Ezekiel 2:4

2:4 The people ¹  to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, ²  and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ ³ 

Ezekiel 2:6

2:6 But you, son of man, do not fear them, and do not fear their words – even though briers ⁴  and thorns ⁵  surround you and you live among scorpions – do not fear their words and do not be terrified of the looks they give you, ⁶  for they are a rebellious house!

¹ tn 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.

² tc Heb “stern of face and hard of heart.” The phrases “stern of face” and “hard of heart” are lacking in the LXX.

³ tn 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).

⁴ tn The Hebrew term occurs only here in the OT.

⁵ tn The Hebrew term is found elsewhere in the OT only in Ezek 28:24.

⁶ tn Heb “of their faces.”