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Ezekiel 4 (Yechezkel) in Hebrew and English

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Tenakh Study · Read Ezekiel in Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. Our Tenakh study meets every Wednesday at 7 pm (Central Time) on Zoom. Text us for the Zoom link.

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Tenakh Study · Ezekiel 4:1–17

Ezekiel, Chapter 4

יחזקאל ד

Hashem tells Yechezkel to portray Yerushalayim on a tile and lay siege to it, to lie on his left side three hundred and ninety days for the iniquity of Israel and on his right side forty days for Yehudah, and to eat bread and drink water by measure as a sign of famine in the siege.

4:1“You also, son of man, take you a tile, and lay it before you, and pourtray upon it the city, even Yerushalayim (Jerusalem):

אוְאַתָּ֤ה בֶן־אָדָם֙ קַח־לְךָ֣ לְבֵנָ֔ה וְנָתַתָּ֥ה אוֹתָ֖הּ לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וְחַקּוֹתָ֥ עָלֶ֛יהָ עִ֖יר אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

4:2And lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against it round about.

בוְנָתַתָּ֨ה עָלֶ֜יהָ מָצ֗וֹר וּבָנִ֤יתָ עָלֶ֨יהָ֙ דָּיֵ֔ק וְשָׁפַכְתָּ֥ עָלֶ֖יהָ סֹֽלְלָ֑ה וְנָתַתָּ֨ה עָלֶ֧יהָ מַחֲנ֛וֹת וְשִׂים־עָלֶ֥יהָ כָּרִ֖ים סָבִֽיב׃

4:3Moreover take you unto you an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

גוְאַתָּ֤ה קַח־לְךָ֙ מַחֲבַ֣ת בַּרְזֶ֔ל וְנָתַתָּ֤ה אוֹתָהּ֙ קִ֣יר בַּרְזֶ֔ל בֵּינְךָ֖ וּבֵ֣ין הָעִ֑יר וַהֲכִינֹתָה֩ אֶת־פָּנֶ֨יךָ אֵלֶ֜יהָ וְהָיְתָ֤ה בַמָּצוֹר֙ וְצַרְתָּ֣ עָלֶ֔יהָ א֥וֹת הִ֖יא לְבֵ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Bearing their iniquity

4:4Lie you also upon your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon it you shall bear their iniquity.

דוְאַתָּ֤ה שְׁכַב֙ עַל־צִדְּךָ֣ הַשְּׂמָאלִ֔י וְשַׂמְתָּ֛ אֶת־עֲוֺ֥ן בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עָלָ֑יו מִסְפַּ֤ר הַיָּמִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁכַּ֣ב עָלָ֔יו תִּשָּׂ֖א אֶת־עֲוֺנָֽם׃

4:5For I have laid upon you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shall you bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

הוַאֲנִ֗י נָתַ֤תִּֽי לְךָ֙ אֶת־שְׁנֵ֣י עֲוֺנָ֔ם לְמִסְפַּ֣ר יָמִ֔ים שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת וְתִשְׁעִ֖ים י֑וֹם וְנָשָׂ֖אתָ עֲוֺ֥ן בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

4:6And when you have accomplished them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Yehudah (Judah) forty days: I have appointed you each day for a year.

ווְכִלִּיתָ֣ אֶת־אֵ֗לֶּה וְשָׁ֨כַבְתָּ֜ עַל־צִדְּךָ֤ הַיְמָנִי֙ (כתיב הימיני) שֵׁנִ֔ית וְנָשָׂ֖אתָ אֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן בֵּית־יְהוּדָ֑ה אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם י֧וֹם לַשָּׁנָ֛ה י֥וֹם לַשָּׁנָ֖ה נְתַתִּ֥יו לָֽךְ׃

4:7Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Yerushalayim, and your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.

זוְאֶל־מְצ֤וֹר יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ תָּכִ֣ין פָּנֶ֔יךָ וּֽזְרֹעֲךָ֖ חֲשׂוּפָ֑ה וְנִבֵּאתָ֖ עָלֶֽיהָ׃

4:8And, behold, I will lay bands upon you, and you shall not turn you from one side to another, till you have ended the days of your siege.

