And he said to me: Son of man, eat all that thou shalt find: eat this book, and go speak to the children of Israel.

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, quodcumque inveneris, comede: comede volumen istud, et vadens loquere ad filios Israël.

Son of man, he told me, eat thou must what eat thou canst; here is this scroll for thy eating. After that, go and give my message to the sons of Israel.

And I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that book:

Et aperui os meum, et cibavit me volumine illo:

Thereupon I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat,

And he said to me: Son of man, thy belly shall eat, and thy bowels shall be filled with this book, which I give thee. And I did eat it: and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, venter tuus comedet, et viscera tua complebuntur volumine isto quod ego do tibi. Et comedi illud, et factum est in ore meo sicut mel dulce.

promising me safe digestion and a full belly with the gift; and indeed, it was sweet as honey when I ate it.

And he said to me: Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and thou shalt speak my words to them.

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, vade ad domum Israël, et loqueris verba mea ad eos.

Now, son of man, said he, to the men of Israel betake thee, and give them my message.

For thou art not sent to a people of a profound speech, and of an unknown tongue, but to the house of Israel:

Non enim ad populum profundi sermonis et ignotæ linguæ tu mitteris ad domum Israël:

Are they strange folk that lisp and stammer, these men of Israel? Ah, no;

Nor to many nations of a strange speech, and of an unknown tongue, whose words thou canst not understand: and if thou wert sent to them, they would hearken to thee.

neque ad populos multos profundi sermonis et ignotæ linguæ, quorum non possis audire sermones: et si ad illos mittereris, ipsi audirent te:

nations there are a many that lisp and stammer, past thy understanding, but I am sending thee to Israel instead. These might have listened to thee;

But the house of Israel will not hearken to thee: because they will not hearken to me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and an obstinate heart.

domus autem Israël nolunt audire te, quia nolunt audire me: omnis quippe domus Israël attrita fronte est, et duro corde.

hearing from Israel thou shalt have none; my word goes ever unheeded, so stubborn of forehead they are and so hard-hearted, all the brood of them.

Behold I have made thy face stronger than their faces: and thy forehead harder than their foreheads.

Ecce dedi faciem tuam valentiorem faciebus eorum, et frontem tuam duriorem frontibus eorum:

But see, I have given thee strength of brow, hardness of forehead, that shall outmatch theirs;

I have made thy face like an adamant and like flint: fear them not, neither be thou dismayed at their presence: for they are a provoking house.

ut adamantem et ut silicem dedi faciem tuam: ne timeas eos, neque metuas a facie eorum, quia domus exasperans est.

unyielding as flint or adamant thou shalt face them. Fear them not, never let their frown daunt thee, this brood of rebels.

And he said to me: Son of man, receive in thy heart, and hear with thy ears, all the words that I speak to thee:

Et dixit ad me: Fili hominis, omnes sermones meos quos ego loquor ad te, assume in corde tuo, et auribus tuis audi:

Then he said to me, Son of man, all the words I tell thee heed and hear;

And go get thee in to them of the captivity, to the children of thy people, and thou shalt speak to them, and shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: If so be they will hear and will forbear.

et vade, ingredere ad transmigrationem, ad filios populi tui, et loqueris ad eos: et dices eis: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: si forte audiant et quiescant.

then to captive Israel betake thee, and give them thy message in the name of the Lord God, hear they or deny thee hearing.

And the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great commotion, saying: Blessed be the glory of the Lord, from his place.

Et assumpsit me spiritus, et audivi post me vocem commotionis magnæ: Benedicta gloria Domini de loco suo:

And with that, a sudden transport seized me, and as I went, I heard the noise of a great stir behind me. … Blessed be the glory of the Lord … from the place where he was.

And the noise of the wings of the living creatures striking one against another, and the noise of the wheels following the living creatures, and the noise of a great commotion.

et vocem alarum animalium percutientium alteram ad alteram, et vocem rotarum sequentium animalia, et vocem commotionis magnæ.

Beat of wing against wing as the living figures moved onwards, and whirr of the wheels that followed them, great stirring there was all about me;

The spirit also lifted me, and took me up: and I went away in bitterness in the indignation of my spirit: for the hand of the Lord was with me, strengthening me.

Spiritus quoque levavit me, et assumpsit me: et abii amarus in indignatione spiritus mei: manus enim Domini erat mecum, confortans me.

and I, in a transport borne up and on, set out on my journey, unwillingly enough, and vexed at heart, but the Lord’s hand was there to hold me to my purpose.

And I came to them of the captivity, to the heap of new corn, to them that dwelt by the river Chobar, and I sat where they sat: and I remained there seven days mourning in the midst of them.

Et veni ad transmigrationem, ad acervum novarum frugum, ad eos qui habitabant juxta flumen Chobar: et sedi ubi illi sedebant, et mansi ibi septem diebus mœrens in medio eorum.

So I made my way to the settlement of exiles at Tel-Abib, near the river Chobar; and when I had found them, I sat there for seven days in their company, dumb all the while with grief.

And at the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Cum autem pertransissent septem dies, factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:

Then, when seven days had passed, the Lord’s word came to me.

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me.

Fili hominis, speculatorem dedi te domui Israël, et audies de ore meo verbum, et annuntiabis eis ex me.

Son of man, he told me, I am posting thee here as a sentry, to give the sons of Israel warning; no message I send thee but thou must pass it on in my name.

If, when I say to the wicked, Thou shalt surely die: thou declare it not to him, nor speak to him, that he may be converted from his wicked way, and live: the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hand.

Si, dicente me ad impium: Morte morieris, non annuntiaveris ei, neque locutus fueris ut avertatur a via sua impia et vivat, ipse impius in iniquitate sua morietur, sanguinem autem ejus de manu tua requiram.

When I threaten I the sinner with doom of death, it is for thee to give him word, and warn him, as he loves his life, to have done with sinning. If not, he shall die as he deserves, but for his undoing thyself shalt be called to account.

But if thou give warning to the wicked, and he be not converted from his wickedness, and from his evil way: he indeed shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Si autem tu annuntiaveris impio, et ille non fuerit conversus ab impietate sua et a via sua impia, ipse quidem in iniquitate sua morietur: tu autem animam tuam liberasti.

If thou warn him, and leave his rebellious sinning he will not, die he shall as he deserves, and thou go free.

Moreover if the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity: I will lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die, because thou hast not given him warning: he shall die in his sin, and his justices which he hath done, shall not be remembered: but I will require his blood at thy hand.

Sed et si conversus justus a justitia sua fuerit, et fecerit iniquitatem, ponam offendiculum coram eo: ipse morietur quia non annuntiasti ei. In peccato suo morietur, et non erunt in memoria justitiæ ejus quas fecit: sanguinem vero ejus de manu tua requiram.

Or if the upright man leaves his innocence, and I take him unawares in his wrong-doing, dies he for want of warning? Die he shall, his good deeds all forgotten, but thou for his undoing shalt be called to account.

But if thou warn the just man, that the just may not sin, and he doth not sin: living he shall live, because thou hast warned him, and thou hast delivered thy soul.

Si autem tu annuntiaveris justo ut non peccet justus, et ille non peccaverit, vivens vivet, quia annuntiasti ei, et tu animam tuam liberasti.

Thine to warn the upright man against the marring of his innocence; and he, sin avoiding, shall owe his life to thy remonstrance; thy duty is done.

And the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he said to me: Rise and go forth into the plain, and there I will speak to thee.

Et facta est super me manus Domini, et dixit ad me: Surgens egredere in campum, et ibi loquar tecum.

Then the power of the Lord came over me, bidding me rise up and keep tryst with him, out in the open plain.

And I rose up, and went forth into the plain: and behold the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chobar: and I fell upon my face.

Et surgens egressus sum in campum: et ecce ibi gloria Domini stabat, quasi gloria quam vidi juxta fluvium Chobar: et cecidi in faciem meam.

Rise up I did, and when I reached the open plain, there was the glory of the Lord rising above it, such as I had seen it by the banks of Chobar; and I fell face to earth.

And the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet: and he spoke to me, and said to me: Go in; and shut thyself up in the midst of thy house.

Et ingressus est in me spiritus, et statuit me super pedes meos, et locutus est mihi, et dixit ad me: Ingredere, et includere in medio domus tuæ.

But a divine force mastered me and raised me to my feet again. Now go within doors, he said, and shut thyself in there …

And thou, O son of man, behold they shall put bands upon thee, and they shall bind thee with them: and thou shalt not go forth from the midst of them.

Et tu, fili hominis, ecce data sunt super te vincula, et ligabunt te in eis, et non egredieris de medio eorum.

And thou, son of man … here are bonds confining thee; closely thy fellow-countrymen shall keep thee imprisoned, so that thou canst not escape from them.

And I will make thy tongue stick fast to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb, and not as a man that reproveth: because they are a provoking house.

Et linguam tuam adhærere faciam palato tuo, et eris mutus, nec quasi vir objurgans, quia domus exasperans est.

And I, meanwhile, will keep tongue of thine fast fixed in thy mouth; dumb thou shalt be, when thou wouldst fain expostulate with a rebellious brood.

But when I shall speak to thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: He that heareth, let him hear: and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a provoking house.

Cum autem locutus fuero tibi, aperiam os tuum, et dices ad eos: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Qui audit, audiat, et qui quiescit, quiescat: quia domus exasperans est.

Then, when my message I give thee, I will unseal thy lips, and thou shalt speak to that rebellious brood in the name of the Lord God, hear they or deny thee hearing.