Yechezkel 22-24

Orthodox Jewish Bible

22 Moreover the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

² Now, thou ben adam, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the ir hadamim (bloody city)? V’hoda’tah (thou shalt show, make to know, arraign) her all her to’avot (abominations).

³ Then say thou, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem, The Ir has shefach dahm in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh gillulim (idols) against herself to make herself tameh (unclean).

⁴ Thou art become guilty by thy shefach dahm; and hast made thyself tameh in thine gillulim (idols) which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy shanot (years); therefore have I made thee a cherpah unto the Goyim, and a kallasa (mockery, laughingstock) to all countries.

⁵ Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock at thee, which art tameh hashem (defiled, unclean of name, reputation) and much in turmoil.

⁶ Hinei, the nasi’im (rulers) of Yisroel, every one has used his zero’a (arm, power) for shefach dahm in thee.

⁷ In thee have they treated with contempt av and em in the midst of thee; they have dealt by oshek (oppression) with the ger (alien, proselyte); in thee have they mistreated the yatom and the almanah.

⁸ Thou hast despised Mine kadoshim, and hast profaned My Shabbatot.

⁹ In thee are anashim that slander to cause shefach dahm; and in thee are they who eat upon the harim; in the midst of thee they commit zimmah (lewdness).

¹⁰ In thee have they uncovered the ervat av (nakedness of their father, i.e., had incest with mother or stepmother), in thee have they raped her that had the teme’at haniddah (the uncleanness of the menstruation period).

¹¹ And ish hath committed to’evah with his neighbor’s isha; and another hath lewdly made tameh his kallah (daughter-in-law); and another in thee hath raped his achot, his bat aviv.

¹² In thee have they taken shochad (bribe) for shefach dahm; thou hast taken neshekh (usury) and tarbit (interest), and thou hast unjustly profited from thy neighbors by oshek (opression, extortion), and hast forgotten Me, saith Adonoi Hashem.

¹³ Hinei, therefore I have struck Mine palm at thy betza (dishonest gain) which thou hast made, and at thy bloodshed which hath been in the midst of thee.

¹⁴ Can thine lev stand firm, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I Hashem have spoken it, and will do it.

¹⁵ And I will scatter thee among the Goyim, and disperse thee throughout the countries, and will remove thy tum’a (uncleanness) out of thee.

¹⁶ And thou shalt defile thyself in the sight of the Goyim, and thou shalt know that I am Hashem.

¹⁷ And the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

¹⁸ Ben adam, Bais Yisroel is to Me become sig (dross, smelting waste product); all they are nechoshet, and bedil (tin), and barzel (iron), and oferet (lead), in the midst of the kur (furnace); they are even the siggim (drosses) of kesef.

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem; because ye are all become siggim, hineni, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Yerushalayim.

²⁰ As they gather kesef, and nechoshet, and barzel (iron), and oferet (lead), and bedil (tin), into the midst of the kur (furnace), to blow the eish upon the ore to melt it down; so will I gather you in Mine af (anger) and in My chemah (wrath), and I will position you there, and melt you down.

²¹ Indeed, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the eish of My evrah (wrath), and ye shall be melted down in the midst therof.

²² As kesef is melted down in the midst of the kur (furnace), so shall ye be melted down in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I Hashem have poured out My chemah (wrath) upon you.

²³ And the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

²⁴ Ben adam, say unto her, Thou art eretz that is not metoharah (cleansed), nor rained upon in the Yom Za’am (Day of Indignation).

²⁵ There is a kesher of her nevi’im in the midst thereof, like a roaring ari (lion) tearing the prey; they have devoured nefesh; they have taken the khosen (treasure, wealth) and precious things; they have made her many almanot (widows) in the midst thereof.

²⁶ Her kohanim have done violence to My torah, and have profaned Mine kadoshim; they have put no difference between the kodesh and chol (common, profane), neither have they made a distinction between the tameh and the tahor, and have hid their eynayim from My Shabbatot, and I am profaned among them.

²⁷ Her sarim in the midst thereof are like ze’evim (wolves) tearing the prey, to do shefach dahm, and to destroy nefashot, to get betza (dishonest gain).

