Ezekiel 4:15 "Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement."

◄ Ezekiel 4:15 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
"Very well," he said, "I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement."

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

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.

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.'

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's 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.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

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.