Ezekiel 24:18

Contemporary English Version

One morning, I was talking with the people as usual, and by sunset my wife was dead. The next day I did what the Lord told me,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded.

Hebrew Names Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

King James Version
So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

English Standard Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

New American Standard Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded.

New Century Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

Amplified Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I was commanded.

World English Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So I spake vnto the people in the morning, and at euen my wife dyed: and I did in the morning, as I was commanded.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded.

Legacy Standard Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded.

Berean Standard Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.

Complete Jewish Bible
I spoke to the people in the morning, and that evening my wife died. So I did the following morning as I had been ordered.

Darby Translation
—And I spoke unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Easy-to-Read Version
The next morning I told the people what God had said. That evening, my wife died. The next morning I did what God commanded.

George Lamsa Translation
So I spoke of it to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and in the morning of the next day I did as I had been commanded.

Good News Translation
Early in the day I was talking with the people. That evening my wife died, and the next day I did as I had been told.

Lexham English Bible
And I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning just as I was commanded.

Literal Translation
And I spoke to the people in the morning. And my wife died in the evening. And I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So I spake vnto the people bytymes in the mornynge, and at euen my wyfe dyed: then vpon the nexte morow, I dyd as I was comaunded.

American Standard Version
So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Bible in Basic English
So in the morning I was teaching the people and in the evening death took my wife; and in the morning I did what I had been ordered to do.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So I spoke unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

King James Version (1611)
So I spake vnto the people in the morning, and at euen my wife died, and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So I spake vnto the people betymes in the morning, & at euen my wife dyed: then vpon the next morowe I dyd as I was commaunded.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I spoke to the people in the morning, as he commanded me in the evening, and I did in the morning as it was commanded me.

English Revised Version
So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died: and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Y spak to the puple in the morewtid, and my wijf was deed in the euentid; and Y dide in the morewtid, as he hadde comaundid to me.

Update Bible Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at evening my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

Webster's Bible Translation
So I spoke to the people in the morning: and at evening my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

New English Translation
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I acted just as I was commanded.

New King James Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

New Living Translation
So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do.

New Life Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I was told.

New Revised Standard
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So I spake unto the people in the morning, and my wife died in the even, - and I did in the morning, as I had been commanded.

Douay-Rheims Bible
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening: and I did in the morning as he had commanded me.

Revised Standard Version
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

Young's Literal Translation
And I speak unto the people in the morning, and my wife dieth in the evening, and I do in the morning as I have been commanded.

THE MESSAGE
I preached to the people in the morning. That evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I'd been told.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ The Lord said, ¹⁶ "Ezekiel, son of man, I will suddenly take the life of the person you love most. But I don't want you to complain or cry. ¹⁷ Mourn in silence and don't show that you are grieving. Don't remove your turban or take off your sandals; don't cover your face to show your sorrow, or eat the food that mourners eat." ¹⁸ One morning, I was talking with the people as usual, and by sunset my wife was dead. The next day I did what the Lord told me, ¹⁹ and when people saw me, they asked, "Why aren't you mourning for your wife?" ²⁰ I answered: The Lord God says ²¹ he is ready to destroy the temple in which you take such pride and which makes you feel so safe. Your children who now live in Jerusalem will be killed. ²² Then you will do the same things I have done. You will leave your face uncovered and refuse to eat the food that mourners usually eat. ²³ You won't take off your turbans and your sandals. You won't cry or mourn, but all day long you will go around groaning because of your sins. ²⁴ I am a warning sign—everything I have done, you will also do. And then you will know the Lord God has made these things happen.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

and at: 1 Corinthians 7:29, 1 Corinthians 7:30

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 12:7 - I did so Ezekiel 24:16 - the desire

Cross-References

Genesis 24:8
If the woman refuses to come along, you don't have to keep this promise. But don't ever take my son back there."

Genesis 24:9
So the servant gave Abraham his word that he would do everything he had been told to do.

Genesis 24:14
and I'll ask one of them for a drink. If she gives me a drink and then offers to get some water for my camels, I'll know she is the one you have chosen and that you have kept your promise to my master.

Proverbs 31:26
Her words are sensible, and her advice is thoughtful.

1 Peter 3:8
Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So I spake unto the people in the morning,.... Did the duty of his office as a prophet; exhorted and instructed the people, particularly informed them of what had been said to him by the Lord, the evening or night before, concerning the death of his wife, and how he was to behave under such a providence; which he told them of before hand, that, when it came to pass, they might have a further proof of his being a true prophet of the Lord:

and at even my wife died; suddenly, as it was said she should; this shows who is meant by the desire of his eyes, and what by the taking it away;

and I did in the morning as I was commanded; neither moaned, nor sighed, nor wept, nor shed a tear, nor used any of the common ceremonies of mourning, but dressed and ate as at other times, as he was ordered to do; this was the next morning after his wife died. So the Syriac version,

"in the morning of the other day;''

and the Arabic version,

"in the morning of the following day.''

Thus whatever the Lord commands is to be done, though ever so contrary to the customs of men, or to natural inclinations and affections.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The death of Ezekiel’s wife took place in the evening of the same day that he delivered the foregoing prophecy. This event was to signify to the people that the Lord would take from them all that was most dear to them; and - owing to the extraordinary nature of the times - quiet lamentation for the dead, according to the usual forms of mourning, would be impossible.

Ezekiel 24:17

The priest in general was to mourn for his dead (Leviticus 21:1 ff); but Ezekiel was to be an exception to the rule. The “tire” was the priest’s mitre.

Eat not the bread of men - Food supplied for the comfort of the mourners.

Ezekiel 24:23

Pine away - Compare Leviticus 26:39. The outward signs of grief were a certain consolation. Their absence would indicate a heart-consuming sorrow.

Ezekiel 24:27

Ezekiel had been employed four years in foretelling the calamities about to come to pass. He had been utterly disregarded by the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and received with apparent respect but with real incredulity by those in exile. Now until the city had been actually taken, the voice of prophecy should cease, so far as God’s people were concerned. Hence the intervening series of predictions relating to neighboring and foreign nations Ezek. 25–32. After which the prophet’s voice was again heard addressing his countrymen in their exile. This accounts for the apparently parenthetical character of the next eight chapters.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 24:18. At even my wife died — The prophet's wife was a type of the city, which was to him exceedingly dear. The death of his wife represented the destruction of the city by the Chaldeans; see Ezekiel 24:21, where the temple is represented to be the desire of his eyes, as his wife was, Ezekiel 24:16.