Ezekiel 4: A Picture on a Brick

God told Ezekiel to act out a message. He drew the city of Jerusalem on a tile and set up a pretend siege around it, with an iron pan as a wall between himself and the city. This was a sign to the house of Israel. Ezekiel was to lie on his left side for three hundred ninety days for Israel and on his right side forty days for Judah, a day for each year. He was to eat simple bread by weight and drink water by measure, showing that food and water would become scarce in Jerusalem. When Ezekiel said he had never eaten anything unclean, God allowed him to bake his bread over cow's dung instead.

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Read Ezekiel 4

World English Bible · 17 verses

¹ “You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
² Lay siege against it, build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it. Also set camps against it and plant battering rams against it all around.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
³ Take for yourself an iron pan and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁴ “Moreover lie on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it. According to the number of the days that you shall lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁵ For I have appointed the years of their iniquity to be to you a number of days, even three hundred ninety days. So you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁶ “Again, when you have accomplished these, you shall lie on your right side, and shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah. I have appointed forty days, each day for a year, to you.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁷ You shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm uncovered; and you shall prophesy against it.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁸ Behold, I put ropes on you, and you shall not turn yourself from one side to the other, until you have accomplished the days of your siege.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
⁹ “Take for yourself also wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel. Make bread of it. According to the number of the days that you will lie on your side, even three hundred ninety days, you shall eat of it.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹⁰ Your food which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day. From time to time you shall eat it.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹¹ You shall drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin. From time to time you shall drink.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹² You shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it in their sight with dung that comes out of man.”This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹³ Yahweh said, “Even thus will the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.”This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹⁴ Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, my soul has not been polluted; for from my youth up even until now I have not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn of animals. No abominable meat has come into my mouth!”This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹⁵ Then he said to me, “Behold, I have given you cow’s dung for man’s dung, and you shall prepare your bread on it.”This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹⁶ Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, and with fearfulness. They will drink water by measure, and in dismay;This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.
¹⁷ that they may lack bread and water, be dismayed one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.This verse is not in this translation's source text (many modern translations omit it). See your Bible's footnote.

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org

Worksheets

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Ezekiel 4 · Preschool

Ezekiel Draws a City

Name Date

Color the brick with the city on it. Ezekiel used pictures to teach!

Can you find these in the picture? Circle each one!

Bible Verse

“You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 4:1 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: God asked Ezekiel to draw a picture of the city to help people understand God's message. God wants us to listen and understand. Let's ask God to help us listen.

Open Grade 4 on its own page

Ezekiel 4 · Grade 4

A Sign to the House of Israel

Name Date

Read and Think

God gave Ezekiel a picture lesson instead of a speech. He was to draw Jerusalem on a tile and act out a siege against it. He set up an iron pan as a wall of iron between himself and the city and set his face toward it. God said, This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.

Next Ezekiel lay on his left side for three hundred ninety days to bear the iniquity of Israel. Then he lay on his right side forty days for Judah. Each day stood for a year, showing how long the people had turned away.

God told him to make bread from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. He ate twenty shekels a day and drank water by measure. This pictured a time when Jerusalem would lack bread and water. When Ezekiel said he had never eaten anything unclean, God let him bake with cow's dung instead.

Show What You Know

Why did Ezekiel set an iron pan between himself and the city?
What did the three hundred ninety days and forty days stand for?
Name three grains or foods in Ezekiel's bread.
How did God answer when Ezekiel objected?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

Godcitytilebreadhouse

gave Ezekiel a picture lesson instead of a speech.
He was to draw Jerusalem on a and act out a siege against it.
He set up an iron pan as a wall of iron between himself and the and set his face toward it.
God said, This shall be a sign to the of Israel.
God told him to make from wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt.

Think About It

God used a picture to help people understand. What picture or example helps you remember God's Word?
Ezekiel obeyed even when the job was long and hard. What hard thing might God be asking you to keep doing?

Memory Verse

“Take for yourself an iron pan and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.”

Ezekiel 4:3 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching us in many ways. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

Ezekiel told God he had always kept himself clean, and God listened and changed the plan. What does that show you about speaking honestly to God?
What did the measured water mean?

Open Grade 5 on its own page

Ezekiel 4 · Grade 5

Prophecy You Could See

Name Date

Read and Think

Ezekiel 4 shows a prophet who preached with actions. God told him to portray Jerusalem on a tile, build tiny forts and camps around it, and set an iron pan between himself and the city. Then he was to set his face toward it. God explained the purpose: This shall be a sign to the house of Israel. The captives in Babylon could watch the message even if they would not listen to it.

The sign went on for months. Ezekiel lay on his left side three hundred ninety days for Israel and on his right side forty days for Judah, each day for a year. During that time he ate mixed-grain bread by weight, twenty shekels a day, and drank a measured amount of water. God said this pictured Jerusalem, where people would eat bread by weight and with fearfulness.

God first told Ezekiel to bake the bread over human waste, a sign of the unclean bread Israel would eat among the nations. Ezekiel protested that from his youth he had never eaten what was unclean, and God allowed cow's dung instead. God listened to his servant's honest concern, yet the warning stayed the same: the staff of bread in Jerusalem would be broken. In the New Testament, Jesus also taught with pictures people could see; Matthew 13:34 says, Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes.

Show What You Know

Why might God have told Ezekiel to act out the message?
What did Ezekiel's measured bread and water picture?
How did God respond to Ezekiel's honest protest?
What New Testament verse says Jesus taught in parables?

Crossword

Across

That they may lack bread and ____

Down

And portray on it a ____
Make ____ of it

Think About It

God listened when Ezekiel spoke honestly about his concern. What honest concern could you bring to God in prayer?
Ezekiel's life became a message. How could your actions this week show others what God is like?

Memory Verse

Ezekiel 4:3 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching us in many ways. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

Ezekiel obeyed God even when it looked strange to others. How can you obey God when others do not understand?
How does Matthew 13:34 connect to Ezekiel 4?
What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

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‹ All Ezekiel chapters · All books

Ezekiel 4: A Picture on a Brick

Read Ezekiel 4

Worksheets

Ezekiel Draws a City

Prayer

Take It Home

A Picture Message

Trace the Words

Match the Pictures

Mini Maze

Draw It

Prayer

Take It Home

Ezekiel Acts Out a Message

Trace the Words

Match the Pictures

A Picture on a Brick

Prayer

Take It Home

A Sign for Israel

Read the Story

Show What You Know

Word Search

Prayer

Take It Home

Ezekiel Acts It Out

Read the Story

Answer the Questions

A Picture on a Brick

Word Search

Prayer

Take It Home

A Sign to the House of Israel

Read and Think

Show What You Know

Word Bank Fill-In

Think About It

Copy It

Prayer

Take It Home

Prophecy You Could See

Read and Think

Show What You Know

Crossword

Think About It

Copy It

Prayer

Take It Home

More print options