delight in it, as in (Jer_15:16; Rev_10:10).eat this scroll, and go speak to the house of Israel.

² So I opened my mouth, and he gaue mee this roule to eate.

³ And he said vnto me, Sonne of man, cause thy belly to eate, and fill thy bowels with this roule that I giue thee. Then did I eate it, and it was in my mouth as sweete as honie.

⁴ And he said vnto me, Sonne of man, goe, and enter into the house of Israel, and declare them my wordes.

⁵ For thou art not sent to a people of an vnknowen tongue, or of an hard language, but to the house of Israel,

⁶ Not to many people of an vnknowen tongue, or of an harde language, whose wordes thou canst not vnderstand: yet if I should sende thee to them, they would obey thee.

⁷ But the house of Israel will not obey thee: for they will not obey me: yea, all the house of Israel are impudent and stiffe hearted.

⁸ Behold, I have made thyGod promises his assistance to his ministers, and that he will give them boldness and constancy in their calling, (Isa_50:7; Jer_1:18; Mic_3:8).face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

⁹ I haue made thy forehead as the adamant, and harder then the flint: feare them not therefore, neither be afraid at their lookes: for they are a rebellious house.

¹⁰ Moreover he said to me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to theeHe shows what is meant by the eating of the book, which is that the ministers of God may speak nothing from themselves, but only that which they have received from the Lord.receive in thy heart, and hear with thy ears.

¹¹ And goe and enter to them that are led away captiues vnto the children of thy people, and speake vnto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God: but surely they will not heare, neither will they in deede cease.

¹² Then the spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, [saying],By which he signifies that God's glory would not be diminished, although he departed out of his temple, for this declared that the city and temple would be destroyed.Blessed [be] the glory of the LORD from his place.

¹³ I heard also the noyse of the wings of the beasts, that touched one another, and the ratling of the wheeles that were by them, euen a noyse of a great russhing.

¹⁴ So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and IThis shows that there is always an infirmity of the flesh which can never be ready to render full obedience to God, and also God's grace who ever assists his, and overcomes their rebellious affections.went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

¹⁵ Then I came to them of the captivity atWhich was a place by Euphrates where the Jews were prisoners.Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there overwhelmed among themDeclaring here that God's ministers must with advisement and deliberation utter his judgments.seven days.

¹⁶ And at the ende of seuen dayes, the worde of the Lorde came againe vnto me, saying,

¹⁷ Son of man, I have made thee aOf this read (Eze_33:2).watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

¹⁸ When I shall say vnto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou giuest not him warning, nor speakest to admonish the wicked of his wicked way, that he may liue, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquitie: but his blood will I require at thine hande.

¹⁹ Yet if thou warne the wicked, and he turne not from his wickednesse, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquitie, but thou hast deliuered thy soule.

²⁰ Again, When aIf he that has been instructed in the right way turn back.righteous [man] doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay aI will give him up to a reprobate mind, (Rom_1:28).stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and hisWhich seemed to have been done in faith, and was not.righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand.

²¹ Neuerthelesse, if thou admonish that righteous man, that the righteous sinne not, and that he doeth not sinne, he shall liue because he is admonished: also thou hast deliuered thy soule.

²² And theThat is, the Spirit of prophecy.hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said to me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.

²³ Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, theMeaning, the vision of the cherubims and the wheels.glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.

²⁴ Then the spirit entered into me, andRead (Jer_2:2).set me upon my feet, and spoke with me, and said to me, Go,Signifying that not only would he not profit, but they would grievously trouble and afflict him.shut thyself within thy house.

²⁵ But thou, O sonne of man, beholde, they shall put bandes vpon thee, and shall binde thee with them, and thou shalt not goe out among them.

²⁶ And I will make thy tongueWhich declares the terrible plague of the Lord, when God stops the mouths of his ministers and that all such are the rods of his vengeance that do it.cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they [are] a rebellious house.

²⁷ But when I shall haue spoken vnto thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God, He that heareth, let him heare, and he that leaueth off, let him leaue: for they are a rebellious house.