1 A gain in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year, saying,

2 S on of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.

“Son of man, put down in writing this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has shut Jerusalem in with his army this very day.

3 A nd utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:

And tell a picture-story to these sinful people of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “Put the pot on the fire. Put it on, and pour water in it.

4 G ather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

Put all the good pieces of meat in it, the thigh, the shoulder. And fill it with the best bones.

5 T ake the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.

Take the best of the flock. Put more and more wood under the pot to make it boil, and boil the bones in it.”

6 W herefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.

’For the Lord God says, “It is bad for the city of blood, for the rusted pot whose rust has not been cleaned out of it! Take the pieces of meat out of it without choosing them.

7 F or her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

For the blood of the city has been poured on the rock. It was not poured on the ground where the dust would cover it.

8 T hat it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.

I have put the blood on the rock where it could not be covered, so that it would cause anger and punishment.”

9 T herefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.

So the Lord God says, “It is bad for the city of blood! I will put much wood on the fire.

10 H eap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

Put on more and more wood, and make the fire burn. Boil the meat well. Mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned up.

11 T hen set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.

Now set the empty pot on the coals until it becomes hot and its brass becomes bright with the heat. Then what is not clean in it will melt away. Its rust will be destroyed.

12 S he hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.

But it has been all for nothing. Its rust has not left it, not even by fire.

13 I n thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.

It is sin that makes you unclean. I have tried to make you clean, but you would not be made clean from your sins. So you will not be clean again until My anger against you is finished.

14 I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.

I, the Lord, have spoken. The time has come for Me to act. I will not hold back, I will not pity, and I will not be sorry. I will punish you for your ways and for what you have done,” says the Lord God.’” Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 A lso the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

16 S on of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

“Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the desire of your eyes. But do not have sorrow or loud crying or any tears.

17 F orbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

Cry inside yourself. Do not show sorrow for the dead. Put your head-covering on. Put your shoes on your feet. Do not cover your face or eat the bread of those in sorrow.”

18 S o I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I was told.

19 A nd the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

20 T hen I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

So I said to them, “The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

21 S peak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

’Tell the people of Israel, “The Lord God says, ‘I am about to let sin fill My holy place, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the happiness of your soul. And your sons and daughters you have left behind will be killed by the sword.

22 A nd ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

Then you will do as I have done. You will not cover your face or eat the bread of those in sorrow.

23 A nd your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.

Your heads will be covered and your shoes will be on your feet. You will not have sorrow or cry. But you will waste away in your sins and cry in pain to one another.

24 T hus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.

So Ezekiel will be something special for you to see. You will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.’”

25 A lso, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,

‘Son of man, I will take away their strong-place that was their joy and pride, the desire of their eyes and the things their hearts wanted most. And I will take away their sons and their daughters.

26 T hat he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

On that day, one who gets away will come to you with the news.

27 I n that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

That same day your mouth will be opened. You will speak with him and no longer be quiet. So you will be something special for them to see, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”