Ezekiel 12
1 And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:
2 “Son of man, you are dwelling in the midst of the house of rebellion, which [has] eyes unto them to see, and they do not see, and ears unto them to hear, and they do not hear; for they [are] a house of rebellion!
3 And you, son of man, take up for yourself vessels for exile, and go into exile by day before their eyes; and you will go into exile from your place to another place before their eyes. Perhaps they will see, though they [are] a house of rebellion.
4 And you shall bring out your vessels like vessels for exile by day before their eyes, and you shall go out in the evening before their eyes, like those going into captivity.
5 Before their eyes you shall dig for yourself through the wall, and go out through it.
6 Before their eyes, you shall bear [them] on [your] shoulders in the darkness [and] carry [them] out; you shall cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have given you as a sign for the house of Israel.”
7 And I did just as I was commanded. My vessels I brought out as vessels for captivity by day, and in the evening I dug for myself through the wall with [my] hand; in the darkness I brought [them] out on [my] shoulder, I bore [them] before their eyes.
8 And the word of YHWH came to me in the morning, saying:
9 “Son of man, have they not said to you—the house of Israel, [this] house of rebellion, ‘What [are] you doing?’
10 Say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘This burden [concerns] the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel who are in their midst.’
11 Say, ‘I [am] a sign to you⁺.’ As I have done, so will it be done to them—into exile, into captivity, they will go!
12 And the prince who [is] in their midst, on [his] shoulder he will bear [it] in the darkness, and he will go out; they will dig through the wall to bring [them] out through it; he will cover his face so that he might not see with [his] eyes, he, the land.
13 And I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare; and I will bring him to Babylon, [to] the land of the Chaldeans; and he will not see it, and there he will die.
14 And all who [are] around him [as] his help, and all his troops, I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheath the sword after them.
15 And they will know that I [am] YHWH, in My dispersing them among the nations and scattering them throughout the lands.
16 I will spare from their people a few—from the sword, from famine, and from pestilence—so that they may recount all their abominations among the nations to which they go there. And they will know that I [am] YHWH.”
17 And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:
18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with anxiety!
19 And say to the people of the land, thus says the Lord YHWH to those dwelling in Jerusalem, [and] to the land of Israel: ‘They will eat their bread with anxiety, and they will drink their water with dread, so that her land may be emptied of all her fullness, because of the violence of all those dwelling in her.
20 And the cities that [were] inhabited will be dried up, and the land will become a desolation; and you⁺ will know that I [am] YHWH!’”
21 And the word of YHWH came to me, saying:
22 “Son of man, what [is] this proverb for you⁺ over the land of Israel, saying, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision perishes’?
23 Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘To this proverb I will put an end, and will they use it as a proverb no more in Israel. But rather speak to them: ‘The days are near, and the word of every vision!’
24 For there will be no longer any vision of emptiness, or of smooth divination, in the midst of the house of Israel.
25 For I [am] YHWH! I speak, and the word that I speak will come to pass; it will not drag out any longer, but in your⁺ days, O house of rebellion, I will speak the word and will do it! An utterance of the Lord YHWH.’”
26 And the word came of YHWH to me, saying:
27 “Son of man, behold, the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days, and times far off he is prophesying.’
28 Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord YHWH: ‘Not any of My words will be drawn out anymore; the word that I speak, it will be done! An utterance of the Lord YHWH.’”