1 T he Word of the Lord came to me saying,

Moreover Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

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

You, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? then cause her to know all her abominations.

3 T ell 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!

You shall say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: A city that sheds blood within herself, that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her!

4 Y ou 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.

You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made; and you have caused your days to draw near, and have come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

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

Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult.

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

Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.

7 T hey 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.

In you have they set light by father and mother; among you they have dealt by oppression with the foreigner; in you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.

8 Y ou have hated My holy things and have not kept My Days of Rest holy.

You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

9 T here 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.

Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood; and in you they have eaten on the mountains: they have committed lewdness among you.

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

In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

11 O ne 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.

One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

12 I n 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.

In you have they taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me, says the Lord Yahweh.

13 “ 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.

Behold, therefore, I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been within you.

14 C an 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.

Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I, Yahweh, have spoken it, and will do it.

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

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

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

You shall be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

17 T he Word of the Lord came to me saying,

Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

18 “ 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.

Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the middle of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

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

Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem.

20 A s 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.

As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.

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

Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the middle of it.

22 A s 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.’”

As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you will be melted in the middle of it; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you.

23 T he Word of the Lord came to me saying,

Yahweh’s word came to me, saying,

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

Son of man, tell her, You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation.

25 I srael’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.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many within it.

26 H er 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.

Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

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

Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

28 H er 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.

Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, when Yahweh has not spoken.

29 T he 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.

The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

30 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.

I sought for 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 no one.

31 S o 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.

Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the Lord Yahweh.