חוְהִנֵּ֛ה נָתַ֥תִּי עָלֶ֖יךָ עֲבוֹתִ֑ים וְלֹֽא־תֵהָפֵ֤ךְ מִֽצִּדְּךָ֙ אֶל־צִדֶּ֔ךָ עַד־כַּלּוֹתְךָ֖ יְמֵ֥י מְצוּרֶֽךָ׃

The bread of the siege

4:9Take you also unto you wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make you bread thereof, according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon your side, three hundred and ninety days shall you eat thereof.

טוְאַתָּ֣ה קַח־לְךָ֡ חִטִּ֡ין וּ֠שְׂעֹרִים וּפ֨וֹל וַעֲדָשִׁ֜ים וְדֹ֣חַן וְכֻסְּמִ֗ים וְנָתַתָּ֤ה אוֹתָם֙ בִּכְלִ֣י אֶחָ֔ד וְעָשִׂ֧יתָ אוֹתָ֛ם לְךָ֖ לְלָ֑חֶם מִסְפַּ֨ר הַיָּמִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֣ה ׀ שׁוֹכֵ֣ב עַֽל־צִדְּךָ֗ שְׁלֹשׁ־מֵא֧וֹת וְתִשְׁעִ֛ים י֖וֹם תֹּאכֲלֶֽנּוּ׃

4:10And your food which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shall you eat it.

יוּמַאֲכָֽלְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאכֲלֶ֔נּוּ בְּמִשְׁק֕וֹל עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שֶׁ֖קֶל לַיּ֑וֹם מֵעֵ֥ת עַד־עֵ֖ת תֹּאכֲלֶֽנּוּ׃

4:11You shall drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time shall you drink.

יאוּמַ֛יִם בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה תִשְׁתֶּ֖ה שִׁשִּׁ֣ית הַהִ֑ין מֵעֵ֥ת עַד־עֵ֖ת תִּשְׁתֶּֽה׃

4:12And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with dung that comes out of man, in their sight.”

יבוְעֻגַ֥ת שְׂעֹרִ֖ים תֹּֽאכֲלֶ֑נָּה וְהִ֗יא בְּגֶֽלְלֵי֙ צֵאַ֣ת הָֽאָדָ֔ם תְּעֻגֶ֖נָה לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם׃

4:13And Hashem said, “Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.”

יגוַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה כָּ֣כָה יֹאכְל֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־לַחְמָ֖ם טָמֵ֑א בַּגּוֹיִ֕ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַדִּיחֵ֖ם שָֽׁם׃

4:14Then said I, “Ah Lord Hashem! behold, my soul has not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.”

ידוָאֹמַ֗ר אֲהָהּ֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הִנֵּ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י לֹ֣א מְטֻמָּאָ֑ה וּנְבֵלָ֨ה וּטְרֵפָ֤ה לֹֽא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי֙ מִנְּעוּרַ֣י וְעַד־עַ֔תָּה וְלֹא־בָ֥א בְּפִ֖י בְּשַׂ֥ר פִּגּֽוּל׃

4:15Then He said unto me, “Lo, I have given you cow’s dung for man’s dung, and you shall prepare your bread therewith.”

טווַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֔י רְאֵ֗ה נָתַ֤תִּֽי לְךָ֙ אֶת־צְפִיעֵ֣י (כתיב צפועי) הַבָּקָ֔ר תַּ֖חַת גֶּלְלֵ֣י הָֽאָדָ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ אֶֽת־לַחְמְךָ֖ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃

4:16Moreover He said unto me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Yerushalayim: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:

טזוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ הִנְנִ֨י שֹׁבֵ֤ר מַטֵּה־לֶ֨חֶם֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וְאָכְלוּ־לֶ֥חֶם בְּמִשְׁקָ֖ל וּבִדְאָגָ֑ה וּמַ֕יִם בִּמְשׂוּרָ֥ה וּבְשִׁמָּמ֖וֹן יִשְׁתּֽוּ׃

4:17That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.”

יזלְמַ֥עַן יַחְסְר֖וּ לֶ֣חֶם וָמָ֑יִם וְנָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ וְאָחִ֔יו וְנָמַ֖קּוּ בַּעֲוֺנָֽם׃

Sources & method

Hebrew text
The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
English translation
The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
Verse numbers
Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In Ezekiel they differ from most English Bibles, or a verse is divided differently, in chapters 20 and 21; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
Hebrew font
SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.