1 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 ` And thou, son of man, dost thou judge? dost thou judge the city of blood? then thou hast caused it to know all its abominations,

“Now, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations!

3 a nd thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city is shedding blood in its midst, For the coming in of its time, And it hath made idols on it for defilement.

Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself.

4 B y thy blood that thou hast shed thou hast been guilty, And by thine idols that thou hast made thou hast been defiled, And thou causest thy days to draw near, And art come in unto thine years, Therefore I have given thee a reproach to nations, And a derision to all the lands.

You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries.

5 T he near and the far-off from thee scoff at thee, O defiled of name -- abounding in trouble.

Those near and those far from you will mock you as infamous and full of tumult.

6 L o, princes of Israel -- each according to his arm Have been in thee to shed blood.

“Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.

7 F ather and mother made light of in thee, To a sojourner they dealt oppressively in thy midst, Fatherless and widow they oppressed in thee.

In you they have made light of father and mother; in your midst they have oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

8 M y holy things thou hast despised, And My sabbaths thou hast polluted.

You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths.

9 M en of slander have been in thee to shed blood, And on the mountains they have eaten in thee, Wickedness they have done in thy midst.

In you are men who slander to cause bloodshed; in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness.

10 T he nakedness of a father hath one uncovered in thee, The defiled of impurity they humbled in thee.

In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are set apart during their impurity.

11 A nd each with the wife of his neighbour hath done abomination, And each his daughter-in-law hath defiled through wickedness, And each his sister, his father's daughter, hath humbled in thee.

One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter.

12 A bribe they have taken in thee to shed blood, Usury and increase thou hast taken, And cuttest off thy neighbour by oppression, And Me thou hast forgotten, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!

In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

13 A nd lo, I have smitten My hand, Because of thy dishonest gain that thou hast gained, And for thy blood that hath been in thy midst.

“Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.

14 D oth thy heart stand -- are thy hands strong, For the days that I am dealing with thee? I, Jehovah, have spoken and have done.

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

15 A nd I have scattered thee among nations, And have spread thee out among lands, And consumed thy uncleanness out of thee.

I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you.

16 A nd thou hast been polluted in thyself Before the eyes of nations, And thou hast known that I Jehovah.'

You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord.”’” Israel in the Furnace

17 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man,

The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

18 T he house of Israel hath been to Me for dross, All of them brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, In the midst of a furnace -- dross hath silver been,

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; they are all bronze, tin, iron, and lead, in the midst of a furnace; they have become dross from silver.

19 T herefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of your all becoming dross, Therefore, lo, I am gathering you unto the midst of Jerusalem,

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

20 A gathering of silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, Unto the midst of a furnace -- to blow on it fire, to melt it, So do I gather in Mine anger and in My fury, And I have let rest, and have melted you.

As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.

21 A nd I have heaped you up, And blown on you in the fire of My wrath, And ye have been melted in its midst.

Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.

22 A s the melting of silver in the midst of a furnace, So are ye melted in its midst, And ye have known that I, Jehovah, I have poured out My fury upon you.'

As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you.’” Israel’s Wicked Leaders

23 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

24 ` Son of man, say to it, Thou a land, It not cleansed nor rained on in a day of indignation.

“Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’

25 A conspiracy of its prophets in its midst, as a roaring lion tearing prey; The soul they have devoured, Wealth and glory they have taken, Its widows have multiplied in its midst.

The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.

26 I ts priests have wronged My law, And they pollute My holy things, Between holy and common they have not made separation, And between the unclean and the clean they have not made known, And from my sabbaths they have hidden their eyes, And I am pierced in their midst.

Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

27 I ts princes in its midst as wolves, Tearing prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, For the sake of gaining dishonest gain.

Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain.

28 A nd its prophets have daubed for them with chalk, Seeing a vain thing, and divining for them a lie, Saying, `Thus said the Lord Jehovah:' And Jehovah hath not spoken.

Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken.

29 T he people of the land have used oppression, And have taken plunder violently away, And humble and needy have oppressed, And the sojourner oppressed -- without judgment.

The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger.

30 A nd I seek of them a man making a fence, And standing in the breach before Me, In behalf of the land -- not to destroy it, And I have not found.

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

31 A nd I pour out on them mine indignation, By fire of My wrath I have consumed them, Their way on their own head I have put, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.