Ezekiel 24
New American Standard Bible
Parable of the Boiling Pot
24 Now the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying, 2 “Son of man, write the name of the day, this very day. The king of Babylon [a]has (A)laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. 3 Present a (B)parable to the (C)rebellious house and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord [b]God says:
“Put on the (D)pot, put it on and also pour water into it;
4 [c](E)Put in it the pieces of meat,
Every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder;
Fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the (F)choicest of the flock,
And also stack [d]wood under [e]the pot.
Make it boil vigorously.
Also boil its bones in it.”
6 ‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
“Woe to the (G)bloody city,
To the pot in which there is rust
And whose rust has not gone out of it!
Take out of it piece after piece,
[f]Without making a choice.
7 For her blood is in her midst;
She placed it on the bare rock;
She did not (H)pour it on the ground
To cover it with dust.
8 So that it may (I)cause wrath to come up to take vengeance,
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
So that it will not be covered.”
9 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:
“(J)Woe to the bloody city!
I also will make the wood pile great.
10 Heap on the wood, kindle the fire,
[g]Cook the meat thoroughly
And mix in the spices,
And let the bones be burned up.
11 Then (K)set it empty on its burning coals
So that it may be hot
And its bronze may [h]glow,
And its (L)filthiness may be melted in it,
Its rust eliminated.
12 She has (M)wearied Me with work,
Yet her great rust has not gone from her;
Let her rust be in the fire!
13 In your filthiness is outrageous sin.
Because I would have cleansed you,
Yet you are (N)not clean,
You will not be cleansed from your filthiness again
Until I have [i](O)expended My wrath on you.
14 I, the Lord, have spoken; it is (P)coming and I will act. I will not overlook, I will not (Q)pity, and I will not be sorry; (R)according to your ways and according to your deeds [j]I will judge you,” declares the Lord God.’”
Death of Ezekiel’s Wife Is a Sign
15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you (S)what is precious to your eyes with a (T)fatal blow; but you shall not (U)mourn and you shall not weep, and your (V)tears shall not come. 17 Groan silently; do (W)no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your sandals on your feet, and do not [k]cover your mustache, and (X)do not eat the [l]bread of other people.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded. 19 And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are doing?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, (Y)that which is precious in your eyes and the longing of your soul; and your (Z)sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. 22 And you will do just as I have done; you will not [m]cover your mustache, and you will not eat the [n]bread of other people. 23 Your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet. You (AA)will not mourn and you will not weep; but (AB)you will rot away in your guilty deeds, and you will groan [o]to one another. 24 So Ezekiel will be a (AC)sign to you; according to all that he has done, you will do. When it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’”
25 ‘As for you, son of man, will it not be on the day when I take from them their (AD)stronghold, the joy of their splendor, that which is precious in their eyes and their [p]heart’s longing, their sons and their daughters, 26 that on that day the one who (AE)escapes will come to you with information for your ears? 27 On that day your (AF)mouth will be opened to him who escaped, and you will speak and no longer be silenced. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 24:2 Lit leaned on
- Ezekiel 24:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 24:4 Lit Gather her pieces
- Ezekiel 24:5 Cf. v 10; MT bones
- Ezekiel 24:5 Lit it
- Ezekiel 24:6 Lit No lot has fallen on it
- Ezekiel 24:10 Lit Finish
- Ezekiel 24:11 Lit burn
- Ezekiel 24:13 Lit caused to rest
- Ezekiel 24:14 As in several mss and ancient versions; MT they
- Ezekiel 24:17 Covering the beard and mustache was a mourning custom
- Ezekiel 24:17 I.e., food from others for mourners
- Ezekiel 24:22 See note 1 v 17
- Ezekiel 24:22 See note 2 v 17
- Ezekiel 24:23 Lit each to his brother
- Ezekiel 24:25 Lit soul’s burden
Ezekiel 24
International Standard Version
God Brews His Judgment
24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month, and on the tenth day of the month, this message came to me from the Lord:
2 “Son of Man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem on this very day. 3 So compose a parable for the rebellious house. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“Prepare your pot for boiling!
Set it in place.
