The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 He said to me, "Human being, eat what you see in front of you; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the house of Isra'el."
1
And he said to me, Son of man, take this roll for your food, and go and say my words to the children of Israel.
2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat,
2
And, on my opening my mouth, he made me take the roll as food.
3 as he said, "Human being, eat this scroll I am giving you; fill your insides with it." When I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey.
3
And he said to me, Son of man, let your stomach make a meal of it and let your inside be full of this roll which I am giving you. Then I took it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 "Human being," he said to me, "go to the house of Isra'el, and speak my words to them.
4
And he said to me, Son of man, go now to the children of Israel, and say my words to them.
5 For you are not being sent to a people with a difficult language and unintelligible speech, but to the house of Isra'el -
5
For you are not sent to a people whose talk is strange and whose language is hard, but to the children of Israel;
6 not to many peoples with difficult languages and unintelligible speech, whose words you can't understand when you hear them. Without doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.
6
Not to a number of peoples whose talk is strange and whose language is hard and whose words are not clear to you. Truly, if I sent you to them they would give ear to you.
7 But the house of Isra'el will not be willing to listen to you, because they aren't willing to listen to me; since all the house of Isra'el are obstinate and hardhearted.
7
But the children of Israel will not give ear to you; for they have no mind to give ear to me: for all the children of Israel have a hard brow and a stiff heart.
8 However, I am making you as defiant and obstinate as they are.
8
See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your brow hard against their brows.
9 Yes, I am making your resoluteness harder than flint, as hard as a diamond. So don't be afraid of them or depressed by how they look at you, because they are a rebellious house."
9
Like a diamond harder than rock I have made your brow: have no fear of them and do not be overcome by their looks, for they are an uncontrolled people.
10 Then he said to me, "Human being, receive in your heart and hear with your ears all my words that I speak to you.
10
Then he said to me, Son of man, take into your heart all my words which I am about to say to you, and let your ears be open to them.
11 Then go to the exiles, to your countrymen; and speak to them. Tell them, 'Here is what Adonai ELOHIM, says,' whether they listen or not."
11
And go now to those who have been taken away as prisoners, to the children of your people, and say to them, This is what the Lord has said; if they give ear or if they do not.
12 A spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a very loud sound - blessed be the glory of ADONAI from his place!
12
Then I was lifted up by the wind, and at my back the sound of a great rushing came to my ears when the glory of the Lord was lifted up from his place.
13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they beat against each other, and the sound of the wheels next to them, a very loud sound.
13
And there was the sound of the wings of the living beings touching one another, and the sound of the wheels at their side, the sound of a great rushing.
14 So a spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and the heat of my spirit, with the hand of ADONAI strong on me.
14
And the wind, lifting me up, took me away: and I went in the heat of my spirit, and the hand of the Lord was strong on me.
15 I went to the exiles who were living in Tel-Aviv, by the K'var River and stayed with them there in a stupefied state for seven days.
15
Then I came to those who had been taken away as prisoners, who were at Telabib by the river Chebar, and I was seated among them full of wonder for seven days.
16 After seven days the word of ADONAI came to me:
16
And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
17 "Human being, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the house of Isra'el. When you hear a word from my mouth, you are to warn them for me.
17
Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel: so give ear to the word of my mouth, and give them word from me of their danger.
18 If I say to a wicked person, 'You will certainly die'; and you fail to warn him, to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his wicked way and save his life; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death.
18
When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; and you give him no word of it and say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his evil way, so that he may be safe; that same evil man will come to death in his evil-doing; but I will make you responsible for his blood.
19 On the other hand, if you warn the wicked person, and he doesn't turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, then he will still die guilty; but you will have saved your own life.
19
But if you give the evil-doer word of his danger, and he is not turned from his sin or from his evil way, death will overtake him in his evil-doing; but your life will be safe.
20 Similarly, when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, I will place a stumblingblock before him - he will die; because you failed to warn him, he will die in his sin; his righteous acts which he did will not be remembered; and I will hold you responsible for his death.
20
Again, when an upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, and I put a cause of falling in his way, death will overtake him: because you have given him no word of his danger, death will overtake him in his evil-doing, and there will be no memory of the upright acts which he has done; but I will make you responsible for his blood.
21 But if you warn the righteous person that a righteous person should not sin, and he doesn't sin; then he will certainly live, because he took the warning; and you too will have saved your life."
21
But if you say to the upright man that he is not to do evil, he will certainly keep his life because he took note of your word; and your life will be safe.
22 The hand of ADONAI came on me there, and he said to me, "Get up, go out to the valley, and I will speak with you there."
22
And the hand of the Lord was on me there; and he said, Get up and go out into the valley and there I will have talk with you.
23 So I got up and went out to the valley. The glory of ADONAI was there, like the glory I had seen by the K'var River; and I fell on my face.
23
Then I got up and went out into the valley; and I saw the glory of the Lord resting there as I had seen it by the river Chebar; and I went down on my face.
24 A spirit entered me and put me on my feet. Then he spoke with me and said to me, "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
24
Then the spirit came into me and put me on my feet; and he had talk with me and said to me, Go and keep yourself shut up inside your house.
25 Human being, you are going to be bound with ropes, unable to go out among the people.
25
But see, O son of man, I will put bands on you, prisoning you in them, and you will not go out among them:
26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, so that you will be mute, unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house.
26
And I will make your tongue fixed to the roof of your mouth, so that you have no voice and may not make protests to them: for they are an uncontrolled people.
27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth; and you will say to them, 'This is what Adonai ELOHIM says.' Whoever is inclined to listen will listen, and whoever is inclined to refuse will refuse, because they are a rebellious house.
27
But when I have talk with you I will make your mouth open, and you are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Let the hearer give ear; and as for him who will not, let him keep his ears shut: for they are an uncontrolled people.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.