Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, with one blow^(A) I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.^(B) Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.^{(C) 17} Groan quietly;^(D) do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban^(E) fastened and your sandals^(F) on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard^(G) or eat the customary food of mourners.^(H)”

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.^(I)

¹⁹ Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?^(J) Why are you acting like this?”

²⁰ So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: ²¹ Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary^(K)—the stronghold in which you take pride,^(L) the delight of your eyes,^(M) the object of your affection. The sons and daughters^(N) you left behind will fall by the sword.^{(O) 22} And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard^(P) or eat the customary food of mourners.^{(Q) 23} You will keep your turbans^(R) on your heads and your sandals^(S) on your feet. You will not mourn^(T) or weep but will waste away^(U) because of^[a] your sins and groan among yourselves.^{(V) 24} Ezekiel^(W) will be a sign^(X) to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

²⁵ “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes,^(Y) their heart’s desire,^(Z) and their sons and daughters^(AA) as well— ²⁶ on that day a fugitive will come to tell you^(AB) the news. ²⁷ At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.^(AC) So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.^(AD)”

A Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against^(AE) the Ammonites^(AF) and prophesy against them.^{(AG) 3} Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!^(AH)” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated^(AI) and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,^{(AJ) 4} therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East^(AK) as a possession. They will set up their camps^(AL) and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.^{(AM) 5} I will turn Rabbah^(AN) into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep.^(AO) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ⁶ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands^(AP) and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel,^{(AQ) 7} therefore I will stretch out my hand^(AR) against you and give you as plunder^(AS) to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy^(AT) you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(AU)’”

A Prophecy Against Moab

⁸ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Moab^(AV) and Seir^(AW) said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,” ⁹ therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimoth^(AX), Baal Meon^(AY) and Kiriathaim^(AZ)—the glory of that land. ¹⁰ I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered^(BA) among the nations; ¹¹ and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”^(BB)

A Prophecy Against Edom

¹² “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edom^(BC) took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, ¹³ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand^(BD) against Edom and kill both man and beast.^(BE) I will lay it waste, and from Teman^(BF) to Dedan^(BG) they will fall by the sword.^{(BH) 14} I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger^(BI) and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”^(BJ)

A Prophecy Against Philistia

¹⁵ “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistines^(BK) acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice^(BL) in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, ¹⁶ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines,^(BM) and I will wipe out the Kerethites^(BN) and destroy those remaining along the coast.^{(BO) 17} I will carry out great vengeance^(BP) on them and punish^(BQ) them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord,^(BR) when I take vengeance on them.^(BS)’”

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples^(A) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem^(B) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(C) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.^{(D) 3} You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(E) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

⁴ “‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;^{(F) 5} you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire^(G) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,^(H) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

⁶ Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷ while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish^(I) and Azekah.^(J) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸ The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(K) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(L) for the slaves. ⁹ Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^{(M) 10} So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹ But afterward they changed their minds^(N) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹² Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³ “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(O) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(P) I said, ¹⁴ ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[a](Q) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(R) to me. ¹⁵ Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(S) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^{(T) 16} But now you have turned around^(U) and profaned^(V) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

¹⁷ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,^(W) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(X) and famine.^(Y) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^{(Z) 18} Those who have violated my covenant^(AA) and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.^{(AB) 19} The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,^(AC) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, ²⁰ I will deliver^(AD) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.^(AE) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.^(AF)

²¹ “I will deliver Zedekiah^(AG) king of Judah and his officials^(AH) into the hands of their enemies^(AI) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,^(AJ) which has withdrawn^(AK) from you. ²² I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take^(AL) it and burn^(AM) it down. And I will lay waste^(AN) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”