11. Then go to your countrymen who are in exile and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them, whether they pay attention to you or not.”
12. Then God's Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the loud roar of a voice that said, “Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven above!”
13. I heard the wings of the creatures beating together in the air, and the noise of the wheels, as loud as an earthquake.
14. The power of the Lord came on me with great force, and as his Spirit carried me off, I felt bitter and angry.
15. So I came to Tel Abib beside the River Chebar, where the exiles were living, and for seven days I stayed there, overcome by what I had seen and heard.
16. After the seven days had passed, the Lord spoke to me.
17. “Mortal man,” he said, “I am making you a watchman for the nation of Israel. You will pass on to them the warnings I give you.
18. If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death.
19. If you do warn an evil man and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared.
20. “If a truly good person starts doing evil and I put him in a dangerous situation, he will die if you do not warn him. He will die because of his sins — I will not remember the good he did — and I will hold you responsible for his death.
21. If you do warn a good man not to sin and he listens to you and doesn't sin, he will stay alive, and your life will also be spared.”
22. I felt the powerful presence of the Lord and heard him say to me, “Get up and go out into the valley. I will talk to you there.”
23. So I went out into the valley, and there I saw the glory of the Lord, just as I had seen it beside the River Chebar. I fell face downwards on the ground,