Ezekiel — Chapter 24

1In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.

3Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water.

4Put in the pieces of meat, every good piece—thigh and shoulder—fill it with choice bones.

5Take the choicest of the flock and pile the fuel beneath it. Bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.’

6Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents.

7For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.

8In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’

9Yes, this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the kindling high.

10Pile on the logs and kindle the fire; cook the meat well and mix in the spices; let the bones be burned.

11Set the empty pot on its coals until it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt within; its rust will be consumed.

12It has frustrated every effort; its thick rust has not been removed, even by the fire.

13Because of the indecency of your uncleanness I tried to cleanse you, but you would not be purified from your filthiness. You will not be pure again until My wrath against you has subsided.

14I, the LORD, have spoken; the time is coming, and I will act. I will not refrain or show pity, nor will I relent. I will judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

15Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

16“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.

17Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.

19Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

20So I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying:

21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’

22Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.

23Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

24‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

25And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy—the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls—and their sons and daughters as well,

26on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news.

27On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the LORD.”

1Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2Son 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.

3And 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:

4Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

5Take 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.

6Wherefore 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 up on it.

7For 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;

8That 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.

9Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.

10Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

11Then 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.

12She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.

13In 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.

14I 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.

15Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

16Son 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.

17Forbear 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.

18So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

19And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

20Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

21Speak 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.

22And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

23And 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.

24Thus 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.

25Also, 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,

26That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

27In 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.

1Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, write thee the name of the day, [even] of this selfsame day: the king of Babylon drew close unto Jerusalem this selfsame day.

3And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Set on the caldron, set it on, and also pour water into it:

4gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

5Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile [of wood] for the bones under [the caldron]; make it boil well; yea, let the bones thereof be boiled in the midst of it.

6Wherefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city, to the caldron whose rust is therein, and whose rust is not gone out of it! take out of it piece after piece; No lot is fallen upon it.

7For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the bare rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust.

8That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood upon the bare rock, that it should not be covered.

9Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.

10Heap on the wood, make the fire hot, boil well the flesh, and make thick the broth, and let the bones be burned.

11Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that it may be hot, and the brass thereof may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the rust of it may be consumed.

12She hath wearied [herself] with toil; yet her great rust goeth not forth out of her; her rust [goeth not forth] by fire.

13In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have cleansed thee and thou wast not cleansed, thou shalt not be cleansed from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my wrath toward thee to rest.

14I, Jehovah, 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 Jehovah.

15Also the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

16Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

17Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourning for the dead; bind thy headtire upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

18So I spake unto the people in the morning; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

19And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

20Then I said unto them, The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

21Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind shall fall by the sword.

22And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

23And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.

24Thus shall Ezekiel be unto you a sign; according to all that he hath done shall ye do: when this cometh, then shall ye know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

25And 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 heart, their sons and their daughters,

26that in that day he that escapeth shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

27In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him that is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: so shalt thou be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

1The Lord’s message came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month:

2“Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

3Recite a proverb to this rebellious house and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘Set on the pot, set it on, pour water in it too;

4add the pieces of meat to it, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones.

5Take the choice bone of the flock, heap up wood under it; boil rapidly, and boil its bones in it.

6“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot whose rot is in it, whose rot has not been removed from it! Empty it piece by piece. No lot has fallen on it.

7For her blood was in it; she poured it on an exposed rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it up with dust.

8To arouse anger, to take vengeance, I have placed her blood on an exposed rock so that it cannot be covered up.

9“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I will also make the pile high.

10Pile up the wood, kindle the fire; cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be charred.

11Set the empty pot on the coals, until it becomes hot and its copper glows, until its uncleanness melts within it and its rot is consumed.

12It has tried my patience; yet its thick rot is not removed from it. Subject its rot to the fire!

13You mix uncleanness with obscene conduct. I tried to cleanse you, but you are not clean. You will not be cleansed from your uncleanness until I have exhausted my anger on you.

14“‘I, the Lord, have spoken; judgment is coming and I will act! I will not relent, or show pity, or be sorry! I will judge you according to your conduct and your deeds, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

15The Lord’s message came to me:

16“Son of man, realize that I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a jolt, but you must not mourn or weep or shed tears.

17Groan to moan for the dead, but do not perform mourning rites. Bind on your turban and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your lip and do not eat food brought by others.”

18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning I acted just as I was commanded.

19Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

20So I said to them: “The Lord’s message came to me:

21Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Realize I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the source of your confident pride, the object in which your eyes delight, and your life’s passion. Your very own sons and daughters whom you have left behind will die by the sword.

22Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lip or eat food brought by others.

23Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn or weep, but you will rot for your iniquities and groan among yourselves.

24Ezekiel will be an object lesson for you; you will do all that he has done. When it happens, then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

25“And you, son of man, this is what will happen on the day I take from them their stronghold—their beautiful source of joy, the object in which their eyes delight, and the main concern of their lives, as well as their sons and daughters:

26On that day a fugitive will come to you to report the news.

27On that day you will be able to speak again; you will talk with the fugitive and be silent no longer. You will be an object lesson for them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

1Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

2“Son of man, write the name of the day, this same day. The king of Babylon drew close to Jerusalem this same day.

3Utter a parable to the rebellious house, and tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh, “Put the cauldron on the fire. Put it on, and also pour water into it.

4Gather its pieces into it, even every good piece: the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choice bones.

5Take the choice of the flock, and also a pile of wood for the bones under the cauldron. Make it boil well. Yes, let its bones be boiled within it.”

6“‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the bloody city, to the cauldron whose rust is in it, and whose rust hasn’t gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece. No lot is fallen on it.

7“‘“For her blood is in the middle of her. She set it on the bare rock. She didn’t pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust.

8That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have set her blood on the bare rock, that it should not be covered.”

9“‘Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.

10Heap on the wood. Make the fire hot. Boil the meat well. Make the broth thick, and let the bones be burned.

11Then set it empty on its coals, that it may be hot, and its brass may burn, and that its filthiness may be molten in it, that its rust may be consumed.

12She is weary with toil; yet her great rust, rust by fire, doesn’t leave her.

13“‘“In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you and you weren’t cleansed, you won’t be cleansed from your filthiness any more, until I have caused my wrath toward you to rest.

14I, Yahweh, have spoken it. It will happen, and I will do it. I won’t go back. I won’t spare. I won’t repent. According to your ways, and according to your doings, they will judge you,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”

15Also Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

16“Son of man, behold, I will take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke: yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, neither shall your tears run down.

17Sigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind your headdress on you, and put your shoes on your feet. Don’t cover your lips, and don’t eat mourner’s bread.”

18So I spoke to the people in the morning; and at evening my wife died. So I did in the morning as I was commanded.

19The people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things are to us, that you do so?”

20Then I said to them, “Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

21‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pities; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword.

22You will do as I have done. You won’t cover your lips or eat mourner’s bread.

23Your turbans will be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet. You won’t mourn or weep; but you will pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.

24Thus Ezekiel will be a sign to you; according to all that he has done, you will do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.’”’”

25“You, son of man, shouldn’t it 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 heart, their sons and their daughters,

26that in that day he who escapes will come to you, to cause you to hear it with your ears?

27In that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped, and you shall speak, and be no more mute. So you will be a sign to them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”