The Father Sends His Prophet
2 1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." a a v1 Here "son of man" simply means "mortal" — it marks Ezekiel as a frail human standing before the living God, and is not the royal title Jesus later claims for himself.
2 And the Spirit of our Father entered into me as he spoke to me, and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
3 He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to rebellious nations that have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have sinned against me to this very day. 4 They are stubborn-faced and hard-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Father says.' 5 And whether they listen or refuse — for they are a rebellious house — they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not fear them and do not fear their words, though briars and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions. Do not fear their words and do not be dismayed at their faces, for they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or refuse, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, hear what I am speaking to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.
9 And I looked, and there was a hand stretched out to me, and in it was a scroll of a book. 10 He spread it before me, and it was written on the front and on the back, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe.