Yehezkiel 1:1

A Vision of God’s Glory

1:1 In the thirtieth year, ¹  on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles ²  at the Kebar River, ³  the heavens opened ⁴  and I saw a divine vision. ⁵ 

Yehezkiel 3:20

3:20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ⁶  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

Yehezkiel 3:27

3:27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue ⁷  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse, ⁸  for they are a rebellious house.

Yehezkiel 9:2

9:2 Next, I noticed ⁹  six men ¹⁰  coming from the direction of the upper gate ¹¹  which faces north, each with his war club in his hand. Among them was a man dressed in linen with a writing kit ¹²  at his side. They came and stood beside the bronze altar.

Yehezkiel 9:9

9:9 He said to me, “The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is extremely great; the land is full of murder, and the city is full of corruption, ¹³  for they say, ‘The Lord has abandoned the land, and the Lord does not see!’ ¹⁴ 

Yehezkiel 11:1

The Fall of Jerusalem

11:1 A wind ¹⁵  lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s temple that faces the east. There, at the entrance of the gate, I noticed twenty-five men. Among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, officials of the people. ¹⁶ 

Yehezkiel 12:7

12:7 So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage ¹⁷  on my shoulder while they watched.

Yehezkiel 12:13

12:13 But I will throw my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans ¹⁸  (but he will not see it), ¹⁹  and there he will die. ²⁰ 

Yehezkiel 13:18-19

13:18 and say ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to those who sew bands ²¹  on all their wrists ²²  and make headbands ²³  for heads of every size to entrap people’s lives! ²⁴  Will you entrap my people’s lives, yet preserve your own lives? 13:19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people ²⁵  who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!

Yehezkiel 14:4

14:4 Therefore speak to them and say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When any one from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the Lord am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry. ²⁶ 

Yehezkiel 14:22

14:22 Yet some survivors will be left in it, sons and daughters who will be brought out. They will come out to you, and when you see their behavior and their deeds, you will be consoled about the catastrophe I have brought on Jerusalem – for everything I brought on it.

Yehezkiel 16:52

16:52 So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. ²⁷  Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.

Yehezkiel 17:9

17:9 “‘Say to them: This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘Will it prosper?

Will he not rip out its roots

and cause its fruit to rot ²⁸  and wither?

All its foliage ²⁹  will wither.

No strong arm or large army

will be needed to pull it out by its roots. ³⁰ 

Yehezkiel 18:17

18:17 refrains from wrongdoing, ³¹  does not engage in usury or charge interest, carries out my regulations and follows my statutes. He will not die for his father’s iniquity; ³²  he will surely live.

Yehezkiel 18:20

18:20 The person who sins is the one who will die. A son will not suffer ³³  for his father’s iniquity, and a father will not suffer ³⁴  for his son’s iniquity; the righteous person will be judged according to his righteousness, and the wicked person according to his wickedness. ³⁵ 

Yehezkiel 20:31

20:31 When you present your sacrifices ³⁶  – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, ³⁷  O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! ³⁸ 

Yehezkiel 20:47

20:47 and say to the scrub land of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look here, ³⁹  I am about to start a fire in you, ⁴⁰  and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The flaming fire will not be extinguished, and the whole surface of the ground from the Negev to the north will be scorched by it.

Yehezkiel 21:19

21:19 “You, son of man, mark out two routes for the king of Babylon’s sword to take; both of them will originate in a single land. Make a signpost and put it at the beginning of the road leading to the city.

Yehezkiel 23:4

23:4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah ⁴¹  the name of her younger sister. They became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. ⁴²  Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

Yehezkiel 26:16

26:16 All the princes of the sea will vacate ⁴³  their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you. ⁴⁴ 

Yehezkiel 30:24

30:24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will place my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan like the fatally wounded before the king of Babylon. ⁴⁵ 

Yehezkiel 31:16

31:16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the pit. ⁴⁶  Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below.

Yehezkiel 32:27

32:27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times, ⁴⁷  who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones, ⁴⁸  when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living.

