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,

The word of Yahweh came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and 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, this exact day, for this exact day the king of Babylon has besieged 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:

So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Place the cooking pot. Place it and pour 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.

Gather pieces of food within it, every good piece—the thigh and shoulder— and fill it with the best 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 best of the flock and pile up the bones under 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 the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood, a cooking pot that has rust in it and that rust will not come out of it. Take piece after piece from it, but do not cast lots for 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 the midst of her. She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out 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.

so it brings fury up to exact vengeance. I placed her blood on the smooth rock so it could 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.

Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood.

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

Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred.

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.

Then set the pot on its coals empty, in order to heat and scorch its bronze, so its uncleanness within it will be melted, its corrosion 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.

She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her 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.

Your shameful behavior is in your uncleanness. Because I tried to cleanse you but still you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be cleansed anymore until I have satisfied my fury upon you.

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, Yahweh, have declared it, and I will do it. I will not relent nor will I rest from it. As your ways were, and as your activities, they will judge you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”

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

Then the word of Yahweh 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 the desire of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not 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.

You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not veil your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives.”

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 my wife died in the evening. In the morning I did what I had been commanded to do.

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?

The people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean, the things that you are doing?”

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

So I said to them, “The word of Yahweh 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.

'Say to the house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will desecrate my sanctuary—the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom 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 exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men!

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.

Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will melt away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for 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.

So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'”

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.

“But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their temple, which is their joy, their pride, and what they see and desire—and when I take away their sons and daughters—

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

on that day, a refugee will come to you to give 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 up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh.”