Jezekiel 22

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

Moreover the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

2 And you, son of man, will you judge the bloody city? yes, declare you to her all her iniquities.

“You, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.

3 And you shall say, Thus says the Lord God: O city that sheds blood in the midst of her, so that her time should come, and that forms devices against herself, to defile herself;

You shall say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “A city that sheds blood within herself, that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her!

4 in their blood which you have shed, you have transgressed; and in your devices which you have formed, you have polluted yourself; and you have brought near your days, and have brought on the time of your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the Gentiles, and a mockery to all the countries,

You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made! You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

5 to those near you, and to those far distant from you; and they shall mock you, [you that are] notoriously unclean, and abundant in iniquities.

Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

6 Behold, the princes of the house of Israel have conspired in you each one with his kindred, that they might shed blood.

“‘“Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.

7 In you they have reviled father and mother; and in you they have behaved unjustly towards the stranger: they have oppressed the orphan and widow.

In you have they treated father and mother with contempt. Amongst you they have oppressed the foreigner. In you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.

8 And they have set at nothing my holy things, and in you they have profaned my sabbaths.

You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

9 [There are] robbers in you, to shed blood in you; and in you they have eaten upon the mountains: they have wrought ungodliness in the midst of you.

Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood. In you they have eaten on the mountains. They have committed lewdness amongst you.

10 In you they have uncovered the father's shame; and in you they have humbled her that was set apart for uncleanness.

In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

11 They have dealt unlawfully each one with his neighbour's wife; and each one in ungodliness has defiled his daughter-in-law: and in you they have humbled each one his sister, the daughter of his father.

One has committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife, and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. Another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

12 In you they have received gifts to shed blood; they have received in you interest and usurious increase; and by oppression you have brought your wickedness to the full, and have forgotten me, says the Lord.

In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbours by oppression, and have forgotten me,” says the Lord GOD.

13 And if I shall strike my hand at [your iniquities] which you have accomplished, which you have wrought, and at your blood that has been shed in the midst of you,

“‘“Behold, therefore I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at the blood which has been shed within you.

14 shall your heart endure? shall your hands be strong in the days which I bring upon you? I the Lord have spoken, and will do [it].

Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it, and will do it.

15 And I will scatter you amongst the nations, and disperse you in the countries, and your uncleanness shall be removed out of you.

I will scatter you amongst the nations, and disperse you through the countries. I will purge your filthiness out of you.

16 And I will give heritages in you in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the Lord.

You will be profaned in yourself in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the LORD.”’”

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

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

18 Son of man, behold, the house of Israel are all become to me [as it were] mixed with brass, and iron, and tin, and lead; they are mixed up in the midst of the silver.

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are bronze, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are the dross of silver.

19 Therefore say, Thus says the Lord God; Because you have become one mixture, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem.

20 As silver, and brass, and iron, and tin, and lead, are gathered into the midst of the furnace, to blow fire into it, that they may be melted: so will I take [you] in my wrath, and I will gather and melt you.

As they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there and melt you.

21 And I will blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst thereof.

Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the middle of it.

22 As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst thereof; and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you.

As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you will be melted in the middle of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my wrath on you.’”

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

The LORD’s word came to me, saying,

24 Son of man, say to her, You are the land that is not rained upon, neither has rain come upon you in the day of wrath;

“Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained on in the day of indignation.’

25 whose princes in the midst of her are as roaring lions seizing prey, devouring souls by oppression, and taking bribes; and your widows are multiplied in the midst of you.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it.

26 Her priests also have set at nothing my law, and profaned my holy things: they have not distinguished between the holy and profane, nor have they distinguished between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I was profaned in the midst of them.

Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned amongst them.

27 Her princes in the midst of her are as wolves ravening to shed blood, that they may get dishonest gain.

Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

28 And her prophets that daub them shall fall, that see vanities, that prophesy falsehoods, saying, Thus says the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken.

Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, ‘The Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.

29 That sorely oppress the people of the land with injustice, and commit robbery; oppressing the poor and needy, and not dealing justly with the stranger.

The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery. Yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

30 And I sought from amongst them a man behaving uprightly, and standing before me perfectly in the time of wrath, so that I should not utterly destroy her: but I found [him] not.

“I sought for a man amongst them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

31 So I have poured out my wrath upon her in the fury of mine anger, to accomplish [it]. I have recompensed their ways on their own heads, says the Lord God.

Therefore I have poured out my indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have brought their own way on their heads,” says the Lord GOD.