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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Ezekiel 3:5

You are not being sent to people whose speech you can't understand, whose language is difficult. You are being sent to 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,
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;
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
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 Then the Lord said to me, "Human, eat what you find; 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.

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 the fruit from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you ever eat fruit from that tree, you will die!"
Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the snake, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.
Genesis 3:3
But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.'"
Genesis 3:6
The woman saw that the tree was beautiful, that its fruit was good to eat, and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then, it was as if their eyes were opened. They realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made something to cover themselves.
Genesis 3:10
The man answered, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "How could you have done such a thing?" She answered, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Genesis 3:14
The Lord God said to the snake, "Because you did this, a curse will be put on you. You will be cursed as no other animal, tame or wild, will ever be. You will crawl on your stomach, and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."
Genesis 3:22
Then the Lord God said, "Humans have become like one of us; they know good and evil. We must keep them from eating some of the fruit from the tree of life, or they 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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