Ezekiel 12:10-22

Answer them with these words: ‘Lord YAHWEH says to you that this prophetic oracle from God concerns the ruler in Jerusalem and all the people who live there.’ “Tell them, ‘I am a sign for you, for what I did is what is going to happen to them.’ They will be deported into exile. Their ruler will shoulder his pack, and they will dig a hole in the wall to let him out at night. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land he is leaving. I will throw my net over him and trap him in it. I will take him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, where he will die without having seen it. And I will scatter in every direction all his attendants, officials, and his armies, and I will chase after them with the sword. When I scatter them among different nations and peoples, they will recognize that I am YAHWEH. But I will let a few of them escape the sword, plague, and food shortages. I will let them live so that they can describe all their terrible actions to the people in the lands where they will go. And they will recognize that I am YAHWEH.” Then YAHWEH spoke to me, saying: “Son of man, eat your food with quaking and trembling. Shudder with fear as you drink your water. Tell the people, ‘Lord YAHWEH says this to the inhabitants of Jerusalem who remain in the land of Israel. They will tremble as they eat their food, and shake with fear when they drink their water because their enemies will strip the land bare on account of the violence of those who live there. When your populous cities have been destroyed and the countryside has been deserted, then you will recognize that I am YAHWEH.’ ” YAHWEH spoke to me, saying, “Son of man, what do you understand of the proverb you say among yourselves in the land of Israel, ‘Time goes by, and these visions never happen’?