2 He said to me, “Humanity’s child, stand up and then I’ll speak to you.” 2 Then as he spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and stood me up, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He told me, “Humanity’s child, I’m sending you to Yisrael’s people—two rebellious nations that have rebelled against me. Both they and their ancestors have been sinning against me right up to this very moment. 4 Their descendants are very stubborn and hardheaded. I’m sending you to them, and you’ll tell them that this is what the master Yahweh is saying to them. 5 They might listen or might not. They’re a rebellious bunch, but they’ll at least know that a prophet’s been among them.

6 And you, humanity’s child, don’t be afraid of them or their words. Don’t be afraid, even though you’re among briers and thorns, and although you live with scorpions. Don’t fear their words or be dismayed by their faces, since they’re a rebellious bunch. 7 Pass my messages on to them, whether they listen or not, because they’re quite rebellious. 8 But you, humanity’s child, listen to what I’m telling you. Don’t become rebellious like that rebellious bunch. Open your mouth and eat what I’m about to give you.” 9 Then I looked and saw a hand extended out to me, and it was holding a scroll with writing on it.[ref] 10 He spread it out in front of me—there was writing on both the front and the back, and it was full of messages about grief, mourning, and sad endings.

3 He said to me, “Humanity’s child, eat what you’ve found. Eat this scroll, then go speak to the Israeli people.”[ref] 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

3 He told me, “Humanity’s child, feed your belly and fill your stomach with this scroll that I’ve given you.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey.

4 Then he told me, “Humanity’s child, go to the people of Yisrael (Israel) and pass my messages on to them, 5 because you aren’t being sent to a people group who speak a strange or difficult language, but to the Israeli people—6 not to many people groups who speak strange or difficult languages whose words you wouldn’t be able to understand. I’m sure that if it was them that I sent you to, they would’ve listened to you. 7 But the Israeli people won’t be willing to listen to you, because they’re not willing to listen to me. All the Israeli people are hardheaded and hardhearted. 8 Listen, I’ll enable you to be as stubborn and tough as they are. 9 I’ll make you hard like a diamond—harder than flint. Don’t be scared by them or discouraged by the looks they give you, because they’re rebellious people.”

10 He also told me, “Humanity’s child, listen very carefully to what I say, and keep thinking about it. 11 Then go to any of your people who were brought here as captives, and tell them, ‘This is what the master Yahweh says,’ whether they’ll listen or not.”

12 Then the spirit lifted me up, and I heard rumbling like a large earthquake behind me. (May Yahweh’s honour in his place be blessed.) 13 It was the sound of the living creatures’ wings as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels that were with them, and the sound of a large earthquake. 14 Then the spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went with bitterness and rage in my spirit, because Yahweh’s hand was pressing down firmly on me. 15 Then I went to the captives at Tel-Abib who lived along the Kebar Canal, and I stayed among them there for seven days, overwhelmed in amazement.

16 After those seven days were over, Yahweh gave me this message:[fn] 17 “Humanity’s child, I’ve made you a guard over the Israeli people, so listen to this message of mine and give them my warning. 18 When I tell the wicked, ‘You’ll certainly die’ and you don’t warn them about that or give them a warning about their evil actions so they might live—the wicked will die for their sin, but I’ll hold you responsible for their death. 19 But if you do warn the wicked, and they don’t turn from their wickedness or from their wicked actions, then they’ll die for their sin, but you will have saved your own life.

20 If a godly person turns from their righteousness and behaves unjustly, and I set a stumbling block in front of that person, they’ll die. Because you didn’t warn them, they’ll die in their sin, and I won’t consider the righteous things they did, but I’ll hold you responsible for their death. 21 But if you warn the godly person to stop sinning so that they no longer sin, that person will surely live, since they were warned, and you will have saved your own life.”