²⁸ And her nevi’im have plastered them with [dissolving] mud plaster, seeing vain visions, and divining kazav (lies) unto them, saying, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem, when Hashem hath not spoken.

²⁹ The am ha’aretz have used oshek (oppression, extortion) and commmitted gazel (robbery), and have mistreated the oni and evyon; indeed, they have treated the ger without mishpat (justice).

³⁰ And I sought for an ish among them, that should repair the gader (fence), and stand in the peretz (gap, breach) before Me on behalf of ha’aretz, that it might not be destroyed; but I found none.

³¹ Therefore have I poured out Mine za’am (indignation, rage) upon them; I have consumed them with the eish of My evrah (wrath); their own derech have I brought back upon their rosh, saith Adonoi Hashem.

23 The Davar Hashem came again unto me, saying,

² Ben adam, there were two nashim, the banot of one em;

³ And they committed zonah harlotry in Mitzrayim; they committed zonah harlotry in their youth; there were their breasts pressed, and there their betulah bosom was caressed.

⁴ And the shmot of them were Oholah the elder, and Oholivah her achot; and they were Mine, and they bore banim and banot. Thus were their shmot: Shomron is Oholah, and Yerushalayim Oholivah.

⁵ And Oholah (unfaithful to Me) played the zonah when she was Mine; and she lusted for her lovers, for Ashur [the Assyrian] warriors,

⁶ Which were clothed with royal blue, pachot (governors) and seganim (officials), all of them desirable bochurim, parashim (charioteers) driving susim.

⁷ Thus she committed her zonah harlotry with them, with all them that were the choice Bnei Ashur, and with all for whom she lusted; with all their gillulim (idols) she made herself tameh.

⁸ Neither did she give up her zonah harlotry brought from Mitzrayim; for in her youth they lay with her, and they caressed her betulah bosom, and poured out their zenut fornication upon her.

⁹ Therefore I have delivered her into the yad of her lovers, into the yad of the Bnei Ashur, upon whom she lusted.

¹⁰ These uncovered her ervah (nakedness); they took her banim and her banot, and slaughtered her with the cherev; and she became a shem (byword) among nashim; for they had executed judgments upon her.

¹¹ And when her achot Oholivah saw this, she was more depraved in her craving than she, her zonah harlotry became worse than the zonah harlotry of her achot.

¹² She lusted after the Bnei Ashur warriors, pachot and seganim, clothed most gorgeously, parashim driving susim, all of them desirable bochurim.

¹³ Then I saw that she had made herself tameh, that both of them had gone derech echad (the same road).

¹⁴ And that she increased her zonah harlotry; for when she saw anashim portrayed upon the kir (wall), the tzelamim (idol images) of the Kasdim (Chaldeans) portrayed in bright red,

¹⁵ Girded with ezor (belts) upon their waists, with flowing tevulim (turbans) upon their heads, all of them shalishim (ranking officers) to look to, after the demut (appearance) of those of Bnei Bavel Kasdim, their eretz moledet;

¹⁶ And as soon as she saw them with her eynayim, she lusted upon them, and sent malachim unto them into Chaldea.

¹⁷ And the Bnei Bavel came to her into the mishkav dodim (bed of love), and they made her tameh with their zenut (whoredom), and she was defiled by them, and her nefesh turned away from them in disgust.

¹⁸ So she uncovered her zonah harlotry, and uncovered her ervah: then My Nefesh was alienated from her, just as My Nefesh was alienated from her achot.

¹⁹ Yet she multiplied her zonah harlotry, in calling to remembrance the days of her youth, wherein she had played the zonah in Eretz Mitzrayim.

²⁰ For she lusted upon their pilagshim (illicit lovers), whose basar is as the basar of chamorim, and whose issue is like the issue of susim.

²¹ Thus thou calledst to remembrance the zimmah (lewdness) of thy youth, when those of Mitzrayim caressed thy bosom because of thy youthful bosom.

