And when you have completed these, that is, at the end of the 390 days that Ezekiel lay on his side. Parole de Vie says simply “At the end of this time.”

You shall lie down a second time, but on your right side …: After lying on his left side for 390 days, God tells Ezekiel to lie down again, but this time on his other side. He must lie on his right side for forty days. During this time he must bear the punishment of the house of Judah, that is, he must suffer just as his people suffer. The house of Judah refers to the people who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah in and around Jerusalem. It is unclear why the people of Judah are specified in this verse after all the Israelites were mentioned in the previous verses, since Ezekiel usually refers to them as the sons of Israel or the house of Israel. Presumably it was because the southern kingdom of Judah was the only part of the Israelite nation that still existed.

Forty days I assign you, a day for each year: God punishes Ezekiel a day for each year he punishes the people of Judah. Many languages will have to make explicit the connection between the days that Ezekiel suffers and the years that the people suffer.

It is not clear what the 40 years refer to. There is no evidence that Ezekiel saw the 40 year period just before his call in 593 B.C., or any other 40 year period of Judah’s history, as a time of especially great sin. However, 40 years makes perfectly good sense if Ezekiel is looking forward to a period of punishment for the people of Judah. Many of his fellow Jews had already been taken into Babylonia, Jerusalem would soon be destroyed, and Ezekiel foresaw a time of exile for his people; these disasters were due to their rebelliousness and wickedness. Thus it is best to understand the 40 years of punishment of the house of Judah as referring to a time of punishment that had just started or was about to start. This punishment was the Babylonian exile. 40 years then may be a general expression for a generation, in which case it is probably a prediction of approximately how long the exile in Babylonia would last, namely, about one generation.

This interpretation of the 40 years depends on a different meaning for the Hebrew word ʿawon rendered punishment than its meaning in verse 5 in connection with the 390 years. There it refers to sin, and here to punishment. Such a play on words will probably not be possible in many languages. Translators in those languages will have to decide how to render the finely balanced, parallel structure of the Hebrew text of verses 4-6, despite the slightly different meaning in the two parts of it for the word ʿawon. We recommend that translators give priority to the meaning, even though it upsets the balanced structure of the original text.

A model for this verse is:

• After that, lie down [on the ground] on your right side. Stay like that for 40 days. Those people of Judah sinned and I will punish them for 40 years. You must take the punishment of the people of Judah on yourself for 40 days, one day for each year [that they will be punished].

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel before their idols: This clause may have the same sense as the last clause in the previous verse, that is, I will kill the people in front of their idols (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), but in this context it is better to understand that, in verse 4, God says he will kill those who worship false gods, and in verse 5 he says he will let the dead bodies of the worshipers lie in front of the statues of the false gods like rubbish. Good News Translation renders the verb lay as “scatter,” but “place” and “lay out” are really more accurate.

Before their idols may be translated “in front of their idols” or “in front of the idols they worship.”

And I will scatter your bones round about your altars: God will throw the bones of dead Israelites around the altars where they worship their false gods. Your bones implies that God is now addressing the people of Israel, but this may be the case only in this sentence. In verse 6 God may be addressing either the people or the land. Round about your altars may be rendered “around the altars where you worship.”

There is no hint of ancestor worship or worshiping the spirits of the dead in this section. In cultures where this practice is known, it may be necessary to explain that God will do what he said in order to punish those who sinned and to defile the shrines of the false gods so that they could not be used any more; for example, this verse may be rendered as follows:

• I will defile [or, spoil] the idols and altars of the people of Israel by laying the corpses of the people in front of them and scattering their bones around them.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And make a desolation: Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation both follow the Septuagint here, but the Hebrew reads literally “Make the rattoq.” This is the only place in the Bible where the Hebrew word rattoq is used, so its meaning is not certain, but its root seems to mean “bind” or “tie up” with rope. So this clause may be a call to prepare plenty of rope to tie up the Israelite prisoners of war after the city of Jerusalem is defeated. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends this meaning, but all the commentaries warn that we cannot be certain. Nor is it clear who is commanded to do this. It does not fit the context for God to be ordering Ezekiel to do it. It is better to take it as a general order to some undefined person or people. A possible model for this clause is “Get ready the rope to tie up the prisoners.” If translators follow this interpretation, it will be necessary to follow Good News Translation and start a new paragraph at the beginning of this verse, not halfway through it as Revised Standard Version does.

Because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence explains why God will punish the Israelites. It is because the people are always committing murder and treating others unfairly. Bloody crimes is literally “judgment of bloods,” which refers to the way wicked rulers use the laws and bend the rules to condemn their less powerful opponents to death just to get rid of them. As in verse 15, the city probably refers to all the cities of Israel (so Good News Translation), not just the city of Jerusalem. For the Hebrew word rendered violence, see verse 11. The last half of this verse may be rendered “For everywhere in the land the people are committing murder. Throughout the cities they treat other people unjustly [or, In the cities injustice is everywhere].”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity: As for me renders a Hebrew construction that gives emphasis to the first person pronoun me. It draws a stark contrast between what the people were saying and doing and what God will do. Some translations try to reflect this construction; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “I, in turn,” but most do not retain it explicitly. They leave it to the reader to know where to place additional emphasis; for example, Good News Translation renders the first half of this verse as “But I will not have pity on them.” The reader of this clause in Good News Translation must know to stress the pronoun “I” to make the contrast with the people. Each language has its own way of marking such contrast and emphasis. One common way is “For my part, I will not have pity on anyone or spare them from punishment.” For my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity, see 5.11 and 7.4.

