Ezekiel 22

Chapter 22

The Sins of Jerusalem

1 Now this message came to me from the LORD:2 “Son of man, are you ready to judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city of murderers? Publicly denounce her detestable sins,3 and give her this message from the Sovereign LORD: O city of murderers, doomed and damned—city of idols,t filthy and foul—4 you are guilty because of the blood you have shed. You are defiled because of the idols you have made. Your day of destruction has come! You have reached the end of your years. I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world.

5 O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will be mocked by people far and near.
6 “Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.7 Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.8 You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest.9 People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things.10 Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and have intercourse with women who are menstruating.11 Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile their daughters-in-law, or who rape their own sisters.

12 There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign LORD.
13 “But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.14 How strong and courageous will you be in my day of reckoning? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do what I said.15 I will scatter you among the nations and purge you of your wickedness.

16 And when I have been dishonored among the nations because of you,t you will know that I am the LORD.”

The LORD’s Refining Furnace

17 Then this message came to me from the LORD:18 “Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.19 So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem.20 Just as copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury.21 I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you,

22 and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my fury on you.’”

The Sins of Israel’s Leaders

23 Again a message came to me from the LORD:24 “Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will be like a polluted land, a land without rain.25 Your princest plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land.26 Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them.27 Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!28 And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions and making lying predictions. They say, ‘My message is from the Sovereign LORD,’ when the LORD hasn’t spoken a single word to them.

29 Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.
30 “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

31 So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

EZEKIEL 22

Jerusalem Is Condemned

1 Some time later, the [Lord] said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, are you ready to condemn Jerusalem? That city is filled with murderers, so remind the people of their sins

3 and tell them I am saying:
Jerusalem, you have murdered many of your own people and have worshiped idols. You will soon be punished! 4 Those crimes have made you guilty, and the idols have made you unacceptable to me. So your final punishment is near. Other nations will laugh at you and make insulting remarks,

5 and people far and near will make fun of your misery.
6 Your own leaders use their power to murder. 7 t None of you honor your parents, and you cheat foreigners, orphans, and widows. 8 t You show no respect for my sacred places and treat the Sabbath just like any other day. 9 Some of your own people tell lies, so that others will be put to death. Some of you eat meat sacrificed to idols at local shrines, and others never stop doing vulgar things. 10 t Men have sex with their father's wife or with women who are having their monthly period 11 or with someone else's wife. Some men even sleep with their own daughter-in-law or half sister.

12 t Others of you accept money to murder someone. Your own people charge high interest when making a loan to other Israelites, and they get rich by cheating. Worst of all, you have forgotten me, the [Lord] God.
13 I will shake my fist in anger at your violent crimes. 14 When I'm finished with you, your courage will disappear, and you will be so weak that you won't be able to lift your hands. I, the [Lord], have spoken and will not change my mind. 15 I will scatter you throughout every nation on earth and put a stop to your sinful ways.

16 Yout will be humiliated in the eyes of other nations. Then you will know that I, the [Lord] God, have done these things.

Jerusalem Must Be Purified

17 The [Lord] said:
18 Ezekiel, son of man, I consider the people of Israel as worthless as the leftover metal in a furnace after silver has been purified. 19 So I am going to bring them together in Jerusalem. 20-21 I will be like a metalworker who collects that metal from the furnace and melts it down. I will collect the Israelites and blow on them with my fiery anger. They will melt inside the city of Jerusalem

22 like silver in a furnace. Then they will know that I, the [Lord], have punished them in my anger.

Everyone in Jerusalem Is Guilty

23 The [Lord] said:
24 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel that their country is full of sin, and that I, the [Lord], am furious!

25 Their leaders are liket roaring lions, tearing apart their victims. They put people to death, then steal everything of value. Husbands are killed, and many women are left as widows.

26  t The priests of Israel ignore my Law! Not only do they refuse to respect any of my sacred things, but they don't even teach the difference between what is sacred and what is ordinary or between what is clean and what is unclean. They treat my Sabbath like any other day, and so my own people no longer honor me.

27 Israel's officials are like ferocious wolves, ripping their victims apart. They make a dishonest living by injuring and killing people.
28 And then the prophets in Israel cover up these sins by giving false visions. I have never spoken to them, but they lie and say they have a message from me.

29 The people themselves cheat and rob; they abuse the poor and take advantage of foreigners.
30 I looked for someone to defend the city and to protect it from my anger, as well as to stop me from destroying it. But I found no one. 31 So in my fierce anger, I will punish the Israelites for what they have done, and they will know that I am furious. I, the [Lord], have spoken.