Ezekiel 24

The Siege of Jerusalem

24^lIn the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ^2m“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. ³And ⁿutter a parable to ^othe rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

“Set on ^pthe pot, set it on;

pour in water also;

⁴put in it the pieces of meat,

all the good pieces, ^qthe thigh and the shoulder;

fill it with choice bones.

⁵Take the choicest one of the flock;

pile the logs¹ under it;

boil it well;

seethe also its bones in it.

⁶“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^rWoe to the bloody city, to ^pthe pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice.^{2 7}For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on ^sthe bare rock; ^tshe did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. ⁸To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. ⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! ^uI also will make the pile great. ¹⁰Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices,³ and let the bones be burned up. ¹¹Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, ^vthat its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. ^12wShe has wearied herself with toil;⁴ its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! ¹³On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, ^xyou shall not be cleansed anymore till ^yI have satisfied my fury upon you. ^14zI am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; ^aI will not spare; ^bI will not relent; ^caccording to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

¹⁵The word of the Lord came to me: ^16d“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. ¹⁷Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. ^eBind on your turban, and ^fput your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, ^gnor eat the bread of men.” ¹⁸So I spoke to the people in the morning, and ^hat evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did ⁱas I was commanded.

¹⁹And ^jthe people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” ²⁰Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: ^kBehold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and ^lyour sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. ²²And ^myou shall do as I have done; ^myou shall not cover your lips, ^gnor eat the bread of men. ^23mYour turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but ⁿyou shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. ²⁴Thus shall Ezekiel be to you ^oa sign; ^maccording to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then ^pyou will know that I am the Lord God.’

²⁵“As for you, ^qson of man, surely on the day when I take from them ^rtheir stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters, ^26son that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. ²⁷On that day your mouth ^twill be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. ^uSo you will be a sign to them, and ^vthey will know that I am the Lord.”