Ezekiel 24

1 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,2 Son 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.3 And 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:4 gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.5 Take 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.6 Wherefore 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.7 For 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.8 That 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.9 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the bloody city! I also will make the pile great.10 Heap on the wood, make the fire hot, boil well the flesh, and make thick the broth, and let the bones be burned.11 Then 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.12 She hath wearied herself with toil; yet her great rust goeth not forth out of her; her rust goeth not forth by fire.13 In 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.14 I, 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.15 Also the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,16 Son 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.17 Sigh, 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.18 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 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?20 Then I said unto them, The word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,21 Speak 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.22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.23 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 in your iniquities, and moan one toward another.24 Thus 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.25 And 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,26 that in that day he that escapeth shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?27 In 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.

Ezekiel 24

Chapter 24

The Sign of the Cooking Pot

1 On January 15,t during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the LORD:2 “Son of man, write down today’s date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem.

3 Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign LORD:
“Put a pot on the fire,
and pour in some water.4 Fill it with choice pieces of meat—
the rump and the shoulder
and all the most tender cuts.5 Use only the best sheep from the flock,
and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.
Bring the pot to a boil,
and cook the bones along with the meat.6 “Now this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,
the city of murderers!
She is a cooking pot
whose corruption can’t be cleaned out.
Take the meat out in random order,
for no piece is better than another.7 For the blood of her murders
is splashed on the rocks.
It isn’t even spilled on the ground,
where the dust could cover it!8 So I will splash her blood on a rock
for all to see,
an expression of my anger
and vengeance against her.9 “This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,
the city of murderers!
I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.10 Yes, heap on the wood!
Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.
Cook the meat with many spices,
and afterward burn the bones.11 Now set the empty pot on the coals.
Heat it red hot!
Burn away the filth and corruption.12 But it’s hopeless;
the corruption can’t be cleaned out.
So throw it into the fire.13 Your impurity is your lewdness
and the corruption of your idolatry.
I tried to cleanse you,
but you refused.
So now you will remain in your filth
until my fury against you has been satisfied.

14 “I, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign LORD.”

The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

15 Then this message came to me from the LORD:16 “Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears.

17 Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”
18 So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do.

19 Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”
20 So I said to them, “A message came to me from the LORD,21 and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword.22 Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends.23 Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will mourn privately for all the evil you have done.

24 Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.”
25 Then the LORD said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart’s desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters.26 And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened.

27 And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”