Ezekiel 22

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “And you, son of man, do you judge? Do you judge the city of blood? Then you have caused it to know all its abominations,

Now, you son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? yes, you shall show her all her abominations.

3 and you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH: The city is shedding blood in its midst, For the coming in of its time, And it has made idols on it for defilement.

Then say you, Thus says the Lord GOD, The city sheds blood in the middle of it, that her time may come, and makes idols against herself to defile herself.

4 You have been guilty by your blood that you have shed, And you have been defiled by your idols that you have made, And you cause your days to draw near, And have come to your years, Therefore I have given you [for] a reproach to nations, And a derision to all the lands.

You are become guilty in your blood that you have shed; and have defiled yourself in your idols which you have made; and you have caused your days to draw near, and are come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

5 The near and the far-off from you scoff at you, O defiled of name—abounding in trouble.

Those that be near, and those that be far from you, shall mock you, which are infamous and much vexed.

6 Behold, princes of Israel—each according to his arm Have been in you to shed blood.

Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in you to their power to shed blood.

7 They have made light of father and mother in you, They dealt oppressively to a sojourner in your midst, They oppressed fatherless and widow in you.

In you have they set light by father and mother: in the middle of you have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in you have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

8 You have despised My holy things, And you have defiled My Sabbaths.

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

9 Men of slander have been in you to shed blood, And they have eaten on the mountains in you, They have done wickedness in your midst.

In you are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in you they eat on the mountains: in the middle of you they commit lewdness.

10 One has uncovered the nakedness of a father in you, They humbled the menstruous woman in you.

In you have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in you have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

11 And each has done abomination with the wife of his neighbor, And each has defiled his daughter-in-law through wickedness, And each has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter, in you.

And 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 They have taken a bribe to shed blood in you, You have taken usury and increase, And cut off your neighbor by oppression, And you have forgotten Me, A declaration of Lord YHWH!

In you have they taken gifts to shed blood; you have taken usury and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten me, says the Lord GOD.

13 And behold, I have struck My hand, Because of your dishonest gain that you have gained, And for your blood that has been in your midst.

Behold, therefore I have smitten my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in the middle of you.

14 Does your heart stand—are your hands strong, For the days that I am dealing with you? I, YHWH, have spoken and have done [it].

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 And I have scattered you among nations, And have spread you out among lands, And consumed your uncleanness out of you.

And I will scatter you among the heathen, and disperse you in the countries, and will consume your filthiness out of you.

16 And you have been defiled in yourself Before the eyes of nations, And you have known that I [am] YHWH.”

And you shall take your inheritance in yourself in the sight of the heathen, and you shall know that I am the LORD.

17 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has been for dross to Me, All of them [are] bronze, and tin, and iron, and lead, In the midst of a furnace—silver has been dross,

Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

19 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because you have all become dross, Therefore, behold, I am gathering you into the midst of Jerusalem,

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; Because you are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem.

20 A gathering of silver, and bronze, and iron, and lead, and tin, Into the midst of a furnace—to blow fire on it, to melt it, So I gather in My anger and in My fury, And I have let rest, and have melted you.

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

21 And I have heaped you up, And blown on you in the fire of My wrath, And you have been melted in its midst.

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

22 As the melting of silver in the midst of a furnace, So you are melted in its midst, And you have known that I, YHWH, have poured out My fury on you.”

As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so shall you be melted in the middle thereof; and you shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury on you.

23 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

24 “Son of man, say to it, You [are] a land, It [is] not cleansed nor rained on in a day of indignation.

Son of man, say to her, You are the land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation.

25 A conspiracy of its prophets [is] in its midst, As a roaring lion tearing prey; They have devoured the soul, They have taken wealth and glory, Its widows have multiplied in its midst.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the middle thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the middle thereof.

26 Its priests have wronged My law, And they defile My holy things, They have not made separation between holy and common, And they have not made known [the difference] between the unclean and the clean, And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, And I am pierced in their midst.

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

27 Its princes [are] as wolves in its midst, Tearing prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, For the sake of gaining dishonest gain.

Her princes in the middle thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

28 And its prophets have coated with chalk for them, Seeing a vain thing, and divining a lie for them, Saying, Thus said Lord YHWH, And YHWH has not spoken.

And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord GOD, when the LORD has not spoken.

29 The people of the land have used oppression, And have taken plunder away violently, And have oppressed humble and needy, And oppressed the sojourner without judgment.

The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yes, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

30 And I seek from them a man making a wall, And standing in the breach before Me, In behalf of the land—not to destroy it, And I have found none.

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

31 And I pour out My indignation on them, I have consumed them by [the] fire of My wrath, I have put their way on their own head, A declaration of Lord YHWH!”

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