Ezekiel 24
New Living Translation
The Sign of the Cooking Pot
24 On January 15,[a] during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, write down today’s date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem. 3 Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign Lord:
“Put a pot on the fire,
and pour in some water.
4 Fill it with choice pieces of meat—
the rump and the shoulder
and all the most tender cuts.
5 Use only the best sheep from the flock,
and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.
Bring the pot to a boil,
and cook the bones along with the meat.
6 “Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,
the city of murderers!
She is a cooking pot
whose corruption can’t be cleaned out.
Take the meat out in random order,
for no piece is better than another.
7 For the blood of her murders
is splashed on the rocks.
It isn’t even spilled on the ground,
where the dust could cover it!
8 So I will splash her blood on a rock
for all to see,
an expression of my anger
and vengeance against her.
9 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,
the city of murderers!
I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.
10 Yes, heap on the wood!
Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.
Cook the meat with many spices,
and afterward burn the bones.
11 Now set the empty pot on the coals.
Heat it red hot!
Burn away the filth and corruption.
12 But it’s hopeless;
the corruption can’t be cleaned out.
So throw it into the fire.
13 Your impurity is your lewdness
and the corruption of your idolatry.
I tried to cleanse you,
but you refused.
So now you will remain in your filth
until my fury against you has been satisfied.
14 “I, the Lord, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign Lord.”
The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife
15 Then this message came to me from the Lord: 16 “Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears. 17 Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”
18 So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do. 19 Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”
20 So I said to them, “A message came to me from the Lord, 21 and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will be slaughtered by the sword. 22 Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends. 23 Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will groan among yourselves for all the evil you have done. 24 Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
25 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart’s desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters. 26 And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened. 27 And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 24
English Standard Version
The Siege of Jerusalem
24 (A)In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (B)“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 (C)utter a parable to (D)the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:
“Set on (E)the pot, set it on;
pour in water also;
4 put in it the pieces of meat,
all the good pieces, (F)the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the choicest one of the flock;
pile the logs[a] under it;
boil it well;
seethe also its bones in it.
6 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: (G)Woe to the bloody city, to (H)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.[b] 7 For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on (I)the bare rock; (J)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! (K)I also will make the pile great. 10 Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices,[c] 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, (L)that its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. 12 (M)She has wearied herself with toil;[d] 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, (N)you shall not be cleansed anymore till (O)I have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 (P)I am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; (Q)I will not spare; (R)I will not relent; (S)according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.”
Ezekiel's Wife Dies
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 (T)“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. (U)Bind on your turban, and (V)put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, (W)nor eat the bread of men.” 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and (X)at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did (Y)as I was commanded.
19 And (Z)the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: (AA)Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and (AB)your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And (AC)you shall do as I have done; (AD)you shall not cover your lips, (AE)nor eat the bread of men. 23 (AF)Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but (AG)you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you (AH)a sign; (AI)according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then (AJ)you will know that I am the Lord God.’
25 “As for you, (AK)son of man, surely on the day when I take from them (AL)their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters, 26 (AM)on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth (AN)will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. (AO)So you will be a sign to them, and (AP)they will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 24:5 Compare verse 10; Hebrew the bones
- Ezekiel 24:6 Hebrew no lot has fallen upon it
- Ezekiel 24:10 Or empty out the broth
- Ezekiel 24:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
