Ezekiel 4:1-17 Ezekiel Lays on His Side to Bear the Sin of Israel

 

Ezekiel Lays on His Side to Bear the Sin of Israel

Ezekiel 4:1-17             The Book of Ezekiel [in Smaller Chunks]

Also, you, Son of man, take [for yourself a [clay tablet] & lay it [in front of] you & [draw] the city upon it, even Jerusalem, [under attack, surrounded by embankments;] a fort [that's built;] a camp & also battering rams [around it,] [all] against [Jerusalem.]

[Also,] take an iron pan, [a.k.a. a griddle, for yourself] & [put] it for a wall of iron between you & the city. And set your face against it & it shall be [surrounded & attacked.] This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. Also, you [shall] lie upon your left side, [as you bear] the [sinfulness] of the house of Israel upon it.

[Jeremiah 11:11-13 Therefore, the Lord says [this, Look,] I will bring [calamity] upon them, [that] they shall not be able to escape. And [although] they shall cry [out] to Me, I won't [listen] to them. Then, the cities of Judah & the [residents] of Jerusalem shall go & cry [out] to their gods, whom they offer incense.

But they shall not save them, at all in their time of trouble. O Judah, for according to the number of your cities were your gods. And you have set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense to Baal, according to the number of [Jerusalem's] streets.]

You shall also lay upon it, according to the number of days & you shall bear their [sin.] For I have laid upon you, 390 days [for] the years of their [sinfulness.] [Like this,] you shall bear the [sinfulness] of the house of Israel.

And when you have [completed] them, again lie on your right side & you shall bear the [sinfulness] of the house of Judah, 40 days. I have appointed you, each day for a year. Therefore, you shall [put] your face toward the [attack] of Jerusalem & your arm shall be uncovered.

And you shall prophesy against it. And [look,] I will [have] bands, [a.k.a. cords,] upon you & you shall not turn [yourself] from one side to another, [until] you have ended the days of your siege.

Also, take [for yourself:] wheat; barley; beans; lentils; millet; [spelt;] & put them in one [container] & make bread [from it for yourself to] eat, [for] 390 days, according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon your side.

And the [food] you shall eat, shall be by weight: 20 shekels a day. From time to time, you shall eat it. You shall also drink water by measure, 1/6 part of a hin, & you shall drink it from time to time. And you shall eat it as barley cakes & you shall bake it with [man's feces,] in their sight.

And the Lord said, Even [like this,] the children [people] of Israel shall eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, [where] I will drive them. Then, I said, Ah, Lord God!

[Look,] my soul hasn't been polluted, [a.k.a. defiled] from my youth up, even [until] now, I haven't eaten of [what] dies of itself, or is torn [into] pieces. Neither has abominable [meat] come into my mouth. Then, He said to me, [Look,] I have given you cow's [manure, instead of man's feces] [to use like coal.]

And you shall prepare your bread [with it.] [Additionally,] He said to me, Son of man, [watch,] I will break the staff, [a.k.a. supply] of bread in Jerusalem & they shall [cautiously] eat bread by weight.

And they shall [be astonished] & drink water by [measured amounts.] [So,] that they may [lack] bread & water & be [astonished] with one another & [waste] away for their [sinfulness.]

Jeremiah 29:1-32 The Lord God Tells of the Future Return from Babylon

 

The Lord God Tells of the Future Return from Babylon

Jeremiah 29:1-32                               The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

Now, these are the words [from] the letter that Jeremiah, the prophet, sent from Jerusalem to the [rest] of the elders, priests, prophets & people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (That [is] after: king Jeconiah & the: queen, eunuchs, the princes of Judah & Jerusalem & the carpenters & [blacksmiths had] departed from Jerusalem.)

[Jeremiah's letter was sent] by the hand of Elasah, [Shaphan's] son & Gemariah, [Hilkiah's] son, (whom Zedekiah, [Judah's] king, sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king,) saying, The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says [this] to all, whom I have caused to be carried away [captive] from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Build [yourselves] houses & [live] in them. And plant gardens & eat the [produce] from them. Take [yourselves] wives & [father] sons & daughters & give your daughters to husbands, [so] that they may bear sons & daughters; [so] you may [increase] there & not [be reduced.]

And seek the peace of the city [where] I have caused you to be carried away [captive] & pray to the Lord for it. For in the peace [of it,] you shall have peace. [1 Timothy 2:1-6 Therefore, I, 1st of all, [urge: requests,] prayers, intercessions] & giving thanks, be made for all men; for kings & for all [who] are in authority, [so] we may lead a quiet & [peaceful] life, in all godliness & honesty.

