Parable of the Boiling Pot

24 And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying, “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. Speak a (B)parable to the (C)rebellious house and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord [b]God,

“Put on the (D)pot, put it on and also pour water in it;
[c](E)Put in it the pieces,
Every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder;
Fill it with choice bones.
“Take the (F)choicest of the flock,
And also pile [d]wood under [e]the pot.
Make it boil vigorously.
Also seethe its bones in it.”

‘Therefore, thus says the Lord God,

“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.
“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.
“That it may (I)cause wrath to come up to take vengeance,
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
That it may not be covered.”

‘Therefore, thus says the Lord God,

(J)Woe to the bloody city!
I also will make the pile great.
10 “Heap on the wood, kindle the fire,
[g]Boil the flesh well
And mix in the spices,
And let the bones be burned.
11 “Then (K)set it empty on its coals
So that it may be hot
And its bronze may [h]glow
And its (L)filthiness may be melted in it,
Its rust consumed.
12 “She has (M)wearied Me with toil,
Yet her great rust has not gone from her;
Let her rust be in the fire!
13 “In your filthiness is lewdness.
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)spent My wrath on you.

14 I, the Lord, have spoken; it is (P)coming and I will act. I will not relent, and 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 the (S)desire of your eyes with a (T)blow; but you shall not (U)mourn and you shall not weep, and your (V)tears shall not come. 17 Groan silently; make (W)no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your shoes on your feet, and do not cover your mustache and (X)do not eat the bread of men.” 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 The people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things that you are doing mean for us?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the (Y)desire of your eyes and the delight of your soul; and your (Z)sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. 22 You will do as I have done; you will not cover your mustache and you will not eat the bread of men. 23 Your turbans will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet. You (AA)will not mourn and you will not weep, but (AB)you will rot away in your iniquities and you will groan [k]to one another. 24 Thus 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 [l]pride, the desire of their eyes and [m]their heart’s delight, their sons and their daughters, 26 that on that day he 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 be mute no longer. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Judgment on Gentile Nations—Ammon

25 And the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward the (AG)sons of Ammon and prophesy against them, and say to the sons of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord [n]God! Thus says the Lord God, “Because you said, ‘(AH)Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore, behold, I am going to give you to the (AI)sons of the east for a possession, and they will set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they will (AJ)eat your fruit and drink your milk. I will make (AK)Rabbah a pasture for camels and the sons of Ammon a resting place for flocks. Thus you will know that I am the Lord.” For thus says the Lord God, “Because you have (AL)clapped your hands and stamped your feet and (AM)rejoiced with all the scorn of your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, I have (AN)stretched out My hand against you and I will give you for (AO)spoil to the nations. And I will (AP)cut you off from the peoples and (AQ)make you perish from the lands; I will destroy you. Thus you will (AR)know that I am the Lord.”

Moab

‘Thus says the Lord God, “Because (AS)Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’ therefore, behold, I am going to [o]deprive the flank of Moab of its cities, of its cities which are on its [p]frontiers, the glory of the land, (AT)Beth-jeshimoth, (AU)Baal-meon and (AV)Kiriathaim, 10 and I will give it for a possession along with the sons of Ammon to the (AW)sons of the east, so that the sons of Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. 11 Thus I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Edom

12 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Because (AX)Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred grievous guilt, and avenged themselves upon them,” 13 therefore thus says the Lord God, “I will also (AY)stretch out My hand against Edom and (AZ)cut off man and beast from it. And I will lay it waste; from (BA)Teman even to (BB)Dedan they will fall by the sword. 14 (BC)I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom (BD)according to My anger and according to My wrath; thus they will know My vengeance,” declares the Lord God.

Philistia

15 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Because the Philistines have acted in (BE)revenge and have taken vengeance with scorn of soul to destroy with everlasting enmity,” 16 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will (BF)stretch out My hand against the Philistines, even cut off the (BG)Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will (BH)know that I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance on them.”’”

