Jezekiel 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,

On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, write for thyself daily from this day, on which the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem, [even] from this day.

“Son of man, write down today's date, because this is the day that the king of Babylon started his siege of Jerusalem.

3 And speak a parable to the provoking house, and thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; Set on the caldron, and pour water into it:

Then repeat the following parable to these rebellious people. Tell them that this is what the Lord God says: Get a pot and set it on the fire. Pour in some water.

4 and put the pieces into it, every prime piece, the leg and shoulder taken off from the bones,

Fill it with some good cuts of meat from the thigh and the shoulder. Put in the best bones.

5 [which are] taken from choice cattle, and burn the bones under them: her bones are boiled and cooked in the midst of her.

Choose the best animal from the flock. Pile up the fuel underneath it. Get it boiling and cook the bones in it.

6 Therefore thus saith the Lord; O bloody city, the caldron in which there is scum, and the scum has not gone out of, she has brought it forth piece by piece, no lot has fallen upon it.

So this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the city of that has shed so much blood! It is symbolized by the rusted pot, whose rust can't be cleaned off. Take out the meat bit by bit as it comes—don't choose which piece.

7 For her blood is in the midst of her; I have set it upon a smooth rock: I have not poured it out upon the earth, so that the earth should cover it;

For the blood she shed is still inside the city. She shed it openly on bare rock—she didn't even spill it on the ground and cover it up with dirt.

8 that my wrath should come up for complete vengeance to be taken: I set her blood upon a smooth rock, so as not to cover it.

In my anger and to punish, I have spilled her blood openly on bare rock, so it wouldn't be covered up.

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will also make the firebrand great,

So this is what the Lord God says: Disaster is coming to the city of that has shed so much blood. I will also pile up a large heap of firewood.

10 and I will multiply the wood, and kindle the fire, that the flesh may be consumed, and the liquor boiled away;

Put on plenty of wood and light the fire. Make sure the meat is well cooked and add spices. Burn the bones.

11 and that [it] may stand upon the coals, that her brass may be thoroughly heated, and be melted in the midst of her filthiness, and her scum may be consumed,

Then put the empty pot back on the burning coals until it's hot and the copper metal glows. This will melt the dirt inside it and get rid of the rust.

12 and her abundant scum may not come forth of her.

So far it's been impossible to clean it —even fire couldn't burn out all its rust.

13 Her scum shall become shameful, because thou didst defile thyself: and what if thou shalt be purged no more until I have accomplished my wrath?

Because of your immorality you had made yourself unclean and I tried to clean you, but you refused to let me clean away your filth. So now you won't be pure again until I've finished being angry with you.

14 I the Lord have spoken; and it shall come, and I will do [it]; I will not delay, neither will I have any mercy: I will judge thee, saith the Lord, according to thy ways, and according to thy devices: therefore will I judge thee according to thy bloodshed, and according to thy devices will I judge thee, thou unclean, notorious, and abundantly provoking one.

I, the Lord, have spoken. The time is soon coming when I will do what I say. I won't change my mind or show pity, I won't stop. I will judge you by your attitude and actions, declares the Lord God.”

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

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

16 Son of man, behold I take from thee the desire of thine eyes by violence: thou shalt not lament, neither shalt thou weep.

“Son of man, look, I'm about to take away the one you love the most. She will die. But you must not mourn or weep. Don't cry any tears.

17 Thou shalt groan for blood, and have mourning upon thy loins; thy hair shall not be braided upon thee, and thy sandals [shall be] on thy feet; thou shalt in no wise be comforted by their lips, and thou shalt not eat the bread of men.

Mourn in silence. Don't have any rituals for the dead. Dress normally—have your turban on and put your sandals on your feet. Don't veil your face and don't eat the bread used by mourners.”

18 And I spoke to the people in the morning, as he commanded me in the evening, and I did in the morning as it was commanded me.

I talked to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did as I'd been told.

19 And the people said to me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are that thou doest?

The people asked me, “What are you doing? Aren't you going to explain to us what this means?”

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

So I told them, “A message from the Lord came to me, saying:

21 Say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I [will] profane my sanctuary, the boast of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and for which your souls are concerned; and your sons and your daughters, whom ye have left, shall fall by the sword.

Tell the people of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: I am about to make my sanctuary unclean, this place you're so proud of that you think gives you power, the place you love so much, the place that makes you happy. Your sons and daughters that you left behind will be killed by the sword.

22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not be comforted at their mouth, and ye shall not eat the bread of men.

Then you'll do what I did. You won't veil your face or eat the bread used by mourners.

23 And your hair [shall be] upon your head, and your shoes on your feet: neither shall ye at all lament or weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and shall comfort every one his brother.

You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You won't mourn or weep, but you will die inside because of your sins, and you will groan to one another.

24 And Jezekiel shall be for a sign to you: according to all that I have done shall ye do, when these things shall come; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

In this way Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he did. When this happens, then you will know that I am the Lord God.

25 And thou, son of man, [shall it] not [be] in the day when I take their strength from them, the pride of their boasting, the desires of their eyes, and the pride of their soul, their sons and their daughters,

You, son of man, should know that when I destroy their fortress that is their pride and joy, the place they looked to for comfort and happiness —and their sons and daughters too—

26 that in that day he that escapes shall come to thee, to tell [it] thee in thine ears?

when that happens someone who managed to get away will come and give you the news.

27 In that day thy mouth shall be opened to him that escapes; thou shalt speak, and shalt be no longer dumb: and thou shalt be for a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

On that day you will be able to speak; you won't be mute any longer. This is how you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”