Ezekiel 22

1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2 “As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations

“You, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.

3 and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself,

You shall say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “A city that sheds blood within herself, that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her!

4 you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.

You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made! You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

5 Those near and far will mock you, O infamous city, full of turmoil.

Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

6 See how every prince of Israel within you has used his power to shed blood.

“‘“Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.

7 Father and mother are treated with contempt. Within your walls the foreign resident is exploited, the fatherless and the widow are oppressed.

In you have they treated father and mother with contempt. Amongst you they have oppressed the foreigner. In you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.

8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.

You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

9 Among you are slanderous men bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines and commit acts of indecency.

Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood. In you they have eaten on the mountains. They have committed lewdness amongst you.

10 In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.

In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

11 One man commits an abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another wickedly defiles his daughter-in-law; and yet another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.

One has committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife, and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. Another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

12 In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbours by oppression, and have forgotten me,” says the Lord GOD.

13 Now look, I strike My hands together against your unjust gain and against the blood you have shed in your midst.

“‘“Behold, therefore I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at the blood which has been shed within you.

14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act.

Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it, and will do it.

15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you throughout the lands; I will purge your uncleanness.

I will scatter you amongst the nations, and disperse you through the countries. I will purge your filthiness out of you.

16 And when you have defiled yourself in the eyes of the nations, then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

You will be profaned in yourself in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”’”

17 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me. All of them are copper, tin, iron, and lead inside the furnace; they are but the dross of silver.

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are the dross of silver.

19 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because all of you have become dross, behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem.

Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem.

20 Just as one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into the furnace to melt with a fiery blast, so I will gather you in My anger and wrath, leave you there, and melt you.

As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there and melt you.

21 Yes, I will gather you together and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted within the city.

Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the middle of it.

22 As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted within the city. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath upon you.’”

As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you will be melted in the middle of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my wrath on you.’”

23 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

24 “Son of man, say to her, ‘In the day of indignation, you are a land that has not been cleansed, upon which no rain has fallen.’

“Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’

25 The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it.

26 Her priests do violence to My law and profane My holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they fail to distinguish between the clean and the unclean. They disregard My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned amongst them.

27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

28 Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.

Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, ‘The Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.

29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery. Yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

30 I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, so that I should not destroy it. But I found no one.

“I sought for a man amongst them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

31 So I have poured out My indignation upon them and consumed them with the fire of My fury. I have brought their ways down upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD.”

Therefore I have poured out my indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have brought their own way on their heads,” says the Lord GOD.