For this is good & [appropriate] in the sight of God our Savior; Who [desires to] have all men be saved & to come to the knowledge of the Truth. For there is one God & one Mediator between God & men, The Man, Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself [as] a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.]

For the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says, [this, Don't] let your prophets & diviners, [who are] in the midst of you, deceive you & neither [listen] to your dreams, [that] you cause to be dreamed. [Ephesians 5:6-7 Let no man deceive you with vain, [a.k.a. prideful] words: for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the children [people] of disobedience. Therefore, [don't] be [participants] with them.]

For they prophesy falsely to you in My Name. I haven't sent them, says the Lord. For the Lord says [this,] That after 70 years [are completed in] Babylon, I will visit you & [carry out] My good Word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. [Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall [happen,] when 70 years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon & that nation for their [sin] & the land of the Chaldeans & will make it [continually desolate,] says the Lord.]

The Lord says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace & not of evil & to give you an expected end. [Ezekiel 11:16-18 Therefore say, The Lord God says, [this;] Although I have cast them far [away,] among the heathen & scattered them among the countries, [still] I will be to them [like] a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.

Therefore say, The Lord God says, [this,] I will even gather you from the people & assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered & I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come [there] & they shall take away all the detestable things & all the abominations [of it,] from [there.]

Then, you shall call upon Me & you shall go & pray to Me & I will [listen] to you. And you shall seek Me & find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found [by] you, says the Lord. And I will [cause] your captivity [to stop.]

And I will gather you from all the nations & places [where] I have driven you, says the Lord. And I will bring you again, into the place [from] [where] I caused you to be carried away captive. [Ezekiel 23:37-38 They that have committed adultery & blood is [on] their hands & they have committed adultery with their idols & have also caused their sons, whom they [bore] to Me, to pass through the fire, to devour them, for [their idols.]

Because you have said, The Lord has raised up prophets [for] us in Babylon; [Jeremiah 23:30-32 The Lord says, [See,] I am against the prophets, [who] steal My Words, everyone from his neighbor. The Lord says, [Look,] I'm against the prophets, [who] use their [mouths] & say, [God] says.

The Lord says, [See,] I'm against [those who] prophesy false dreams & tell them & cause My people to [go astray,] by their lies & their [indifference,] yet, I [didn't send] them, nor commanded them. Therefore, they shall not [benefit] this people at all, says the Lord.]

Know that the Lord says, [this about] the king, [who] sits upon the throne of David & [about] all the people, [who] dwell in this city & your brethren, [who hadn't] gone [out] with you into captivity.

The Lord of Hosts says [this, Look,] I will send upon them the sword, the famine & the pestilence & will make them like [bad] figs, that can't be eaten, they are so [rotten.]

And I will persecute them with the sword, famine & pestilence & will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, an astonishment, [hissed at & disgraced] among all the nations, [where] I have driven them.

Because they haven't [paid attention] to My Words, says the Lord, [that] I sent to them by My servants, the prophets, rising early [to warn] & sending them; but you wouldn't [listen,] says the Lord.

[Matthew 23:37-38 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you, [who] kill the prophets & stone [those who] are sent to you. How often I would have gathered your children together, even [like] a hen gathers her chickens under her wings & you would not! Behold your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, You shall not see Me [from now on, until] you shall say, Blessed is He, [Who] comes in the Name of the Lord.]

Therefore, you hear the Word of the Lord, all you [from] captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon. The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says [this about,] Ahab, [Kolaiah's] son & Zedekiah, [Maaseiah's] son, [who] prophesy a lie to you in My Name. [Look,] I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar, [a.k.a. Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon's] king. And he shall [kill] them before your eyes.

And of all [those] of [Judah's] captivity, [who] are in Babylon, shall [take] up a curse, saying, [May] the Lord make you like Zedekiah & Ahab, whom [Babylon's] king roasted in the fire, because they have committed [wickedness] in Israel & committed adultery with their neighbors' wives & have spoken lying word in My Name, [that] I haven't commanded them.

Even, I know & Am a witness, says the Lord. You shall also speak [this] to Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, saying, The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, speaks [this,] saying, Because you have sent letters in your name to all the people, [who] are in Jerusalem & to Zephaniah, [Masseiah's] son, the priest, & to all the priests, saying, The Lord has made you [the] priest, in the [place] of Jehoiada, the priest, [so] that you [could] be officers of the [Lord's] house, for every man, [who is insane] & makes himself a prophet, [so] you [could] put him in prison in the stocks.

