^2:3He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the house⁴ of Israel, to rebellious nations⁵ who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted⁶ against me to this very day. ^2:4The people⁷ to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted,⁸ and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’⁹

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Footnotes

4 The Hebrew reads “sons of,” while the reads “house,” implying the more common phrase in Ezekiel. Either could be abbreviated with the first letter ב (bet). In preparation for the characterization “house of rebellion,” in vv. 5, 6, and 8, “house” is preferred (L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [], 1: and W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel [Hermeneia], 2:564–65).
5 Heb “to the rebellious nations.” The phrase “to the rebellious nations” is omitted in the . Elsewhere in Ezekiel the singular word “nation” is used for Israel (36:13–15; 37:22). Here “nations” may have the meaning of “tribes” or refer to the two nations of Israel and Judah.
6 This word is omitted from the . The Hebrew term used here is the strongest word available for expressing a covenant violation. The word is used in the diplomatic arena to express a treaty violation (2 Kgs 1:1; 3:5, 7).
7 Heb “sons.” The word choice may reflect treaty idiom, where the relationship between an overlord and his subjects can be described as that of father and son.
8 Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the .
9 The phrase “thus says [the Lord]” occurs 129 times in Ezekiel; the announcement is identical to the way messengers often introduced their messages (Gen 32:5; 45:9; Exod 5:10; Num 20:14; Judg 11:15).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

NIVNew International Version (2011)

He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious pagans who have rebelled against me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this day. The descendants are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says.’

NLTNew Living Translation

“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And he said to me, “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to nations who are rebelling, who rebelled against me, they and their ancestors, they transgressed against me until this very day. And the children are impudent and stubborn, and so I am sending you to them, and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh!’

KJV 1900King James Version

And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God.

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