TheLord Chooses Ezekiel
1TheLord+ said, “Ezekiel, son of man,+ I want you to stand up and listen.”2After he said this, his Spirit took control of me and lifted me to my feet. Then theLord said:
3Ezekiel, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are just like their ancestors who rebelled against me and refused to stop.4They are stubborn and hardheaded. But I, theLord God, have chosen you to tell them what I say.5Those rebels may not even listen, but at least they will know that a prophet has come to them.
6Don't be afraid of them or of anything they say. You may think you're in the middle of a thorn patch or a bunch of scorpions. But be brave7and preach my message to them, whether they choose to listen or not.8Ezekiel, don't rebel against me, as they have done. Instead, listen to everything I tell you.
And now, Ezekiel, open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.
9 Just then, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. And in it was a scroll.+10The hand opened the scroll, and both sides of it were filled with words of sadness, mourning, and grief.
Footnotes:
2.1TheLord:Hebrew “The voice.”
2.1Ezekiel, son of man:The Hebrew text has “Son of man,” which is often used in this book when theLord speaks directly to Ezekiel. It means that Ezekiel is a mere human, yet he is the one theLord has chosen to be his prophet who speaks for him to the people of Israel.
2.9scroll:A roll of paper or special leather used for writing on.