Therefore, now, why haven't] you [corrected] Jeremiah of Anathoth, [who] makes himself a prophet to you? [Because] he sent to us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build [yourselves] houses & [live] in them. And plant gardens & eat the fruit [produced from] them.

And Zephaniah, the priest, read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah, the prophet. Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, Send to all [those from] captivity, saying, The Lord says [this about] Shemaiah, the Nehelamite; Because Shemiah has prophesied to you & I [didn't send] him & he caused you to trust in a lie.

Therefore, the Lord says [this, Watch,] I will punish Shemaiah, the Nehelamite & his [descendants] & he shall not have a man to [live] among this people, neither shall he [see] the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord; because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.

[Jeremiah 28:16 Therefore, the Lord says [this, Look,] I will cast you [out] from off the [surface] of the earth. This year, you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord.]

Ezekiel 3:1-27 God Continues to Talk to Ezekiel in His Vision

 

God Continues to Talk to Ezekiel in His Vision

Ezekiel 3:1-27             The Book of Ezekiel [in Smaller Chunks]

[Also,] He said to me, Son of man, eat [what] you find. Eat this roll, [a.k.a. Scroll or book,] & go speak to the house, [a.k.a. family] of Israel. So, I opened my mouth & He caused me to earth that [scroll.]

And He said to me, Son of man, eat & cause your [stomach] to fill your [intestines] with this [scroll,] that I give you. Then, I [ate] it & it was in my mouth [like] honey for sweetness.

And He said to me, Son of man, go & get [yourself] to the house of Israel & speak My Words to them. For you aren't sent to a people [with unfamiliar] speech & a hard language, but to the house of Israel. Not to many people of a strange speech & [difficult] language, whose words you can't understand.

Surely, [if] I had sent you to them, they would have [paid attention] to you. But the house of Israel won't [pay attention] to you; for they won't [pay attention] to Me. [John 15:20-21 Remember the Word that I said to you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.

If they have kept My saying, they will keep yours, also. But all these things, they will do to you for My Name's sake, because they [don't] know Him, [Who] sent Me.]

For all the house of Israel are [disrespectful & stubborn.] [Look,] I have made your face strong against their faces & your forehead strong against their foreheads. I have made your forehead as [unyielding,] harder than flint.

[Don't] fear them & neither be [discouraged] at their looks, [although] they are a rebellious house. [Ezekiel 2:6 And you, Son of man, [don't] be afraid of them. Neither be afraid of their words, [even if:] [sticker bushes] & thorns [are] with you & you dwell among scorpions. [Don't] be afraid of their words, nor be [discouraged] at their looks, [although] they are a rebellious house.]

[Additionally,] He said to me, Son of man, Hear with your ears & receive in your heart, all My Words that I shall speak to you. And go get [yourself] to [those from] captivity, to the children of your people & speak to them & tell them, The Lord God says [these things;] whether they will [listen,] or whether they will [refuse.]

Then, the Spirit took me up [& transported me] & I heard behind me a voice [like] a great rushing, saying, Blessed [is] the glory of the Lord from His place. [Revelations 1:15 And His feet [were similar] to fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace & His voice [like] the sound of many waters.]

I also heard the [sound] of the living [creatures'] wings, that touched one [against] another & the noise of wheels over [next to] them; & a noise of a great [commotion.]

[Ezekiel 1:24 And when they went, I heard the [sound] of their wings, like the noise of [large] waters, [like] the voice of the Almighty, [speaking, like] the noise of an [army.] And when [the living creatures] stood, they [put] down their wings.]

So the Spirit lifted me up & took me away & I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the [Lord's] hand was strong upon me. Then, I came to [those from] the captivity, [who] dwelt by the River of Chebar, [a.k.a. Kebar,] at Tel Abib, [a.k.a. Tel Aviv.]

And I sat where they sat & remained there astonished among them 7 days. [Job 2:13 So, they sat down with him upon the ground 7 days & nights & [no one spoke] a word to him: for they saw that his grief was very great.]

And it [happened after] 7 days, that the Word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, I have made you a watchman to [guard] the house of Israel. Therefore, hear the Word [from] My mouth & give them [the] warning from Me.

When I say to the wicked, You shall surely die & you [don't] give him [a] warning, norspeak to warn the wicked from his wicked [ways,] to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his [sins.] But I will require his blood at your hand. [John 8:24-26 Therefore, I said this to you, You shall die in your [own] sins: for if you [don't] believe that I Am He, you shall die in your sins.

Then, they said to Him, Who are You? And Jesus [said] to them, Even the same that I said to you from the beginning. I have many things to say & to judge you: but He, [Who] sent Me is True. And I speak to the world those things, [that] I have heard [from] Him.]

