Ezekiel 24

1 And the word of the Lord came unto 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 thee down the name of this day, of this same day: the king of Babylon hath advanced against Jerusalem on this same 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 concerning the rebellious family a parable, and say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Set on the pot, set it on, and also 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 Gather the proper pieces into it, every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it up with the choice bones.

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

5 Take the choice of the flock, and make also a fire for the bones under it: cause it to seethe well, that even the bones therein may be fully boiled through.

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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Woe to the city of blood-guiltiness, to the pot the scum of which is yet in it, and the scum of which is not gone out of it! one of its pieces after the other take out from it: no lot is cast for 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 was in the midst of her; on the naked rock did she place it: she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it over with dust.

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 To cause my fury to arise to take vengeance, do I place her blood upon the naked rock, so that it shall not be covered up.

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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Woe to the city of blood-guiltiness! I also will myself build up a large burning pile,

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 Heaping on the wood, kindling the fire, thoroughly boiling the flesh, and stirring the mixture, that the bones may be scorched.

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

11 Then will I set it empty upon its coals, in order that it may become hot, and its copper be made to glow, and its uncleanness may be molten in it, that its 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 With fraud hath she wearied [the poor]; therefore shall not go forth from her the greatness of her scum: through fire shall her scum [be removed].

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

13 In thy uncleanness is [thy] incest; because I endeavored to cleanse thee, and thou wouldst not be clean, thou shalt not be cleansed from thy uncleanness any more, until I have assuaged my fury on thee.

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 it; it cometh to pass, and I will do it; I will not recall my decree, and I will not have pity, nor will I repent: according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall men judge thee, saith the Lord Eternal.

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 will take away from thee the desire of thy eyes by a sudden death; but thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, nor shalt thou shed a tear.

“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 Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the deceased, thy bonnet bind around thy head, and thy shoes put on thy feet, and cover not thyself to thy upper lip, and eat not the bread of [other] 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 when I had spoken unto the people in the morning, my wife died at evening: and I did in the morning as I had been commanded.

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 unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things mean for us, that thou doest so?

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

20 And I said unto them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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

21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the darling of your soul: and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind 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 cover yourselves to your upper lip, and the bread of other men shall ye not eat.

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

23 And your bonnets shall be around your heads, and your shoes shall be on your feet: ye shall not mourn nor shall ye weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and groan, looking one at the other.

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 Thus shall Ezekiel be unto you for a token; in accordance with all that he hath done shall ye do: when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord Eternal.

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 Also, thou son of man, behold, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and the coveted object 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 On that day there shall come one that hath escaped unto thee, and announce it to thy ears.

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

27 On that day shall thy mouth be opened through him that hath escaped, and thou shalt speak, and thou shalt not be silenced any more: and thou shalt be a token unto 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.”