📖 Ezekiel — Chapter 4 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Ezekiel 4:1 Thou also, son of man, Rtake thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:
Ezekiel 4:2 And Rlay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it, and set Tbattering rams against it round about.
Ezekiel 4:3 Moreover take thou unto thee RTan iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 4:4 Lie thou also upon thy left side, Rand lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.
Ezekiel 4:5 For RI have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee RTeach day for a year.
Ezekiel 4:7 Therefore thou shalt Rset thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.
Ezekiel 4:8 And, behold, RI will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not turn thee Tfrom one side to another, till thou hast ended the days of thy siege.
Ezekiel 4:9 Take thou also unto thee Rwheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and Tfitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.
Ezekiel 4:10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
Ezekiel 4:11 Thou Rshalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.
Ezekiel 4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.
Ezekiel 4:13 And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them.
Ezekiel 4:14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, Rmy soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
Ezekiel 4:15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.
Ezekiel 4:16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, RI will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:
Ezekiel 4:17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, Rand consume away for their iniquity.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 4:1–6 — A model siege and days bearing iniquity
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Ezekiel portrays Jerusalem on a tile and stages its siege with an iron barrier. Lying on his sides for assigned days represents the years of Israel’s and Judah’s iniquity.
Key Truth: Read the enacted sign according to its stated explanation.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “Thou also, ____ of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before …” (Ezekiel 4:1)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:1 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “Lie thou also upon thy ____ side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel …” (Ezekiel 4:4)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:4 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “And when thou hast ____ them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt …” (Ezekiel 4:6)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:6 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 4:7–12 — Restricted food and water picture siege
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The prophet faces the model city and receives measured portions of mixed-grain bread and water. The instruction about baking fuel intensifies the image of scarcity and defilement.
Key Truth: Remember the bodily suffering behind the sign.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “Thou ____ drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an …” (Ezekiel 4:11)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:11 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “And thy ____ which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels …” (Ezekiel 4:10)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:10 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “And thou shalt eat it as ____ cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh …” (Ezekiel 4:12)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:12 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Ezekiel 4:13–17 — A concession and the meaning of scarcity
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Ezekiel protests that he has not eaten defiled food, and cow’s dung is permitted as fuel. The Lord explains that Jerusalem’s bread and water will be scarce, causing distress and wasting away.
Key Truth: Bring concerns honestly while hearing the warning.
Check What You Remember
1. Complete the KJV wording: “And the LORD said, Even thus shall the ____ of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither …” (Ezekiel 4:13)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:13 (KJV).
2. Complete the KJV wording: “That they may want ____ and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume …” (Ezekiel 4:17)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:17 (KJV).
3. Complete the KJV wording: “That they may ____ bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and …” (Ezekiel 4:17)
Find it in Ezekiel 4:17 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Lamentations 4:4 — The lament describes children thirsting and asking for bread.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can attention to hunger move you toward compassionate action?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 4:1–6 (A model siege and days bearing iniquity) from the chapter’s other sections?
2. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 4:7–12 (Restricted food and water picture siege) from the chapter’s other sections?
3. Which summary best distinguishes Ezekiel 4:13–17 (A concession and the meaning of scarcity) from the chapter’s other sections?
4. What do the appointed days represent in the enacted sign?
5. What does measured bread and water signify for Jerusalem?
Notes
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