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,
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, 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 for yourself the name of this day, on which the king of Babylon was confirmed against Jerusalem today.
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:
And you shall speak, through a proverb, a parable to the inciting house. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Set out a cooking pot; set it out, I say, and put water into it.
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.
Pile together within it every morsel, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the choice pieces and those full of 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 fattest from the flock, and arrange also a heap of bones under it. Its cooking has boiled over, and its bones in its midst have been thoroughly cooked.
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.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, to the cooking pot that has rust in it, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Cast it out piece by piece! No lot has fallen upon it.
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 her blood is in her midst; she has shed it upon the smoothest rock. She has not shed it upon the ground, so that it could be covered 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.
So shall I bring my indignation over her, and take my vengeance. I have presented her blood upon the smoothest 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.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, out of which I will make a great funeral pyre.
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 together the bones, which I will burn with fire. The flesh shall be consumed, and the entire composition shall be boiled, and the bones shall deteriorate.
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.
Also, place it empty on burning coals, so that it may be heated, and its brass may melt. And let the filth of it be melted in its midst, and let its rust 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.
There has been much sweat and labor, and yet its extensive rust has not gone out of it, not even by 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.
Your uncleanness is execrable. For I wanted to cleanse you, and you have not been cleansed from your filth. So then, neither will you be cleansed before I cause my indignation over you to cease.
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. It shall happen, and I will act. I will not pass over, nor be lenient, nor be placated. I will judge you according to your ways and according to your intentions, says the Lord.”
15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And 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 taking away from you, with a stroke, the desire of your eyes. And you shall not lament, and you shall not weep. And your tears shall not flow down.
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 silently; you shall make no mourning for the dead. Let the band of your crown be on you, and let your shoes be on your feet. And you shall not cover your face, nor shall you eat the food of those who mourn.”
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.
Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning. And my wife died in the evening. And in the morning, I did just as he had instructed me.
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?
And the people said to me: “Why won’t you explain to us what these things signify, which you are doing?”
20 Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
And I said to 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.
‘Speak to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will defile my sanctuary, the pride of your realm, and the desire of your eyes, and the dread of your soul. Your sons and your daughters, whom you have forsaken, 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.
And so, you shall do just as I have done. You shall not cover your faces, and you shall not eat the food of those who mourn.
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.
You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet. You shall not lament, and you shall not weep. Instead, you will waste away in your iniquities, and each one will groan to his brother.
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.
‘And Ezekiel shall be a portent for you. In accord with all that he has done, so shall you do, when this will happen. And you shall 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 as for you, son of man, behold, in the day when I will take away from them their strength, and the joy of their dignity, and the desire of their eyes, in which their souls find rest: their sons and their daughters,
26 In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it.
in that day, when one who is fleeing will come to you, so that he may report to you,
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.
in that day, I say, your mouth shall be opened to him who has fled. And you shall speak, and you shall no longer be silent. And you shall be for them a portent. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”
