Ezekiel 24:3–13

³Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“Put a pot on the fire,

and pour in some water.

⁴Fill it with choice pieces of meat—

the rump and the shoulder

and all the most tender cuts.

⁵Use only the best sheep from the flock,

and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.

Bring the pot to a boil,

and cook the bones along with the meat.

⁶“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,

the city of murderers!

She is a cooking pot

whose corruption can’t be cleaned out.

Take the meat out in random order,

for no piece is better than another.

⁷For the blood of her murders

is splashed on the rocks.

It isn’t even spilled on the ground,

where the dust could cover it!

⁸So I will splash her blood on a rock

for all to see,

an expression of my anger

and vengeance against her.

⁹“This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,

the city of murderers!

I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.

¹⁰Yes, heap on the wood!

Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.

Cook the meat with many spices,

and afterward burn the bones.

¹¹Now set the empty pot on the coals.

Heat it red hot!

Burn away the filth and corruption.

¹²But it’s hopeless;

the corruption can’t be cleaned out.

So throw it into the fire.

¹³Your impurity is your lewdness

and the corruption of your idolatry.

I tried to cleanse you,

but you refused.

So now you will remain in your filth

until my fury against you has been satisfied.