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Ezekiel 20-23
The Message
Ezekiel 20-23
The Message
Get Rid of All the Things You’ve Become Addicted To
20 In the seventh year, the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, some of the leaders of Israel came to ask for guidance from God. They sat down before me.
2-3 Then God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, talk with the leaders of Israel. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says, “Have you come to ask me questions? As sure as I am the living God, I’ll not put up with questions from you. Decree of God, the Master.”’
4-5 “Son of man, why don’t you do it? Yes, go ahead. Hold them accountable. Confront them with the outrageous obscenities of their parents. Tell them that God, the Master, says:
5-6 “‘On the day I chose Israel, I revealed myself to them in the country of Egypt, raising my hand in a solemn oath to the people of Jacob, in which I said, “I am God, your personal God.” On the same day that I raised my hand in the solemn oath, I promised them that I would take them out of the country of Egypt and bring them into a country that I had searched out just for them, a country flowing with milk and honey, a jewel of a country.
7 “‘At that time I told them, “Get rid of all the vile things that you’ve become addicted to. Don’t make yourselves filthy with the Egyptian no-god idols. I alone am God, your God.”
8-10 “‘But they rebelled against me, wouldn’t listen to a word I said. None got rid of the vile things they were addicted to. They held on to the no-gods of Egypt as if for dear life. I seriously considered inflicting my anger on them in force right there in Egypt. Then I thought better of it. I acted out of who I was, not by how I felt. And I acted in a way that would evoke honor, not blasphemy, from the nations around them, nations who had seen me reveal myself by promising to lead my people out of Egypt. And then I did it: I led them out of Egypt into the desert.
11-12 “‘I gave them laws for living, showed them how to live well and obediently before me. I also gave them my weekly holy rest days, my “Sabbaths,” a kind of signpost erected between me and them to show them that I, God, am in the business of making them holy.
13-17 “‘But Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They didn’t follow my statutes. They despised my laws for living well and obediently in the ways I had set out. And they totally desecrated my holy Sabbaths. I seriously considered unleashing my anger on them right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out. But I did lift my hand in a solemn oath there in the desert and promise them that I would not bring them into the country flowing with milk and honey that I had chosen for them, that jewel among all lands. I canceled my promise because they despised my laws for living obediently, wouldn’t follow my statutes, and went ahead and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. They preferred living by their no-god idols. But I didn’t go all the way: I didn’t wipe them out, didn’t finish them off in the desert.
18-20 “‘Then I addressed myself to their children in the desert: “Don’t do what your parents did. Don’t take up their practices. Don’t make yourselves filthy with their no-god idols. I myself am God, your God: Keep my statutes and live by my laws. Keep my Sabbaths as holy rest days, signposts between me and you, signaling that I am God, your God.”
21-22 “‘But the children also rebelled against me. They neither followed my statutes nor kept my laws for living upright and well. And they desecrated my Sabbaths. I seriously considered dumping my anger on them, right there in the desert. But I thought better of it and acted out of who I was, not by what I felt, so that I might be honored and not blasphemed by the nations who had seen me bring them out.
23-26 “‘But I did lift my hand in solemn oath there in the desert, and swore that I would scatter them all over the world, disperse them every which way because they didn’t keep my laws nor live by my statutes. They desecrated my Sabbaths and remained addicted to the no-god idols of their parents. Since they were determined to live bad lives, I myself gave them statutes that could not produce goodness and laws that did not produce life. I abandoned them. Filthy in the gutter, they perversely sacrificed their firstborn children in the fire. The very horror should have shocked them into recognizing that I am God.’
27-29 “Therefore, speak to Israel, son of man. Tell them that God says, ‘As if that wasn’t enough, your parents further insulted me by betraying me. When I brought them into that land that I had solemnly promised with my upraised hand to give them, every time they saw a hill with a sex-and-religion shrine on it or a grove of trees where the sacred whores practiced, they were there, buying into the whole pagan system. I said to them, “What hill do you go to?”’ (It’s still called ‘Whore Hills.’)
