Son of man, go speak my words to the people of Israel.
7 But they won't listen to you. They don't listen to me either.
8 I've made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 Your forehead is harder than flint. So don't be afraid of them.
The noise of the wheels
12 Then the spirit took me up, and I heard a voice say, "Blessed be the glory of the Lord."
13 I also heard the wings of the creatures and the noise of the wheels.
14 Then the spirit lifted me up and took me away. I wasn't happy about it, but God's hand was strong on me.
God's killing rules
16 Seven days later, the word of God came to me, saying,
17 I've made you a watchman for the people of Israel. Warn them for me.
18 When I say to wicked people, "You will die", and you fail to warn them, and I kill them for their wickedness, you'll be responsible for their deaths.
19 But if you warn the wicked people and they stay wicked, then I'll kill them, but you will have saved your own soul.
20 When righteous people do something wrong because I lay a stumbling block before them, I'll kill them. And because you didn't warn them, you'll be responsible for their deaths.
21 If you warn the righteous and they stay righteous, I won't kill them, and you will save your soul.
26 And I'll make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so that you can't speak.
27 Until I tell you to speak. Then you'll speak to the people, and say,
Whoever hears will hear. Whoever doesn't, won't.
A few more words about this episode
One day (1:1)
Verse 1:1 is actually a bit more specific about the day. It was "in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month." But the 30th year etc. of what exactly? Ezekiel doesn't tell us that.
The next verse is more helpful in dating this, though. Ezekiel says that his vision took place in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, which would put it somewhere around 593 BCE, since Jehoiachin's exile to Babylon began in 597 BCE.
Ezekiel identifies himself in verse 3 as "Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans." So he was a priest during the Babylonian captivity. It is interesting, however, that Ezekiel is never referred to by name in any other book of the Bible.