³⁶ The Lord said to me: ^(A)“Son of man, ^(B)will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For ^(C)they have committed adultery, ^(D)and blood is on their hands. With their idols they have committed adultery, and they have even ^(E)offered up^[a] to them for food the children whom they had borne to me. ³⁸ Moreover, this they have done to me: ^(F)they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and ^(G)profaned my Sabbaths. ³⁹ For when ^(H)they had slaughtered their children in sacrifice to their idols, on the same day ^(I)they came into my sanctuary to profane it. And behold, ^(J)this is what they did in my house. ⁴⁰ They even sent for men to come from afar, ^(K)to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came. For them you bathed yourself, ^(L)painted your eyes, ^(M)and adorned yourself with ornaments. ⁴¹ You sat on ^(N)a stately couch, with a table spread before it ^(O)on which you had placed my incense and ^(P)my oil. ⁴² The ^(Q)sound of a carefree multitude was with her; and with men of the common sort, drunkards^[b] were brought from the wilderness; and they put ^(R)bracelets on the hands of the women, and ^(S)beautiful crowns on their heads.

⁴³ “Then I said of her who was worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will continue to use her for a whore, even her!’^{[c] 44} For they have gone in to her, as men go in to a prostitute. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, lewd women! ⁴⁵ But righteous men ^(T)shall pass judgment on them with the sentence of adulteresses, and with the sentence of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and blood is on their hands.”

⁴⁶ For thus says the Lord God: ^(U)“Bring up a vast host against them, and make them ^(V)an object of terror and ^(W)a plunder. ^47 (X)And the host shall stone them and cut them down with their swords. ^(Y)They shall kill their sons and their daughters, and ^(Z)burn up their houses. ^48 (AA)Thus will I put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not commit lewdness as you have done. ⁴⁹ And they shall return your lewdness upon you, and ^(AB)you shall bear the penalty for your sinful idolatry, and ^(AC)you shall know that I am the Lord God.”

The Siege of Jerusalem

24 ^(AD)In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ^2 (AE)“Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³ And ^(AF)utter a parable to ^(AG)the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

⁶ “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(AJ)Woe to the bloody city, to ^(AK)the pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice.^{[e] 7} For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on ^(AL)the bare rock; ^(AM)she did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. ⁸ To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. ⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! ^(AN)I also will make the pile great. ¹⁰ Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices,^[f] and let the bones be burned up. ¹¹ Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, ^(AO)that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. ^12 (AP)She has wearied herself with toil;^[g] its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! ¹³ On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, ^(AQ)you shall not be cleansed anymore till ^(AR)I have satisfied my fury upon you. ^14 (AS)I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; ^(AT)I will not spare; ^(AU)I will not relent; ^(AV)according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”

¹² But above all, my brothers, ^(A)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him ^(B)sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(C)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And ^(D)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^(E)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^(F)that you may be healed. ^(G)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{[a] 17} Elijah was a man ^(H)with a nature like ours, and ^(I)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^(J)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^18 (K)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, ^(L)if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone ^(M)brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering ^(N)will save his soul from death and ^(O)will cover a multitude of sins.