Yehezkiel 32:29

32:29 “Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the pit.

Yehezkiel 32:32

32:32 Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the sovereign Lord.”

Yehezkiel 33:6

33:6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, ⁴⁹  but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’ ⁵⁰ 

Yehezkiel 33:8

33:8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you must certainly die,’ ⁵¹  and you do not warn ⁵²  the wicked about his behavior, ⁵³  the wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. ⁵⁴ 

Yehezkiel 33:13

33:13 Suppose I tell the righteous that he will certainly live, but he becomes confident in his righteousness and commits iniquity. None of his righteous deeds will be remembered; because of the iniquity he has committed he will die.

Yehezkiel 33:27

33:27 “This is what you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die ⁵⁵  by the sword, those in the open field I will give to the wild beasts for food, and those who are in the strongholds and caves will die of disease.

Yehezkiel 34:10

34:10 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds; ⁵⁶  the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.

Yehezkiel 34:18

34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you muddy the rest of the water by trampling it with your feet?

Yehezkiel 36:5

36:5 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Surely I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because of its pasture.’

Yehezkiel 38:8

38:8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come to a land restored from the ravages of war, ⁵⁷  with many peoples gathered on the mountains of Israel that had long been in ruins. Its people ⁵⁸  were brought out from the peoples, and all of them will be living securely.

Yehezkiel 39:15

39:15 When the scouts survey ⁵⁹  the land and see a human bone, they will place a sign by it, until those assigned to burial duty have buried it ⁶⁰  in the valley of Hamon-Gog.

Yehezkiel 39:17

39:17 “As for you, son of man, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Tell every kind of bird and every wild beast: ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my slaughter ⁶¹  which I am going to make for you, a great slaughter on the mountains of Israel! You will eat flesh and drink blood.

Yehezkiel 40:4

40:4 The man said to me, “Son of man, watch closely, listen carefully, and pay attention ⁶²  to everything I show you, for you have been brought here so that I can show it to you. ⁶³  Tell the house of Israel everything you see.”

Yehezkiel 41:15

41:15 Then he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard at the rear of the temple, with its galleries on either side as 175 feet. ⁶⁴ 

The interior of the outer sanctuary and the porch of the court, ⁶⁵ 

Yehezkiel 44:2

44:2 The Lord said to me: “This gate will be shut; it will not be opened, and no one will enter by it. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it will remain shut.

Yehezkiel 44:11

44:11 Yet they will be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple, and serving the temple. They will slaughter the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for the people, and they will stand before them to minister to them.

Yehezkiel 44:19

44:19 When they go out to the outer court to the people, they must remove the garments they were ministering in, and place them in the holy chambers; they must put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments. ⁶⁶ 

Yehezkiel 44:24

44:24 “‘In a controversy they will act as judges; ⁶⁷  they will judge according to my ordinances. They will keep my laws and my statutes regarding all my appointed festivals and will observe ⁶⁸  my Sabbaths.

Yehezkiel 44:30

44:30 The first of all the first fruits and all contributions of any kind ⁶⁹  will be for the priests; you will also give to the priest the first portion of your dough, so that a blessing may rest on your house.

Yehezkiel 46:18

46:18 The prince will not take away any of the people’s inheritance by oppressively removing them from their property. He will give his sons an inheritance from his own possessions so that my people will not be scattered, each from his own property.’”

Yehezkiel 47:9

47:9 Every living creature which swarms where the river ⁷⁰  flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh ⁷¹  and everything will live where the river flows.

Yehezkiel 47:12

47:12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month, because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.” ⁷² 

[1:1]  ¹ sn The meaning of the thirtieth year is problematic. Some take it to mean the age of Ezekiel when he prophesied (e.g., Origen). The Aramaic Targum explains the thirtieth year as the thirtieth year dated from the recovery of the book of the Torah in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kgs 22:3-9). The number seems somehow to be equated with the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s exile in 1:2, i.e., 593 b.c.

