Ezekiel 24

1 And the word of the LORD came unto me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, saying:

2 'Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this selfsame day; this selfsame day the king of Babylon hath invested Jerusalem.

3 And utter a parable concerning the rebellious house, and say unto them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Set on the pot, set it on, and also pour water into it;

4 Gather into it the pieces belonging to it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

5 Take the choice of the flock, and pile also the bones under it; make it boil well, that the bones thereof may also be seethed in the midst of it.

6 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose filth is therein, and whose filth is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; no lot is fallen upon it.

7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the bare rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

8 that it might cause fury to come up, that vengeance might be taken, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered.

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great,

10 heaping on the wood, kindling the fire, that the flesh may be consumed; and preparing the mixture, that the bones also may be burned;

11 then will I set it empty upon the coals thereof, that it may be hot, and the bottom thereof may burn, and that the impurity of it may be molten in it, that the filth of it may be consumed.

12 It hath wearied itself with toil; yet its great filth goeth not forth out of it, yea, its noisome filth.

13 Because of thy filthy lewdness, because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have satisfied My fury upon thee.

14 I the LORD have spoken it; it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.'

15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

16 'Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke; yet neither shalt thou make lamentation nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

17 Sigh in silence; make no mourning for the dead, bind thy headtire upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thine upper lip, and eat not the bread of men.'

18 So I spoke unto the people in the morning, and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

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

20 Then I said unto them: 'The word of the LORD came unto me, saying:

21 Speak unto the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the longing of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.

22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your upper lips, nor eat the bread of men;

23 and your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet; ye shall not make lamentation nor weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.

24 Thus shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign; according to all that he hath done shall ye do; when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord GOD.

25 And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and the yearning of their soul, their sons and their daughters,

26 that in that day he that escapeth shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened together with him that is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb; so shalt thou be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.'