Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Ezekiel 3:5

I am not sending you to some foreigners you cannot understand. You don't have to learn another language. I am sending you to the family of Israel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Impenitence;   Thompson Chain Reference - Leaders;   Ministers;   Religious;   Responsibility;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Language;   Rebellion against God;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Angel;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Roll;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Confusion of Tongues;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Hard;   Sent;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or a difficult language but to the house of Israel—
Hebrew Names Version
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Yisra'el;
King James Version
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
English Standard Version
For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel—
New American Standard Bible
"For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,
New Century Version
You are not being sent to people whose speech you can't understand, whose language is difficult. You are being sent to Israel.
Amplified Bible
"For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,
World English Bible
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Geneva Bible (1587)
For thou art not sent to a people of an vnknowen tongue, or of an hard language, but to the house of Israel,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel,
Legacy Standard Bible
For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible lips or a difficult tongue, but to the house of Israel,
Berean Standard Bible
For you are not being sent to a people of unfamiliar speech or difficult language, but to the house of Israel-
Contemporary English Version
They are Israelites, not some strangers who speak a foreign language you can't understand. If I were to send you to foreign nations, they would listen to you.
Complete Jewish Bible
For you are not being sent to a people with a difficult language and unintelligible speech, but to the house of Isra'el —
Darby Translation
For thou art not sent to a people of strange language, and of difficult speech, [but] to the house of Israel;
George Lamsa Translation
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Good News Translation
I am not sending you to a nation that speaks a difficult foreign language, but to the Israelites.
Lexham English Bible
For you are sent to the house of Israel, not to a people of obscure speech and of a difficult language,
Literal Translation
For you are not sent to a people of deep lip and difficult of language, but to the house of Israel;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for I sende the not to a people that hath a strauge, vnknowne or harde speache, but vnto the house off Israel:
American Standard Version
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Bible in Basic English
For you are not sent to a people whose talk is strange and whose language is hard, but to the children of Israel;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For thou art not sent to a people of an unintelligible speech and of a slow tongue, but to the house of Israel;
King James Version (1611)
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For not to a people of profounde lippes and harde language art thou sent, but vnto the house of Israel:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For thou art not sent to a people of hard speech, but to the house of Israel;
English Revised Version
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For thou schalt not be sent to a puple of hiy word, and of vnknowun langage; thou schalt be sent to the hous of Israel,
Update Bible Version
For you are not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel;
Webster's Bible Translation
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language, [but] to the house of Israel;
New English Translation
For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
New King James Version
For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel,
New Living Translation
I am not sending you to a foreign people whose language you cannot understand.
New Life Bible
For you are not being sent to people of strange speech and a hard language, but to the people of Israel.
New Revised Standard
For you are not sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel—
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue, art thou sent - but unto the house of Israel:
Douay-Rheims Bible
For thou art not sent to a people of a profound speech, and of an unknown tongue, but to the house of Israel:
Revised Standard Version
For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel--
Young's Literal Translation
For, not unto a people deep of lip and heavy of tongue [art] thou sent -- unto the house of Israel;

Contextual Overview

1 God said to me, "Son of man, eat what you see. Eat this scroll, and then go tell these things to the family of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth and he put the scroll into my mouth. 3 Then God said, "Son of man, I am giving you this scroll. Swallow it! Let that scroll fill your body." So I ate the scroll. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then God said to me, "Son of man, go to the family of Israel. Speak my words to them. 5 I am not sending you to some foreigners you cannot understand. You don't have to learn another language. I am sending you to the family of Israel. 6 I am not sending you to many different countries where people speak languages you cannot understand. If you went to those people and spoke to them, they would listen to you. But you will not have to learn those hard languages. 7 No, I am sending you to the family of Israel. Only, these people have hard heads—they are very stubborn! And the people of Israel will refuse to listen to you. They don't want to listen to me. 8 But I will make you just as stubborn as they are, and your head just as hard. 9 A diamond is harder than flint rock. In the same way you will be more stubborn than they are, and your head will be harder. Then you will not be afraid of them or those who always turn against me." 10 Then God said to me, "Son of man, listen to every word I say to you and remember them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou: Jonah 1:2, Jonah 3:2-4, Acts 26:17, Acts 26:18

of a strange speech and of an hard language: Heb. deep of lip and heavy of tongue, and so, Ezekiel 3:6, Psalms 81:5, Isaiah 33:19

Reciprocal: Isaiah 58:1 - spare

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
But you must not eat from the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil. If you eat fruit from that tree, on that day you will certainly die!"
Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the snake, "No, we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden.
Genesis 3:3
But there is one tree we must not eat from. God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.'"
Genesis 3:6
The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.
Genesis 3:10
The man said, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid. I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What have you done?" She said, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:14
So the Lord God said to the snake, "You did this very bad thing, so bad things will happen to you. It will be worse for you than for any other animal. You must crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child's foot, but he will crush your head."
Genesis 3:22
The Lord God said, "Look, the man has become like us—he knows about good and evil. And now the man might take the fruit from the tree of life. If the man eats that fruit, he will live forever."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For thou [art] not sent to a people of a strange speech,.... "Deep of lip" g, or "speech"; difficult to be got at and understood:

and of a hard language: or "heavy of tongue" h of a barbarous and unknown language, whom he could not understand, nor they him; and so would have been barbarians to one another; and consequently it could not be thought his prophesying among them, could have been of any use. This may be considered, either by way of encouragement to the prophet to go on his errand to such a people; since as he could understand them, and they him he might hope to meet with success; or, however he could deliver his message so as to be understood: or as an aggravation of the impiety perverseness and stupidity of the Israelites; that though the prophet spoke to them in their own language, yet they would not hear nor receive his words:

[but] to the house of Israel; who were a people of the same speech and language with the prophet; all spoke and understood the language of Canaan; nor were the things he delivered such as they were altogether strangers to being the same, for substance, which Moses, and the other prophets, had ever taught.

g עמקי שפה "profundi labii", Vatablus; "profundorum labio", Polanus, Cocceius; "profundi sermonis", Starkius. h כבדי לשון "graves linguae", Montanus; "gravium lingua", Polanus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ezekiel 3:5. Thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech — I neither send thee to thy adversaries, the Chaldeans, nor to the Medes and Persians, their enemies. Even these would more likely have hearkened unto thee than thy own countrymen.


 
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