Some other time the Lord told Ezekiel, Make a little tiny city like the city of Jerusalem in your front yard.

 

 

 

 

Then set up a fort beside it to conquer the city.

Lay on your side with your face turned away from the city for 390 days, one day for each year, because this is what I’m going to do to this city because of what they did.

Then turn over and lay on your other side most of the time for 40 more days and that will be a day for each year of the people of Judah.

Get ready the food I tell you and eat little bits at a time and drink little bits at a time to show the people that they won’t have enough food to eat or enough to water to drink if they don’t turn around and come back to Me.

Then later the Lord told Ezekiel to shave off his hair and weight it. Then divide it into 3 parts. Ezekiel was to burn one part in the fire and toss one part up into the wind and hide the last part in the edge of his clothes.

 

 

The Lord did this to teach Israel how important they are and what will happen to them.

 

The Lord said, This is Jerusalem. I set her in the middle of all the nations around her,

 

 

 

 

     to show them Me

 

 

 

and help the world to come to Me

 

 

so that they can have good and happy lives and live forever.

 

 

But she changed what I said and did more bad than the nations that I want to help.

 

 

 

 

So I will have to spank her in front of them.

 

 

You put lots of yukky stuff in My house and when people come there, they think that I am like that.

 

 

 

After I spank her in front of them for showing me bad, then I will feel better.

 

 

 

Then more words came from the Lord for Jeremiah to tell the people.

 

 

The Lord said, Talk to the mountains of Israel and say to them, Hear the words from the Lord.

And tell the rivers and hills, and valleys, Look at this, I am going to bring a sword over you that will ruin the places that you are bowing down to the bad ones.

 

All their statues that can’t do anything will be broken down. I will stop and sweep away all this bad stuff you’re doing.

 

I will only leave a few of them who will run away or be captured and carried away to the other nations.

 

 

I am broken by the bad stuff you do: bowing down to rocks and trees and sticks that can’t do anything.

 

 

Then you will know that I am the One who has all the power over everything.

 

I will make My whole special land empty.

 

 

And then you will know that I am the one who made you and who controls everything.

The next words from the Lord God for Ezekiel to tell God’s people said, Now the end is coming on the land. I will pay back the bad stuff you did. I won’t hold back and I won’t be sad for you.

 

 

In the morning your pride puffed up really fat. None of you will be left. But some will escape and be like doves wandering around on the mountains.

Their hands won’t be strong any more and their knees will shake. They will throw away the silver and gold that they wanted into the streets because it can’t help them.

 

 

 

Their tummies will be hungry.

 

 

You made yourselves and your statues that you bow down to so beautiful. But I will give it away to strangers and will turn away My face from you.

 

 

 

You made My house stink with yukky things.

The king will be sad and the princes will be lost and empty. When I give them back what they deserve, they will know the I AM the one who is in charge over everything.

 

 

On the 6th day in the 6th month, Ezekiel sat in his house and the leaders of Israel came to him and sat there in front of him. The Lord’s hand came on Ezekiel

 

 

 

and Ezekiel saw the fiery bright Lord in front of him.

The Lord put out His hand and took Ezekiel by the top of his hair and lifted him up between the earth and heaven and took him back to the Lord’s city called Jerusalem.

There was a statue in the Lord’s house that made the Lord jealous and mad for His house. His house is where people come to see how good and how special the Lord is and so, putting this stuff in it tells the people stuff about the Lord that isn’t true at all but makes Him look yukky.

 

The Lord told Ezekiel, The people are doing really bad stuff here, the bad stuff from the bad one. They are bowing down to the ones from the bad one.

 

The Lord told Ezekiel, They go inside and hide to do things and think that I can’t see them. They bow to the bad ones and they hit and kill people and take their stuff. I am so mad I’m going spank them real big.