Yet, if you warn the wicked & he [doesn't] turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked [ways,] he shall die in his [sins,] but you have delivered your [life.] Again, when I lay a stumbling block before a righteous man [& he] [turns] from his righteousness & [commits] iniquity, he shall die: because you haven't given him [a] warning.

He shall die in his sin & his righteousness, [that] he has [previously] done, shall not be remembered; but I will require his blood at your hand. [However,] if you warn the righteous man, [so] that the righteous [doesn't] sin, he shall surely live, because he [has been] warned. Also, you have delivered your [life.]

And the hand of the Lord was there upon me & He said to me, Arise & go [out] into the plain & I will talk with you there. Then, I arose & went [out] into the plain & [saw] the glory of the Lord, [standing] there, [like] the glory, [that] I saw by the River of Chebar & fell on my face.

Then, the Spirit entered into me & [put] me upon my feet & [spoke] with me. And said to me, Go & shut yourself [up] within your house. But you, O Son of man, [look,] they shall put bands, [a.k.a. ropes] upon you & shall [tie] you with them & you shall not go out among them.

And I will make your tongue [cling] to the roof of your mouth, [so] that you shall be [mute] & shall not be a [disgrace] to them: for they are a rebellious house, [a.k.a. family.]

But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth & you shall say to them, The Lord God says [this;] He, [who] hears, let him hear & he, [who refuses,] let him [refuse:] for they are a rebellious house.

Jeremiah 28:1-17 Jeremiah is Released from His Yoke

 

Jeremiah is Released from His Yoke

Jeremiah 28:1-17                               The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

And it [happened] the same year, in the beginning of the [rule] of Zedekiah, [Judah's] king, in the 5th month [of] the 4th year, that the prophet, Hananiah, [Azur's] son, [who] was [from] Gibeon, [spoke] to me in the [Lord's] house, in the presence of the priests & all the people.

[Hananiah said,] The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, speaks [this,] saying, I have broken the yoke, [a.k.a. stocks or oppression] of [Babylon's] king. Within 2 full years, I will bring again into this place all the vessels [from] the [Lord's] house, that Nebuchadnezzar [had taken] away from this place & carried them to Babylon.

And I will again bring to this place, Jeconiah, [a.k.a. Coniah or Jehoiachin,] the son of Jehoiakim, [Judah's] king, with all the captives of Judah, [who] went into Babylon, says the Lord. For I will break the yoke of [Babylon's] king. Then, the prophet, Jeremiah, said to the prophet, Hananiah, in the presence of the priests & all the people, [who] stood in the [Lord's] house.

Even the prophet, Jeremiah said, Amen: [May] the Lord do so & the Lord [performs] your words, [that] you have prophesied, to bring again the vessels [from] the [Lord's] house & all [who are] carried away captive, from Babylon, into this place. [However,] you now [listen to] this Word, that I speak in your ears & in the ears of all the people.

The prophets, [who] have been before me & before you of old, prophesied both against: many countries & [large] kingdoms, [about:] war, [disaster] & pestilence. When the word of the prophet, [who] prophesied of peace, shall [happen,] then the prophet shall be known, that the Lord has truly sent him.

Then, Hananiah, the prophet, took the yoke from off the prophet, Jeremiah's neck & [broke] it. And Hananiah [spoke] in the presence of all the people, saying, The Lord says [this,] Even [like this,] I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king, [off] from the [necks] of all nations within the space of 2 full years.

And the prophet, Jeremiah, went [on] his way. After the prophet, Hananiah, had broken the yoke off from the neck of Jeremiah, then, the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, the prophet, saying, Go & tell Hananiah, saying, The Lord says [this;] You have broken the yokes of wood; but you [have made in their place,] yokes of iron for them.

For the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says [this;] I have put a yoke of iron upon the [necks] of all these nations, [so] that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king & they shall serve him. And I have also given him the [animals] of the field.

Then, the prophet, Jereiamiah, said to Hananiah, the prophet, Now, hear [this:] Hananiah; The Lord hasn't sent you; but you make this people trust in a lie. Therefore, the Lord says [this; Look,] I will cast you [out,] from off the [surface] of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have taught rebellion against the Lord. So, Hananiah, the prophet, died the same year in the 7th month.

