The Siege of Jerusalem Pictured

1You also, son of man, take you a clay tablet, and lay it before you, and portray upon it the city, even Jerusalem:

2And lay siege against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it; set camps also against it, and place battering rams against it round about.

3Moreover take unto you an iron plate, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city: and set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

4Lie also upon your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon it you shall bear their iniquity.

5For I have laid upon you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shall you bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.

6And when you have accomplished them, lie again on your right side, and you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed you each day for a year.

7Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.

8And, behold, I will put cords upon you, and you shall not turn yourself from one side to another, till you have ended the days of your siege.

9Take also unto yourself wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make yourself bread of it, according to the number of the days that you shall lie upon your side, three hundred and ninety days shall you eat of it.

10And your food which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shall you eat it.

11You shall drink also water by measure, the sixth part of a hin: from time to time shall you drink.

12And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it, using human waste, in their sight.

13And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the nations, where I will drive them.

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 unto me, Lo, I have given you cow's dung for human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.

16Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and in dismay:

17That they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed one with another, and waste away for their iniquity.