Ezekiel 4 (GNV)

1Thou also sonne of man, take thee a bricke, and lay it before thee, and pourtray vpon it the citie, euen Ierusalem,“Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.

2And lay siege against it, and builde a fort against it, and cast a mount against it: set the campe also against it, and lay engins of warre against it rounde about.Then lay siege against it: Construct a siege wall, build a ramp to it, set up camps against it, and place battering rams around it on all sides.

3Moreouer, take an yron pan, and set it for a wall of yron betweene thee and the citie, and direct thy face towarde it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it: this shall be a signe vnto the house of Israel.Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel.

4Sleepe thou also vpon thy left side, and lay the iniquitie of the house of Israel vpon it: according to the nomber of the dayes, that thou shalt sleepe vpon it, thou shalt beare their iniquity.Then lie down on your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on your side.

5For I haue layed vpon thee the yeeres of their iniquitie, according to the nomber of the dayes, euen three hundreth and ninetie dayes: so shalt thou beare the iniquitie of the house of Israel.For I have assigned to you 390 days, according to the number of years of their iniquity. So you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6And when thou hast accomplished them, sleepe againe vpon thy right side, and thou shalt beare the iniquitie of the house of Iudah fourtie dayes: I haue appointed thee a day for a yeere, euen a day for a yeere.When you have completed these days, lie down again, but on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have assigned to you 40 days, a day for each year.

7Therefore thou shalt direct thy face towarde the siege of Ierusalem, and thine arme shalbe vncouered, and thou shalt prophesie against it.You must turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared, and prophesy against it.

8And beholde, I will lay bands vpon thee, and thou shalt not turne thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the dayes of thy siege.Now behold, I will tie you up with ropes so you cannot turn from side to side until you have finished the days of your siege.

9Thou shalt take also vnto thee wheate, and barley, and beanes, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessell, and make thee bread thereof according to the nomber of the dayes, that thou shalt sleepe vpon thy side: euen three hundreth and ninetie dayes shalt thou eate thereof.But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side.

10And the meate, whereof thou shalt eate, shalbe by weight, euen twenty shekels a day: and from time to time shalt thou eate thereof.You are to weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day, and you are to eat it at set times.

11Thou shalt drinke also water by measure, euen the sixt part of an Hin: from time to time shalt thou drinke.You are also to measure out a sixth of a hin of water to drink, and you are to drink it at set times.

12And thou shalt eate it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in the dongue that commeth out of man, in their sight.And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people.”

13And the Lord said, So shall the children of Israel eate their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will cast them.Then the LORD said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their defiled bread among the nations to which I will banish them.”

14Then said I, Ah, Lord God, beholde, my soule hath not bene polluted: for from my youth vp, euen vnto this houre, I haue not eaten of a thing dead, or torne in pieces, neither came there any vncleane flesh in my mouth.“Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.”

15Then he said vnto me, Loe, I haue giuen thee bullockes dongue for mans dongue, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.“Look,” He replied, “I will let you use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you may bake your bread over that.”

16Moreouer, he said vnto me, Sonne of man, beholde, I will breake the staffe of bread in Ierusalem, and they shall eate bread by weight, and with care, and they shall drinke water by measure, and with astonishment.Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure.

17Because that bread and water shall faile, they shalbe astonied one with another, and shall consume away for their iniquitie.So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.

Ezekiel 4

A Sign of Jerusalem’s Siege

The Defiled Bread

You’ve read Ezekiel 4