WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from the book of

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Ezekiel, chapters 1, 2, and 3. Chapter 1. Now

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it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the

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fourth month, on the fifth day of the month,

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as I was among the captives by the river Shabar,

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that the heavens were opened and I saw visions

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of God. On the fifth day of the month, which

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was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,

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The word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel

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the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the

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Chaldeans by the river Shebar. And the hand of

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the Lord was upon him there. Then I looked, and

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behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north,

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a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself.

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And brightness was all around it, and radiating

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out of its midst, like the color of amber out

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of the midst of the fire. Also from within it

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came the likeness of four living creatures, and

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this was their appearance. They had the likeness

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of a man. Each one had four faces and each one

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had four wings. Their legs were straight and

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the soles of their feet were like the soles of

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calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of

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burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under

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their wings on their four sides, and each of

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the four had faces and wings. Their wings touched

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one another. The creatures did not turn when

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they went. but each one went straight forward.

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As for the likeness of their faces, each had

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the face of a man, each of the four had the face

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of a lion on the right side, each of the four

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had the face of an ox on the left side, and each

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of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were

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their faces. Their wings stretched upward. Two

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wings of each one touched one another, and two

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covered their bodies, and each one went straight

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forward. They went wherever the spirit wanted

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to go, and they did not turn when they went.

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As for the likeness of the living creatures,

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their appearance was like burning coals of fire,

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like the appearance of torches going back and

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forth among the living creatures. The fire was

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bright, and out of the fire went lightning, and

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the living creatures ran back and forth in appearance

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like a flash of lightning. Now as I looked at

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the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on

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the earth beside each living creature with its

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four faces. The appearance of the wheels and

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their workings was like the color of beryl, and

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all four had the same likeness. The appearance

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of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in

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the midst of a wheel. When they moved, they went

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toward any one of four directions. They did not

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turn aside when they went. As for their rims,

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they were so high they were awesome, and their

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rims were full of eyes. All around the four of

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them. When the living creatures went, the wheels

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went beside them. And when the living creatures

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were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were

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lifted up. Wherever the spirit wanted to go,

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they went. because there the spirit went. And

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the wheels were lifted together with them, for

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the spirit of the living creatures was in the

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wheels. When those went, these went. When those

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stood, these stood. And when those were lifted

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up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up

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together with them, for the spirit of the living

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creatures was in the wheels. The likeness of

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the firmament above the heads of the living creatures

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was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched

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out over their heads, and under the firmament

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their wings spread out straight one toward another.

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Each one had two which covered one side, and

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each one had two which covered the other side

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of the body. When they went, I heard the noise

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of their wings, like the noise of many waters,

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like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like

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the noise of an army. and when they stood still

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they let down their wings a voice came from above

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the firmament that was over their heads whenever

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they stood they let down their wings and above

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the firmament over their heads was the likeness

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of a throne in appearance like a sapphire stone

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on the likeness of the throne was a likeness

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with the appearance of a man high above it also

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from the appearance of his waist and upward i

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saw as it were the colour of amber with the appearance

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of fire all around within it and from the appearance

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of his waist and downward i saw as it were the

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appearance of fire with brightness all around

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Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on

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a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness

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all around it. This was the appearance of the

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likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I

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saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice

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of one speaking. And he said to me, Son of man,

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stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.

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Then the Spirit entered me. when he spoke to

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me and set me on my feet, and I heard him who

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spoke to me. And he said to me, Son of man, I

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am sending you to the children of Israel, to

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a rebellious nation that has rebelled against

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me. They and their fathers have transgressed

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against me to this very day, for they are impudent

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and stubborn children. I am sending you to them,

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and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord

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God, As for them, whether they hear or whether

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they refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

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Yet they will know that a prophet has been among

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them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of

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them, nor be afraid of their words, though briars

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and thorns are with you, and you dwell among

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scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or

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dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious

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house. You shall speak my words to them, whether

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they hear or whether they refuse, for they are

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rebellious. But you, son of man, hear what I

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say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious

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house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.

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Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched

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out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was

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in it. Then he spread it before me, and there

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was writing on the inside and on the outside,

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and written on it were lamentations and mourning

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and woe. Chapter 3 Moreover he said to me, Son

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of man, eat what you find. Eat this scroll and

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go speak to the house of Israel. So I opened

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my mouth and he caused me to eat that scroll.

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And he said to me, Son of man, feed your belly

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and fill your stomach with this scroll that I

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give you. So I ate and it was in my mouth like

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honey in sweetness. Then he said to me, Son of

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man, go to the house of Israel and speak my words

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to them. For you are not sent to a people of

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unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to

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the house of Israel. not to many people of unfamiliar

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speech and of hard language, whose words you

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cannot understand. Surely had I sent you to them,

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they would have listened to you. But the house

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of Israel will not listen to you, because they

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will not listen to me. For all the house of Israel

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are impudent and hard -hearted. Behold, I have

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made your face strong against their faces, and

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your forehead strong against their foreheads,

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like adamant stone. Harder than flint I have

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made your forehead. Do not be afraid of them,

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nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are

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a rebellious house. Moreover he said to me, Son

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of man, receive into your heart all my words

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that I speak to you, and hear with your ears,

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and go get to the captives, to the children of

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your people, and speak to them and tell them,

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thus says the Lord God, whether they hear or

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whether they refuse. Then the spirit lifted me

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up, and I heard behind me a great thunderous

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voice, Blessed is the glory of the Lord from

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his place. I also heard the noise of the wings

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of the living creatures that touched one another,

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and the noise of the wheels beside them, and

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a great thunderous noise. So the spirit lifted

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me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness

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in the heat of my spirit. But the hand of the

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Lord was strong upon me. Then I came to the captives

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at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the river Shabar. And

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I sat where they sat, and remained there astonished

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among them seven days. Now it came to pass at

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the end of seven days that the word of the Lord

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came to me, saying, Son of man, I have made you

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a watchman for the house of Israel. Therefore

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hear a word from my mouth, and give them warning

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from me. When I say to the wicked, You shall

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surely die, and you give him no warning, nor

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speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way

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to save his life, that same wicked man shall

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die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require

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at your hand. Yet if you warn the wicked, and

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he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from

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his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity,

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but you have delivered your soul. Again, when

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a righteous man turns from his righteousness

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and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block

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before him, he shall die, because you did not

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give him warning. He shall die in his sin, and

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his righteousness, which he has done, shall not

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be remembered, but his blood I will require at

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your hand. Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous

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man that the righteous should not sin, and he

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does not sin, he shall surely live because you

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took warning. Also you will have delivered your

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soul. Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there,

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and he said to me, Arise, go out into the plain,

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and there I shall talk with you. So I arose and

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went out into the plain, and behold, the glory

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of the Lord stood there, like the glory which

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I saw by the river Shabar, and I fell on my face.

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Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet,

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and spoke with me and said to me, Go shut yourself

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inside your house. And you, O son of man, surely

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they will put robes on you and bind you with

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them, so that you cannot go out among them. I

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will make your tongue cling to the roof of your

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mouth, so that you shall be mute and not be one

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to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious house.

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But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth,

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and you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord

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God, He who hears, let him hear, and he who refuses,

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let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.