Study Desk

The Lord sent fire from above that went down into my bones. He stretched out a net for my feet. He turned me all the way around. He made me into a wasteland. I am sick all day.

"Look at me, Lord . I am in distress! I am upset, as if my heart turned upside down inside of me. I feel this way because I have been so stubborn. Out in the streets, I lost my children to the swords. Inside, it is like death.

"Listen to me, I am groaning. I have no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are happy that you did this to me. You said there would be a time of punishment. You said you would punish my enemies. Now do what you said. Let my enemies be like I am now.

"Look how evil my enemies are! Then you can treat them the same way you treated me because of all my sins. Do this because I am groaning again and again. Do this because my heart is sick."

I am a man who has seen much trouble. God beat us with a stick, and I saw it happen.

Remember, I am very sad, and I have no home. Remember the bitter poison that you gave me.

I remember well all my troubles, and I am very sad.

Water came up over my head. I said to myself, "I am finished."

I am the priest, Ezekiel son of Buzi. I was in exile by the Kebar Canal in Babylonia when the skies opened up, and I saw visions of God. This was on the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year. (This was the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's exile. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel. The power of the Lord came over him at that place.)

He said, "Son of man, I am sending you to speak to the family of Israel. Those people and their ancestors turned against me many times. They have sinned against me many times—and they are still sinning against me today.

I am sending you to speak to them, but they are very stubborn. They are very hardheaded, but you must speak to them. You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says.'

"Son of man, listen to what I am telling you. Don't turn against me like those people who refuse to obey. Now open your mouth to receive the words I will give you to speak."

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Son of man, I am making you a watchman for Israel. I will tell you about bad things that will happen to them, and you must warn Israel.

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.

"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.

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.