30-31 “Therefore, say to Israel, ‘The Message of God, the Master: You’re making your lives filthy by copying the ways of your parents. In repeating their vile practices, you’ve become whores yourselves. In burning your children as sacrifices, you’ve become as filthy as your no-god idols—as recently as today!
“‘Am I going to put up with questions from people like you, Israel? As sure as I am the living God, I, God, the Master, refuse to be called into question by you!
32 “‘What you’re secretly thinking is never going to happen. You’re thinking, “We’re going to be like everybody else, just like the other nations. We’re going to worship gods we can make and control.”
33-35 “‘As sure as I am the living God, says God, the Master, think again! With a mighty show of strength and a terrifying rush of anger, I will be King over you! I’ll bring you back from the nations, collect you out of the countries to which you’ve been scattered, with a mighty show of strength and a terrifying rush of anger. I’ll bring you to the desert of nations and haul you into court, where you’ll be face-to-face with judgment.
36-38 “‘As I faced your parents with judgment in the desert of Egypt, so I’ll face you with judgment. I’ll scrutinize and search every person as you arrive, and I’ll bring you under the bond of the covenant. I’ll cull out the rebels and traitors. I’ll lead them out of their exile, but I won’t bring them back to Israel.
“‘Then you’ll realize that I am God.
39-43 “‘But you, people of Israel, this is the Message of God, the Master, to you: Go ahead, serve your no-god idols! But later, you’ll think better of it and quit throwing filth and mud on me with your pagan offerings and no-god idols. For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, I, God, the Master, tell you that the entire people of Israel will worship me. I’ll receive them there with open arms. I’ll demand your best gifts and offerings, all your holy sacrifices. What’s more, I’ll receive you as the best kind of offerings when I bring you back from all the lands and countries in which you’ve been scattered. I’ll demonstrate in the eyes of the world that I am The Holy. When I return you to the land of Israel, the land that I solemnly promised with upraised arm to give to your parents, you’ll realize that I am God. Then and there you’ll remember all that you’ve done, the way you’ve lived that has made you so filthy—and you’ll loathe yourselves.
44 “‘But, dear Israel, you’ll also realize that I am God when I respond to you out of who I am, not by what I feel about the evil lives you’ve lived, the corrupt history you’ve compiled. Decree of God, the Master.’”
Nobody Will Put Out the Fire
45-46 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, face south. Let the Message roll out against the south. Prophesy against the wilderness forest of the south.
47-48 “Tell the forest of the south, ‘Listen to the Message of God! God, the Master, says, I’ll set a fire in you that will burn up every tree, dead trees and live trees alike. Nobody will put out the fire. The whole country from south to north will be blackened by it. Everyone is going to see that I, God, started the fire and that it’s not going to be put out.’”
49 And I said, “O God, everyone is saying of me, ‘He just makes up stories.’”
A Sword! A Sword!
21 1-5 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, now face Jerusalem and let the Message roll out against the Sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel. Say, ‘God’s Message: I’m against you. I’m pulling my sword from its sheath and killing both the wicked and the righteous. Because I’m treating everyone the same, good and bad, everyone from south to north is going to feel my sword! Everyone will know that I mean business.’
6 “So, son of man, groan! Double up in pain. Make a scene!
7 “When they ask you, ‘Why all this groaning, this carrying on?’ say, ‘Because of the news that’s coming. It’ll knock the breath out of everyone. Hearts will stop cold, knees turn to rubber. Yes, it’s coming. No stopping it. Decree of God, the Master.’”
* * *
8-10 God’s Message to me: “Son of man, prophesy. Tell them, ‘The Master says:
“‘A sword! A sword!
razor-sharp and polished,
Sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning!
“‘My child, you’ve despised the scepter of Judah
by worshiping every tree-idol.
11 “‘The sword is made to glisten,
to be held and brandished.
It’s sharpened and polished,
ready to be brandished by the killer.’
12 “Yell out and wail, son of man.
The sword is against my people!
The princes of Israel
and my people—abandoned to the sword!
Wring your hands!
Tear out your hair!
