Ezekiel 24
1 And the word of Yahweh came unto 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 thee the name of the day, this selfsame day, —the king of Babylon cast himself against Jerusalem, on this selfsame 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 Put thou forth therefore, against the perverse house a parable, and say unto them Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh: Set on the caldron set it on, Moreover also pour into it water:
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 Gather the pieces thereof into it, Every good piece thigh and shoulder, With the choice of the bones, fill it:
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 Take of the choice of the rock, Moreover also pile of bones place under it, - Boil the pieces thereof, Yea let the bones of it seethe in the midst thereof.
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 Wherefore, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed. The caldron whose scum is in it, and whose scum, hath not gone out of it: Piece by piece, bring it out, There hath fallen thereon no lot.
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 own blood, hath come to be in her midst, Upon the smooth face of the cliff, hath she set it, - She hath not poured it out on the earth, that she might cover it 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 bring up indignation to execute an avenging, have I set her blood upon the smooth face of the cliff, —that it may not 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 Wherefore Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed, —Even I myself, will make large the pile.
For this cause the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood! and I will make great the burning mass.
10 Heap on the wood Kindle the fire, Consume the flesh, Yea season with spice, And let the bones be scorched.
Put on much wood, heating up the fire, boiling the flesh well, and making the soup thick, and let the bones be burned.
11 Then set it upon the live coals thereof empty, —that the copper of it may be scorched and burn. So that the impurity thereof may be annihilated within it The scum thereof be 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 With toils, hath she wearied herself, —Since her abundant scum will not go out of her, into the fire, with her scum!
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 In thine uncleanness, is lewdness; be- cause I purified thee and thou wast not purified, from thine uncleanness, thou shalt not be purified any more, until I have let mine indignation rest upon thee.
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 Yahweh, have spoken It cometh and I will perform I will not let alone, neither will I shield, Nor will I repent, - According to thy ways and according to thy doings, have they judged thee, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.
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 the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
16 Son of Man Behold me! taking away from thee the delight of thine eyes, with a stroke, - But thou shall not lament Neither shalt thou weep, Neither shall come—thy tears:
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 To groan, forbear, Over the dead—no mourning, shalt thou make Thy chaplet, bind thou on thee And thy sandals: , put thou on thy feet, And thou shalt not cover thy beard, And the bread of other men, shalt thou not eat.
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 So I spake unto the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, —and I did in the morning, as I had 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 Then said the people unto me: Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou shouldst be acting thus?
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 So I said unto them: The word of Yahweh hath come unto me, saying:
Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
21 Say to the house of Israel thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Behold me! profaning my sanctuary. The pride of your strength, The delight of your eyes And the object of the tender regard of your soul, - And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind, by the sword, shall fall.
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 Then shall ye do, as I have done.— The beard, shall ye not cover, And the bread of other men: , shall ye not eat;
And you will do as I have done, not covering your lips or taking the food of those in grief.
23 And your chaplets shall be on your heads. And your sandals on your feet, Ye shall neither lament, nor weep, - Yet shall ye pine away in your iniquities, and shall groan one to 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 So shall Ezekiel become to you a wonder, According to all that he hath done, shall ye do: When it cometh, then shall ye know that I am The Lord, Yahweh.
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 Thou, therefore Son of man, Shall it not be— In the day when I take away from them Their strength, The joy of their adorning, — The delight of their eyes And the desire 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 That in that day, one that hath escaped shall come in unto thee, —to cause thee to hear it with thine own ears?
In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it.
27 That in that day, thy mouth shall be opened unto him that hath escaped, And thou shalt speak and not be dumb any longer? So shalt thou become to them a wonder, And they shall know that, I, am Yahweh.
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.
