The Tanakh · JPS 1917 Translation

Ezekiel 4

Jewish Publication Society 1917 · Nevi'im — the Prophets

Ezekiel chapter 4 — part of the Nevi'im — the Prophets in the Jewish Bible. In the classic JPS 1917 translation it opens: “Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem;” — the complete text of all 17 verses is below, free to read online.

1Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem;

2and lay siege against it, and build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

3And take thou unto thee an iron griddle, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city; and set thy face toward it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

4Moreover lie thou upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity.

5For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be unto thee a number of days, even three hundred and ninety days; so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6And again, when thou hast accomplished these, thou shalt lie on thy right side, and shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah; forty days, each day for a year, have I appointed it unto thee.

7And thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with thine arm uncovered; and thou shalt prophesy against it.

8And, behold, I lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast accomplished the days of thy siege.

9Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof; according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, even three hundred and ninety days, shalt thou eat thereof.

10And thy food which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time shalt thou eat it.

11Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin; from time to time shalt thou drink.

12And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it in their sight with dung that cometh out of man.'

13And HaShem said: 'Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations whither I will drive them.'

14Then said I: 'Ah L-rd GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted; for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts; neither came there abhorred flesh into my mouth.'

15Then He said unto me: 'See, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread thereon.'

16Moreover He said unto me: 'Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat bread by weight, and with anxiety; and they shall drink water by measure, and in appalment;

17that they may want bread and water, and be appalled one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.

17 verses · JPS 1917 (public domain)

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