Discovery BoxEzekiel 3:17 
Context3:17 “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman 1 for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must give them a warning from me.
Ezekiel 3:27
Context3:27 But when I speak with you, I will loosen your tongue 2 and you must say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ Those who listen will listen, but the indifferent will refuse, 3 for they are a rebellious house.
Ezekiel 20:7
Context20:7 I said to them, “Each of you must get rid of the detestable idols you keep before you, 4 and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”
Ezekiel 23:35
Context23:35 “Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me, 5 you must bear now the punishment 6 for your obscene conduct and prostitution.”
Ezekiel 24:16
Context24:16 “Son of man, realize that I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a jolt, 7 but you must not mourn or weep or shed tears.
Ezekiel 33:7-8
Context33:7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman 8 for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf. 33:8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you must certainly die,’ 9 and you do not warn 10 the wicked about his behavior, 11 the wicked man will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 12
Ezekiel 44:22
Context44:22 They must not marry a widow or a divorcee, but they may marry a virgin from the house of Israel 13 or a widow who is a priest’s widow.
Ezekiel 45:18
Context45:18 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you must take an unblemished young bull and purify the sanctuary.
Ezekiel 45:20
Context45:20 This is what you must do on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins inadvertently or through ignorance; so you will make atonement for the temple.
1 tn The literal role of a watchman is described in 2 Sam 18:24; 2 Kgs 9:17.
2 tn Heb “open your mouth.”
3 tn Heb “the listener will listen, the refuser will refuse.” Because the word for listening can also mean obeying, the nuance may be that the obedient will listen, or that the one who listens will obey. Also, although the verbs are not jussive as pointed in the MT, some translate them with a volitive sense: “the one who listens – let that one listen, the one who refuses – let that one refuse.”
4 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of his eyes, throw away.” The Pentateuch does not refer to the Israelites worshiping idols in Egypt, but Josh 24:14 appears to suggest that they did so.
5 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
6 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
7 tn Heb “a strike.”
8 sn Jeremiah (Jer 6:17) and Habakkuk (Hab 2:1) also served in the role of a watchman.
9 tn The same expression occurs in Gen 2:17.
10 tn Heb “and you do not speak to warn.”
11 tn Heb “way.”
12 tn Heb “and his blood from your hand I will seek.”
13 tn Heb “from the offspring of the house of Israel.”
