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,

And the word of the Lord came unto me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, 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 down the name of this day, of this same day: the king of Babylon hath advanced against Jerusalem on 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 speak concerning the rebellious family a parable, and say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Set on the 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 proper pieces into it, every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it up 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 make also a fire for the bones under it: cause it to seethe well, that even the bones therein may be fully boiled through.

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.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Woe to the city of blood-guiltiness, to the pot the scum of which is yet in it, and the scum of which is not gone out of it! one of its pieces after the other take out from it: no lot is cast for 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 was in the midst of her; on the naked rock did she place it: she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it over 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.

To cause my fury to arise to take vengeance, do I place her blood upon the naked rock, so that it shall not be covered up.

9 Therefore, the Lord Yahweh says this: Woe to the city of blood. I will also enlarge the pile of wood.

Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Woe to the city of blood-guiltiness! I also will myself build up a large burning pile,

10 Stack up the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well and mix in the spices and let the bones be charred.

Heaping on the wood, kindling the fire, thoroughly boiling the flesh, and stirring the mixture, that the bones may be scorched.

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 will I set it empty upon its coals, in order that it may become hot, and its copper be made to glow, and its uncleanness may be molten in it, that its scum may be consumed.

12 She has become weary because of toil, but her corrosion has not gone out of her by the fire.

With fraud hath she wearied [the poor]; therefore shall not go forth from her the greatness of her scum: through fire shall her scum [be removed].

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 uncleanness is [thy] incest; because I endeavored to cleanse thee, and thou wouldst not be clean, thou shalt not be cleansed from thy uncleanness any more, until I have assuaged my fury on 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 cometh to pass, and I will do it; I will not recall my decree, and I will not have pity, nor will I repent: according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall men judge thee, saith the Lord Eternal.

15 Then the word of Yahweh came 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 with a plague, but you must not mourn nor weep, and your tears must not flow.

Son of man, behold, I will take away from thee the desire of thy eyes by a sudden death; but thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, nor shalt thou shed a tear.

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.”

Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the deceased, thy bonnet bind around thy head, and thy shoes put on thy feet, and cover not thyself to thy upper lip, and eat not the bread of [other] 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.

And when I had spoken unto the people in the morning, my wife died at evening: and I did in the morning as I had been 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 mean for us, that thou doest so?

20 So I said to them, “The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

And I said unto 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 hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the darling of your soul: and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind 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 yourselves to your upper lip, and the bread of other men shall ye not eat.

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 bonnets shall be around your heads, and your shoes shall be on your feet: ye shall not mourn nor shall ye weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and groan, looking one at the other.

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 shall Ezekiel be unto you for a token; in accordance with all that he hath done shall ye do: when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord Eternal.

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, behold, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and the coveted object of their soul, their sons and their daughters, —

26 on that day, a refugee will come to you to give you the news!

On that day there shall come one that hath escaped unto thee, and announce it to thy 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.”

On that day shall thy mouth be opened through him that hath escaped, and thou shalt speak, and thou shalt not be silenced any more: and thou shalt be a token unto them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.