13 “‘Testing comes.
Why have you despised discipline?
You can’t get around it.
Decree of God, the Master.’
14-17 “So, prophesy, son of man!
Clap your hands. Get their attention.
Tell them that the sword’s coming down
once, twice, three times.
It’s a sword to kill,
a sword for a massacre,
A sword relentless,
a sword inescapable—
People collapsing right and left,
going down like dominoes.
I’ve stationed a murderous sword
at every gate in the city,
Flashing like lightning,
brandished murderously.
Cut to the right, thrust to the left,
murderous, sharp-edged sword!
Then I’ll clap my hands,
a signal that my anger is spent.
I, God, have spoken.”
* * *
18-22 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, lay out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take. Start them from the same place. Place a signpost at the beginning of each road. Post one sign to mark the road of the sword to Rabbah of the Ammonites. Post the other to mark the road to Judah and Fort Jerusalem. The king of Babylon stands at the fork in the road and he decides by divination which of the two roads to take. He draws straws, he throws god-dice, he examines a goat liver. He opens his right hand: The omen says, ‘Head for Jerusalem!’ So he’s on his way with battering rams, roused to kill, sounding the battle cry, pounding down city gates, building siege works.
23 “To the Judah leaders, who themselves have sworn oaths, it will seem like a false divination, but he will remind them of their guilt, and so they’ll be captured.
24 “So this is what God, the Master, says: ‘Because your sin is now out in the open so everyone can see what you’ve been doing, you’ll be taken captive.
25-27 “‘O Zedekiah, blasphemous and evil prince of Israel: Time’s up. It’s “punishment payday.” God says, Take your royal crown off your head. No more “business as usual.” The underdog will be promoted and the top dog will be demoted. Ruins, ruins, ruins! I’ll turn the whole place into ruins. And ruins it will remain until the one comes who has a right to it. Then I’ll give it to him.’
28-32 “But, son of man, your job is to prophesy. Tell them, ‘This is the Message from God, the Master, against the Ammonites and against their cruel taunts:
“‘A sword! A sword!
Bared to kill,
Sharp as a razor,
flashing like lightning.
Despite false sword propaganda
circulated in Ammon,
The sword will sever Ammonite necks,
for whom it’s punishment payday.
Return the sword to the sheath! I’ll judge you in your home country,
in the land where you grew up.
I’ll empty out my wrath on you,
breathe hot anger down your neck.
I’ll give you to vicious men
skilled in torture.
You’ll end up as stove-wood.
Corpses will litter your land.
Not so much as a memory will be left of you.
I, God, have said so.’”
The Scarecrow of the Nations
22 1-5 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, are you going to judge this bloody city or not? Come now, are you going to judge her? Do it! Face her with all her outrageous obscenities. Tell her, ‘This is what God, the Master, says: You’re a city murderous at the core, just asking for punishment. You’re a city obsessed with no-god idols, making yourself filthy. In all your killing, you’ve piled up guilt. In all your idol-making, you’ve become filthy. You’ve forced a premature end to your existence. I’ll put you on exhibit as the scarecrow of the nations, the world’s worst joke. From far and near they’ll deride you as infamous in filth, notorious for chaos.
6-12 “‘Your leaders, the princes of Israel among you, compete in crime. You’re a community that’s insolent to parents, abusive to outsiders, oppressive against orphans and widows. You treat my holy things with contempt and desecrate my Sabbaths. You have people spreading lies and spilling blood, flocking to the hills to the sex shrines and fornicating unrestrained. Incest is common. Men force themselves on women regardless of whether they’re ready or willing. Sex is now anarchy. Anyone is fair game: neighbor, daughter-in-law, sister. Murder is for hire, usury is rampant, extortion is commonplace.
“‘And you’ve forgotten me. Decree of God, the Master.
13-14 “‘Now look! I’ve clapped my hands, calling everyone’s attention to your rapacious greed and your bloody brutalities. Can you stick with it? Will you be able to keep at this once I start dealing with you?
