The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 12
The move outside the wall is a symbol of the captivity of dispersion
1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 Son of man, you live among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.
3 Son of man, prepare your belongings for a change of country. By day, move from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will notice, though they are a rebellious people.
4 By day, in their sight, bring out your belongings as if you were moving, and in the evening, in their sight, go out as if moving from one place to another.
5 Dig through the wall in their sight and bring them out through it.
6 In their sight you shall carry them on your shoulders, in the dark you shall take them out, and cover your face so that you do not see the ground; for I have given you as a wondrous sign to the house of Israel.
7 And I did as I was commanded: I took my belongings out by day, as if for a change; then in the evening I dug in the wall with my hand; in the dark I took them out, and carried them on my shoulders in their sight.
8 And the word of the Lord came to me in the morning, saying:
9 Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, say to you, “What are you doing?”
10 Say to them, “Thus says the Lord God: This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in the midst of it.”
11 Say, “I am your wondrous sign: As I have done, so it shall be done to them; they shall go into exile as captives;
12 And the prince who is among them will carry his belongings on his shoulders and go out in the dark; they will dig through the wall to take them out through it; he will cover his face, so that he will not see the land with his eyes.
13 I will also spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my snare; and I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, though he will die there.
14 And all who are around him to help him, and all his troops, I will scatter to all the winds; and I will draw out the sword after them.
15 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I scatter them among the nations and disperse them throughout the lands.
16 But I will leave a few of them, who escape the sword, famine, and pestilence, so that they may recount all their abominations among the nations where they go; and they will know that I am the Lord.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
18 “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with trembling and apprehension.
19 Say to the people of the land, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says concerning the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with apprehension and drink their water with dread, because their land will be stripped of its abundance due to the violence of all who live in it.
20 The inhabited cities will become desolate, and the land will be laid waste; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”