God says Ezekiel is being sent to “the people of Israel” who have rebelled against him Ezekiel 2:3. He describes them as “impudent and stubborn” and tells Ezekiel to speak God’s words to them Ezekiel 2:4–5. The stated outcome is that they will know a prophet has been among them, whether they listen or refuse Ezekiel 2:5.
In Ezekiel 2:3–4, the speaker commissions Ezekiel with a difficult assignment: he is being sent to Israel, described as a rebellious people. Their resistance is not new; it stretches back through prior generations and continues “to this very day.” God also characterizes the current “children” as openly defiant and stubborn. These verses sit inside Ezekiel’s call story, following the overwhelming vision of God’s glory in chapter 1 and the beginning of the commission in chapter 2.
These verses present a commissioning: God speaks to Ezekiel (called “son of man”) and sends him to “the children of Israel.” The audience is defined before the content of the message is developed. The key obstacle is also defined up front: Israel is portrayed as persistently resistant to God.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with Ezekiel 2:3, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
3He said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day.