에스겔 24

The pot on the fire

¹On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year, the word of the LORD came to me: ²Son of man, write down today’s date, this very date. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem on this very day. ³Tell the rebellious house a parable. Say to them, The Lord GOD says this: Put on the pot, put it on, and pour water into it. ⁴Put the pieces of meat in it, all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with the choicest bones. ⁵Take the best of the flock, and pile the bones under the pot. Bring it to a rolling boil, and cook the bones in it.^a

Woe to the city of bloodshed

⁶Therefore the Lord GOD says this: Woe to the city of bloodshed, the pot that is crusted with rust, whose rust has not come off! Empty it piece by piece, without casting lots for any of it. ⁷For the blood she shed is still within her; she spilled it on bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground where dust would cover it. ⁸To stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have set her blood on bare rock, where it cannot be covered.

⁹Therefore the Lord GOD says this: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I myself will make the pile of wood high. ¹⁰Pile on the logs, light the fire, cook the meat well, mix in the spices, and let the bones be charred.^{b 11}Then set the empty pot on the coals until it is hot and its bronze glows, so that its uncleanness melts inside it and its rust is burned away. ¹²All the effort has been wasted; its thick rust will not come off, not even in the fire.^{c 13}Your uncleanness is your lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you and you would not be clean from your uncleanness, you will not be clean again until I have satisfied my wrath against you. ¹⁴I, the LORD, have spoken. The time has come, and I will act. I will not hold back; I will not show pity; I will not change my mind. You will be judged by your ways and your deeds, declares the Lord GOD.

The death of Ezekiel’s wife

¹⁵The word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁶Son of man, I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes with one blow. Yet you must not mourn or weep or shed any tears. ¹⁷Groan quietly; do not observe mourning for the dead. Keep your turban tied on and your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your upper lip, and do not eat the bread that others bring to mourners.^{d 18}So in the morning I spoke to the people, and that evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded. ¹⁹Then the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?” ²⁰I answered them, “The word of the LORD came to me: ²¹Tell the house of Israel, The Lord GOD says this: I am about to profane my sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the delight of your eyes and the desire of your heart. The sons and daughters you left behind will be cut down by the sword. ²²Then you will do what I have done. You will not cover your upper lip or eat the bread that others bring to mourners. ²³Your turbans will stay on your heads and your sandals on your feet. There will be no mourning or weeping; instead you will waste away because of your guilt and groan to one another. ²⁴Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do just as he has done. When it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

A survivor will bring the news

²⁵As for you, son of man, on the day I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and the desire of their hearts, and their sons and daughters as well, ²⁶on that day a survivor will come to tell you the news. ²⁷On that day your mouth will be opened to the survivor; you will speak and no longer be silent. So you will become a sign for them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.