The Lord told Ezekiel, Tell the children of My people set a watchman at the edge around the land to watch for when I send trouble.

 

 

Tell the watchman to blow the trumpet to warn the people when he sees the trouble coming.

 

If he doesn’t blow the trumpet to warm the people that trouble is coming, then the trouble will be on him.

 

 

 

Ezekiel, I have made you the watchman for the house of Israel. Listen what I tell you and warn the people.

When I tell a bad one that they will die if they keep doing the bad stuff. If you don’t tell them, then the bad stuff will come back on you.

 

 

 

But if you tell them, you will be saved from the bad stuff but it will come on them if they don’t turn back to Me.

If they turn back to me, and stop doing the bad stuff, then I won’t let the bad stuff on them. Their bad stuff won’t even ever be talked about but they start new and clean.

 

But when good people start doing bad, then the good stuff won’t be remembered and the bad stuff will come back on them.

The Lord kept Ezekiel’s mouth closed until it was time for Ezekiel to tell the Lord’s words. Then the Lord opened Ezekiel’s mouth and the words came out.

 

 

 

I will bring down all man’s high stuff that makes them puffed up in themselves

 

 

 

and then they will know the I am the Lord.

 

 

The people will come to say to you, What does the Lord say? Then they will listen while you tell them, but they won’t do what I say.

 

 

They will just keep running after the stuff that they want.

 

 

 

 

You are like a beautiful singer singing lovely songs to them.

 

 

 

But when this happens, they will know that I sent someone to tell them My words.

 

 

 

 

The shepherds leading My people are doing the wrong thing.

 

 

 

They just eat and make themselves fat but don’t feed My sheep.

 

 

They don’t fix what is broken or make the sick strong but chase them away from Me. You are real mean and hit them.

 

 

So My sheep are wandering around all over and the wild animals eat them up.

 

 

 

 

So the Lord says, I am against you, O shepherds. I will make you pay for this bad stuff.

I will take you away from being shepherds over My people.

 

 

 

This is what the Lord God says, I will search for every one of My sheep until I find them all and save them from all the hard places they fell.

 

 

I will bring them to My country and feed them on the high mountains

 

 

 

by the rivers.

 

 

I will feed them in good fat pasture on the mountains of Israel and they will lie down in safe places.

I will feed them until they are full and then make them lie down. I will find every lost one and every one that was chased away.

 

 

 

I will fix what is broken and make strong what is sick.

 

 

 

 

But I will get rid of the ones that did bad.

 

 

 

I am the One that says what happens to everyone.

 

Does it seem like a little thing to you to eat all their good food and stir up mud in the waters for My sheep to drink?

 

 

 

You push away all the sick ones instead of making them well.

I will save them from you. I will set one Shepherd over them, even My servant David, who will make sure everything is done right.

They will be safe and nothing can hurt them. There will be lots of good food everywhere. They will be safe and sleep out under the stars and in the woods.

 

 

 

No one will take their stuff anymore

 

 

 

and no one can scare them anymore.

 

 

They will know that I am the Lord who is with them. They are My people.