The Babylonian Exile

In their sight shalt thou beare it vpon thy shoulders, and carie it foorth in the darke: thou shalt couer thy face that thou see not the earth: for I haue set thee as a signe vnto the house of Israel.

And as I was commanded, so I brought forth my stuffe by day, as ye stuffe of one that goeth into captiuitie: and by night I digged through the wall with mine hand, and brought it forth in ye darke, and I bare it vpon my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning came the word of the Lord vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, sayde vnto thee, What doest thou?

But say thou vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God, This burden concerneth the chiefe in Ierusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

Say, I am your signe: like as I haue done, so shall it be done vnto them: they shall goe into bondage and captiuitie.

And the chiefest that is among them, shall beare vpon his shoulder in the darke, and shall goe forth: they shall digge through the wall, to cary out thereby: he shall couer his face, that he see not the ground with his eies.

My net also will I spread vpon him, and he shall be taken in my net, and I will bring him to Babel to the lande of the Caldeans, yet shall he not see it, though he shall dye there.

And I will scatter toward euerie winde all that are about him to helpe him, and all his garisons, and I will drawe out the sworde after them.

And they shall knowe that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countreis.

But I will leaue a litle nomber of them from the sworde, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all these abominations among the heathen, where they come, and they shall knowe, that I am the Lord.

Moreouer, the worde of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, eate thy bread with trembling and drinke thy water with trouble, and with carefulnesse,

And say vnto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and of the lande of Israel, They shall eate their bread with carefulnes, and drinke their water with desolation: for the lande shall bee desolate from her abundance because of the crueltie of them that dwell therein.

And the cities that are inhabited, shall be left voyde, and the land shall be desolate, and yee shall knowe that I am the Lord.

And the worde of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, what is that prouerbe that you haue in the land of Israel, saying, The dayes are prolonged and all visions faile?

Tell them therefore, Thus sayeth the Lord God, I wil make this prouerbe to cease, and they shall no more vse it as a prouerbe in Israel: but say vnto them, The daies are at hand and the effect of euery vision.

For no vision shall be any more in vaine, neither shall there bee any flattering diuination within the house of Israel.

For I am the Lord: I wil speake, and that thing that I shall speake, shall come to passe: it shall be no more prolonged: for in your dayes, O rebellious house, will I saye the thing, and will performe it, sayeth the Lord God.

Againe the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, beholde, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that hee seeth, is for many dayes to come, and he prophecieth of the times that are farre off.

Therefore say vnto them, Thus sayth the Lord God, All my wordes shall no longer be delayed, but that thing which I haue spoken, shall be done, saith the Lord God.

And the word of the Lord came vnto me, saying,

Sonne of man, prophecie against the prophets of Israel, that prophecie, and say thou vnto them, that prophecie out of their owne hearts, Heare the worde of the Lord.