A reading from the book of Ezekiel.

And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you and engrave on it a city, even

Jerusalem, and put siege works against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast

up a mound against it, set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all

around, and you take an iron griddle and place it as an iron wall between you and the city,

and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the

House of Israel. Then lie on your left side and place the punishment of the House of Israel upon

it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment.

For I assign to you a number of days, three hundred and ninety days, equal to the number

of the years of their punishment.

So long shall you bear the punishment of the House of Israel.

And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time,

but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the House of Judah. Forty days I assign you,

a day for each year. And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm

bared, and you shall prophesy against the city.

And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other

till you have completed the days of your siege. And you, take wheat and barley,

beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel

and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days,

you shall eat it. And your food that you eat shall be, by weight, 20 shekels a day. From day

to day, you shall eat it. And water you shall drink

by measure, the sixth part of a hen. From day to day you shall drink. And you shall eat it as a barley

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