^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.’⁹^2:5And as for them,¹⁰ whether they listen¹¹ or not—for they are a rebellious¹² house¹³—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

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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).
10 Heb “they”; the phrase “And as for them” has been used in the translation for clarity.
11 The Hebrew word implies obedience rather than mere hearing or paying attention.
12 This Hebrew adjective is also used to describe the Israelites in Num 17:25 and Isa 30:9.
13 The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26–27; 12:2–3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).

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.’ And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.

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.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

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.’ Whether they listen or refuse to listen —for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

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!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.

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!’ And they, whether they listen or whether they fail to listen, for they are a rebellious house, they will know that a prophet was in their midst.

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. And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them.

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