Ezekiel 24:18

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.

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.

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,

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.

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 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁶ "Son of man, you love your wife very much, but I am going to take her away from you. Your wife will die suddenly, but you must not show your sadness. You must not cry loudly. You will cry and your tears will fall, ¹⁷ but you must mourn quietly. Dress as you normally do; wear your turban and sandals; don't cover your mustache, and don't eat the food people normally eat when someone dies." ¹⁸ The next morning I told the people what God had said. That evening, my wife died. The next morning I did what God commanded. ¹⁹ Then the people said to me, "Why are you doing this? What does it mean?" ²⁰ Then I said to them, "The word of the Lord came to me. He told me ²¹ to speak to the family of Israel. The Lord God said, ‘Look, I will destroy my holy place. You are proud of that place and sing songs of praise about it. You love to see it. You really love that place. But I will destroy it, and your children that you left behind will be killed in battle. ²² But you will do the same things that I have done about my dead wife. You will not cover your mustache or eat the food people normally eat when someone dies. ²³ You will wear your turbans and your sandals. You will not show your sadness publicly or cry publicly, but you will waste away with guilt and talk to each other quietly about your grief. ²⁴ So Ezekiel is an example for you. You will do all the same things he did. That time of punishment will come, and then you will know that I am the Lord God .'"

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 girl refuses to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not take my son back to that place."

Genesis 24:9
So the servant put his hand under his master's leg and made the promise.

Genesis 24:14
I will say to one of them, ‘Please put your jar down so that I can drink.' Let her answer show whether she is the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. If she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give water to your camels,' I will know that she is the right one. It will be proof that you have shown kindness to my master."

Proverbs 31:26
She speaks with wisdom and teaches others to be loving and kind.

1 Peter 3:8
So all of you should live together in peace. Try to understand each other. Love each other like brothers and sisters. 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.