Ezekiel 24
1AGAIN in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, a word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2Son of man write down for thyself for a day, from this day on which the king of Babylon hath determinately set himself against Jerusalem; even from this very day;
3and speak a parable against that provoking family, and thou shalt say to them,
4Thus saith the Lord: Set on the cauldron and pour water into it; and throw into it the pieces of meat, every choice piece, the flesh of the thigh and the shoulder separated from the bones,
5and these of the choicest cattle; and burn the bones under them. It hath boiled and the bones have been sodden in it.
6Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ah! bloody city! a kettle, in which there is verdigris in its very substance, and that verdigris is not gone out of it. She hath brought it out on every member of her: no lot fell upon her.
7Because her blood is in the midst of her; I have ordered it to be poured out on a smooth stone: I have not poured it on the ground for the earth to cover it.
8That wrath may be kindled and vengeance executed, I have ordered the blood to be poured out on a smooth stone, that it may not be concealed.
9Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will enlarge the pile, and
10heap on wood and cause the fire to burn, that the flesh may be consumed and the broth evaporated:
11and it shall stand on the coals that the brass may be heated red hot and melted in the midst of its impurity and its verdigris quite destroyed;
12so that this its abundant verdigris may not proceed from it.
13Its verdigris shall be exposed to shame. Because thou wast polluted what else could be done, since thou wouldst not be cleansed till I filled up My wrath?
14I the Lord have spoken. He shall come: and I will act. I will not defer; nor will I shew compassion. According to thy ways and according to thy lusts I will judge thee, saith the Lord, therefore I will judge thee according to thy blood guiltiness; and I will judge thee according to thine inordinate lusts, O corrupt, infamous and very provoking city.
15Then a word of the Lord came to me, saying,
16Son of man, Behold I take from thee the desires of thine eyes with a stroke. Thou must not mourn, nor utter lamentation.
17Let sighing for blood and grief of loins be suppressed. Thy hair shall be platted on thy head and thy sandals shall be on thy feet. Thou must not receive comfort from their lips, nor eat funeral bread.
18So I spoke to the people in the morning as He had ordered me in the evening. And when I did in the morning as I was commanded,
19the people said to me, Why dost thou not tell us what these things mean which thou art doing?
20Thereupon I told them, A word of the Lord came to me saying,
21Say to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will profane My for which your souls are moved with compassion; and your sons and your daughters whom you left shall fall by the sword:
22and you shall do as I have done. You shall not receive comfort from their mouth nor eat funeral bread;
23your locks of hair shall be on your head, and your sandals on your feet; you shall neither utter lamentations nor shed tears; but shall pine away for your iniquities and exhort one another.
24And Ezekiel shall be for a sign to you (according to all that he hath done, you shall do when these things happen), and you shall know that I am the Lord.
25And with regard to thee son of man, will not this be the case? On the day when I take from them their strength-that which was their exultation and boast and the desire of their eyes and the pride of their soul-their sons and their daughters;
26on that day one who escapeth shall come to thee to tell thee the news;
27on that day thy mouth shall be opened to him who escapeth. Thou shalt speak and no more be dumb and thou shalt be a sign to them; and they shall know that I am the Lord