[1:1]  ² sn The Assyrians started the tactic of deportation, the large-scale forced displacement of conquered populations, in order to stifle rebellions. The task of uniting groups of deportees, gaining freedom from one’s overlords and returning to retake one’s own country would be considerably more complicated than living in one’s homeland and waiting for an opportune moment to drive out the enemy’s soldiers. The Babylonians adopted this practice also, after defeating the Assyrians. The Babylonians deported Judeans on three occasions. The practice of deportation was reversed by the Persian conquerors of Babylon, who gained favor from their subjects for allowing them to return to their homeland and, as polytheists, sought the favor of the gods of the various countries which had come under their control.

[1:1]  ³ sn The Kebar River is mentioned in Babylonian texts from the city of Nippur in the fifth century b.c. It provided artificial irrigation from the Euphrates.

[1:1]  ⁴ sn For the concept of the heavens opened in later literature, see 3 Macc 6:18; 2 Bar. 22:1; T. Levi 5:1; Matt 3:16; Acts 7:56; Rev 19:11.

[1:1]  ⁵ tn Or “saw visions from God.” References to divine visions occur also in Ezek 8:3; 40:2

[3:20]  ⁶ tn Or “stumbling block.” The Hebrew term refers to an obstacle in the road in Lev 19:14.

[3:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “open your mouth.”

[3:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”

[9:2]  ⁹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[9:2]  ¹⁰ sn The six men plus the scribe would equal seven, which was believed by the Babylonians to be the number of planetary deities.

[9:2]  ¹¹ sn The upper gate was built by Jotham (2 Kgs 15:35).

[9:2]  ¹² tn Or “a scribe’s inkhorn.” The Hebrew term occurs in the OT only in Ezek 9 and is believed to be an Egyptian loanword.

[9:9]  ¹³ tn Or “lawlessness” (NAB); “perversity” (NRSV). The Hebrew word occurs only here in the OT, and its meaning is uncertain. The similar phrase in 7:23 has a common word for “violence.”

[9:9]  ¹⁴ sn The saying is virtually identical to that of the elders in Ezek 8:12.

[11:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.

[11:1]  ¹⁶ sn The phrase officials of the people occurs in Neh 11:1; 1 Chr 21:2; 2 Chr 24:23.

[12:7]  ¹⁷ tn The words “my baggage” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied from the context.

[12:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “Babylonians” (NCV, NLT).

[12:13]  sn The Chaldeans were a group of people in the country south of Babylon from which Nebuchadnezzar came. The Chaldean dynasty his father established became the name by which the Babylonians are regularly referred to in the book of Jeremiah, while Jeremiah’s contemporary, Ezekiel, uses both terms.

[12:13]  ¹⁹ sn He will not see it. This prediction was fulfilled in 2 Kgs 25:7 and Jer 52:11, which recount how Zedekiah was blinded before being deported to Babylon.

[12:13]  ²⁰ sn There he will die. This was fulfilled when King Zedekiah died in exile (Jer 52:11).

[13:18]  ²¹ sn The wristbands mentioned here probably represented magic bands or charms. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:413.

[13:18]  ²² tn Heb “joints of the hands.” This may include the elbow and shoulder joints.

[13:18]  ²³ tn The Hebrew term occurs in the Bible only here and in v. 21. It has also been understood as a veil or type of head covering. D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:414) suggests that given the context of magical devices, the expected parallel to the magical arm bands, and the meaning of this Hebrew root (סָפַח [safakh, “to attach” or “join”]), it may refer to headbands or necklaces on which magical amulets were worn.

[13:18]  ²⁴ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls” (three times in v. 18 and twice in v. 19).

[13:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “human lives” or “souls.”

[14:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in accordance with the multitude of his idols.”

[16:52]  ²⁷ tn Heb “because you have interceded for your sisters with your sins.”

[17:9]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew root occurs only here in the OT and appears to have the meaning of “strip off.” In application to fruit the meaning may be “cause to rot.”

