¶ The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying,

Son of man, thou¹ dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which² have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for³ they are a rebellious house.

Therefore, thou son of man, prepare⁴ thee stuff⁵ for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may⁶ be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even⁷ in their sight, as they that go forth into⁸ captivity.

Dig thou⁹ through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt¹¹ cover¹² thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I¹³ have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

And I did so¹⁴ as I was commanded: I brought¹⁵ forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged¹⁶ through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,

Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious¹⁷ house, said unto thee, What¹⁸ doest thou?

¶ Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This¹⁹ burden concerneth the prince²⁰ in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

Say, I am²¹ your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go²² into captivity.

²³And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

My net²⁴ also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I²⁵ will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

And I will scatter²⁶ toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw²⁷ out the sword after them.

²⁸And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

But I will²⁹ leave a few men³⁰ of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they³¹ may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they³² shall know that I am the LORD.

¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

³³Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness³⁴, and drink their water with astonishment, that her³⁵ land may be desolate from all that is therein³⁶, because³⁷ of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

¶³⁸And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, what³⁹ is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days⁴⁰ are prolonged, and every vision faileth?

Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will⁴¹ make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days⁴² are at hand, and the effect of every vision.

⁴³For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

For I am the LORD: I will⁴⁴ speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your⁴⁵ days, O rebellious⁴⁶ house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.

Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for⁴⁷ many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall⁴⁸ none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.