¹⁶“Son of man, I will take away from you the wife you delight in. It will happen very soon. But do not sing songs of sadness. Do not let any tears flow from your eyes. ¹⁷Groan quietly. Do not sob out loud over your wife when she dies. Keep your turban on your head. Keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cover the lower part of your face. Do not eat the food people eat to comfort them when someone dies.”

¹⁸So I spoke to my people in the morning. And in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did what I had been commanded to do.

¹⁹Then the people said to me, “Tell us what these things have to do with us.”

²⁰So I told them. I said, “A message came to me from the Lord. He said, ²¹‘Speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, “The Lord and King says, ‘I am about to pollute my temple. I will let the Babylonians burn it down. It is the beautiful building you are so proud of. You take delight in it. You love it. The sons and daughters you left behind will be killed with swords.

²²“ ‘ “ ‘So do what Ezekiel did. Do not cover the lower part of your face. Do not eat the food people eat to comfort them when someone dies. ²³Keep your turbans on your heads. Keep your sandals on your feet. Do not cry or sob. You will waste away because you have sinned so much. You will groan among yourselves.

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