1 M oreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 A nd you son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloodshedding city? Then cause her to know all her abominations,

“Son of man, will you judge? Will you judge this city of blood? Then tell the people about all their sinful acts.

3 A nd say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in the midst of her so that her time will come, and makes idols to defile her!

Tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “O city, because you have killed your own people and have made yourselves false gods to add to your sins, your time will come!

4 I n your blood which you have shed you have become guilty, and you are defiled by the idols which you have made, and you have caused your time to draw near and have arrived at the full measure of your years. Therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all countries.

You have become guilty by killing your people, and sinful by the false gods you have made. You have brought the day of your punishment near. The end of your years has come. So I have made you a shame to the nations. All the countries laugh at you.

5 T hose who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

People both near and far will make fun of you, you who are full of shame and trouble.

6 B ehold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been intending to shed blood.

See, each of the rulers of Israel who are in you has used his power to kill.

7 I n you have they treated father and mother lightly; in the midst of you they have dealt unjustly and by oppression in relation to the stranger; in you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.

They have not honored father and mother within you. They have made it hard for the stranger living among you. They have done wrong to those in you who have lost their father or husband.

8 Y ou have despised and scorned My sacred things and have profaned My Sabbaths.

You have hated My holy things and have not kept My Days of Rest holy.

9 I n you are slanderous men who arouse suspicions to shed blood, and in you are they who have eaten upon the mountains; in the midst of you they have committed lewdness.

There are men in you who have lied about others to cause them to be put to death. Some have eaten at the altars on the mountains, and have done sex sins there.

10 I n you men have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have humbled women who are unclean.

Men have done sex sins with their fathers’ wives. Men have put women to shame during their time of the month when they are unclean.

11 A nd one has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law, and another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

One has done sex sins with his neighbor’s wife. Another has done sex sins with his daughter-in-law. And another has put his own sister to shame, his father’s daughter.

12 I n you they have accepted bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained from your neighbors by oppression and extortion and have forgotten Me, says the Lord God.

In you they have taken pay to kill people. You have made others pay back more than they owe you. You have hurt your neighbors by making it hard for them to pay you. And you have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

13 B ehold therefore, I have struck My hands together at your dishonest gain which you have made and at the blood which has been in the midst of you.

“I will bring My hand down hard upon the money you have made by your sinful ways, and for the blood of those you have killed among you.

14 C an your heart and courage endure or can your hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.

Can your strength of heart last? Or can your hands be strong, in the days that I punish you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I say.

15 A nd I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your filthiness out of you.

I will divide you among the nations and spread you out through the lands. I will take away from you all that is unclean.

16 A nd you shall be dishonored and profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you shall know (understand and realize) that I am the Lord.

You will become sinful in the eyes of the nations, and you will know that I am the Lord.”’”

17 A nd the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

18 S on of man, the house of Israel has become to Me scum and waste matter. All of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

“Son of man, the people of Israel have become waste to Me. They are like brass, tin, iron, and lead in the fire and have become waste that is left after silver has gone through the fire.

19 T herefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become scum and waste matter, behold therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

So the Lord God says, ‘Because you have all become waste, I am going to gather you together in Jerusalem.

20 A s they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it in order to melt it, so will I gather you in My anger and in My wrath, and I will put you in and melt you.

As men gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the stove to blow fire on it and melt it, so I will gather you in My anger. I will put you in the city and melt you.

21 Y es, I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it.

I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My anger, and you will be melted within it.

22 A s silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know, understand, and realize that I the Lord have poured out My wrath upon you.

As silver is melted in the hot stove, so you will be melted in Jerusalem. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out My anger upon you.’”

23 A nd the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

24 S on of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

“Son of man, tell Israel, ‘You are a land that is not made clean or rained on in the day of anger.’

25 T here is a conspiracy of prophets in the midst of her, like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her.

Israel’s false religious leaders are making plans within her. They are like a lion making noise over the food it has killed. They have taken human lives and also riches and things of much worth. They have made many women in Israel lose their husbands.

26 H er priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things. They have made no distinction between the sacred and the secular, neither have they taught people the difference between the unclean and the clean and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Her religious leaders have broken My Law, and have made My holy things unclean. It makes no difference to them if something is holy or unclean. They have not taught the difference between what is clean and unclean. They hide their eyes from My Days of Rest, and I am not honored among them.

27 H er princes in the midst of her are like wolves rending and devouring the prey, shedding blood and destroying lives to get dishonest gain.

Her leaders are like wolves tearing apart the animals they have killed. They kill and destroy lives to get things by doing wrong.

28 A nd her prophets have daubed them over with whitewash, seeing false visions and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord God—when the Lord has not spoken.

Her men who speak in My name have covered these sins with whitewash for the people. They see false dreams and lie to them using their secret ways, saying, ‘This is what the Lord God says,’ when the Lord has not spoken.

29 T he people of the land have used oppression and extortion and have committed robbery; yes, they have wronged and vexed the poor and needy; yes, they have oppressed the stranger and temporary resident wrongfully.

The people of the land have made it hard for others and have stolen. They have done wrong to the poor and those in need. And they have made it hard for the stranger who lives among them, taking away his rights.

30 A nd I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.

I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the place where it is broken, to stop Me from destroying the land, but I found no one.

31 T herefore have I poured out My indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their own way have I repaid upon their own heads, says the Lord God.

So I have become angry with them. I have destroyed them with the fire of My anger. I am punishing them for what they have done,” says the Lord God.