14-16 “‘I, God, have spoken. I’ll put an end to this. I’ll throw you to the four winds. I’ll scatter you all over the world. I’ll put a full stop to your filthy living. You will be defiled, spattered with your own mud in the eyes of the nations. And you’ll recognize that I am God.’”
17-22 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, the people of Israel are slag to me, the useless byproduct of refined copper, tin, iron, and lead left at the smelter—a worthless slag heap. So tell them, ‘God, the Master, has spoken: Because you’ve all become worthless slag, you’re on notice: I’ll assemble you in Jerusalem. As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into a furnace and blow fire on it to melt it down, so in my wrath I’ll gather you and melt you down. I’ll blow on you with the fire of my wrath to melt you down in the furnace. As silver is melted down, you’ll be melted down. That should get through to you. Then you’ll recognize that I, God, have let my wrath loose on you.’”
23-25 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, tell her, ‘You’re a land that during the time I was angry with you got no rain, not so much as a spring shower. The leaders among you became desperate, like roaring, ravaging lions killing indiscriminately. They grabbed and looted, leaving widows in their wake.
26-29 “‘Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can’t tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there’s no difference between right and wrong. They’re contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, “This is what God, the Master, says . . .” when God hasn’t said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.’
30-31 “I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it. I couldn’t find anyone. Not one. So I’ll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they’ve done. Decree of God, the Master.”
Wild with Lust
23 1-4 God’s Message came to me: “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother. They became whores in Egypt, whores from a young age. Their breasts were fondled, their young bosoms caressed. The older sister was named Oholah, the younger was Oholibah. They were my daughters, and they gave birth to sons and daughters.
“Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.
5-8 “Oholah started whoring while she was still mine. She lusted after Assyrians as lovers: military men smartly uniformed in blue, ambassadors and governors, good-looking young men mounted on fine horses. Her lust was unrestrained. She was a whore to the Assyrian elite. She compounded her filth with the idols of those to whom she gave herself in lust. She never slowed down. The whoring she began while young in Egypt she continued, sleeping with men who played with her breasts and spent their lust on her.
9-10 “So I left her to her Assyrian lovers, for whom she was so obsessed with lust. They ripped off her clothes, took away her children, and then, the final indignity, killed her. Among women her name became Shame—history’s judgment on her.
11-18 “Her sister Oholibah saw all this, but she became even worse than her sister in lust and whoring, if you can believe it. She also went crazy with lust for Assyrians: ambassadors and governors, military men smartly dressed and mounted on fine horses—the Assyrian elite. And I saw that she also had become incredibly filthy. Both women followed the same path. But Oholibah surpassed her sister. When she saw figures of Babylonians carved in relief on the walls and painted red, fancy belts around their waists, elaborate turbans on their heads, all of them looking important—famous Babylonians!—she went wild with lust and sent invitations to them in Babylon. The Babylonians came on the run, fornicated with her, made her dirty inside and out. When they had thoroughly debased her, she lost interest in them. Then she went public with her fornication. She exhibited her sex to the world.
18-21 “I turned my back on her just as I had on her sister. But that didn’t slow her down. She went at her whoring harder than ever. She remembered when she was young, just starting out as a whore in Egypt. That whetted her appetite for more virile, vulgar, and violent lovers—stallions obsessive in their lust. She longed for the sexual prowess of her youth back in Egypt, where her firm young breasts were caressed and fondled.
22-27 “‘Therefore, Oholibah, this is the Message from God, the Master: I will incite your old lovers against you, lovers you got tired of and left in disgust. I’ll bring them against you from every direction, Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all Assyrians—good-looking young men, ambassadors and governors, elite officers and celebrities—all of them mounted on fine, spirited horses. They’ll come down on you out of the north, armed to the teeth, bringing chariots and troops from all sides. I’ll turn over the task of judgment to them. They’ll punish you according to their rules. I’ll stand totally and relentlessly against you as they rip into you furiously. They’ll mutilate you, cutting off your ears and nose, killing at random. They’ll enslave your children—and anybody left over will be burned. They’ll rip off your clothes and steal your jewelry. I’ll put a stop to your sluttish sex, the whoring life you began in Egypt. You won’t look on whoring with fondness anymore. You won’t think back on Egypt with stars in your eyes.
