Ezekiel 24

1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

And there is a word of YHWH to me, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying,

2 “Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.

“Son of man, write! Write the name of the day for yourself, this very day; the king of Babylon has leaned toward Jerusalem in this very day.

3 Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water.

And use an allegory toward the house of rebellion, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: To set on the pot, to set [it] on, and also to pour water into it,

4 Put in the pieces of meat, every good piece— thigh and shoulder— fill it with choice bones.

To gather its pieces to it, every good piece, Thigh and shoulder, to fill in the choice of the bones.

5 Take the choicest of the flock and pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.’

To take the choice of the flock, And also to pile the bones under it, Boil it thoroughly, indeed, cook its bones in its midst.

6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Woe [to] the city of blood, A pot whose scum [is] in it, And its scum has not come out of it, By piece of it, by piece of it bring it out, a lot has not fallen on it.

7 For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.

For her blood has been in her midst, She has set it on a clear place of a rock, She has not poured it on the earth, To cover it over with dust.

8 In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’

To cause fury to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on a clear place of a rock—not to be covered.

9 Yes, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the kindling high.

Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Woe [to] the city of blood, indeed, I make the pile great.

10 Pile on the logs and kindle the fire; cook the meat well and mix in the spices; let the bones be burned.

Make the wood abundant, Kindle the fire, consume the flesh, And make the compound, And let the bones be burned.

11 Set the empty pot on its coals until it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt within; its rust will be consumed.

And cause it to stand empty on its coals, So that its bronze is hot and burning, Its uncleanness has been melted in its midst, Its scum is consumed.

12 It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.

She has wearied herself [with] sorrows, And the abundance of her scum does not go out of her, Her scum [is] in the fire.

13 Because of the indecency of your uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath against you has subsided.

Wickedness [is] in your uncleanness, Because I have cleansed you, And you have not been cleansed, You are not cleansed from your uncleanness again, Until I have caused My fury to rest on you.

14 I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’

I, YHWH, have spoken, It has come, and I have done [it], I do not free, nor do I spare, nor do I regret, According to your ways, and according to your acts, They have judged you, A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

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

And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.

“Son of man, behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you by a stroke, and you do not mourn, nor weep, nor let your tear come.

17 Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

Cease to groan [and] make no mourning [for] the dead, bind your headdress on yourself, and put your shoes on your feet, and you do not cover over the upper lip, and you do not eat [the] bread of men.”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.

And I speak to the people in the morning, and my wife dies in the evening, and I do in the morning as I have been commanded.

19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

And the people say to me, “Do you not declare to us what these [are] to us, that you are doing?”

20 So I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

And I say to them, “A word of YHWH has been to me, saying,

21 Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’

Say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am defiling My sanctuary, The excellence of your strength, The desire of your eyes, and the pitied of your soul, And your sons and your daughters whom you have left, fall by sword.

22 Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.

And you have done as I have done, You have not covered over the upper lip, And you do not eat [the] bread of men.

23 Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

And your headdresses [are] on your heads, And your shoes [are] on your feet, You do not mourn nor do you weep, And you have wasted away for your iniquities, And you have howled to one another.

24 ‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

And Ezekiel has been for a type to you; according to all that he has done you do. In its coming in—you have known that I [am] Lord YHWH.”

25 And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well,

“And you, son of man, is it not in the day of My taking from them their strength, the joy of their beauty, the desire of their eyes, and the song of their soul—their sons and their daughters?

26 on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news.

In that day the escaped one comes to you to cause the ears to hear.

27 On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

In that day your mouth is opened with the escaped and you speak, and are not silent anymore, and you have been for a type to them, and they have known that I [am] YHWH.”