1 ` And thou, son of man, take to thee a brick, and thou hast put it before thee, and hast graven on it a city -- Jerusalem,

“Now, son of man, get a hard clay block. Set it down in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.

2 a nd hast placed against it a siege, and builded against it a fortification, and poured out against it a mount, and placed against it camps, yea, set thou against it battering-rams round about.

Then build a battle-wall around it to shut it in, and build a hill of dirt against the wall. Cut down trees and lay them on wheels all around the city, to use for breaking down the walls.

3 A nd thou, take to thee an iron pan, and thou hast made it a wall of iron between thee and the city; and thou hast prepared thy face against it, and it hath been in a siege, yea, thou hast laid siege against it. A sign it to the house of Israel.

Then get an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and turn your face toward it. It will be shut in, and you will fight a battle against it. This will be something special for the people of Israel to see.

4 ` And thou, lie on thy left side, and thou hast placed the iniquity of the house of Israel on it; the number of the days that thou liest on it, thou bearest their iniquity.

“Then lie on your left side, and I will lay the sin of the people of Israel upon you. You will be under the weight of their sin for the number of days that you lie on your side.

5 A nd I -- I have laid on thee the years of their iniquity, the number of days, three hundred and ninety days; and thou hast borne the iniquity of the house of Israel.

I have set a number of days for you which is the same as the number of years of their sin, 390 days. This is how long you must be under the weight of the sin of the people of Israel.

6 A nd thou hast completed these, and hast lain on thy right side, a second time, and hast borne the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days -- a day for a year -- a day for a year I have appointed to thee.

When you have completed these, you must lie down a second time, but on your right side. And you must be under the weight of the sin of the people of Judah. I have set a time of forty days for you to do this, one day for each year.

7 ` And unto the siege of Jerusalem thou dost prepare thy face, and thine arm uncovered, and thou hast prophesied concerning it.

Then you must turn your face toward the battle against Jerusalem with no covering on your arm, and tell what will happen against the city.

8 A nd lo, I have put on thee thick bands, and thou dost not turn from side to side till thy completing the days of thy siege.

I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, until you have completed the days of your battle.

9 ` And thou, take to thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and spelt, and thou hast put them in one vessel, and made them to thee for bread; the number of the days that thou art lying on thy side -- three hundred and ninety days -- thou dost eat it.

“Take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt and put them in one pot, and make them into bread for yourself. Eat it during the 390 days that you lie on your side.

10 A nd thy food that thou dost eat by weight, twenty shekels daily; from time to time thou dost eat it.

The food you eat each day will weigh as much as twenty pieces of silver, and will have to last until the next day.

11 ` And water by measure thou dost drink, a sixth part of the hin; from time to time thou dost drink.

And the water you drink each day will be enough to fill a bottle. You will drink it from time to time.

12 A barley-cake thou dost eat it, and it with dung -- the filth of man -- thou dost bake before their eyes.

Eat your food as you would barley cakes, making it ready in front of their eyes over a fire burning human waste.”

13 A nd Jehovah saith, `Thus do the sons of Israel eat their defiled bread among the nations whither I drive them.'

The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat unclean food among the nations where I will drive them.”

14 A nd I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, lo, my soul is not defiled, and carcase, and torn thing, I have not eaten from my youth, even till now; nor come into my mouth hath abominable flesh.'

But I said, “O Lord God! See, I have never been unclean. Since I was young until now, I have never eaten what died of itself or what was torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever come into my mouth.”

15 A nd He saith unto me, `See, I have given to thee bullock's dung instead of man's dung, and thou hast made thy bread by it.'

So He said to me, “Then I will let you make your bread over cow’s waste instead of human waste.”

16 A nd He saith unto me, `Son of man, lo, I am breaking the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they have eaten bread by weight and with fear; and water by measure and with astonishment, they do drink;

And He said to me, “Son of man, I am going to take away the bread that is needed in Jerusalem. They will weigh the bread they eat and they will drink water from small cups, and be afraid

17 s o that they lack bread and water, and have been astonished one with another, and been consumed in their iniquity.

because there will not be enough bread and water. They will look at one another in fear, and waste away in their sin.