Ezekielchapter 33
33 verses · BSBEzekiel book hub →
A.The watchman who must blow the trumpetvv. 1-9
1 Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land choose a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against that land and blows the ram’s horn to warn the people. 4 Then if anyone hears the sound of the horn but fails to heed the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ 7 As for you, O son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word from My mouth and give them the warning from Me. 8 If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you warn the wicked man to turn from his way, and he does not turn from it, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
B.Our sins weigh on us — the Lord's way is equalvv. 10-20
10 Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?’ 11 Say to them: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ 12 Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’ 13 If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed. 14 But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right— 15 if he restores a pledge, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without practicing iniquity—then he will surely live; he will not die. 16 None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is just and right; he will surely live. 17 Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it. 19 But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this. 20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”
C.A fugitive arrives: the city has fallenvv. 21-29
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” 22 Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute. 23 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, those living in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’ 25 Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land? 26 You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?’ 27 Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague. 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’
D.They hear your words like a lovely song and do nothingvv. 30-33
30 As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD!’ 31 So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. 32 Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice. 33 So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Chapter summary
The hinge of the book.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
Chapter summary
The hinge of the book.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
The hinge of the book. The watchman charge is renewed with the parable behind it: if the watchman sees the sword and blows not the trumpet, the blood is required at his hand. Then the heart of Ezekiel's God: 'As I live… I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways' (33:11). Past righteousness saves no one who turns away; past wickedness damns no one who repents. Then the fugitive arrives ('The city is smitten') and the prophet's mouth is opened. His hearers treat him as a lovely song: they hear his words and do them not.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.
Context
Prophecy · Ezekiel — Ezekiel overview
- A. 1–9 The watchman who must blow the trumpet
- B. 10–20 Our sins weigh on us — the Lord's way is equal
- C. 21–29 A fugitive arrives: the city has fallen
- D. 30–33 They hear your words like a lovely song and do nothing
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
Ezekiel 188 verses
- Ezekiel 18:4Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
- Ezekiel 18:13He engages in usury and takes excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.
- Ezekiel 18:22None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live.
- Ezekiel 18:23Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?
- Ezekiel 18:24But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.
- Ezekiel 18:25Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
- Read Ezekiel 18: 2 more there →
Ezekiel 338 verses
- Ezekiel 33:6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
- Ezekiel 33:8If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ but you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, then that wicked man will die in his iniquity, yet I will hold you accountable for his blood.
- Ezekiel 33:12Therefore, son of man, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked man cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. Nor will the righteous man be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins.’
- Ezekiel 33:14But if I tell the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ and he turns from his sin and does what is just and right—
- Ezekiel 33:17Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just.
- Ezekiel 33:18If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it.
- Read Ezekiel 33: 2 more there →
Ezekiel 34 verses
- Ezekiel 3:17“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
- Ezekiel 3:18If I say to the wicked man, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him or speak out to warn him from his wicked way to save his life, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, and I will hold you responsible for his blood.
- Ezekiel 3:19But if you warn a wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness and his wicked way, he will die in his iniquity, but you will have saved yourself.
- Ezekiel 3:26I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.
- Read Ezekiel 3 →
Ezekiel 243 verses
- Ezekiel 24:21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’
- Ezekiel 24:23Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.
- Ezekiel 24:26on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news.
- Read Ezekiel 24 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
Ezekiel 22 verses
- Ezekiel 2:5And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
- Ezekiel 2:7But speak My words to them, whether they listen or refuse to listen, for they are rebellious.
- Read Ezekiel 2 →
Micah 72 verses
- Micah 7:13Then the earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the fruit of their deeds.
- Micah 7:18Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
- Read Micah 7 →
Ezekiel 12 verses
- Ezekiel 1:2On the fifth day of the month—it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin—
- Ezekiel 1:3the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
- Read Ezekiel 1 →
Acts 201 verse
- Acts 20:26Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
- Read Acts 20 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.