Parable of the Boiling Pot

24 The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month: “Son of man, write down today’s date, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.(A) Now speak a parable(B) to the rebellious house. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

Put the pot(C) on the fire—
put it on,
and then pour water into it!
Place the pieces of meat in it,
every good piece—
thigh and shoulder.
Fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest of the flock
and also pile up the fuel[a] under it.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed,(D)
the pot that has corrosion inside it,
and its corrosion has not come out of it!
Empty it piece by piece;
lots should not be cast for its contents.
For the blood she shed[b] is still within her.
She put it out on the bare rock;
she didn’t pour it on the ground
to cover it with dust.(E)
In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance,(F)
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed!(G)
I myself will make the pile of kindling large.
10 Pile on the logs and kindle the fire!
Cook the meat well
and mix in the spices![c][d]
Let the bones be burned!
11 Set the empty pot on its coals
so that it becomes hot and its copper glows.
Then its impurity will melt inside it;
its corrosion will be consumed.(H)
12 It has frustrated every effort;[e]
its thick corrosion will not come off.
Into the fire with its corrosion!
13 Because of the depravity of your uncleanness—
since I tried to purify you,
but you would not be purified from your uncleanness—
you will not be pure again
until I have satisfied my wrath on you.(I)
14 I, the Lord, have spoken.
It is coming, and I will do it!(J)
I will not refrain, I will not show pity,
and I will not relent.
I[f] will judge you
according to your ways and deeds.(K)

This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife: A Sign

15 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, I am about to take the delight of your eyes(L) away from you with a fatal blow. But you must not lament or weep or let your tears flow.(M) 17 Groan quietly; do not observe mourning rites for the dead.(N) Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners.”[g](O)

18 I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did just as I was commanded. 19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

20 So I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Also, the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.(P) 22 Then you will do just as I have done: You will not cover your mustache or eat the bread of mourners. 23 Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not lament or weep(Q) but will waste away(R) because of your iniquities and will groan to one another. 24 Now Ezekiel will be a sign for you.(S) You will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.’

25 “As for you, son of man, know that on that day I will take from them their stronghold—their pride and joy, the delight of their eyes, and the longing of their hearts—as well as their sons and daughters. 26 On that day a fugitive will come to you and report the news.(T) 27 On that day your mouth will be opened to talk with him; you will speak and no longer be mute.(U) So you will be a sign for them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 24:5 Lit bones
  2. 24:7 Lit For her blood
  3. 24:10 Some Hb mss read well; remove the broth; LXX reads fire so that the meat may be cooked and the broth may be reduced
  4. 24:10 Or and stir the broth
  5. 24:12 Hb obscure
  6. 24:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read They
  7. 24:17 Lit men, also in v. 22

The Boiling Pot and the Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

24 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying,[b] “Son of man,[c] write for yourself the name of the day, this very day.[d] The king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem on exactly this day! And deliver a proverb[e] to the rebellious house,[f] and you must say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Place the pot! Place it and also pour water into it. Gather its pieces to it, every good piece, thigh and shoulder, fill it with choice bones; take the choicest of the flock, and also pile the bones[g] under it; boil it vigorously;[h] indeed,[i] its bones boiled in the midst of it.”’”

Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the city of bloodguilt! A pot that has its rust in it; its rust did not go out from it.[j] Bring it out piece by piece;[k] one is as good as another.[l] For her blood was in the midst of her; she put it on a bare rock;[m] she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust.[n] To stir up rage, to avenge myself through vengeance, I placed its blood on the barrenness of a rock, so that it may not be covered.”[o]

Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Woe to the city of bloodguilt! I, even I, will make the pile of wood great! 10 Pile up the logs; kindle the fire; finish cooking the meat, and mix in the spices, and let the bones be burned.[p] 11 And make it stand[q] empty upon its burning coals so that it may become hot, and its copper may become molten and be melted in the midst of it,[r] so that its uncleanness and its rust be consumed. 12 Through effort she has caused weariness; its thick rust[s] went not out of it. Its rust! Into the fire with its rust! 13 In your uncleanness is obscene conduct, because I cleansed you, but you were not clean from your uncleanness; you will not be clean again until I fully vent my rage[t] on you. 14 I, Yahweh, I have spoken. It is coming, and I did it; I will not disregard, and I will not take pity, and I will not reconsider. According to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you!”[u] declares[v] the Lord Yahweh.

