Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot

24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me:n 2 “Son of man, recordo this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.p 3 Tell this rebellious peopleq a parabler and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘Put on the cooking pot;s put it on

and pour water into it.

4 Put into it the pieces of meat,

all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.

Fill it with the best of these bones;t

5 take the pick of the flock.u

Pile wood beneath it for the bones;

bring it to a boil

and cook the bones in it.v

6 “ ‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘Woew to the city of bloodshed,x

to the pot now encrusted,

whose deposit will not go away!

Take the meat out piece by piece

in whatever ordery it comes.z

7 “ ‘For the blood she shed is in her midst:

She poured it on the bare rock;

she did not pour it on the ground,

where the dust would cover it.a

8 To stir up wrath and take revenge

I put her blood on the bare rock,

so that it would not be covered.

9 “ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!

I, too, will pile the wood high.

10 So heap on the wood

and kindle the fire.

Cook the meat well,

mixing in the spices;

and let the bones be charred.

11 Then set the empty pot on the coals

till it becomes hot and its copper glows,

so that its impurities may be melted

and its deposit burned away.b

12 It has frustrated all efforts;

its heavy deposit has not been removed,

not even by fire.

13 “ ‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansedc from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.d

14 “ ‘I the Lord have spoken.e The time has come for me to act.f I will not hold back; I will not have pity,g nor will I relent.h You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions,i declares the Sovereign Lord.j’ ”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blowk I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.l Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.m 17 Groan quietly;n do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turbano fastened and your sandalsp on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beardq or eat the customary food of mourners.r”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.s

19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?t Why are you acting like this?”

20 So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuaryu—the stronghold in which you take pride,v the delight of your eyes,w the object of your affection. The sons and daughtersx you left behind will fall by the sword.y 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beardz or eat the customary food of mourners.a 23 You will keep your turbansb on your heads and your sandalsc on your feet. You will not mournd or weep but will waste awaye because ofa your sins and groan among yourselves.f 24 Ezekielg will be a signh to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

25 “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes,i their heart’s desire,j and their sons and daughtersk as well—26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell youl the news. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.m So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.n”

A Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face againsto the Ammonitesp and prophesy against them.q 3 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!r” over my sanctuary when it was desecrateds and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,t 4 therefore I am going to give you to the people of the Eastu as a possession. They will set up their campsv and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.w 5 I will turn Rabbahx into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep.y Then you will know that I am the Lord. 6 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your handsz and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel,a 7 therefore I will stretch out my handb against you and give you as plunderc to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroyd you, and you will know that I am the Lord.e’ ”

A Prophecy Against Moab

8 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Moabf and Seirg said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,” 9 therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimothh, Baal Meoni and Kiriathaimj—the glory of that land. 10 I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be rememberedk among the nations; 11 and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’ ”l

A Prophecy Against Edom

12 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edomm took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, 13 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my handn against Edom and kill both man and beast.o I will lay it waste, and from Temanp to Dedanq they will fall by the sword.r 14 I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my angers and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”t

A Prophecy Against Philistia

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistinesu acted in vengeance and took revenge with malicev in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines,w and I will wipe out the Kerethitesx and destroy those remaining along the coast.y 17 I will carry out great vengeancez on them and punisha them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord,b when I take vengeance on them.c’ ”

A Prophecy Against Tyre

26 In the eleventh month of the twelftha year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:d 2 “Son of man, because Tyree has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha!f The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ 3 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the seag casting up its waves. 4 They will destroyh the walls of Tyrei and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. 5 Out in the seaj she will become a place to spread fishnets,k for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunderl for the nations,m 6 and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

7 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzarb n king of Babylon, king of kings,o with horses and chariots,p with horsemen and a great army. 8 He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege worksq against you, build a rampr up to your walls and raise his shields against you. 9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.s 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariotst when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. 11 The hoovesu of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillarsv will fall to the ground.w 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.x 13 I will put an endy to your noisy songs,z and the music of your harpsa will be heard no more.b 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,c for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlandsd tremblee at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groanf and the slaughter takes place in you? 16 Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroideredg garments. Clothedh with terror, they will sit on the ground,i tremblingj every moment, appalledk at you. 17 Then they will take up a lamentl concerning you and say to you:

“ ‘How you are destroyed, city of renown,

peopled by men of the sea!

You were a power on the seas,

you and your citizens;

you put your terror

on all who lived there.m

18 Now the coastlands tremblen

on the day of your fall;

the islands in the sea

are terrified at your collapse.’o

19 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depthsp over you and its vast waters cover you,q 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit,r to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your placec in the land of the living.s 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more.t You will be sought, but you will never again be found, …