Ezekiel 3:6–21

⁶If I sent you to great nations that spoke difficult languages you didn’t understand, they would listen to you. ⁷But none of the people of Israel will be willing to listen; they will not even listen to me. All of them are stubborn and defiant. ⁸Now I will make you as stubborn and as tough as they are. ⁹I will make you as firm as a rock, as hard as a diamond; don’t be afraid of those rebels.”

¹⁰God continued, “Mortal man, pay close attention and remember everything I tell you. ¹¹Then go to your countrymen who are in exile and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them, whether they pay attention to you or not.”

¹²Then God’s spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the loud roar of a voice that said, “Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven above!” ¹³I heard the wings of the creatures beating together in the air, and the noise of the wheels, as loud as an earthquake. ¹⁴The power of the Lord came on me with great force, and as his spirit carried me off, I felt bitter and angry. ¹⁵So I came to Tel Abib beside the River Chebar, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard.

The Appoints Ezekiel as a Watchman

¹⁶After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me. ¹⁷“Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a watchman for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you. ¹⁸If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death. ¹⁹If you do warn an evil man and he doesn’t stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.

²⁰“If a truly good person starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins—I will not remember the good he did—and I will hold you responsible for his death. ²¹If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn’t sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”