24:15 耶和華的話又臨到我說：
24:16 「人子啊，我要將你眼目所喜愛的忽然取去，你卻不可悲哀哭泣，也不可流淚，
24:17 只可歎息，不可出聲，不可辦理喪事；頭上仍勒裹頭巾，腳上仍穿鞋，不可蒙著嘴唇，也不可吃弔喪的食物。」
24:18 於是我將這事早晨告訴百姓，晚上我的妻就死了。次日早晨我便遵命而行。
24:19 百姓問我說：「你這樣行與我們有甚麼關係，你不告訴我們麼？」
24:20 我回答他們：「耶和華的話臨到我說：
24:21 『你告訴以色列家，主耶和華如此說：我必使我的聖所，就是你們勢力所誇耀、眼裡所喜愛、心中所愛惜的被褻瀆，並且你們所遺留的兒女必倒在刀下。
24:22 那時，你們必行我僕人所行的，不蒙著嘴唇，也不吃弔喪的食物。
24:23 你們仍要頭上勒裹頭巾，腳上穿鞋；不可悲哀哭泣。你們必因自己的罪孽相對歎息，漸漸消滅。
24:24 以西結必這樣為你們作預兆；凡他所行的，你們也必照樣行。那事來到，你們就知道我是主耶和華。
24:25 「人子啊，我除掉他們所倚靠、所歡喜的榮耀，並眼中所喜愛、心裡所重看的兒女。
24:26 那日逃脫的人豈不來到你這裡，使你耳聞這事嗎？
24:27 你必向逃脫的人開口說話，不再啞口。你必這樣為他們作預兆，他們就知道我是耶和華。」
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the
delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or
weep, nor shall your tears run down.
Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban,
and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of
men.” So I spoke to the people in the
morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was
commanded.
And
the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us,
that you are acting thus?” Then I said
to them, “The word of the Lord came to me:
‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will
profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and
the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left
behind shall fall by the sword. And you
shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of
men. Your turbans shall be on your heads
and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot
away in your iniquities and groan to one another. Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign;
according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will
know that I am the Lord God.’
“As
for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold,
their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and
also their sons and daughters, on that
day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. On that day your mouth will be opened to the
fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So you will be a sign to
them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”
*************
以西結妻子的死亡作為預兆，預言聖殿將被毀！
此處沒說以西結的妻子怎樣死亡，比較可能是得了急症死亡。「於是我將這事早晨告訴百姓」，原文只是「講說—向百姓—早晨」，應該不是以西結先透露妻子將死的信息，而是說以西結照常早上出去向百姓講說，晚上妻子就過世。因為提早透露妻子死訊，妻子與周遭的人不就會出現奇怪的反應？反倒是後面講到，妻子死亡隔日以西結的反應造成衆人覺得奇怪。事先講就不會太奇怪了。
以西結因所愛的妻子去世所做的表現，就將是以色列人面對耶路撒冷被毀、聖殿被毀的狀況之反應。當耶路撒冷被毀滅之後，總會有人被擄到巴比倫，這樣大家就知道以西結是真先知，其他講不一樣預言的人都是假先知。因此以西結就可以不用顧慮安危，坦然發言。又耶路撒冷被毀之前，以西結主要是受派傳達上帝的憤怒，事情已經實現，他就可以傳達盼望與希望的信息了。
