Ezekiel 22:1-16

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Sins of Israel

22 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations. ³ You shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord ^[a]God, “A city ^(A)shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come, and that makes idols, contrary to her interest, for defilement! ⁴ You have become ^(B)guilty by ^[b]the blood which you have shed, and defiled by your idols which you have made. Thus you have brought your ^[c]day near and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a ^(C)reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands. ⁵ Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you of ill repute, full of ^(D)turmoil.

⁶ “Behold, the ^(E)rulers of Israel, each according to his ^[d]power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood. ⁷ They have ^(F)treated father and mother lightly within you. The ^(G)alien they have oppressed in your midst; the ^(H)fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you. ⁸ You have ^(I)despised My holy things and ^(J)profaned My sabbaths. ⁹ Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have ^(K)committed acts of lewdness. ¹⁰ In you ^[e]they have ^(L)uncovered their fathers’ nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was ^(M)unclean in her menstrual impurity. ¹¹ One has committed abomination with his ^(N)neighbor’s wife and another has lewdly defiled his ^(O)daughter-in-law. And another in you has ^(P)humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹² In you they have ^(Q)taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken ^(R)interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by ^(S)oppression, and you have ^(T)forgotten Me,” declares the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, then, I smite My hand at your ^(U)dishonest gain which you have acquired and at ^[f]the bloodshed which is among you. ¹⁴ Can ^(V)your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? ^(W)I, the Lord, have spoken and will act. ¹⁵ I will ^(X)scatter you among the nations and I will disperse you through the lands, and I will ^(Y)consume your uncleanness from you. ¹⁶ You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will ^(Z)know that I am the Lord.”’”