10. He said to me: Human one, listen closely, and take to heart every word I say to you.
11. Then go to the exiles, to your people’s children. Whether they listen or not, speak to them and say: The Lord God proclaims!
12. Then a wind lifted me up, and I heard behind me a great quaking sound from his place. Blessed is the Lord’s glory!
13. The sound was the creatures’ wings beating against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them; it was a great rumbling noise.
14. Then the wind picked me up and took me away. With the Lord’s power pressing down against me I went away, bitter and deeply angry,
15. and I came to the exiles who lived beside the Chebar River at Tel-abib. I stayed there among them for seven desolate days.
16. At the end of the seven days, the Lord’s word came to me:
17. Human one, I’ve made you a lookout for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from me, deliver my warning.
18. If I declare that the wicked will die but you don’t warn them, if you say nothing to warn them from their wicked ways so that they might live, they will die because of their guilt, but I will hold you accountable for their deaths.
19. If you do warn the wicked and they don’t turn from their wickedness or their wicked ways, they will die because of their guilt, but you will save your life.
20. Or suppose righteous people turn away from doing the right thing. If they act dishonestly, and I make them stumble because of it, they will die because you didn’t warn them of their sin. Their righteous deeds won’t be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their deaths.
21. But if you do warn the righteous not to sin, and they don’t sin, they will be declared righteous. Their lives will be preserved because they heeded the warning, and you will save your life.