יחזקאל כד

In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of GOD came to me:

O mortal, record this date, this exact day; for this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem.

Further, speak in an allegory to the rebellious breed and say to them: Thus said the Sovereign GOD:
Put the cauldron [on the fire], put it on,
And then pour water into it.

Collect in it the pieces [of meat].
Every choice piece, thigh and shoulder;
Fill it with the best cuts—

Take the best of the flock.
Also pile the cuts under it;
Get it boiling briskly,
And cook the cuts in it.

Assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD:
Woe to the city of blood—
A cauldron whose scum is in it,
Whose scum has not been cleaned out!
Empty it piece by piece;
No lot has fallen upon it.

For the blood she shed is still in her;
She set it upon a bare rock;
She did not pour it out on the ground
To cover it with earth.

She set her blood upon the bare rock,
So that it was not covered,
So that it may stir up [My] fury
To take vengeance.

Assuredly, thus said the Sovereign GOD:
Woe to the city of blood!
I in turn will make a great blaze.

Pile on the logs,
Kindle the fire,
Cook the meat through
And stew it completely,
And let the bones be charred.

Let it stand empty on the coals,
Until it becomes so hot
That the copper glows.
Then its impurity shall melt away in it,
And its rust be consumed.

It has frustrated all effort,
Its thick scum will not leave it—
Into the fire with its scum!

For your vile defilement—because I sought to purify you of your defilement, but you would not be purified—you shall never be pure again until I have satisfied My fury upon you.

I, GOD, have spoken: It shall come to pass and I will do it. I will not refrain or spare or relent. You shall be punished according to your ways and your deeds—declares the Sovereign GOD.

The word of GOD came to me:

“O mortal, I am about to take away the delight of your eyes from you through pestilence; but you shall not lament or weep or let your tears flow.

Moan softly; observe no mourning for the dead: Put on your turban and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover over your upper lip, and do not eat the bread of comforters.”

In the evening my wife died, and in the morning I did as I had been commanded. And when I spoke to the people that morning,

the people asked me, “Will you not tell us what these things portend for us, that you are acting so?”

I answered them, “The word of GOD has come to me:

Tell the House of Israel: Thus said the Sovereign GOD: ‘I am going to desecrate My Sanctuary, your pride and glory, the delight of your eyes and the desire of your heart; and the sons and daughters you have left behind shall fall by the sword.

(Accordingly, you shall do as I have done: you shall not cover over your upper lips or eat the bread of comforters;

and your turbans shall remain on your heads, and your sandals upon your feet. You shall not lament or weep, but you shall be heartsick because of your iniquities and shall moan to one another.)

And Ezekiel shall become a portent for you: you shall do just as he has done, when the predicted punishment happens; and you shall know that I am the Sovereign GOD.’”

You, O mortal, take note: On the day that I take their stronghold from them, their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their hearts—their sons and daughters—

on that day a fugitive will come to you, to let you hear it with your own ears.

On that day your mouth shall be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and no longer be dumb. So you shall be a portent for them, and they shall know that I am GOD.