Take an iron pan and set it up like a wall between you and the city. Face the city. It is under siege, and you are the one besieging it. This will be a sign to the nation of Israel.

"Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it.

"Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.

"Mortal man," he said, "denounce the country of Ammon.

"Mortal man, denounce the city of Sidon.

"Mortal man," he said, "denounce the king of Egypt. Tell him how he and all the land of Egypt will be punished.

"Mortal man," he said, "denounce Gog, chief ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal in the land of Magog. Denounce him

And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret.

My teaching will fall like drops of rain and form on the earth like dew. My words will fall like showers on young plants, like gentle rain on tender grass.

So now listen to what the LORD says. You tell me to stop prophesying, to stop raving against the people of Israel.

The people preach at me and say, "Don't preach at us. Don't preach about all that. God is not going to disgrace us.

"These people want the kind of prophet who goes around full of lies and deceit and says, 'I prophesy that wine and liquor will flow for you.'

"Fix your eyes on the siege of Jerusalem. Shake your fist at the city and prophesy against it.

"Mortal man," he said, "look toward the mountains of Israel and give them my message.

"Mortal man," he said, "look toward the south. Speak against the south and prophesy against the forest of the south.

The LORD said, "Mortal man, speak to the mountains of Israel and tell them to listen to the message which I,

Then the priests and the prophets said to the leaders and to the people, "This man deserves to be sentenced to death because he has spoken against our city. You heard him with your own ears."

Then I said, "The LORD sent me to proclaim everything that you heard me say against this Temple and against this city.

Then they brought in some men to tell lies about him. "This man," they said, "is always talking against our sacred Temple and the Law of Moses.

We heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will tear down the Temple and change all the customs which have come down to us from Moses!"