²² Therefore, O Oholivah, thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I will stir up thy lovers against thee, from whom thou hast alienated thy nefesh, and I will bring them against thee on every side;

²³ The Bnei Baval, and all the Kasdim, Pekod, Shoa, Koa, and all the Bnei Ashur with them; all of them desirable bochurim, pachot and seganim, shalishim and renowned, all of them riding upon susim.

²⁴ And they shall come against thee with weapons, wheeled chariots, and with a kahal amim, which shall set against thee shield and mogen and kova (helmet) all around; they will array themselves against thee; and I will delegate mishpat to them, and they shall judge thee according to their mishpatim.

²⁵ And I will set My kina (jealousy) against thee, and they shall deal in chemah (wrath) with thee; they shall cut off thy nose and thine oznayim; and thy remnant shall fall by the cherev; they shall take thy banim and thy banot; and thy remnant shall be devoured by the eish.

²⁶ They shall also strip thee out of thy begadim, and take away thy beautiful jewels.

²⁷ Thus will I make thy zimmah (lewdness) to cease from thee, and thy zenut brought from Eretz Mitzrayim; so that thou shalt not lift up thine eynayim unto them, nor remember Mitzrayim any more.

²⁸ For thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Hineni, I will deliver thee into the yad of them whom thou hatest, into the yad of them from whom thy nefesh is alienated;

²⁹ And they shall deal with thee b’sinah (in hatred), and shall take away all thou hast labored for, and shall leave thee erom (naked) and bare; and the ervah of thy zonah harlotry shall be uncovered, both thy zimmah (lewdness) and thy zonah harlotry.

³⁰ I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a-whoring after the Goyim, and because thou art made tameh with their gillulim.

³¹ Thou hast walked in the derech of thy achot; so will I give her kos into thine yad.

³² Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Thou shalt drink of thy achot’s kos deep and wide; thou shalt be laughed to scorn and held in derision; it containeth so much, filled to the brim.

³³ Thou shalt be filled with shikkaron (drunkenness) and sorrow, with the kos of horror and desolation, with the kos of thy achot Shomron.

³⁴ Thou shalt even drink it and drain it dry, and thou shalt break it into shards, and tear at thine own breasts; for I have spoken it, saith Adonoi Hashem.

³⁵ Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Because thou hast forgotten Me, and thrust Me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy zimmah and thy zonah harlotry.

³⁶ Hashem said moreover unto me: Ben adam, wilt thou judge Oholah and Oholivah? Indeed, declare unto them their to’avot;

³⁷ That they have committed ni’uf, and dahm is on their hands, and with their gillulim (idols) have they committed ni’uf, and have also caused their banim, whom they bore unto Me, to pass for them through the eish, offering them as [sacrificial] food.

³⁸ Moreover this they have done unto Me: they have defiled My Mikdash in the same day, and have profaned My Shabbatot.

³⁹ For when they had slaughtered their banim to their gillulim (idols), then they came the same day, entering into My Mikdash to profane it; and, hinei, thus have they done in the midst of Mine Bais.

⁴⁰ And furthermore, they sent for anashim to come from afar, unto whom malach (messenger) had been sent; and, hinei, they came; the men for whom thou didst wash thyself, didst paint thy eynayim, and didst deck thyself with jewelry,

⁴¹ And satest upon a glorious mittah (couch), and a shulchan spread before it, whereupon thou hast set Mine ketoret and Mine shemen.

⁴² And a voice of a carefree multitude was with her; and with the anashim of the common rabble were brought Sabeans from the midbar, which put bracelets upon their hands, and ateret tiferet (beautiful crowns) upon their heads.

⁴³ Then said I unto her that was old in niufim (adulteries), Will they now commit zonah harlotry with her, and she with them?

⁴⁴ Yet they went in unto her, as they go in unto an isha that playeth the zonah; so went they in unto Oholah and unto Oholivah, the women of zimmah (lewdness).

⁴⁵ And the anashim tzaddikim, they shall judge them after the mishpat of no’afot (adulteresses), and after the mishpat of those guilty of shefach dahm; because they are no’afot (adulteresses), and dahm is on their hands.