Judgment on Tyre

26 Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, because (BI)Tyre has said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the (BJ)gateway of the peoples is broken; it has [q](BK)opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,’ therefore thus says the Lord [r]God, ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up (BL)many nations against you, as the (BM)sea brings up its waves. They will (BN)destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rock. She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God, ‘and she will become (BO)spoil for the nations. Also her (BP)daughters who are [s]on the mainland will be slain by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (BQ)king of kings, with horses, (BR)chariots, cavalry and [t]a great army. He will slay your daughters [u]on the mainland with the sword; and he will make (BS)siege walls against you, cast up a (BT)ramp against you and raise up a large shield against you. The blow of his battering rams he will direct against your walls, and with his [v]axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the multitude of his (BU)horses, the dust raised by them will cover you; your walls will (BV)shake at the noise of cavalry and [w]wagons and chariots when he (BW)enters your gates as men enter a city that is breached. 11 With the hoofs of his (BX)horses he will trample all your streets. He will slay your people with the sword; and your strong pillars will (BY)come down to the ground. 12 Also they will make a spoil of your riches and a prey of your (BZ)merchandise, (CA)break down your walls and destroy your (CB)pleasant houses, and [x]throw your stones and your timbers and your debris (CC)into the water. 13 So I will [y]silence the sound of your (CD)songs, and the sound of your (CE)harps will be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place for the spreading of nets. You will be (CF)built no more, for I the (CG)Lord have spoken,” declares the Lord God.

15 Thus says the Lord God to Tyre, “Shall not the (CH)coastlands (CI)shake at the sound of your fall when the wounded groan, when the slaughter occurs in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will (CJ)go down from their thrones, remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They will (CK)clothe themselves with [z]trembling; they will sit on the ground, (CL)tremble every moment and be appalled at you. 17 They will take up a (CM)lamentation over you and say to you,

(CN)How you have perished, O inhabited one,
From the seas, O renowned city,
Which was (CO)mighty on the sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who [aa]imposed [ab]her terror
On all her inhabitants!
18 ‘Now the (CP)coastlands will tremble
On the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands which are by the sea
Will be terrified at your (CQ)passing.’”

19 For thus says the Lord God, “When I make you a desolate city, like the cities which are not inhabited, when I (CR)bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down with those who (CS)go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the (CT)lower parts of the earth, like the ancient waste places, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not [ac]be inhabited; but I will set (CU)glory in the land of the living. 21 I will [ad]bring (CV)terrors on you and you will be no more; though you will be sought, (CW)you will never be found again,” declares the Lord God.

Lament over Tyre

27 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “And you, son of man, (CX)take up a lamentation over Tyre; and say to Tyre, (CY)who dwells at the [ae]entrance to the sea, (CZ)merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘Thus says the Lord [af]God,

“O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
“Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
“They have [ag]made all your planks of fir trees from (DA)Senir;
They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
“Of (DB)oaks from (DC)Bashan they have made your oars;
With ivory they have [ah]inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of (DD)Cyprus.
“Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from Egypt
So that it became your [ai]distinguishing mark;
Your [aj]awning was [ak](DE)blue and purple from the coastlands of (DF)Elishah.
“The inhabitants of Sidon and (DG)Arvad were your rowers;
Your (DH)wise men, O Tyre, were [al]aboard; they were your pilots.
“The elders of (DI)Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your seams;
All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

10 (DJ)Persia and (DK)Lud and (DL)Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung shield and helmet in you; they set forth your splendor. 11 The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the [am]Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.

12 “Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin and lead they paid for your wares. 13 (DM)Javan, (DN)Tubal and (DO)Meshech, they were your traders; with the (DP)lives of men and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. 14 Those from (DQ)Beth-togarmah gave horses and war horses and mules for your wares. 15 The sons of (DR)Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were [an]your market; (DS)ivory tusks and ebony they brought as your payment. 16 (DT)Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your [ao]goods; they paid for your wares with (DU)emeralds, purple, (DV)embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of (DW)Minnith, [ap]cakes, honey, oil and balm they paid for your merchandise. 18 (DX)Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your [aq]goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Vedan and Javan paid for your wares [ar]from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia and [as]sweet cane were among your merchandise. 20 (DY)Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 (DZ)Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were [at]your customers for (EA)lambs, rams and goats; for these they were your customers. 22 The traders of (EB)Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your wares with the best of all kinds of (EC)spices, and with all kinds of precious stones and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, (ED)Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad traded with you. 24 They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of [au]blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of many colors and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise. 25 The (EE)ships of Tarshish were [av]the carriers for your merchandise.