But I will requite their deeds upon their heads is a vivid figurative expression of God imposing an appropriate punishment on the wicked people of Judah. Requite means to repay or pay back. Their deeds (literally “their way” [King James Version]) may be rendered “their way of life,” “their conduct” (New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible), or “what they have done” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). International Children’s Bible says “their evil acts,” which makes the wickedness of their actions explicit. God decrees that he will bring their wicked actions back upon their heads, thus punishing them in the way they deserve. Each language will need to find a natural expression for the sort of punishment that is particularly appropriate to the crime committed. The tense of the Hebrew verb rendered will requite is not future, although almost all the translations render it so. In Hebrew the verb is a simple past, which gives the impression of a judgment already given (for example, “I have brought their evil deeds upon their heads”), or the actual declaration of the judgment (for example, “I hereby bring their evil deeds on their heads”). A possible model for this clause is “They hereby suffer the consequences for their behavior [or, conduct].”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Verses 11-12 summarize the previous verses. Jerusalem will not be a safe place for its leaders, but God will judge and punish them before they can leave the country, and by this they will recognize and acknowledge God.

This city shall not be your caldron, nor shall you be the flesh in the midst of it: See verses 3 and 7.

I will judge you at the border of Israel: See verse 10.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

For Son of man, see Ezek 12.2.

Eat your bread with quaking, and drink water with trembling and with fearfulness: God commands Ezekiel to act out another prophecy. This time he has to eat and drink, shaking in great fear. Bread renders a general Hebrew word for “food” (see 4.16). Eat your bread may be rendered “eat your food” or simply “eat.” Quaking translates a very strong Hebrew term that is usually used for earthquakes (see 3.12-13) or the rumbling of war chariots. Here it refers to Ezekiel shaking. The Hebrew word for trembling also carries this idea of shaking. He probably shook so hard that he spilled his water. The cause of the shaking and trembling is not a physical disease, but fear. For with fearfulness, see 4.16.

Good News Translation provides an excellent model for this verse. Another possible one is:

• “Human being, shake with fear when you eat your food and drink your water.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The connector Because introduces this verse as the reason for the result in the next verse. Some languages may prefer to restructure these two verses for naturalness (see the model at the end of the discussion on verse 23).

You have disheartened the righteous falsely …: The role of true prophets was to receive messages from God and pass them on to the people. Sometimes the message was comforting and encouraging, sometimes it was threatening and disheartening. Part of God’s message in the time of Ezekiel was that a person was responsible for his or her own sins. In chapter 3 God said wicked people will die because of their sins, but those who turn away from sin will live (see 3.18-21; compare 18.1-32). The false female prophets were passing on to the people what they claimed to be God’s messages, but God says they were not messages from him. The effect they were having was quite the opposite from the effect a true message would have had. Disheartened is literally “caused pain to the heart,” which may be rendered “discouraged” (New Living Translation, New English Bible) or “made sad.” The pain (which could be physical, mental or emotional) that the righteous people felt was inappropriate and unnecessary because it was due to the lies of the women. For righteous see 3.20; it may be rendered “good” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), “upright” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible), “innocent” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), or “honest” (Moffatt). The righteous renders a masculine singular word in Hebrew. As in 3.20, this singular word has an inclusive sense, referring to all good men and women, so it is better to say “righteous people.” The Hebrew word rendered falsely is a noun meaning “falsehood.” Therefore some translations have understood it to be the result of the discouragement of the righteous, that is, the righteous people began to act falsely and sin (so Contemporary English Version). This understanding is not likely. A good model for this clause is “your lies have made honest people feel discouraged” (similarly Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation).

Although I have not disheartened him means the women were acting directly against God’s intention because a true message would have encouraged good people. If the righteous is rendered as a plural, then the pronoun him is better rendered “them” (New Century Version).

And you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his wicked way to save his life: The predictions of the women not only caused distress to the good people in Israel, but they also encouraged the evil people to keep sinning, which led to their deaths. By falsely predicting that Jerusalem was secure against further attack, the women made it possible for wicked people to ignore their own sin because they thought they were safe. Therefore they did not repent and, when God finally punished them, they did not survive. Like the righteous, the wicked renders a masculine singular word in Hebrew, so it may be translated “evil people” (Good News Translation).

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

And I will make the land desolate repeats the ideas of 14.15-16 (see the comments there), although here God directly causes the desolation.

Because they have acted faithlessly: See 14.13. Good News Translation places this clause before the previous one, saying “They have been unfaithful to me, and so I will make the country a wilderness.” Other languages may find this helpful.

Says the Lord GOD: This solemn pronouncement emphasizes that God speaks these words. For the Lord GOD, see Ezek 15.6. Here this clause may be rendered “This is what the Lord Yahweh has declared.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .