Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 334
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
3:24–4:16
the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen in my first vision by the Kebar
River. And I fell face down on the ground.
Then the Spirit came into me and set me on my feet. He spoke to me
and said, “Go to your house and shut yourself in. There, son of man, you
will be tied with ropes so you cannot go out among the people. And I
will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you will be
speechless and unable to rebuke them, for they are rebels. But when I give
you a message, I will loosen your tongue and let you speak. Then you will
say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Those who choose
to listen will listen, but those who refuse will refuse, for they are rebels.
“And now, son of man, take a large clay brick and set it down in front of
you. Then draw a map of the city of Jerusalem on it. Show the city under
siege. Build a wall around it so no one can escape. Set up the enemy camp,
and surround the city with siege ramps and battering rams. Then take an
iron griddle and place it between you and the city. Turn toward the city
and demonstrate how harsh the siege will be against Jerusalem. This will
be a warning to the people of Israel.
“Now lie on your left side and place the sins of Israel on yourself. You are
to bear their sins for the number of days you lie there on your side. I am
requiring you to bear Israel’s sins for 390 days—one day for each year of
their sin. After that, turn over and lie on your right side for 40 days—one
day for each year of Judah’s sin.
“Meanwhile, keep staring at the siege of Jerusalem. Lie there with your
arm bared and prophesy her destruction. I will tie you up with ropes so
you won’t be able to turn from side to side until the days of your siege have
been completed.
“Now go and get some wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and emmer
wheat, and mix them together in a storage jar. Use them to make bread for
yourself during the 390 days you will be lying on your side. Ration this
out to yourself, eight ounces of food for each day, and eat it at set times.
Then measure out a jar of water for each day, and drink it at set times. Pre
pare and eat this food as you would barley cakes. While all the people are
watching, bake it over a fire using dried human dung as fuel and then eat
the bread.” Then the Lord said, “This is how Israel will eat defiled bread
in the Gentile lands to which I will banish them!”
Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, must I be defiled by using human
dung? For I have never been defiled before. From the time I was a child
until now I have never eaten any animal that died of sickness or was killed
by other animals. I have never eaten any meat forbidden by the law.”
“All right,” the Lord said. “You may bake your bread with cow dung
instead of human dung.” Then he told me, “Son of man, I will make food
