< 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, write for yourself the name of this day, on which the king of Babylon was confirmed against Jerusalem today.
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 you shall speak, through a proverb, a parable to the inciting house. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Set out a cooking pot; set it out, I say, and put water into it.
4 To gather its pieces to it, every good piece, Thigh and shoulder, to fill in the choice of the bones.
Pile together within it every morsel, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the choice pieces and those full of 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 fattest from the flock, and arrange also a heap of bones under it. Its cooking has boiled over, and its bones in its midst have been thoroughly cooked.
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.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, to the cooking pot that has rust in it, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Cast it out piece by piece! No lot has fallen upon 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 midst; she has shed it upon the smoothest rock. She has not shed it upon the ground, so that it could 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.
So shall I bring my indignation over her, and take my vengeance. I have presented her blood upon the smoothest rock, so that it would not be covered.
9 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Woe [to] the city of blood, indeed, I make the pile great.
Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, out of which I will make a great funeral pyre.
10 Make the wood abundant, Kindle the fire, consume the flesh, And make the compound, And let the bones be burned.
Pile together the bones, which I will burn with fire. The flesh shall be consumed, and the entire composition shall be boiled, and the bones shall deteriorate.
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.
Also, place it empty on burning coals, so that it may be heated, and its brass may melt. And let the filth of it be melted in its midst, and let its rust be consumed.
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.
There has been much sweat and labor, and yet its extensive rust has not gone out of it, not even by fire.
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.
Your uncleanness is execrable. For I wanted to cleanse you, and you have not been cleansed from your filth. So then, neither will you be cleansed before I cause my indignation over you to cease.
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 spoken. It shall happen, and I will act. I will not pass over, nor be lenient, nor be placated. I will judge you according to your ways and according to your intentions, 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, behold, I am taking away from you, with a stroke, the desire of your eyes. And you shall not lament, and you shall not weep. And your tears shall not flow down.
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.”
Groan silently; you shall make no mourning for the dead. Let the band of your crown be on you, and let your shoes be on your feet. And you shall not cover your face, nor shall you eat the food of those who mourn.”
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.
Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning. And my wife died in the evening. And in the morning, I did just as he had instructed me.
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: “Why won’t you explain to us what these things signify, which you are doing?”
20 And I say to them, “A word of YHWH has been to me, saying,
And 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.
‘Speak to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will defile my sanctuary, the pride of your realm, and the desire of your eyes, and the dread of your soul. Your sons and your daughters, whom you have forsaken, will fall by 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 so, you shall do just as I have done. You shall not cover your faces, and you shall not eat the food of those who mourn.
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.
You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet. You shall not lament, and you shall not weep. Instead, you will waste away in your iniquities, and each one will groan to his brother.
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 shall be a portent for you. In accord with all that he has done, so shall you do, when this will happen. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.’”
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, behold, in the day when I will take away from them their strength, and the joy of their dignity, and the desire of their eyes, in which their souls find rest: their sons and their daughters,
26 In that day the escaped one comes to you to cause the ears to hear.
in that day, when one who is fleeing will come to you, so that he may report to you,
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, I say, your mouth shall be opened to him who has fled. And you shall speak, and you shall no longer be silent. And you shall be for them a portent. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”