Fill it up with water, too.
4 Gather together the best pieces of meat on it—
including the thighs and the shoulders—
and fill it with the choicest bones.
5 Take the best bones from the flock,
pile wood[a] under the pot[b] for the bones,
bring it to a boil,
and then cook the bones in it.”’”
Woe to Jerusalem
6 “This is what the Lord God says:
‘How terrible it is for that blood-filled city,
to the pot whose rust remains in it,
whose rust won’t come off.
Empty it one piece at a time.
Don’t let a lot fall on it.
7 Her blood was in it.
She poured it out onto bare rock.
She didn’t pour it out on the ground,
intending to cover it with dirt.
8 In order to stir up my anger
and in order to take vengeance,
I set the blood on a bare rock
so that it cannot be covered.’
9 “Therefore this is what the Lord God says:
‘How terrible it is for that blood-filled city—
I’m also going to add to my[c] pile of kindling.
10 Pile up the wood!
Make the fire burn hot.
Boil the meat!
Mix the seasonings.
Burn those bones to a crisp!
11 Make the pot stand empty on the coals
until its bronze glows red,[d]
its rust can be scoured off,[e]
and its dross completely removed.
12 The pot[f] wearies me,[g]
but its thick[h] rust won’t come off,
even with fire.
13 There is wickedness in your obscene conduct.
Even though I’ve cleansed you,
your uncleanness cannot be washed away.
You cannot be cleansed again
until my rage against you has subsided.’
14 “‘I, the Lord have spoken. It will happen, because I’m going to do it. I won’t hold back, have compassion, or change my mind.[i] They’ll judge you according to your ways and deeds,’ declares the Lord God.”
The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife
15 This message came to me from the Lord: 16 “Son of Man, pay attention! I’m about to take away your most precious treasure[j] with a single, fatal stroke, but you are not to mourn, weep, nor even let tears well up in your eyes.[k] 17 You are to weep in silence, but you are not to participate in mourning rituals.[l] You are to keep your turban on your head and your sandals on your feet. You are not to cover your mouth[m] or eat what your comforters bring to you.”[n]
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died that evening. The next[o] morning, I did as I had been commanded.
19 Then the people told me, “Are you going to explain what these things that you’re doing should mean to us?”
20 So I responded, “This message came to me from the Lord: 21 ‘Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: “Look! I’m about to profane my sanctuary, the source of your proud strength, the desire of your eyes, and the object of your affection. Your sons and daughters, whom you’ve left behind, will die by the sword. 22 That’s why you will soon be doing what I’ve just done. You are not to cover your mouth[p] or eat what your comforters bring to you.[q] 23 Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals will be on your feet. You won’t mourn or weep. Instead, you’ll waste away in your sins. Every one of you will groan to his relative. 24 That’s how Ezekiel will be an example for you. You’ll be doing exactly what he has done. When it happens, then you’ll know that I am the Lord God.”’
25 “And now, Son of Man, on the day that I take their strength, joy, and glory from them, those whom they love to watch, the focus of their affection—their sons and daughters— 26 at that time,[r] a fugitive will come to you and will bring you the news.[s] 27 Your mouth will freely speak to the fugitive. You won’t be silent any longer. You’ll be a sign to them. Then they’ll know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 24:5 The Heb. lacks wood
- Ezekiel 24:5 Lit. under it
- Ezekiel 24:9 The Heb. lacks my
- Ezekiel 24:11 Lit. its copper burns hot
- Ezekiel 24:11 Or is poured out
- Ezekiel 24:12 Lit. She
- Ezekiel 24:12 The Heb. lacks me
- Ezekiel 24:12 Lit. great
- Ezekiel 24:14 Or repent
- Ezekiel 24:16 Lit. away the desire of your eyes
- Ezekiel 24:16 Or tears come
- Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. to mourn the dead
- Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. moustache
- Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. eat the food of men
- Ezekiel 24:18 The Heb. lacks next
- Ezekiel 24:22 Lit. moustache
- Ezekiel 24:22 Lit. eat the food of men
- Ezekiel 24:26 Lit. day
- Ezekiel 24:26 Lit. will make ears hear
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