Ezekiel 3; Ezekiel 4; Hebrews 11:20-40

1 Then the Lord said to me, "Human, eat what you ind; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the people of Israel."

2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 He said to me, "Human, eat this scroll which I am giving you, and fill your stomach with it." Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

4 Then he said to me, "Human, go to the people of Israel, and speak my words to them.

5 You are not being sent to people whose speech you can't understand, whose language is difficult. You are being sent to Israel.

6 You are not being sent to many nations whose speech you can't understand, whose language is difficult, whose words you cannot understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.

7 But the people of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me. Yes, all the people of Israel are stubborn and will not obey.

8 See, I now make you as stubborn and as hard as they are.

9 I am making you as hard as a diamond, harder than stone. Don't be afraid of them or be frightened by them, though they are a people who turn against me."

10 Also, he said to me, "Human, believe all the words I will speak to you, and listen carefully to them.

11 Then go to the captives, your own people, and say to them, 'The Lord God says this.' Tell them this whether they listen or not."

12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me, saying, "Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven."

13 I heard the wings of the living creatures touching each other and the sound of the wheels by them. It was a loud rumbling sound.

14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I was unhappy and angry, and I felt the great power of the Lord.

15 I came to the captives from Judah, who lived by the Kebar River at Tel Abib. I sat there seven days where these people lived, feeling shocked.

16 After seven days the Lord spoke his word to me again. He said,

17 "Human, I now make you a watchman for Israel. Any time you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me.

18 When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' you must warn them so they may live. If you don't speak out to warn the wicked to stop their evil ways, they will die in their sin. But I will hold you responsible for their death.

19 If you warn the wicked and they do not turn from their wickedness or their evil ways, they will die because of their sin. But you will have saved your life.

20 "Again, those who do right may turn away from doing good and do evil. If I make something bad happen to them, they will die. Because you have not warned them, they will die because of their sin, and the good they did will not be remembered. But I will hold you responsible for their deaths.

21 But if you have warned those good people not to sin, and they do not sin, they will surely live, because they believed the warning. And you will have saved your life."

22 Then I felt the power of the Lord there. He said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain. There I will speak to you."

23 So I got up and went out to the plain. I saw the glory of the Lord standing there, like the glory I saw by the Kebar River, and I bowed facedown on the ground.

24 Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet. He spoke to me and said, "Go, shut yourself up in your house.

25 As for you, human, the people will tie you up with ropes so that you will not be able to go out among them.

26 Also, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you will be silent. You will not be able to argue with the people, even though they turn against me.

27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, 'The Lord God says this.' Those who will listen, let them listen. Those who refuse, let them refuse, because they are a people who turn against me.

1 "Now, human, get yourself a brick, put it in front of you, and draw a map of Jerusalem on it.

2 Then surround it with an army. Build battle works against the city and a dirt road to the top of the city walls. Set up camps around it, and put heavy logs in place to break down the walls.

3 Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up like an iron wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city as if to attack it and then attack. This is a sign to Israel.

4 "Then lie down on your left side, and take the guilt of Israel on yourself. Their guilt will be on you for the number of days you lie on your left side.

5 I have given you the same number of days as the years of the people's sin. So you will have the guilt of Israel's sin on you for three hundred ninety days.

6 "After you have finished these three hundred ninety days, lie down a second time, on your right side. You will then have the guilt of Judah on you. I will give it to you for forty days, a day for each year of their sin.

7 Then you will look toward Jerusalem, which is being attacked. With your arm bare, you will prophesy against Jerusalem.

8 I will put ropes on you so you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your attack on Jerusalem.

9 "Take wheat, barley, beans, small peas, and millet seeds, and put them in one bowl, and make them into bread for yourself. You will eat it the three hundred ninety days you lie on your side.

10 You will eat eight ounces of food every day at set times.

11 You will drink about two-thirds of a quart of water every day at set times.

12 Eat your food as you would eat a barley cake, baking it over human dung where the people can see."

13 Then the Lord said, "In the same way Israel will eat unclean food among the nations where I force them to go."

14 But I said, "No, Lord God! I have never been made unclean. From the time I was young until now I've never eaten anything that died by itself or was torn by animals. Unclean meat has never entered my mouth."

15 "Very well," he said. "Then I will give you cow's dung instead of human dung to use for your fire to bake your bread."

16 He also said to me, "Human, I am going to cut off the supply of bread to Jerusalem. They will eat the bread that is measured out to them, and they will worry as they eat. They will drink water that is measured out to them, and they will be in shock as they drink it.

17 This is because bread and water will be hard to find. The people will be shocked at the sight of each other, and they will become weak because of their sin.

20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph's sons. Then he worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, while he was dying, spoke about the Israelites leaving Egypt and gave instructions about what to do with his body.

23 It was by faith that Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby, and they were not afraid to disobey the king's order.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of the king of Egypt's daughter.

25 He chose to suffer with God's people instead of enjoying sin for a short time.

26 He thought it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for God's reward.

27 It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king's anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see.

28 It was by faith that Moses prepared the Passover and spread the blood on the doors so the one who brings death would not kill the firstborn sons of Israel.

29 It was by faith that the people crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land. But when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned.

30 It was by faith that the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31 It was by faith that Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the spies and was not killed with those who refused to obey God.

32 Do I need to give more examples? I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

33 Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God's promises, and shut the mouths of lions.

34 They stopped great fires and were saved from being killed with swords. They were weak, and yet were made strong. They were powerful in battle and defeated other armies.

35 Women received their dead relatives raised back to life. Others were tortured and refused to accept their freedom so they could be raised from the dead to a better life.

36 Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison.

37 They were stoned to death, they were cut in half, and they were killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor, abused, and treated badly.

38 The world was not good enough for them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth.

39 All these people are known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised.

40 God planned to give us something better so that they would be made perfect, but only together with us.