Ezekiel 4

1 “Now you [a human being], son of man, take [receive, get] a brick [tile, clay tablet], place [lay, set] it before you, and draw [portray, engrave] on it the city [town, metropolis] of Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Palestine]. word study 2 Then lay siege [shut in, surround with an army] against it: Construct a siege wall [fort, stronghold], build a ramp [mound, earthwork] to it, set up camps [army encampments, military outposts] against it, and place battering rams [siegeworks, heavy logs] around it on all sides [encompassing, surrounding]. word study 3 Then take [for yourself, get] an iron [strong, harsh] plate [griddle, flat pan] and set it up as an iron [strong, unyielding] wall [barrier, partition] between yourself and the city [town, settlement]. Turn your face [presence, countenance] toward it so that it is under siege [besieged, surrounded], and besiege [lay siege against, attack] it. This will be a sign [miraculous token, warning] to the house [family, descendants] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. word study 4 Then lie down [stretch yourself out, rest] on your left [situated on the left side] side and place [set, put] the iniquity [moral evil, sin] of the house [dwelling place, family] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] upon [on, above] yourself. You are to bear [lift, carry] their iniquity [guilt, wrongdoing] for the number [quantity, amount] of days you lie [rest, sleep] on your side. word study 5 For I [the Lord] have assigned [laid upon, given] to you 390 days [three hundred and ninety], according to the number [quantity, amount] of years [periods of time] of their iniquity [sin, moral evil] [a period of judgment]. So you shall bear [lift, carry] the iniquity [guilt, punishment] of the house [family, nation] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. word study 6 When you have completed [finished, ended] these days, lie down again, but on your right [southward, toward the right hand] side, and bear [carry, lift up] the iniquity [moral evil, sin] of the house [family, dwelling place] of Judah. I have assigned [given, appointed] to you 40 days, a day [a literal 24-hour period, a figurative space of time] for each year [a period of time, a cycle of seasons]. word study 7 You must turn your face toward [to direct your gaze] the siege [place of entrenchment, fortress] of Jerusalem [city of peace, capital of Palestine] with your arm [symbolizing strength, force] bared [uncovered, stripped], and prophesy [to speak under divine influence, to foretell] against it [upon, in reference to]. word study 8 Now behold [look, see], I will tie you up with ropes [bands, cords] so you cannot turn from side [one side] to side [the opposite side] until you have finished [completed, ended] the days [time period] of your siege [attack, time of being surrounded]. word study 9 But take [gather, collect] wheat [the staff of life], barley [a type of grain], beans [legumes], lentils [a type of pulse], millet [a small-grained cereal], and spelt [a type of wheat]; put them in a single container [one vessel, a unified whole] and make them into bread [nourishment, sustenance] for yourself [as a provision, for your own needs]. This is what you are to eat [consume, devour] during the 390 days [a prolonged period, three hundred and ninety] you lie [rest, recline] on your side [in a position of humility, on one side]. word study 10 You are to weigh out twenty [a specific ordinal number, twentieth] shekels [a unit of weight or money, like a coin] of food [something to eat, like fruit or meat] to eat [to devour or consume] each day [a literal 24-hour period], and you are to eat it at set [from time to time, at regular intervals] times [an event, experience, or occasion]. word study 11 You are also to measure out a sixth [one part out of six] of a hin [about 5 quarts or 6 liters] of water [a source of refreshment] to drink [to swallow, to feast], and you are to drink [consume, take in] it at set times [from time to time, at regular intervals]. word study 12 And you shall eat the food [as a barley loaf] as you would a barley cake [of barley bread], after you bake [cook on a hearth] it over dried human excrement [dung, filth of man] in the sight [before the eyes] of the people [those watching].” word study 13 Then the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said, “This is how [thus, in this way] the Israelites [sons of Jacob, God’s chosen people] will eat their defiled [unclean, spiritually impure] bread [food, especially grain] among the nations [Gentiles, non-Hebrews] to which I will banish [drive away, expel] them [to a place of exile].” word study 14 “Ah, Lord [Adonay, Master] GOD [Yehovah],” I said, “I have never [from my youth] defiled [made unclean, polluted] myself. From my youth [the time of being young] until now I have not eaten anything found dead [a carcass, unclean] or mauled [torn apart] by wild beasts [ferocious animals]. No unclean [abominable, foul] meat [flesh, food] has ever entered my mouth [lips, the edge of my being].” word study 15 “Look [behold, see],” He replied, “I will let you use [allow, permit] cow dung [cattle waste, bullock’s dung] instead of [in place of, rather than] human excrement [man’s dung, waste], and you may [are allowed to, shall] bake your bread [prepare your food, make your loaf] over [upon, on] that [it, the dung].” word study 16 Then He told me, “Son of man [human, mortal], I am going to cut off [break, sever] the supply of food [staff of bread, sustenance] in Jerusalem [the city of peace]. They will anxiously [with care, fearfulness] eat bread [food, grain] rationed by weight [measured, limited], and in despair [horror, astonishment] they will drink water [liquid, refreshment] by measure [capacity, allotment]. word study 17 So they will lack [lack and be without] food [bread, grain, or sustenance] and water [a source of refreshment]; they will be appalled [desolate, devastated, and astonished] at the sight of one another [each man, brother, or individual] wasting away [rotting, decaying, or pining away] in their iniquity [moral evil, sin, or wickedness]. word study