The Lord Appoints Ezekiel to Speak for Him

¹He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet. I will speak to you.” ² As he spoke, the Spirit of the Lord came into me. He raised me to my feet. I heard him speaking to me.

³ He said, “Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. That nation has refused to obey me. They have turned against me. They and their people of long ago have been against me to this day. ⁴ The people I am sending you to are very stubborn. Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says.’ ⁵ They might listen, or they might not. After all, they refuse to obey me. But whether they listen or not, they will know that a prophet was among them. ⁶ Son of man, do not be afraid of them or of what they say. Do not be afraid, even if thorns and bushes are all around you. Do not be afraid, even if you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say. Do not be terrified by them. They always refuse to obey me. ⁷ You must give them my message. They might listen, or they might not. After all, they refuse to obey me. ⁸ Son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be like those who refuse to obey me. Open your mouth. Eat what I give you.”

⁹ Then I looked up. I saw a hand reach out to me. A scroll was in it. ¹⁰ He unrolled it in front of me. Both sides had words written on them. They spoke about sadness, sorrow and trouble.