Ezekiel 3

Ezekiel eats the scroll and finds it sweet as honey. The LORD appoints him a watchman over Israel — if he fails to warn the wicked, their blood will be on his hands.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.	He said to me, "Son of man, eat what is in front of You. Eat this scroll, and then go speak to the house of Israel."
2	So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.	So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll.
3	And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.	He said to me, "Son of man, fill Your stomach and Your insides with this scroll I am giving You." I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4	And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.	He said to me, "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them."
5	For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel;	"You are not being sent to a people with a foreign language that is hard to understand, but to the house of Israel."
6	Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.	"Not to many peoples of strange speech and difficult language whose words You cannot understand. Surely, if I had sent You to them, they would have listened to You."
7	But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.	"But the house of Israel will not listen to You, because they will not listen to Me. The whole house of Israel is stubborn and hard-hearted."
8	Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.	"I have made Your face as firm as their faces, and Your forehead as hard as their foreheads."
9	As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.	"I have made Your forehead like the hardest stone — harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or troubled by their looks, even though they are a rebellious house."
10	Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.	He said to me, "Son of man, take all My words that I speak to You into Your heart. Listen carefully with Your ears."
11	And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.	"Go to the exiles, to the children of Your people. Speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says' — whether they listen or refuse."
12	Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place.	Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound: "Blessed be the glory of the LORD from His place!"
13	I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing.	I heard the sound of the wings of the living creatures touching one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them — a great rumbling sound.
14	So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.	The Spirit lifted me up and carried me away. I went in bitterness and anguish of spirit, but the hand of the LORD was strong upon me.
15	Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.	I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the river Chebar. I sat among them, overwhelmed, for seven days.
16	And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,	At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me:
17	Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.	"Son of man, I have made You a watchman for the house of Israel. Hear the word from My mouth and warn them on My behalf."
18	When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.	"When I say to the wicked, 'You will certainly die,' and you do not warn him or speak to warn him from his wicked ways to save his life — that wicked man will die in his iniquity. But I will hold you responsible for his blood."
19	Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.	"But if you warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked ways, he will die in his iniquity. But you will have saved yourself."
20	Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand.	"Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Because you did not warn him, he will die in his sin. His righteous deeds will not be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for his blood."
21	Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.	"But if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he will surely live because he took the warning. And you will have saved yourself."
22	And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.	The hand of the LORD came on me there, and He said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain. I will speak with You there."
23	Then I arose, and went forth into the plain: and, behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river of Chebar: and I fell on my face.	I got up and went out to the plain. The glory of the LORD was standing there — like the glory I had seen by the river Chebar. I fell on my face.
24	Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house.	The Spirit entered me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me and said, "Go, shut Yourself inside Your house."
25	But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them:	"As for You, Son of man, they will put ropes on You and bind You, and You will not go out among the people."
26	And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house.	"I will make Your tongue stick to the roof of Your mouth so that You will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house."
27	But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.	"But when I speak with You, I will open Your mouth and You shall say to them, 'This is what the Lord GOD says.' Whoever will listen, let them listen. Whoever will refuse, let them refuse — for they are a rebellious house."