Ezekiel 3:6

3:6 not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand ¹  – surely if ²  I had sent you to them, they would listen to you!

Ezekiel 3:11

3:11 Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen, ³  and speak to them – say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ whether they pay attention or not.”

Ezekiel 5:11

5:11 “Therefore, as surely as I live, says the sovereign Lord, because you defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable idols and with all your abominable practices, I will withdraw; my eye will not pity you, nor will I spare ⁴  you.

Ezekiel 12:23

12:23 Therefore tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: I hereby end this proverb; they will not recite it in Israel any longer.’ But say to them, ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled. ⁵ 

Ezekiel 14:16

14:16 Even if these three men were in it, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, they could not save their own sons or daughters; they would save only their own lives, and the land would become desolate.

Ezekiel 17:16

17:16 “‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, surely in the city ⁶  of the king who crowned him, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke – in the middle of Babylon he will die!

Ezekiel 20:3

20:3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and tell them: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Are you coming to seek me? As surely as I live, I will not allow you to seek me, ⁷  declares the sovereign Lord.’

Ezekiel 20:31

20:31 When you present your sacrifices ⁸  – when you make your sons pass through the fire – you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, ⁹  O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I will not allow you to seek me! ¹⁰ 

Ezekiel 20:39

20:39 “‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Each of you go and serve your idols, ¹¹  if you will not listen to me. ¹²  But my holy name will not be profaned ¹³  again by your sacrifices ¹⁴  and your idols.

Ezekiel 21:21

21:21 For the king of Babylon stands at the fork ¹⁵  in the road at the head of the two routes. He looks for omens: ¹⁶  He shakes arrows, he consults idols, ¹⁷  he examines ¹⁸  animal livers. ¹⁹ 

Ezekiel 33:27

33:27 “This is what you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those living in the ruins will die ²⁰  by the sword, those in the open field I will give to the wild beasts for food, and those who are in the strongholds and caves will die of disease.

Ezekiel 36:5

36:5 therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Surely I have spoken in the fire of my zeal against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who with great joy and utter contempt have made my land their property and prey, because of its pasture.’

Ezekiel 36:22

36:22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake that I am about to act, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy reputation ²¹  which you profaned among the nations where you went.

Ezekiel 44:25

44:25 “‘They must not come near a dead person or they will be defiled; ²²  however, for father, mother, son, daughter, brother or sister, they may defile themselves.

[3:6]  ¹ tn Heb “hear.”

[3:6]  ² 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.

[3:11]  ³ tn Heb “to the sons of your people.”

[5:11]  ⁵ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term is primarily emotional: “to pity,” which in context implies an action, as in being moved by pity in order to spare them from the horror of their punishment.

[12:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “the days draw near and the word of every vision (draws near).”

[17:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “place.”

[20:3]  ¹¹ tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

[20:31]  ¹³ tn Or “gifts.”

[20:31]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Will I reveal myself to you?”

[20:31]  ¹⁵ tn Or “I will not reveal myself to you.”

[20:39]  ¹⁵ sn Compare the irony here to Amos 4:4 and Jer 44:25.

[20:39]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and after, if you will not listen to me.” The translation leaves out “and after” for smoothness. The text is difficult. M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 1:374) suggests that it may mean “but afterwards, if you will not listen to me…” with an unspoken threat.

[20:39]  ¹⁷ sn A similar concept may be found in Lev 18:21; 20:3.

[20:39]  ¹⁸ tn Or “gifts.”

[21:21]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “mother.”

[21:21]  ¹⁸ sn Mesopotamian kings believed that the gods revealed the future through omens. They employed various divination techniques, some of which are included in the list that follows. A particularly popular technique was the examination and interpretation of the livers of animals. See R. R. Wilson, Prophecy and Society in Ancient Israel, 90-110.

[21:21]  ¹⁹ tn This word refers to personal idols that were apparently used for divination purposes (Gen 31:19; 1 Sam 19:13, 16).

[21:21]  ²⁰ tn Heb “sees.”

[21:21]  ²¹ tn Heb “the liver.”

[33:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “fall.”

[36:22]  ²¹ sn In Ezek 20:22 God refrained from punishment for the sake of his holy name. Here God’s reputation is the basis for Israel’s restoration.

[44:25]  ²³ sn This law was part of the legal code for priests (Lev 21:1-3).