28-30 “‘A Message from God, the Master: I’m at the point of abandoning you to those you hate, to those by whom you’re repulsed. They’ll treat you hatefully, leave you publicly naked, your whore’s body exposed in the cruel glare of the sun. Your sluttish lust will be exposed. Your lust has brought you to this condition because you whored with pagan nations and made yourself filthy with their no-god idols.
31-34 “‘You copied the life of your sister. Now I’ll let you drink the cup she drank.
“‘This is the Message of God, the Master:
“‘You’ll drink your sister’s cup,
a cup canyon-deep and ocean-wide.
You’ll be shunned and taunted
as you drink from that cup, full to the brim.
You’ll be falling-down-drunk and the tears will flow
as you drink from that cup titanic with terror:
It’s the cup of your sister Samaria.
You’ll drink it dry,
then smash it to bits and eat the pieces,
and end up tearing at your breasts.
I’ve given the word—
Decree of God, the Master.
35 “‘Therefore God, the Master, says, Because you’ve forgotten all about me, pushing me into the background, you now must pay for what you’ve done—pay for your sluttish sex and whoring life.’”
36-39 Then God said to me, “Son of man, will you confront Oholah and Oholibah with what they’ve done? Make them face their outrageous obscenities, obscenities ranging from adultery to murder. They committed adultery with their no-god idols, sacrificed the children they bore me in order to feed their idols! And there is also this: They’ve defiled my holy Sanctuary and desecrated my holy Sabbaths. The same day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they walked into my Sanctuary and defiled it. That’s what they did—in my house!
40-42 “Furthermore, they even sent out invitations by special messenger to men far away—and, sure enough, they came. They bathed themselves, put on makeup and provocative lingerie. They reclined on a sumptuous bed, aromatic with incense and oils—my incense and oils! The crowd gathered, jostling and pushing, a drunken rabble. They adorned the sisters with bracelets on their arms and tiaras on their heads.
43-44 “I said, ‘She’s burned out on sex!’ but that didn’t stop them. They kept banging on her doors night and day as men do when they’re after a whore. That’s how they used Oholah and Oholibah, the worn-out whores.
45 “Righteous men will pronounce judgment on them, giving out sentences for adultery and murder. That was their lifework: adultery and murder.”
46-47 “God says, ‘Let a mob loose on them: Terror! Plunder! Let the mob stone them and hack them to pieces—kill all their children, burn down their houses!
48-49 “‘I’ll put an end to sluttish sex in this country so that all women will be well warned and not copy you. You’ll pay the price for all your obsessive sex. You’ll pay in full for your promiscuous affairs with idols. And you’ll realize that I am God, the Master.’”
Ezekiel 20-23
New International Version
Ezekiel 20-23
New International Version
Rebellious Israel Purged
20 In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire(A) of the Lord, and they sat down in front of me.(B)
2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders(C) of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Have you come to inquire(D) of me? As surely as I live, I will not let you inquire of me, declares the Sovereign Lord.(E)’
4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, son of man? Then confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors(F) 5 and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I chose(G) Israel, I swore with uplifted hand(H) to the descendants of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the Lord your God.(I)” 6 On that day I swore(J) to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey,(K) the most beautiful of all lands.(L) 7 And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images(M) you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols(N) of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.(O)”
8 “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me;(P) they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.(Q) So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.(R) 9 But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt.(S) I did it to keep my name from being profaned(T) in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites. 10 Therefore I led them out of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.(U) 11 I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, by which the person who obeys them will live.(V) 12 Also I gave them my Sabbaths(W) as a sign(X) between us,(Y) so they would know that I the Lord made them holy.(Z)
13 “‘Yet the people of Israel rebelled(AA) against me in the wilderness. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws(AB)—by which the person who obeys them will live—and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths.(AC) So I said I would pour out my wrath(AD) on them and destroy(AE) them in the wilderness.(AF) 14 But for the sake of my name I did what would keep it from being profaned(AG) in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.(AH) 15 Also with uplifted hand I swore(AI) to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land I had given them—a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands(AJ)— 16 because they rejected my laws(AK) and did not follow my decrees and desecrated my Sabbaths. For their hearts(AL) were devoted to their idols.(AM) 17 Yet I looked on them with pity and did not destroy(AN) them or put an end to them in the wilderness. 18 I said to their children in the wilderness, “Do not follow the statutes of your parents(AO) or keep their laws or defile yourselves(AP) with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God;(AQ) follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.(AR) 20 Keep my Sabbaths(AS) holy, that they may be a sign(AT) between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.(AU)”
