Introduction

The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Tanakh and one of the major prophetic books in the Old Testament, following Isaiah and Jeremiah. According to the book itself, it records six visions of the prophet Ezekiel, exiled in Babylon, during the 22 years from 593 to 571 BC, although it is the product of a long and complex history and does not necessarily preserve the very words of the prophet.Its themes include the concepts of the presence of God, purity, Israel as a divine community, and individual responsibility to God. 

Content

The visions, and the book, are structured around three themes: 

1. Judgment on Israel (chapters 1–24); 

2. Judgment on the nations (chapters 25–32); and 

3. Future blessings for Israel (chapters 33–48). 

Author

The Book of Ezekiel describes itself as the words of the Ezekiel ben-Buzi, a priest living in exile in the city of Babylon between 593 and 571 BC. Most scholars today accept the basic authenticity of the book, but see in it significant additions by a "school" of later followers of the original prophet. According to Jewish tradition, the Men of the Great Assembly wrote the Book of Ezekiel, based on the prophet's words.

The rest of this comprehensive Wikipedia article on the book can be read here.

An extract from BHFA Volume 5

Ezekiel 1:3a

הָיֹה  הָיָה  דְבַר  יְהוָה      אֶל־  יְחֶזְקֵאל

  Israel unto Yahweh the word of it was indeed

• KJB The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel

• NASB the word of the LORD came expressly to Ezekiel

• ESV the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel

• NLT The LORD gave this message to Ezekiel

• NIV the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel

This construction consists of the qal infinitive absolute followed by the qal perf. 3ms of the verb meaning, "to be."

The infinitive absolute has an emphatic function. In order to emphasize the certainty of the verbal meaning, the infinitive absolute will immediately precede a perf. or impf. verb of the same root.

The English translation will often require the use of adverbs such as, "surely," "certainly," and "indeed."

The KJB got it right:

"The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel."

An extract from BHFA Volume 5

Ezekiel 39:2a

וְשֹׁבַבְתִּיךָ   וְשִׁשֵּׁאתִיךָ

and I will lead you on   I will turn you around

• KJB And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee,

• NASB and I will turn you around, lead you on a rope

• ESV And I will turn you about and drive you forward,

• NLT I will turn you around and drive you

• NIV I will turn you around and drag you along.

• YLT And have turned thee back, and enticed thee,

The first word in the Hebrew does not present any problems.

It is the second word that is problematic. This word is a hapax legomenon: a word that appears only once in the Hebrew Bible, and therefore we do not know for sure what it means. In BHS it is accompanied by a footnote.

וְשִׁשֵּׁאתִיךָ

Waw consecutive + Pi'el perf. 1cs + suffix 2ms of the root שׁשּא apparently meaning, "to lead on," or "to annihilate," or "leave by the sixth part." The latter translation is confusing it with שָׁסָה which means, "to plunder, spoil."

The footnote mentions that a Targum has the form וְהִשֵּׁאתִיךָ which is the hiph'il perf. 1cs of the root נשׁא meaning, "and I will beguile (deceive) you."