Ezekiel 3:5-6

3:5 For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech ¹  and difficult language, ²  but ³  to the house of Israel – 3:6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand ⁴  – surely if ⁵  I had sent you to them, they would listen to you!

¹ tn Heb “deep of lip” (in the sense of incomprehensible).

² tn Heb “heavy of tongue.” Similar language occurs in Exod 4:10; Isa 33:19.

³ tn The conjunction “but” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied from the context.

⁴ tn Heb “hear.”

⁵ tc The MT reads “if not” but most ancient versions translate only “if.” The expression occurs with this sense in Isa 5:9; 14:24. See also Ezek 34:8; 36:5; 38:19.