21 “‘But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws,(AV) of which I said, “The person who obeys them will live by them,” and they desecrated my Sabbaths. So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger(AW) against them in the wilderness.(AX) 22 But I withheld(AY) my hand, and for the sake of my name(AZ) I did what would keep it from being profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the nations and scatter(BA) them through the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my laws but had rejected my decrees(BB) and desecrated my Sabbaths,(BC) and their eyes lusted after(BD) their parents’ idols.(BE) 25 So I gave(BF) them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;(BG) 26 I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice(BH) of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.(BI)’
27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In this also your ancestors(BJ) blasphemed(BK) me by being unfaithful to me:(BL) 28 When I brought them into the land(BM) I had sworn to give them and they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices, made offerings that aroused my anger, presented their fragrant incense and poured out their drink offerings.(BN) 29 Then I said to them: What is this high place(BO) you go to?’” (It is called Bamah[a] to this day.)
Rebellious Israel Renewed
30 “Therefore say to the Israelites: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will you defile yourselves(BP) the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images?(BQ) 31 When you offer your gifts—the sacrifice of your children(BR) in the fire—you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Am I to let you inquire of me, you Israelites? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will not let you inquire of me.(BS)
32 “‘You say, “We want to be like the nations, like the peoples of the world, who serve wood and stone.” But what you have in mind will never happen. 33 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm(BT) and with outpoured wrath.(BU) 34 I will bring you from the nations(BV) and gather(BW) you from the countries where you have been scattered—with a mighty hand(BX) and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.(BY) 35 I will bring you into the wilderness(BZ) of the nations and there, face to face, I will execute judgment(CA) upon you. 36 As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CB) 37 I will take note of you as you pass under my rod,(CC) and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.(CD) 38 I will purge(CE) you of those who revolt and rebel against me. Although I will bring them out of the land where they are living, yet they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.(CF)
39 “‘As for you, people of Israel, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Go and serve your idols,(CG) every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name(CH) with your gifts and idols.(CI) 40 For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel,(CJ) declares the Sovereign Lord, there in the land all the people of Israel will serve me, and there I will accept them. There I will require your offerings(CK) and your choice gifts,[b] along with all your holy sacrifices.(CL) 41 I will accept you as fragrant incense(CM) when I bring you out from the nations and gather(CN) you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy(CO) through you in the sight of the nations.(CP) 42 Then you will know that I am the Lord,(CQ) when I bring you into the land of Israel,(CR) the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.(CS) 43 There you will remember your conduct(CT) and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves(CU) for all the evil you have done.(CV) 44 You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake(CW) and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.(CX)’”
Prophecy Against the South
45 The word of the Lord came to me: 46 “Son of man, set your face toward(CY) the south; preach against the south and prophesy against(CZ) the forest of the southland.(DA) 47 Say to the southern forest:(DB) ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to set fire to you, and it will consume(DC) all your trees, both green and dry. The blazing flame will not be quenched, and every face from south to north(DD) will be scorched by it.(DE) 48 Everyone will see that I the Lord have kindled it; it will not be quenched.(DF)’”
49 Then I said, “Sovereign Lord,(DG) they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just telling parables?(DH)’”[c]
Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment
21 [d]The word of the Lord came to me:(DI) 2 “Son of man, set your face against(DJ) Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.(DK) Prophesy against(DL) the land of Israel 3 and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.(DM) I will draw my sword(DN) from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.(DO) 4 Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword(DP) will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.(DQ) 5 Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword(DR) from its sheath; it will not return(DS) again.’(DT)
6 “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.(DU) 7 And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?(DV)’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear(DW) and every hand go limp;(DX) every spirit will become faint(DY) and every leg will be wet with urine.’(DZ) It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
8 The word of the Lord came to me: 9 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished—
10 sharpened for the slaughter,(EA)
polished to flash like lightning!
