Ezekiel 4:15
◄  Ezekiel 4:15  ►
New International Version (©2011)
"Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement."

New Living Translation (©2007)
"All right," the LORD said. "You may bake your bread with cow dung instead of human dung."

English Standard Version (©2001)
Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow’s dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.”

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Then He said to me, "See, I will give you cow's dung in place of human dung over which you will prepare your bread."

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
He replied to me, "Look, I will let you use cow dung instead of human excrement, and you can make your bread over that."

International Standard Version (©2012)
"Okay," he responded. "I'll allow you to substitute cow's dung for human dung. Cook your food over that."

NET Bible (©2006)
So he said to me, "All right then, I will substitute cow's manure instead of human excrement. You will cook your food over it."

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
He said to me, "I will let you use cow manure in place of human excrement. Bake your bread over it."

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given you cow's dung for human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.

American King James Version
Then he said to me, See, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread therewith.

American Standard Version
Then he said unto me, See, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread thereon.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to me: Behold I have given thee neat's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt make thy bread therewith.

Darby Bible Translation
And he said unto me, See, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith.

English Revised Version
Then he said unto me, See, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread thereon.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then he said to me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread with them.

World English Bible
Then he said to me, Behold, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread thereon.

Young's Literal Translation
And 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.'

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:9-17 The bread which was Ezekiel's support, was to be made of coarse grain and pulse mixed together, seldom used except in times of urgent scarcity, and of this he was only to take a small quantity. Thus was figured the extremity to which the Jews were to be reduced during the siege and captivity. Ezekiel does not plead, Lord, from my youth I have been brought up delicately, and never used to any thing like this; but that he had been brought up conscientiously, and never had eaten any thing forbidden by the law. It will be comfortable when we are brought to suffer hardships, if our hearts can witness that we have always been careful to keep even from the appearance of evil. See what woful work sin makes, and acknowledge the righteousness of God herein. Their plenty having been abused to luxury and excess, they were justly punished by famine. When men serve not God with cheerfulness in the abundance of all things, God will make them serve their enemies in the want of all things.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 15. - Lo, I have given thee, etc. The concession mitigates the horror of the first command, though even this was probably regarded as involving some ceremonial uncleanness. It served, at any rate, to represent, in some measure, the pressure of the siege.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Then he said to me,.... The Lord hearkened to the prophet's prayer and argument, and makes some abatement and alteration in the charge he gave him:

lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung: that is, allowed him to make use of the one instead of the other, in baking his mingled bread:

thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith; having gathered cow's dung, and dried it, he was to burn it, and bake his bread with it, which is meant by preparing it. In some parts of our nation, where fuel is scarce, cow's dung is made use of; it is gathered and plastered on the walls of houses, and, being dried in clots, is taken and burnt.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. cow's dung—a mitigation of the former order (Eze 4:12); no longer "the dung of man"; still the bread so baked is "defiled," to imply that, whatever partial abatement there might be for the prophet's sake, the main decree of God, as to the pollution of Israel by exile among Gentiles, is unalterable.

Ezekiel 4:15 Parallel Commentaries

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The Defiled Bread
…14Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul has not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. 15Then he said to me, See, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread therewith. 16Moreover he said to me, Son of man, behold, I 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 4:14 Then I said, "Not so, Sovereign LORD! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth."
Ezekiel 4:16 He then said to me: "Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair,