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Read Ezekiel Chapter 3

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1Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.

2So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.

3And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

4And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.

5For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;

6Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.

7But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.

8Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.

9As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

10Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.

11And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

12Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.

13I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.

14So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.

15Then I came to them of the captivity at Telabib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.

16And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

17Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.

18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

19Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

20Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.

21Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.

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

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

24Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.

25But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:

26And I will make thy tongue 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.

27But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Ezekiel 3

In short

God commands Ezekiel to eat a scroll and deliver God's message to the people of Israel. God appoints Ezekiel as a watchman, responsible for warning both the wicked and the righteous about their conduct. God also tells Ezekiel he will be bound and unable to speak except when God opens his mouth to speak through him.

What the text says

God tells Ezekiel to eat a scroll (verse 1), and when he does, it tastes as sweet as honey in his mouth (verse 3). God sends him to speak God's own words to the house of Israel (verse 4). Verses 5 and 6 note that Ezekiel is sent to Israel, not to foreign peoples whose language he would not understand. However, verses 7 and 9 reveal that Israel will not listen to him because they are stubborn and rebellious. God strengthens Ezekiel's face to stand against their resistance (verses 8-9). Ezekiel must receive God's words and deliver them to the captives in Israel, whether they listen or not (verses 10-11). God's spirit lifts Ezekiel to the river Chebar, where he sits among the exiles for seven days (verses 12-15). From verse 17 onward, God makes Ezekiel a watchman. His job is to warn the wicked of death (verse 18) and warn the righteous if they turn to evil (verse 20). If Ezekiel warns them and they refuse to change, the blood is on them, not him (verses 19, 21). Finally, verses 24-27 state that God will bind Ezekiel and make him mute, unable to rebuke them. Only when God opens his mouth will Ezekiel speak God's words.

Takeaways

  • Ezekiel's role as a watchman means he must deliver God's warning to Israel regardless of whether they hear it or refuse it.
  • God strengthens Ezekiel for his difficult task and controls when and what he speaks.
  • Ezekiel bears responsibility to warn both the wicked and the righteous, but not responsibility for whether they obey.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.