The Map of Jerusalem
4 “Now, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], get yourself a brick, put it in front of you, and ·draw [inscribe; engrave] ·a map [L the city] of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then ·surround it with an army [lay a siege against it]. Build ·battle [siege] works against the city and a ·dirt road to the top of the city walls [siege ramp/mound against it]. Set up camps around it, and put ·heavy logs in place to break down the walls [battering rams all around]. 3 Then get yourself an iron ·plate [pan] and set it up like an iron wall between you and the city. Turn your face toward the city ·as if to attack it [or and it will be under siege] and then ·attack [besiege it]. This is a sign to [L the house of] Israel.
4 “Then lie down on your left side, and take the ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] of [L the house of] Israel on yourself. Their ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] will be on you for the number of days you lie on your left side. 5 I have ·given [assigned to] you the same number of days as the years of the people’s sin. So you will have the ·guilt of Israel’s sin on you [punishment/iniquity of the house of Israel] for three hundred ninety days.
6 “After you have finished these days, lie down a second time, on your right side. You will then have the ·guilt [punishment; iniquity] of [L the house of] Judah on you. I will give it to you for forty days, a day for each ·year of their sin [L year]. 7 Then you will ·look [L turn your face] toward Jerusalem, which is being ·attacked [besieged]. With your arm bare, you will prophesy against Jerusalem. 8 [L And look/T behold] I will put ·ropes [cords] on you so you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your ·attack on Jerusalem [siege].
9 “Take wheat, barley, beans, ·small peas [lentils], millet and spelt [C a kind of wheat; all foods common to Babylon, where Ezekiel was exiled], and put them in one ·bowl [vessel; container], and make them into bread for yourself. You will eat it the three hundred ninety days you lie on your side. 10 You will eat ·eight ounces [L twenty shekels] of food ·every day at set times [L from time to time]. 11 You will ·drink [L measure out and drink] ·about two-thirds of a quart [L a sixth of a hin] of water ·every day at set times [L from time to time]. 12 Eat your food as you would eat a barley cake, baking it over human dung where the people can see.” 13 Then the Lord said, “In the same way [L the sons/T children of] Israel will eat unclean food [C ritually; Lev. 11] among the nations where I ·force them to go [drive/banish them].”
14 But I said, “·No [Ah], Lord God! I have never ·been made unclean [defiled myself; C ritually]. From the time I was young until now I’ve never eaten anything that died ·by itself [naturally; C a carcass] or was ·torn [mauled] by ·animals [wild beasts]. ·Unclean [Impure; C ritually] meat has never entered my mouth.”
15 “Very well,” he said. “Then I will give you cow’s dung instead of human dung to use for your fire to bake your bread.”
16 He also said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], I am going to cut off the supply of bread to Jerusalem. They will eat the bread that is measured out to them, and they will ·worry as they eat [eat anxiously]. They will drink water that is measured out to them, and they will be in ·shock [terror; dismay] as they drink it. 17 This is because bread and water will be hard to find [C because of the siege] The people will be ·shocked [terrified; dismayed] at the sight of each other, and they will ·become weak [waste away] because of their ·sin [punishment; iniquity].