Ezekiel 24

1 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,

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

2 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.

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

3 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:

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.

4 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.

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

5 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.

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

6 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.

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.

7 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;

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.

8 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.

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.’

9 For this cause the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood! and I will make great the burning mass.

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

10 Put on much wood, heating up the fire, boiling the flesh well, and making the soup thick, and let the bones be burned.

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

11 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.

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.

12 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.

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

13 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.

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.

14 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.

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,’

15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

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

16 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.

“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.

17 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.

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.”

18 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.

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.

19 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?

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

20 Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

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

21 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.

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.’

22 And you will do as I have done, not covering your lips or taking the food of those in grief.

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

23 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.

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.

24 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.

‘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.’

25 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.

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,

26 In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it.

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

27 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.

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.”