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 

When she saw them, ¹  she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ² 

So I said to them: “The word of the Lord came to me:

You must speak my words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words to them.

“Son of man, turn toward ¹  the mountains of Israel and prophesy against them:

Four tables were on each side of the gate, eight tables on which the sacrifices were to be slaughtered.

Go to the exiles, to your fellow countrymen, ¹  and speak to them – say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ whether they pay attention or not.”

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. ¹ 

He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city.

Say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: The prince will raise this burden in Jerusalem, ¹  and all the house of Israel within it.’ ² 

I acted for the sake of my reputation, ¹  so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, ²  before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ³ 

So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution which you have practiced in the land of Egypt. ¹  You will not seek their help ²  or remember Egypt anymore.

“They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out. ¹  For them you bathed, ²  painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry.

Recite a proverb to this rebellious house ¹  and say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: “‘Set on the pot, ²  set it on, pour water in it too;

Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: You eat the meat with the blood still in it, ¹  pray to ²  your idols, and shed blood. Do you really think you will possess ³  the land?

“‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and tell them: ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

In the porch of the gate were two tables on either side on which to slaughter the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering.

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!