15 And the word of Yahweh came[w] to me, saying,[x] 16 “Son of man,[y] look! I am taking from you what is pleasing to your eyes with a plague,[z] but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not run down. 17 Sigh in silence for the dead; you shall not make a mourning ceremony. Bind your turban on you, and you must put your sandals on your feet. You must not cover your upper lip,[aa] and the bread of mourners[ab] you shall not eat.” 18 And I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning just as[ac] I was commanded. 19 And the people said to me, “Will you not make known to us what these things that you are doing mean for us?” 20 And I said to them that the word of Yahweh came[ad] to me, saying,[ae] 21 “Say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I will be profaning my sanctuary, the pride of your strength and the delight of your eyes and the object of your own[af] affection; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword, 22 and you shall do just as[ag] I did: You shall not cover your upper lip,[ah] and you shall not eat the bread of mourners.[ai] 23 And your turban must be on your heads, and your sandals must be on your feet. You shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, but you shall waste away because of your iniquities, and you shall groan to one another.[aj] 24 And Ezekiel will be to you as a sign; everything that he did[ak] you shall do; and when it comes you will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.

25 “And you, son of man,[al] will it not be that on the day when I take from them[am] their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the delight of their eyes, and the longing of their inner self,[an] their sons and daughters— 26 on that day a survivor will come to you with the news.[ao] 27 On that day your mouth shall be opened at the arrival of the fugitive,[ap] and you shall speak, and you shall not be silent any longer, and you shall be to them as a sign, and they will know that I am Yahweh.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:1 Literally “was”
  2. Ezekiel 24:1 Literally “to say”
  3. Ezekiel 24:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  4. Ezekiel 24:2 Literally “exactly the day the this”
  5. Ezekiel 24:3 Literally “quote a proverb”; “proverb a proverb”
  6. Ezekiel 24:3 Literally “the house of rebellion”
  7. Ezekiel 24:5 Or possibly “logs”; the difference is one letter in Hebrew
  8. Ezekiel 24:5 Literally “boil its boiling”
  9. Ezekiel 24:5 Or “also”
  10. Ezekiel 24:6 Literally “rust her not went forth from her”
  11. Ezekiel 24:6 Literally “according to its pieces”
  12. Ezekiel 24:6 Literally “no lot has fallen on it”
  13. Ezekiel 24:7 Literally “on barrenness of a rock she put it”
  14. Ezekiel 24:7 Or “earth” or “dirt”
  15. Ezekiel 24:8 Literally “so as not to be covered”
  16. Ezekiel 24:10 Or “charred”
  17. Ezekiel 24:11 Literally “cause it to stand”
  18. Ezekiel 24:11 Literally “her”
  19. Ezekiel 24:12 Literally “the abundance of its rust”
  20. Ezekiel 24:13 Literally “until causing rest I to my rage”
  21. Ezekiel 24:14 Or “I will judge”
  22. Ezekiel 24:14 Literally “declaration of”
  23. Ezekiel 24:15 Literally “was”
  24. Ezekiel 24:15 Literally “to say”
  25. Ezekiel 24:16 Literally “to say”
  26. Ezekiel 24:16 Or “blow”
  27. Ezekiel 24:17 Or “your mustache” (NASB)
  28. Ezekiel 24:17 Literally “men”
  29. Ezekiel 24:18 Literally “as that”
  30. Ezekiel 24:20 Literally “was”
  31. Ezekiel 24:20 Literally “to say”
  32. Ezekiel 24:21 Or “souls’,” or “selves’”
  33. Ezekiel 24:22 Literally “as that”
  34. Ezekiel 24:22 Or “mustache”
  35. Ezekiel 24:22 Literally “men”
  36. Ezekiel 24:23 Literally “a man to his brother”
  37. Ezekiel 24:24 Literally “like all that he did”
  38. Ezekiel 24:25 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  39. Ezekiel 24:25 Literally “on the day of to take me from them”
  40. Ezekiel 24:25 Or “soul”
  41. Ezekiel 24:26 Literally “with a message for ears”
  42. Ezekiel 24:27 Literally “with the fugitive”; or “to the one who has escaped” (NRSV; cf. NASB)