Ezekiel 24
The Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy against Jerusalem, comparing it to a cooking pot filled with blood and rust, which will be purified through fire and judgment. The city's inhabitants will be punished for their sins, and the Lord will not show mercy. Ezekiel is then told that his wife will die, and he is not to mourn or show grief, but instead to continue prophesying to the people. The Lord explains that Ezekiel's actions will be a sign to the people of what will happen to them when the Lord takes away their strength and joy, and Ezekiel will be a portent to them of the Lord's judgment.
1And the word of the Lord came to me, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying2"Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, on which the king of Babylon was confirmed against Jerusalem today3And you shall speak, through a proverb, a parable to the inciting house. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Set out a cooking pot; set it out, I say, and put water into it4Pile together within it every morsel, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the choice pieces and those full of bones5Take the fattest from the flock, and arrange also a heap of bones under it. Its cooking has boiled over, and its bones in its midst have been thoroughly cooked6Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, to the cooking pot that has rust in it, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Cast it out piece by piece! No lot has fallen upon it7For her blood is in her midst; she has shed it upon the smoothest rock. She has not shed it upon the ground, so that it could be covered with dust8So shall I bring my indignation over her, and take my vengeance. I have presented her blood upon the smoothest rock, so that it would not be covered9Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, out of which I will make a great funeral pyre10Pile together the bones, which I will burn with fire. The flesh shall be consumed, and the entire composition shall be boiled, and the bones shall deteriorate11Also, place it empty on burning coals, so that it may be heated, and its brass may melt. And let the filth of it be melted in its midst, and let its rust be consumed12There has been much sweat and labor, and yet its extensive rust has not gone out of it, not even by fire13Your uncleanness is execrable. For I wanted to cleanse you, and you have not been cleansed from your filth. So then, neither will you be cleansed before I cause my indignation over you to cease14I, the Lord, have spoken. It shall happen, and I will act. I will not pass over, nor be lenient, nor be placated. I will judge you according to your ways and according to your intentions, says the Lord.15And the word of the Lord came to me, saying16"Son of man, behold, I am taking away from you, with a stroke, the desire of your eyes. And you shall not lament, and you shall not weep. And your tears shall not flow down17Groan silently; you shall make no mourning for the dead. Let the band of your crown be on you, and let your shoes be on your feet. And you shall not cover your face, nor shall you eat the food of those who mourn.18Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning. And my wife died in the evening. And in the morning, I did just as he had instructed me19And the people said to me: "Why won’t you explain to us what these things signify, which you are doing?20And I said to them: "The word of the Lord came to me, saying21‘Speak to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will defile my sanctuary, the pride of your realm, and the desire of your eyes, and the dread of your soul. Your sons and your daughters, whom you have forsaken, will fall by the sword.22And so, you shall do just as I have done. You shall not cover your faces, and you shall not eat the food of those who mourn23You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet. You shall not lament, and you shall not weep. Instead, you will waste away in your iniquities, and each one will groan to his brother24‘And Ezekiel shall be a portent for you. In accord with all that he has done, so shall you do, when this will happen. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ 25"And as for you, son of man, behold, in the day when I will take away from them their strength, and the joy of their dignity, and the desire of their eyes, in which their souls find rest: their sons and their daughters26in that day, when one who is fleeing will come to you, so that he may report to you27in that day, I say, your mouth shall be opened to him who has fled. And you shall speak, and you shall no longer be silent. And you shall be for them a portent. And you shall know that I am the Lord.
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