Jeremiah 27:1-22 God Says, Don't Listen to the Prophets Who Lie

 

God Says, Don't Listen to the Prophets Who Lie

Jeremiah 27:1-22                               The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

In the beginning of the [rule] of Jehoiakim, [Josiah's] son, [Judah's] king, this Word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, The Lord [said this,] to me; Make [yourself] bonds & yokes, [a.k.a. chains & stocks] & put them upon your neck. [Jeremiah 28:10 Then, Hananiah, the prophet, took the [stocks] from off [Jeremiah, the prophet's] neck & [broke] it.]

And [He] sent them to the [kings of:] Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, Tyrus, [a.k.a. Tyre,] & Zidon, [a.k.a. Sidon,] by the [messengers' hands, who came] to Zedekiah, [Judah's] king, [in] Jerusalem.

Command them to say to their masters, The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says [this;] You shall say [this] to your masters; I have made the earth & man & the [animals] that are upon the ground, by My great power & by My outstretched arm & have given it to whom it seemed [appropriate] to Me.

And now, I have given all these lands & I have also given him, the [animals] of the field into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king, My servant, to serve him. And all nations shall serve [Nebuchadnezzar] & his son & his son's son, until the [exact] time his [own] land [comes.]

And then, many nations & great kings, shall [make] him serve [them.]  [2 Chronicles 36:20 And [those who] escaped from the sword, [that] he carried away to Babylon; where they were servants to him & his sons until the [rule] of the kingdom of Persia.]

The Lord says, And it shall [happen,] that the nation & kingdom [that] won't serve Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king & won't put their neck under the yoke, [a.k.a. oppression] of [Babylon's] king & I will punish that nation with: sword, famine & pestilence, until I have [destroyed] them, by his hand.

Therefore, [don't pay attention] to your: prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, [a.k.a. soothsayers & fortune tellers,] nor to your sorcerers, [who] speak to you, saying, You shall not serve [Babylon's] king. For they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you, far from your land. And [so] that I should drive you out, [so] you should perish.

[Jeremiah 23:32 The Lord says, [Look,] I am against [those who] prophesy false dreams & tell them & cause My people to [go astray] by their lies & by their [indifference,] yet I [didn't send] them, nor [command] them. Therefore, they shall not [benefit] this people at all, says the Lord.]

But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke, [a.k.a. oppression] of [Babylon's] king, & serve him, I will let those still remain in their own land & they shall till it & dwell [in it,] says the Lord. I [spoke] to Zedekiah, [Judah's] king, according to all these Words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of [Babylon's] king & serve him & his people & live.

Why will you & your people die by the: sword, famine & pestilence, [like] the Lord has spoken against the nation that won't serve [Babylon's] king? Therefore, [don't pay attention] to the words of the prophets, [who] speak to you, saying, You shall not serve [Babylon's] king: for they prophesy a lie to you. For I haven't sent them, says the Lord.

[Still,] they prophesy a lie in My Name, [so] that I might drive you out & that you & the prophets [who] prophesy to you might perish. I also [spoke] to the priests & to all this people, saying, The Lord says this; [Don't pay attention] to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you, saying, [Look] now, the vessels of the Lord's house shall [soon] be brought again from Babylon. For they prophesy a lie to you.

[Don't listen] to them, [but] serve [Babylon's] king & live. [Why] would this city be [destroyed?] But, if they [are] prophets & the Word of the Lord [is] with them, let them now [plead] to the Lord of Hosts, [so] that the vessels [that] are left in the [Lord's] house & in the house of the king of Judah & Jerusalem, not go to Babylon.

For the Lord of Hosts says [this about] the: pillars, [brass] sea, the bases & the [rest] of the vessels that remain in this city, [so that] Nebuchadnezzar, [Babylon's] king, [doesn't take them,] when he carried away Jeconiah, [Jehoiakim's] son, [Judah's] king, [with] all the nobles of Judah & Jerusalem, captive from [Judah &] Jerusalem to Babylon.

[2 Kings 24:14 And he carried away all Jerusalem & all the princes, the mighty men of valor, even 10,000 captives & the craftsmen & [blacksmiths] & none remained [except] the poorest [type] of people of the land.]

[Yet,] the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says [this about] the vessels that remain in the [Lord's] house & the house of the king of Judah & [in] Jerusalem; They shall be carried to Babylon & they shall be there until the day that I visit them, says the Lord. Then, I will bring them up & restore them to this place.

[Ezra 1:7-8 Also, king Cyrus brought [out] the vessels of the [Lord's] house, [that] Nebuchadnezzar brought out of Jerusalem & had put them in the house of his gods. Even those, king Cyrus of Persia, [brought out] by the hand of Mithredath, the treasurer & [counted] them [out] to Sheshbazzar, [Judah's] prince.]