Ezekiel 24

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying,

2 “Son of man, write! Write the name of the day for yourself, this very day; the king of Babylon has leaned toward Jerusalem in this very day.

Son of man, put down in writing this very day: The king of Babylon let loose the weight of his attack against Jerusalem on this very day.

3 And use an allegory toward the house of rebellion, and you have said to them, Thus said Lord YHWH: To set on the pot, to set [it] on, and also to pour water into it,

And make a comparison for this uncontrolled people, and say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Put on the cooking-pot, put it on the fire and put water in it:

4 To gather its pieces to it, every good piece, Thigh and shoulder, to fill in the choice of the bones.

And get the bits together, the fat tail, every good part, the leg and the top part of it: make it full of the best bones.

5 To take the choice of the flock, And also to pile the bones under it, Boil it thoroughly, indeed, cook its bones in its midst.

Take the best of the flock, put much wood under it: see that its bits are boiling well; let the bones be cooked inside it.

6 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Woe [to] the city of blood, A pot whose scum [is] in it, And its scum has not come out of it, By piece of it, by piece of it bring it out, a lot has not fallen on it.

For this is what the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood, the cooking-pot which is unclean inside, which has never been made clean! take out its bits; its fate is still to come on it.

7 For her blood has been in her midst, She has set it on a clear place of a rock, She has not poured it on the earth, To cover it over with dust.

For her blood is in her; she has put it on the open rock not draining it on to the earth so that it might be covered with dust;

8 To cause fury to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on a clear place of a rock—not to be covered.

In order that it might make wrath come up to give punishment, she has put her blood on the open rock, so that it may not be covered.

9 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Woe [to] the city of blood, indeed, I make the pile great.

For this cause the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood! and I will make great the burning mass.

10 Make the wood abundant, Kindle the fire, consume the flesh, And make the compound, And let the bones be burned.

Put on much wood, heating up the fire, boiling the flesh well, and making the soup thick, and let the bones be burned.

11 And cause it to stand empty on its coals, So that its bronze is hot and burning, Its uncleanness has been melted in its midst, Its scum is consumed.

And I will put her on the coals so that she may be heated and her brass burned, so that what is unclean in her may become soft and her waste be completely taken away.

12 She has wearied herself [with] sorrows, And the abundance of her scum does not go out of her, Her scum [is] in the fire.

I have made myself tired to no purpose: still all the waste which is in her has not come out, it has an evil smell.

13 Wickedness [is] in your uncleanness, Because I have cleansed you, And you have not been cleansed, You are not cleansed from your uncleanness again, Until I have caused My fury to rest on you.

As for your unclean purpose: because I have been attempting to make you clean, but you have not been made clean from it, you will not be made clean till I have let loose my passion on you in full measure.

14 I, YHWH, have spoken, It has come, and I have done [it], I do not free, nor do I spare, nor do I regret, According to your ways, and according to your acts, They have judged you, A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

I the Lord have said the word and I will do it; I will not go back or have mercy, and my purpose will not be changed; in the measure of your ways and of your evil doings you will be judged, says the Lord.

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

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

16 “Son of man, behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you by a stroke, and you do not mourn, nor weep, nor let your tear come.

Son of man, see, I am taking away the desire of your eyes by disease: but let there be no sorrow or weeping or drops running from your eyes.

17 Cease to groan [and] make no mourning [for] the dead, bind your headdress on yourself, and put your shoes on your feet, and you do not cover over the upper lip, and you do not eat [the] bread of men.”

Let there be no sound of sorrow; make no weeping for your dead, put on your head-dress and your shoes on your feet, let not your lips be covered, and do not take the food of those in grief.

18 And I speak to the people in the morning, and my wife dies in the evening, and I do in the morning as I have been commanded.

So in the morning I was teaching the people and in the evening death took my wife; and in the morning I did what I had been ordered to do.

19 And the people say to me, “Do you not declare to us what these [are] to us, that you are doing?”

And the people said to me, Will you not make clear to us the sense of these things; is it for us you do them?

20 And I say to them, “A word of YHWH has been to me, saying,

Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

21 Say to the house of Israel, Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am defiling My sanctuary, The excellence of your strength, The desire of your eyes, and the pitied of your soul, And your sons and your daughters whom you have left, fall by sword.

Say to the people of Israel, The Lord has said, See, I will make my holy place unclean, the pride of your strength, the pleasure of your eyes, and the desire of your soul; and your sons and daughters, who did not come with you here, will be put to the sword.

22 And you have done as I have done, You have not covered over the upper lip, And you do not eat [the] bread of men.

And you will do as I have done, not covering your lips or taking the food of those in grief.

23 And your headdresses [are] on your heads, And your shoes [are] on your feet, You do not mourn nor do you weep, And you have wasted away for your iniquities, And you have howled to one another.

And your head-dresses will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet: there will be no sorrow or weeping; but you will be wasting away in the punishment of your evil-doing, and you will be looking at one another in wonder.

24 And Ezekiel has been for a type to you; according to all that he has done you do. In its coming in—you have known that I [am] Lord YHWH.”

And Ezekiel will be a sign to you; everything he has done you will do: when this takes place, you will be certain that I am the Lord.

25 “And you, son of man, is it not in the day of My taking from them their strength, the joy of their beauty, the desire of their eyes, and the song of their soul—their sons and their daughters?

And as for you, son of man, your mouth will be shut in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which their hearts are fixed, and their sons and daughters.

26 In that day the escaped one comes to you to cause the ears to hear.

In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it.

27 In that day your mouth is opened with the escaped and you speak, and are not silent anymore, and you have been for a type to them, and they have known that I [am] YHWH.”

In that day your mouth will be open to him who has got away safe, and you will say words to him and your lips will no longer be shut: so you will be a sign to them and they will be certain that I am the Lord.