Ezekiel 24

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.footnote a

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 upon 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.footnote b

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.footnote cfootnote d

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.footnote e

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,footnote f

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.

The Parable of the Cooking Pot

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 flockand pile the fuel beneath it.Bring it to a boiland 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.footnote a 7For the blood she shed is still within her;she poured it out on the bare rock;she did not pour it on the groundto cover it with dust. 8In order to stir up wrathand 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 welland mix in the spices;let the bones be burned. 11Set the empty pot on its coalsuntil 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 uncleannessI tried to cleanse you,but you would not be purifiedfrom your filthiness.You will not be pure againuntil 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 youaccording to your ways and deeds,’declares the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

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.”