1 En jy, mensekind, neem vir jou 'n baksteen en sit dit voor jou neer, en teken daarop 'n stad, naamlik Jerusalem;

2 maak dan 'n beleëring daarteen en bou forte daarteen en gooi 'n wal daarteen op en stel laers daarteen op en lê stormramme daarteen aan rondom.

3 Verder, neem jy vir jou 'n ysterpan en sit dit as 'n ystermuur tussen jou en die stad; en rig jou aangesig daarop, en dit sal beleër wees, en jy moet dit beleër. 'n Teken is dit vir die huis van Israel.

4 Gaan lê ook op jou linkerkant, en sit daarop die ongeregtigheid van die huis van Israel; volgens die getal dae dat jy daarop lê, moet jy hulle ongeregtigheid dra.

5 En k lê jou die jare van hulle ongeregtigheid op volgens die getal dae, drie honderd en negentig dae, dat jy die ongeregtigheid van die huis van Israel moet dra.

6 En as jy met hierdie dae klaar is, moet jy, vir die tweede keer, op jou regterkant gaan lê en die ongeregtigheid van die huis van Juda dra, veertig dae lank: vir elke jaar lê Ek jou een dag op.

7 En op die beleëring van Jerusalem moet jy jou aangesig rig terwyl jou arm ontbloot is; en jy moet daarteen profeteer.

8 En kyk, Ek sit vir jou toue aan, sodat jy jou nie kan omdraai van die een kant na die ander nie, totdat jy klaar is met die dae van jou beleëring.

9 En neem jy vir jou koring en gars en boontjies en lensies en broodmanna en spelt, en gooi dit in een skottel, en maak vir jou daarvan brood; volgens die getal dae dat jy op jou sy lê, drie honderd en negentig dae, moet jy daarvan eet.

10 En jou voedsel wat jy moet eet, sal in gewig wees twintig sikkels elke dag; van tyd tot tyd moet jy dit eet.

11 Jy moet ook water by die maat drink, die sesde deel van 'n hin; van tyd tot tyd moet jy dit drink.

12 En as garskoeke moet jy dit eet en dit op die mis van mensedrek bak voor hulle oë.

13 Toe sê die HERE: So sal die kinders van Israel hulle brood onrein eet onder die nasies waarheen Ek hulle sal verdrywe.

14 En ek sê: Ag, Here HERE! Kyk, my siel is nooit verontreinig nie, en ek het van my jeug af tot nou toe geen aas of iets wat verskeur is, geëet nie, en daar het geen bedorwe vleis in my mond gekom nie.

15 Toe sê Hy vir my: Kyk, Ek het vir jou beesmis gegee in plaas van mensedrek; daarop moet jy jou brood klaarmaak.

16 Ook het Hy vir my gesê: Mensekind, kyk, Ek verbreek die staf van die brood in Jerusalem, en hulle sal brood by die gewig en met kommer eet en water by die maat en in stomme smart drink;

17 sodat hulle gebrek aan brood en water het, en die een met die ander verstom staan en in hulle ongeregtigheid wegkwyn.

1 And you, son of man, take a back and put it before you and on it make a picture of a town, even Jerusalem.

2 And make an attack on it, shutting it in, building strong places against it, and making high an earthwork against it; and put up tents against it, placing engines all round it for smashing down its walls.

3 And take a flat iron plate, and put it for a wall of iron between you and the town: and let your face be turned to it, and it will be shut in and you will make an attack on it. This will be a sign to the children of Israel.

4 Then, stretching yourself out on your left side, take the sin of the children of Israel on yourself: for as long as you are stretched out, so long will the sin of the children of Israel be on you.

5 For I have had the years of their sin measured for you by a number of days, even three hundred and ninety days: and you will take on yourself the sin of the children of Israel.

6 And when these days are ended, turning on your right side, you are to take on yourself the sin of the children of Judah: forty days, a day for a year, I have had it fixed for you.

7 And let your face be turned to where Jerusalem is shut in, with your arm uncovered, and be a prophet against it.

8 And see, I will put bands on you; and you will be stretched out without turning from one side to the other till the days of your attack are ended.

9 And take for yourself wheat and barley and different sorts of grain, and put them in one vessel and make bread for yourself from them; all the days when you are stretched on your side it will be your food.

10 And you are to take your food by weight, twenty shekels a day: you are to take it at regular times.

11 And you are to take water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: you are to take it at regular times.

12 And let your food be barley cakes, cooking it before their eyes with the waste which comes out of a man.

13 And the Lord said, Even so the children of Israel will have unclean bread for their food among the nations where I am driving them.

14 Then I said, Ah, Lord! see, my soul has never been unclean, and I have never taken as my food anything which has come to a natural death or has been broken by beasts, from the time when I was young even till now; no disgusting flesh has ever come into my mouth.

15 Then he said to me, See, I have given you cow's waste in place of man's waste, and you will make your bread ready on it.

16 And he said to me, Son of man, see, I will take away from Jerusalem her necessary bread: they will take their bread by weight and with care, measuring out their drinking-water with fear and wonder:

17 So that they may be in need of bread and water and be wondering at one another, wasting away in their sin.