Ezekiel 22
1 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 “So, son of man, are you ready to judge them? Are you ready to judge the people of this city that have caused so much bloodshed? Make them face all the disgusting things they've done,
"You, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.
3 and tell them that this is what the Lord God says: You are a city who has caused your own doom by murdering people within your walls, and by making idols to worship that made you unclean.
You shall say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Woe to the city that sheds blood in the midst of her, so that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her.
4 You are guilty of murder, and you have made yourself unclean by the idols you've made. You have shortened your lives—your time is up! That's why other people taunt you—everyone mocks you.
You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made; and you have caused your days to draw near, and have come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.
5 People far and near will laugh at you, you corrupt city full of confusion!
Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall mock you, you infamous one and full of tumult.
6 Look at how all of your leaders in Israel use their power to murder.
"'"Look, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.
7 You despise your parents. You exploit the foreigners who live with you, and you mistreat orphans and widows.
In you have they set light by father and mother; in the midst of you have they dealt by oppression with the foreigner; in you have they wronged the fatherless and the widow.
8 You detest my holy things and violate my Sabbaths.
You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.
9 Living among you are people who falsely accuse others in order to put them to death. You also have those who eat religious meals at pagan shrines in the mountains, and commit immoral acts within the city.
Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood; and in you they have eaten on the mountains: in the midst of you they have committed lewdness.
10 Some of those living in the city have sex with their father's wives or with women during their period.
In you have they uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.
11 You're home to evil men. One does disgusting things with someone else's wife. Another seduces his daughter-in-law, while another rapes his sister, the daughter of his own father.
One has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter.
12 Your people take money to murder others. You charge interest and make a profit on loans, and use extortion to get money from your neighbors. You have forgotten all about me, declares the Lord God.
In you have they taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me,' says the LORD.
13 So watch out! I clap my hands in condemnation at your dishonest profiteering and at all your murders.
"'"Look, therefore, I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in the midst of you.
14 Are you going to be so brave, and will you be strong enough to defend yourselves when it comes time for me to deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I'm going to act.
Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it, and will do it.
15 I'm going to scatter you among the nations and the different countries. I will put a stop to your unclean acts.
I will scatter you among the nations, and disperse you through the countries; and I will consume your filthiness out of you.
16 For when everyone else sees how you've made yourselves unclean, then you will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”
You shall be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the LORD."'"
17 A message from the Lord came to me, saying,
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
18 “Son of man, the people of Israel have ended up like the impurities left over from refining metal. They're all like copper, tin, iron, and lead in the furnace—they are just the impurities left from refining silver.
"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me: all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.
19 So this is what the Lord God says: Because all of you have ended up like impurities, watch as I collect you together in Jerusalem.
Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Because you have all become dross, therefore, look, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20 In the same way a refiner collects silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin and puts them in the blast furnace to melt them with fire, I'm going to collect you in my burning anger, and keep you there until I melt you.
As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.
21 I'm going to collect you all together and blast you with the fire of my anger, and you'll be melted there in the city.
Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.
22 Just as silver is melted in a furnace, so you'll be melted in the city. Then you will realize that I, the Lord, have made you experience my anger.”
As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so you will be melted in its midst; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my wrath on you.'"
23 Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,
The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
24 “Son of man, tell the city of Jerusalem, at the time of punishment, you are a country that has not been made clean, a place where no rain has fallen,
"Son of man, tell her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation,'
25 Her leaders conspire together and it's like watching a roaring lion ripping up its prey. They destroy the people, grab everything that's valuable, and make many more widows in the city.
whose princes within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in its midst.
26 Her priests pervert my law and make my holy things unclean. They don't distinguish between what is holy and what is ordinary, and they don't separate the clean from the unclean. They forget about my Sabbaths, and they lead people to treat me with no respect.
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, and I am profaned among them.
27 Her city officials are like wolves ripping up their prey, killing people, destroying lives so they can profit through fraud.
Her officials in its midst are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.
28 Her prophets cover up what they do, using false visions as whitewash and prophecies that are lies, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord hasn't said anything.
Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, 'Thus says the LORD,' when the LORD has not spoken.
29 The people of this country are extortioners and robbers. They mistreat the poor and those in need and exploit the foreigners, treating them totally unfairly.
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 I tried to find one of them repair the wall and defend the gap so when I came I wouldn't destroy it—but I couldn't find anyone.
"And I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.
31 So I have let them experience my hostility, burning them up with the fire of my anger. I have made sure they suffer the consequences of what they've done, declares the Lord God.”
Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the LORD."
