< Ezekiel 24 >

1 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying,
2 Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this selfsame day; the king of Babylon drew close to Jerusalem this selfsame day.
Son of man, put down in writing this very day: The king of Babylon let loose the weight of his attack against Jerusalem on this very day.
3 And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, Thus says the lord Jehovah: Set on the caldron. Set it on, and also pour water into it.
And make a comparison for this uncontrolled people, and say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Put on the cooking-pot, put it on the fire and put water in it:
4 Gather the pieces of it into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
And get the bits together, the fat tail, every good part, the leg and the top part of it: make it full of the best bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile of wood for the bones under the caldron. Make it boil well, yea, let the bones of it be boiled in the midst of it.
Take the best of the flock, put much wood under it: see that its bits are boiling well; let the bones be cooked inside it.
6 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city, to the caldron whose rust is therein, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece. No lot has fallen upon it.
For this is what the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood, the cooking-pot which is unclean inside, which has never been made clean! take out its bits; its fate is still to come on it.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her. She set it upon the bare rock. She did not pour it upon the ground to cover it with dust.
For her blood is in her; she has put it on the open rock not draining it on to the earth so that it might be covered with dust;
8 That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered.
In order that it might make wrath come up to give punishment, she has put her blood on the open rock, so that it may not be covered.
9 Therefore thus says the lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.
For this cause the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood! and I will make great the burning mass.
10 Heap on the wood; make the fire hot. Boil the flesh well, and make the broth thick. And let the bones be burned.
Put on much wood, heating up the fire, boiling the flesh well, and making the soup thick, and let the bones be burned.
11 Then set it empty upon the coals of it, that it may be hot, and the brass of it may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
And I will put her on the coals so that she may be heated and her brass burned, so that what is unclean in her may become soft and her waste be completely taken away.
12 She has wearied herself with toil, yet her great scum does not go forth out of her, her scum by fire.
I have made myself tired to no purpose: still all the waste which is in her has not come out, it has an evil smell.
13 In thy filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed thee and thou were not cleansed, thou shall not be cleansed from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my wrath toward thee to rest.
As for your unclean purpose: because I have been attempting to make you clean, but you have not been made clean from it, you will not be made clean till I have let loose my passion on you in full measure.
14 I, Jehovah, have spoken it. It shall come to pass, and I will do it. I will not go back. I will neither spare, nor will I relent. According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, they shall judge thee, says the lord Jehovah.
I the Lord have said the word and I will do it; I will not go back or have mercy, and my purpose will not be changed; in the measure of your ways and of your evil doings you will be judged, says the Lord.
15 Also the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
16 Son of man, behold, I take the desire of thine eyes away from thee with a stroke. Yet thou shall neither mourn nor weep. Neither shall thy tears run down.
Son of man, see, I am taking away the desire of your eyes by disease: but let there be no sorrow or weeping or drops running from your eyes.
17 Sigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind thy headdress upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet. And do not cover thy lips, and do not eat the bread of men.
Let there be no sound of sorrow; make no weeping for your dead, put on your head-dress and your shoes on your feet, let not your lips be covered, and do not take the food of those in grief.
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded.
So in the morning I was teaching the people and in the evening death took my wife; and in the morning I did what I had been ordered to do.
19 And the people said to me, Will thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou do so?
And the people said to me, Will you not make clear to us the sense of these things; is it for us you do them?
20 Then I said to them, The word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
21 Speak to the house of Israel, Thus says the lord Jehovah: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul has compassion. And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.
Say to the people of Israel, The Lord has said, See, I will make my holy place unclean, the pride of your strength, the pleasure of your eyes, and the desire of your soul; and your sons and daughters, who did not come with you here, will be put to the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done. Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
And you will do as I have done, not covering your lips or taking the food of those in grief.
23 And your coverings shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. Ye shall not mourn nor weep, but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.
And your head-dresses will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet: there will be no sorrow or weeping; but you will be wasting away in the punishment of your evil-doing, and you will be looking at one another in wonder.
24 Thus Ezekiel shall be to you a sign, according to all that he has done ye shall do. When this comes, then ye shall know that I am the lord Jehovah.
And Ezekiel will be a sign to you; everything he has done you will do: when this takes place, you will be certain that I am the Lord.
25 And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that upon which they set their heart-their sons and their daughters-
And as for you, son of man, your mouth will be shut in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which their hearts are fixed, and their sons and daughters.
26 that in that day he who escapes shall come to thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it.
27 In that day thy mouth shall be opened to him who is escaped, and thou shall speak, and no more be mute. So thou shall be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am Jehovah.
In that day your mouth will be open to him who has got away safe, and you will say words to him and your lips will no longer be shut: so you will be a sign to them and they will be certain that I am the Lord.

< Ezekiel 24 >