And you were filled and were very [aw]glorious
In the heart of the seas.

26 “Your rowers have brought you
Into (EF)great waters;
The (EG)east wind has broken you
In the heart of the seas.
27 “Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise,
Your sailors and your pilots,
Your repairers of seams, your dealers in merchandise
And all your men of war who are in you,
With all your company that is in your midst,
Will fall into the heart of the seas
On the day of your overthrow.
28 “At the sound of the cry of your pilots
The pasture lands will (EH)shake.
29 “All who handle the oar,
The (EI)sailors and all the pilots of the sea
Will come down from their ships;
They will stand on the land,
30 And they will (EJ)make their voice heard over you
And will cry bitterly.
They will (EK)cast dust on their heads,
They will (EL)wallow in ashes.
31 “Also they will make themselves (EM)bald for you
And (EN)gird themselves with sackcloth;
And they will (EO)weep for you in bitterness of soul
With bitter mourning.
32 “Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a (EP)lamentation for you
And lament over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?
33 ‘When your wares went out from the seas,
You satisfied many peoples;
With the (EQ)abundance of your wealth and your merchandise
You enriched the kings of earth.
34 [ax]Now that you are (ER)broken by the seas
In the depths of the waters,
Your (ES)merchandise and all your company
Have fallen in the midst of you.
35 ‘All the (ET)inhabitants of the coastlands
Are appalled at you,
And their kings are horribly afraid;
They are troubled in countenance.
36 ‘The merchants among the peoples (EU)hiss at you;
You have become [ay]terrified
And you (EV)will cease to be forever.’”’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:2 Lit leaned on
  2. Ezekiel 24:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  3. Ezekiel 24:4 Lit Gather her pieces
  4. Ezekiel 24:5 Lit bones
  5. Ezekiel 24:5 Lit it
  6. Ezekiel 24:6 Lit No lot has fallen on it
  7. Ezekiel 24:10 Lit Complete
  8. Ezekiel 24:11 Lit become hot
  9. Ezekiel 24:13 Lit caused to rest
  10. Ezekiel 24:14 So with several ancient mss and versions; M.T. they
  11. Ezekiel 24:23 Lit a man to his brother
  12. Ezekiel 24:25 Or beauty
  13. Ezekiel 24:25 Lit the lifting up of their soul
  14. Ezekiel 25:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  15. Ezekiel 25:9 Lit open
  16. Ezekiel 25:9 Lit end
  17. Ezekiel 26:2 Lit turned
  18. Ezekiel 26:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  19. Ezekiel 26:6 Lit in the field
  20. Ezekiel 26:7 Lit an assembly, even many people
  21. Ezekiel 26:8 Lit in the field
  22. Ezekiel 26:9 Lit swords
  23. Ezekiel 26:10 Lit wheels
  24. Ezekiel 26:12 Lit put
  25. Ezekiel 26:13 Lit cause to cease
  26. Ezekiel 26:16 Lit tremblings
  27. Ezekiel 26:17 Lit put
  28. Ezekiel 26:17 Lit their
  29. Ezekiel 26:20 Or return
  30. Ezekiel 26:21 Lit give you terrors
  31. Ezekiel 27:3 Lit entrances
  32. Ezekiel 27:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  33. Ezekiel 27:5 Lit built
  34. Ezekiel 27:6 Lit made
  35. Ezekiel 27:7 Or standard
  36. Ezekiel 27:7 Lit covering
  37. Ezekiel 27:7 Or violet
  38. Ezekiel 27:8 Lit in you
  39. Ezekiel 27:11 Or valorous ones
  40. Ezekiel 27:15 Lit the market of your hand
  41. Ezekiel 27:16 Lit works
  42. Ezekiel 27:17 Heb pannag
  43. Ezekiel 27:18 Lit works
  44. Ezekiel 27:19 Or with yarn
  45. Ezekiel 27:19 Or calamus
  46. Ezekiel 27:21 Lit customers of your hand
  47. Ezekiel 27:24 Or violet
  48. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit your travelers
  49. Ezekiel 27:25 Lit honored
  50. Ezekiel 27:34 Lit The time
  51. Ezekiel 27:36 Lit terrors