Ezekiel 24
1 The word of Yahweh came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, saying,
AGAIN in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 “Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, this exact day, for this exact day the king of Babylon has besieged Jerusalem.
Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
3 So speak a proverb against this rebellious house, a parable. Say to them, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Place the cooking pot. Place it and pour water into it.
And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
4 Gather pieces of food within it, every good piece—the thigh and shoulder— and fill it with the best bones.
Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take the best of the flock and pile up the bones under it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
6 Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood, a cooking pot that has rust in it and that rust will not come out of it. Take piece after piece from it, but do not cast lots for it.
Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her. She has set it on the smooth rock; she has not poured it out on the ground to cover it with dust,
For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
8 so it brings fury up to exact vengeance. I placed her blood on the smooth rock so it could not be covered.
That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
9 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10 Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred.
Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
11 Then set the pot on its coals empty, in order to heat and scorch its bronze, so its uncleanness within it will be melted, its corrosion consumed.'
Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
12 She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her by the fire.
She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
13 Your shameful behavior is in your uncleanness. Because I tried to cleanse you but still you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be cleansed anymore until I have satisfied my fury upon you.
In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
14 I, Yahweh, have declared it, and I will do it. I will not relent nor will I rest from it. As your ways were, and as your activities, they will judge you!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.”
I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.
15 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
16 “Son of man! Behold, I am taking the desire of your eyes from you with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow.
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17 You must groan silently. Do not conduct a funeral for the dead. Tie your turban on you and place your sandals on your feet, but do not veil your facial hair or eat the bread of men who mourn for having lost their wives.”
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I did what I had been commanded to do.
So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19 The people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean, the things that you are doing?”
And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20 So I said to them, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
21 'Say to the house of Israel, the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will desecrate my sanctuary—the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword.
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22 Then you will do exactly as I have done: you will not veil your facial hair, nor eat the bread of mourning men!
And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23 Instead, your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn nor weep, for you will melt away in your iniquities, and each man will groan for his brother.
And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 So Ezekiel will be a sign for you, as everything that he has done you will do when this comes. Then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh!'”
Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
25 “But you, son of man, on the day that I capture their temple, which is their joy, their pride, and what they see and desire—and when I take away their sons and daughters—
Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26 on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news!
That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27 On that day your mouth will be opened up to that refugee and you will speak—you will no longer be silent. You will be a sign for them so that they will know that I am Yahweh.”
In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
