Yǐsījiēshū 4

1 Rénzǐ a , nǐ yào ná yī kuaì zhuān , bǎi zaì nǐ miànqián , jiāng yī zuò Yēlùsǎlĕng chéng huà zaì qí shang ,

2 Yòu wéi kùn zhè chéng , zào tái zhù lĕi , ān yíng gōngjī , zaì sìwéi ān shè zhuàng chuí gōng chéng ,

3 Yòu yào ná gè tiĕ ào , fàng zaì nǐ hé chéng de zhōngjiān , zuòwéi tiĕ qiáng . nǐ yào duìmiàn gōngjī zhè chéng , shǐ chéng beì kùn . zhèyàng , hǎo zuò Yǐsèliè jiā de yùzhào .

4 Nǐ yào xiàng zuǒ zè wò , chéngdāng Yǐsèliè jiā de zuìniè . yào àn nǐ xiàng zuǒ zè wò de rì shǔ , dāndāng tāmende zuìniè .

5 Yīnwei wǒ yǐ jiāng tāmen zuò niè de nián shǔ déng wèi nǐ xiàng zuǒ zè wò de rì shù , jiù shì sān bǎi jiǔ shí rì , nǐ yào zhèyàng dāndāng Yǐsèliè jiā de zuìniè .

6 Zaìzhĕ , nǐ mǎn le zhèxie rìzi , hái yào xiàng yòu zè wò , dāndāng Yóudà jiā de zuìniè . wǒ gĕi nǐ déng guī zè wò sì shí rì , yī rì dǐng yī nián .

7 Nǐ yào lù chū bǎngbì , miàn xiàng beì kùn de Yēlùsǎlĕng , shuō yùyán gōngjī zhè chéng .

8 Wǒ yòng shéng suǒ kúnbǎng nǐ , shǐ nǐ bùnéng zhǎn zhuǎn , zhí dĕng nǐ mǎn le kùn chéng de rìzi .

9 Nǐ yào qǔ xiǎomaì , dàmaì , dòu zǐ , hóngdòu , xiǎo mǐ , cū maì , zhuāng zaì yī gè qìmǐn zhōng , yòng yǐwéi zìjǐ zuò bǐng . yào àn nǐ zè wò de sān bó jiǔ shí rì chī zhè bǐng .

10 Nǐ suǒ chī de yào àn fēn liǎng chī , mĕi rì èr shí Shĕkèlè , ànshí ér chī .

11 Nǐ hē shuǐ yĕ yào àn zhì zǐ , mĕi rì hē yī xīn liù fēn ...zhīyī , ànshí ér hē .

12 Nǐ chī zhè bǐng xiàng chī dàmaì bǐng yíyàng , yào yòng rén fèn zaì zhòngrén yǎnqián shāo kǎo .

13 Yēhéhuá shuō , Yǐsèliè rén zaì wǒ suǒ gǎn tāmen dào de gè guó zhōng , yĕ bì zhèyàng chī bù jiéjìng de shíwù .

14 Wǒ shuō , ǎi . zhǔ Yēhéhuá a , wǒ sùlái wèicéng beì diànwū , cóng yòunián dào rújīn méiyǒu chī guō zì sǐ de , huò beì yĕshòu sī liè de , nà kĕ zēng de ròu yĕ wèicéng rù wǒde kǒu .

15 Yúshì tā duì wǒ shuō , kàn nǎ , wǒ gĕi nǐ niú fèn daìtì rén fèn , nǐ yào jiāng nǐde bǐng kǎo zaì qí shang .

16 Tā yòu duì wǒ shuō , Rénzǐ a , wǒ bì zaì Yēlùsǎlĕng zhé duàn tāmende zhàng , jiù shì duàn jué tāmende liáng . tāmen chī bǐng yào àn fēn liǎng , yōulǜ ér chī . hē shuǐ yĕ yào àn zhì zǐ , jīng huáng ér hē .

17 Shǐ tāmen quē liáng quē shuǐ , bǐcǐ jīng huáng , yīn zìjǐ de zuìniè xiāomiè .

Yǐsījiēshū 4 Commentary

Chapter 4

The siege of Jerusalem. (1-8) The famine the inhabitants would suffer. (9-17)

Verses 1-8 The prophet was to represent the siege of Jerusalem by signs. He was to lie on his left side for a number of days, supposed to be equal to the years from the establishment of idolatry. All that the prophet sets before the children of his people, about the destruction of Jerusalem, is to show that sin is the provoking cause of the ruin of that once flourishing city.

Verses 9-17 The bread which was Ezekiel's support, was to be made of coarse grain and pulse mixed together, seldom used except in times of urgent scarcity, and of this he was only to take a small quantity. Thus was figured the extremity to which the Jews were to be reduced during the siege and captivity. Ezekiel does not plead, Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately, and never used to any thing like this; but that he had been brought up conscientiously, and never had eaten any thing forbidden by the law. It will be comfortable when we are brought to suffer hardships, if our hearts can witness that we have always been careful to keep even from the appearance of evil. See what woful work sin makes, and acknowledge the righteousness of God herein. Their plenty having been abused to luxury and excess, they were justly punished by famine. When men serve not God with cheerfulness in the abundance of all things, God will make them serve their enemies in the want of all things.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 4

This chapter contains a prophecy of the siege of Jerusalem, and of the famine that attended it. The siege is described by a portrait of the city of Jerusalem on a tile, laid before the prophet, Eze 4:1; by each of the actions, representing a siege of it, as building a fort, casting a mount, and setting a camp and battering rams against it, and an iron pan for a wall, between the prophet, the besieger, and the city, Eze 4:2,3; by his gesture, lying first on his left side for the space of three hundred ninety days, and then on his right side for the space of forty days, pointing at the time when the city should be taken, Eze 4:4-6; and by setting his face to the siege, and uncovering his arm, and prophesying, Eze 4:7; and by bands being laid on him, so that he could not turn from one side to the other, till the siege was ended, Eze 4:8; the famine is signified by bread the prophet was to make of various sorts of grain and seeds, baked with men's dung, and eaten by weight, with water drank by measure, which is applied unto the people; it is suggested that this would be fulfilled by the children of Israel's eating defiled bread among the Gentiles, Eze 4:9-13; but upon the prophet's concern about eating anything forbidden by the law, which he had never done, cow's dung is allowed instead of men's, to prepare the bread with, Eze 4:14,15; and the chapter is concluded with a resolution to bring a severe famine on them, to their great astonishment, and with which they should be consumed for their iniquity, Eze 4:16,17.