“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.(EB)
11 “‘The sword is appointed to be polished,(EC)
to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
made ready for the hand of the slayer.
12 Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it is against my people;
it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.(ED)
13 “‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’
14 “So then, son of man, prophesy
and strike your hands(EE) together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter—
a sword for great slaughter,
closing in on them from every side.(EF)
15 So that hearts may melt with fear(EG)
and the fallen be many,
I have stationed the sword for slaughter[e]
at all their gates.
Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,
it is grasped for slaughter.(EH)
16 Slash to the right, you sword,
then to the left,
wherever your blade is turned.
17 I too will strike my hands(EI) together,
and my wrath(EJ) will subside.
I the Lord have spoken.(EK)”
18 The word of the Lord came to me: 19 “Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword(EL) of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost(EM) where the road branches off to the city. 20 Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites(EN) and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21 For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots(EO) with arrows, he will consult his idols,(EP) he will examine the liver.(EQ) 22 Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry,(ER) to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp(ES) and to erect siege works.(ET) 23 It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind(EU) them of their guilt(EV) and take them captive.
24 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
25 “‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come,(EW) whose time of punishment has reached its climax,(EX) 26 this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown.(EY) It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.(EZ) 27 A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come;(FA) to him I will give it.’(FB)
28 “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites(FC) and their insults:
“‘A sword,(FD) a sword,
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!
29 Despite false visions concerning you
and lying divinations(FE) about you,
it will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain,
whose day has come,
whose time of punishment has reached its climax.(FF)
30 “‘Let the sword return to its sheath.(FG)
In the place where you were created,
in the land of your ancestry,(FH)
I will judge you.
31 I will pour out my wrath on you
and breathe(FI) out my fiery anger(FJ) against you;
I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,
men skilled in destruction.(FK)
32 You will be fuel for the fire,(FL)
your blood will be shed in your land,
you will be remembered(FM) no more;
for I the Lord have spoken.’”
Judgment on Jerusalem’s Sins
22 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed?(FN) Then confront her with all her detestable practices(FO) 3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood(FP) in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 4 you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed(FQ) and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come.(FR) Therefore I will make you an object of scorn(FS) to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.(FT) 5 Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.(FU)
6 “‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.(FV) 7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt;(FW) in you they have oppressed the foreigner(FX) and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.(FY) 8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.(FZ) 9 In you are slanderers(GA) who are bent on shedding blood;(GB) in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines(GC) and commit lewd acts.(GD) 10 In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed;(GE) in you are those who violate women during their period,(GF) when they are ceremonially unclean.(GG) 11 In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife,(GH) another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law,(GI) and another violates his sister,(GJ) his own father’s daughter.(GK) 12 In you are people who accept bribes(GL) to shed blood; you take interest(GM) and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors.(GN) And you have forgotten(GO) me, declares the Sovereign Lord.(GP)
13 “‘I will surely strike my hands(GQ) together at the unjust gain(GR) you have made and at the blood(GS) you have shed in your midst.(GT) 14 Will your courage endure(GU) or your hands(GV) be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken,(GW) and I will do it.(GX) 15 I will disperse you among the nations and scatter(GY) you through the countries; and I will put an end to(GZ) your uncleanness.(HA) 16 When you have been defiled[f] in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.’”