⁴⁶ For thus saith Adonoi Hashem: I will bring up a kahal upon them, and will give them over to be terrorized and plundered.

⁴⁷ And the kahal shall stone them with stones, and cut them down with their charavot (swords); they shall slay their banim and their banot, and burn up their batim (houses) with eish.

⁴⁸ Thus will I cause zimmah (lewdness) to cease out of ha’aretz, that all nashim may be warned not to practice your zimmah (lewdness).

⁴⁹ And they shall bring your zimmah (lewdness) upon you, and ye shall bear sins of your gillulim (idols); and ye shall know that I am Adonoi Hashem.

24 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying [i.e., note Fast of Tevet],

² Ben adam, write thee the shem of the day, even of this very day; Melech Bavel laid his siege against Yerushalayim this very day.

³ And utter a mashal unto the bais hameri (the rebellious house), and say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Set on the siyr (cooking pot), set it on, and also pour mayim into it;

⁴ Gather the pieces of meat thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice atzmot (bones).

⁵ Take the choice of the tzon, and arrange also the atzmot at its bottom, and make it boil well, and let them cook the atzmot of it therein.

⁶ Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Oy to the ir hadamim (bloody city), to the siyr (pot) whose scum is therein, and whose scum has not been removed from it! Remove it piece by piece; no goral has fallen on it.

⁷ For her dahm is in the midst of her; she set it upon an exposed rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with aphar;

⁸ That it might cause chemah (fury) to come up to take vengeance; I have set her dahm upon the exposed rock, that it should not be covered.

⁹ Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Oy to the ir hadamim (bloody city)! I will even make the pyre great.

¹⁰ Heap on wood, kindle the eish, cook the basar, and spice it well, and let the atzmot be burned.

¹¹ Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the nechoshet of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be melted in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.

¹² All efforts are wearied, [scum] is not removed, and her great scum went not forth out of her; in the eish shall be her scum.

¹³ In thy tum’a is zimmah; because I have made thee tahor, and thou wast not tahor, thou shalt not be made tahor from thy tum’a any more, until I have caused My chemah (fury, wrath) to subside upon thee.

¹⁴ I Hashem 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 relent: according to thy drakhim, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith Adonoi Hashem.

¹⁵ Also the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

¹⁶ Ben adam, hineni, I take away from thee the makhmad (darling delight) of thine eynayim with a magefah (stroke); yet neither shalt thou wail nor weep, neither shall thy dema’ot (tears) run down.

¹⁷ Forbear to cry, make no evel (mourning) for the mesim (dead ones); bind the turban of thine rosh upon thee, and put thy sandals upon thy feet, and cover not thy safam (mustache), and eat not lechem anashim (bread of sorrow).

¹⁸ So I spoke unto HaAm (the people) in the boker (morning); and at erev (evening) my isha (wife) died; and I did in the boker (morning, i.e., the next morning after her death the previous evening) just as I was commanded.

¹⁹ And haam (the people) said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou art so doing?

²⁰ Then I answered them. The Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

²¹ Speak unto Bais Yisroel, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I will desecrate My Mikdash, the ga’on (pride) of your power, the makhmad of your [plural] eynayim, and the very passion of your nefesh; and your banim and your banot whom ye have left behind shall fall by the cherev.

²² And ye shall do just as I have done: ye shall not cover your safam (mustache), nor eat lechem anashim.

²³ And your turbans shall be upon your heads, and your sandals upon your feet; ye shall not wail nor weep; but ye shall waste away for your avonot, and groan one toward another.

²⁴ Thus Yechezkel is unto you as a mofet [See Zech 3:8; Isa 8:18]; according to all that he hath done shall ye do; and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am Adonoi Hashem.

²⁵ Also, thou ben adam, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their ma’oz (stronghold), the joy of their tiferet (glory), the makhmad (desire) of their eynayim, and that on which their nefesh is uplifted—even their banim and their banot,

²⁶ That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear the news [of the fall of Jerusalem] with thine oznayim?

²⁷ In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more mute; and thou shalt be a mofet unto them; and they shall know that I am Hashem.