Ezekiel 4:7

Easy-to-Read Version

"Now, roll up your sleeve and raise your arm over the brick. Act like you are attacking the city of Jerusalem. Do this to show that you are speaking as my messenger to the people.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Face the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.

Hebrew Names Version
You shall set your face toward the siege of Yerushalayim, with your arm uncovered; and you shall prophesy against it.

King James Version
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

English Standard Version
And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.

New American Standard Bible
"Then you shall direct your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.

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

Amplified Bible
"Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it.

World English Bible
You shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm uncovered; and you shall prophesy against it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore thou shalt direct thy face towarde the siege of Ierusalem, and thine arme shalbe vncouered, and thou shalt prophesie against it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then you shall establish your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it.

Berean Standard Bible
You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.

Contemporary English Version
The brick stands for Jerusalem, so attack it! Stare at it and shout angry warnings.

Complete Jewish Bible
You are to fix your gaze on the siege of Yerushalayim, and, with your arm bared, prophesy against it.

Darby Translation
And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore you shall set your face towards the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm shall prevail, and you shall prophesy against it.

Good News Translation
"Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it.

Lexham English Bible
And toward the siege of Jerusalem you must set your face and your bared arm; then you must prophesy against it.

Literal Translation
And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm bared; and you shall prophesy over it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore set now thy face agaynst that beseged Ierusalem, and discouer thine arme, that thou mayest prophecie agaynst it.

American Standard Version
And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.

Bible in Basic English
And let your face be turned to where Jerusalem is shut in, with your arm uncovered, and be a prophet against it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.

King James Version (1611)
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Ierusalem, and thine arme shalbe vncouered, and thou shalt prophecie against it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore set nowe thy face towarde the siege of Hierusalem, and discouer thine arme, that thou mayest prophecie against it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So thou shalt set thy face to the siege of Jerusalem, and shalt strengthen thine arm, and shalt prophesy against it.

English Revised Version
And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thou schalt turne thi face to the biseging of Jerusalem; and thin arm schal be stretchid forth, and thou schalt profesie ayens it.

Update Bible Version
And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm uncovered; and you shall prophesy against it.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore thou shalt set thy face towards the siege of Jerusalem, and thy arm [shall be] uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

New English Translation
You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and prophesy against it.

New King James Version
"Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.

New Living Translation
"Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your arm bared and prophesy her destruction.

New Life Bible
Then you must turn your face toward the battle against Jerusalem with no covering on your arm, and tell what will happen against the city.

New Revised Standard
You shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and with your arm bared you shall prophesy against it.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus then unto the siege of Jerusalem, shalt thou direct thy face, with thine arm made bare, - so shalt thou prophesy against it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt turn thy face to the siege of Jerusalem and thy arm shall be stretched out: and thou shalt prophesy against it.

Revised Standard Version
And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared; and you shall prophesy against the city.

Young's Literal Translation
`And unto the siege of Jerusalem thou dost prepare thy face, and thine arm [is] uncovered, and thou hast prophesied concerning it.

Contextual Overview

¹ "Son of man, take a brick and scratch a picture on it. Draw a picture of a city—the city of Jerusalem. ² And then pretend you are an army surrounding the city. Build a dirt wall around the city to help you attack it. Build a dirt road leading up to the city wall. Bring battering rams and set up army camps around the city. ³ And then take an iron pan and put it between you and the city. It will be like an iron wall separating you and the city. In this way you will show that you are against it. You will surround the city and attack it. This is an example for the family of Israel to show that I will destroy Jerusalem. ⁴ "Then you must lie down on your left side. You must do this thing that shows that you are taking the sins of the people of Israel on yourself. You will carry the guilt for as many days as you lie on your left side. ⁵ You must bear the guilt of Israel for 390 days. In this way I am telling you how long Israel will be punished; one day equals one year. ⁶ "After that time, you will lie on your right side for 40 days. This time you will bear the guilt of Judah for 40 days. One day equals one year. I am telling you how long Judah must be punished. ⁷ "Now, roll up your sleeve and raise your arm over the brick. Act like you are attacking the city of Jerusalem. Do this to show that you are speaking as my messenger to the people. ⁸ Now look, I am tying ropes on you. You will not be able to roll over from one side to the other until your attack against the city is finished.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

set: Ezekiel 4:3, Ezekiel 6:2

and thine: Isaiah 52:10

Reciprocal: Ezekiel 20:46 - set Ezekiel 21:2 - set Daniel 11:17 - set

Cross-References

Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant. And when you give birth to children, you will have much pain. You will want your husband very much, but he will rule over you."

Genesis 4:6
The Lord asked Cain, "Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?

Genesis 4:8
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." So they went to the field. Then Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Genesis 4:9
Later, the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain answered, "I don't know. Is it my job to watch over my brother?"

Genesis 4:10
Then the Lord said, "What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.

Genesis 4:12
Now when you work the soil, the ground will not help your plants grow. You will not have a home in this land. You will wander from place to place."

Genesis 4:13
Then Cain said to the Lord , "This punishment is more than I can bear!

Genesis 19:21
The angel said to Lot, "Very well, I'll let you do that. I will not destroy that town.

Numbers 32:23
But if you don't do these things, you will be sinning against the Lord . And know for sure that you will be punished for your sin.

2 Samuel 24:23
O King, I give everything to you!" Araunah also said to the king, "May the Lord your God be pleased with you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege at Jerusalem,.... All the while he was lying either on the left side or the right, his face was to be directed to the siege of Jerusalem, portrayed upon the tile, and to all the preparations made for that purpose, to show that all had reference to that and that it wound certainly be; for, as the prophet represented the Chaldean army the directing and setting his face to the siege shows their resolution and inflexibleness, that they were determined upon taking the city, and nothing should divert them from it:

and thine arm [shall be] uncovered; which was usual in fighting in those times and countries; for, wearing long garments, they were obliged to turn them up on the arm, or lay them aside, that they might more expeditiously handle their weapons, and engage with the enemy: in this form the soldiers in Trajan's column are figured fighting; and it is related that the Africans used to fight with their arms uncovered h; thus Scanderbeg in later times used to fight the Turks. The design of the phrase is to show how ready, diligent, and expeditious, the Chaldeans would be in carrying on the siege. The Targum renders it,

"thou shalt strengthen thine arm;''

and so do the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions:

and thou shall prophesy against it: meaning not so much by words, if at all, but by these actions, gestures, and habit; for they all foretold what would certainly come to pass.

h Vid. Lydium de Re Militari, l. 4. c. 3. p. 160.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therefore thou shalt set thy face - Or, “And etc.” i. e., direct thy mind to that subject.

Thine arm shall be uncovered - A sign of the execution of vengeance Isaiah 52:10.