[17:9]  ²⁹ tn Heb “all the טַרְפֵּי (tarpey) of branches.” The word טַרְפֵּי occurs only here in the Bible; its precise meaning is uncertain.

[17:9]  ³⁰ tn Or “there will be no strong arm or large army when it is pulled up by the roots.”

[18:17]  ³¹ tc This translation follows the LXX. The MT reads “restrains his hand from the poor,” which makes no sense here.

[18:17]  ³² tn Or “in his father’s punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 18, 19, 20; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 24:23; 33:6, 8, 9; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment for iniquity.”

[18:20]  ³³ tn Heb “lift up, bear.”

[18:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “lift up, bear.”

[18:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the righteousness of the righteous one will be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked one will be upon him.”

[20:31]  ³⁶ tn Or “gifts.”

[20:31]  ³⁷ tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”

[20:31]  ³⁸ tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

[20:47]  ³⁹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.

[20:47]  ⁴⁰ tn Fire also appears as a form of judgment in Ezek 15:4-7; 19:12, 14.

[23:4]  ⁴¹ tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”

[23:4]  ⁴² sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.

[26:16]  ⁴³ tn Heb “descend from.”

[26:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and they will be astonished over you.”

[30:24]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:16]  ⁴⁶ sn For the expression “going down to the pit,” see Ezek 26:20; 32:18, 24, 29.

[32:27]  ⁴⁷ tc Heb “of the uncircumcised.” The LXX reads, probably correctly, “from of old” rather than “of the uncircumcised.” The phrases are very similar in spelling. The warriors of Meshech-Tubal are described as uncircumcised, so it would be odd for them to not be buried with the uncircumcised. Verse 28 specifically says that they would lie with the uncircumcised.

[32:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and their iniquities were over their bones.” The meaning of this statement is unclear; in light of the parallelism (see “swords”) it is preferable to emend “their iniquities” to “their swords.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:135.

[33:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “in his punishment.” The phrase “in/for [a person’s] iniquity/punishment” occurs fourteen times in Ezekiel: here and in vv. 8 and 9; 3:18, 19; 4:17; 7:13, 16; 18: 17, 18, 19, 20; 24:23; 39:23. The Hebrew word for “iniquity” may also mean the “punishment” for iniquity or “guilt” of iniquity.

[33:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “his blood from the hand of the watchman I will seek.”

[33:8]  ⁵¹ tn The same expression occurs in Gen 2:17.

[33:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “and you do not speak to warn.”

[33:8]  ⁵³ tn Heb “way.”

[33:8]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and his blood from your hand I will seek.”

[33:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “fall.”

[34:10]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “I will cause them to cease from feeding sheep.”

[38:8]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “from the sword.”

[38:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “it.”

[39:15]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “as the scouts scout.”

[39:15]  ⁶⁰ tn That is, the aforementioned bone.

[39:17]  ⁶¹ tn Or “sacrifice” (so also in the rest of this verse).

[40:4]  ⁶² tn Heb “look with your eyes, hear with your ears, and set your mind on.”

[40:4]  ⁶³ tn Heb “in order to show (it) to you.”

[41:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “one hundred cubits” (i.e., 52.5 meters).

[41:15]  ⁶⁵ tc Some Hebrew mss read “and its outer court.”

[44:19]  ⁶⁶ sn For a similar concept of the transmitting of holiness, see Exod 19:12-14; Lev 10:1-2; 2 Sam 6:7. Similar laws concerning the priest are found in Lev 10 and 21.

[44:24]  ⁶⁷ sn For a historical illustration of the priest carrying out this function, see 2 Chr 19:9-11.

[44:24]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “sanctify, set apart.”

[44:30]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb has in addition “from your contributions,” a repetition unnecessary in English.

[47:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “two rivers,” perhaps under the influence of Zech 14:8. The translation follows the LXX and other ancient versions in reading the singular, which is demanded by the context (see vv. 5-7, 9b, 12).

[47:9]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “will be healed.”

[47:12]  ⁷² sn See Rev 22:1-2.