17 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross(HB) to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace.(HC) They are but the dross of silver.(HD) 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross,(HE) I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20 As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you.(HF) 21 I will gather you and I will blow(HG) on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her.(HH) 22 As silver is melted(HI) in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath(HJ) on you.’”(HK)
23 Again the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’(HL) 25 There is a conspiracy(HM) of her princes[g] within her like a roaring lion(HN) tearing its prey; they devour people,(HO) take treasures and precious things and make many widows(HP) within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law(HQ) and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common;(HR) they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean;(HS) and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned(HT) among them.(HU) 27 Her officials(HV) within her are like wolves(HW) tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people(HX) to make unjust gain.(HY) 28 Her prophets whitewash(HZ) these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations.(IA) They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken.(IB) 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery;(IC) they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner,(ID) denying them justice.(IE)
30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall(IF) and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.(IG) 31 So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger,(IH) bringing down(II) on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.(IJ)”
Two Adulterous Sisters
23 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.(IK) 3 They became prostitutes in Egypt,(IL) engaging in prostitution(IM) from their youth.(IN) In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.(IO) 4 The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.(IP)
5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians(IQ)—warriors(IR) 6 clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. 7 She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.(IS) 8 She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt,(IT) when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.(IU)
9 “Therefore I delivered her into the hands(IV) of her lovers,(IW) the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.(IX) 10 They stripped(IY) her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women,(IZ) and punishment was inflicted(JA) on her.(JB)
11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this,(JC) yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.(JD) 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.(JE) 13 I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.(JF)
14 “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall,(JG) figures of Chaldeans[h] portrayed in red,(JH) 15 with belts(JI) around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.[i] 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers(JJ) to them in Chaldea.(JK) 17 Then the Babylonians(JL) came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.(JM) 18 When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,(JN) I turned away(JO) from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.(JP) 19 Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.[j](JQ)
22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers(JR) against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side(JS)— 23 the Babylonians(JT) and all the Chaldeans,(JU) the men of Pekod(JV) and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.(JW) 24 They will come against you with weapons,[k] chariots and wagons(JX) and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,(JY) and they will punish you according to their standards. 25 I will direct my jealous anger(JZ) against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters,(KA) and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.(KB) 26 They will also strip(KC) you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry.(KD) 27 So I will put a stop(KE) to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.
28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands(KF) of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29 They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked,(KG) and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed.(KH) Your lewdness(KI) and promiscuity(KJ) 30 have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.(KK) 31 You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup(KL) into your hand.(KM)
32 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“You will drink your sister’s cup,
a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,(KN)
for it holds so much.(KO)
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
the cup of ruin and desolation,
the cup of your sister Samaria.(KP)
34 You will drink it(KQ) and drain it dry
and chew on its pieces—
and you will tear your breasts.
I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.(KR)
35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten(KS) me and turned your back on me,(KT) you must bear(KU) the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”
36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront(KV) them with their detestable practices,(KW) 37 for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.(KX) 38 They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary(KY) and desecrated my Sabbaths.(KZ) 39 On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated(LA) it. That is what they did in my house.(LB)
40 “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away,(LC) and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup(LD) and put on your jewelry.(LE) 41 You sat on an elegant couch,(LF) with a table(LG) spread before it on which you had placed the incense(LH) and olive oil that belonged to me.(LI)
42 “The noise of a carefree(LJ) crowd was around her; drunkards(LK) were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets(LL) on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.(LM) 43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute,(LN) for that is all she is.’ 44 And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. 45 But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood,(LO) because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.(LP)
46 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob(LQ) against them and give them over to terror and plunder.(LR) 47 The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters(LS) and burn(LT) down their houses.(LU)
48 “So I will put an end(LV) to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.(LW) 49 You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.(LX) Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(LY)”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 20:29 Bamah means high place.
- Ezekiel 20:40 Or and the gifts of your firstfruits
- Ezekiel 20:49 In Hebrew texts 20:45-49 is numbered 21:1-5.
- Ezekiel 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-32 is numbered 21:6-37.
- Ezekiel 21:15 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Ezekiel 22:16 Or When I have allotted you your inheritance
- Ezekiel 22:25 Septuagint; Hebrew prophets
- Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
- Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
- Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
- Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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