Now speak a parable(A) to the rebellious house. Tell them: This is what the Lord God says:

Put the pot(B) on the fire—
put it on,
and then pour water into it!
Place the pieces of meat in it,
every good piece—
thigh and shoulder.
Fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest of the flock
and also pile up the fuel[a] under it.
Bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.”

Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed,(C)
the pot that has rust inside it,
and whose rust will not come off!
Empty it piece by piece;
lots should not be cast for its contents.
For the blood she shed[b] is still within her.
She put it out on the bare rock;
she didn’t pour it on the ground
to cover it with dust.(D)
In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance,(E)
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.

Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

Woe to the city of bloodshed!(F)
I Myself will make the pile of kindling large.
10 Pile on the logs and kindle the fire!
Cook the meat well
and mix in the spices![c][d]
Let the bones be burned!
11 Set the empty pot on its coals
so that it becomes hot and its copper glows.
Then its impurity will melt inside it;
its rust will be consumed.(G)
12 It has frustrated every effort;[e]
its thick rust will not come off.
Into the fire with its rust!
13 Because of the indecency of your uncleanness—
since I tried to purify you,
but you would not be purified from your uncleanness—
you will not be pure again
until I have satisfied My wrath on you.(H)
14 I, Yahweh, have spoken.
It is coming, and I will do it!(I)
I will not refrain, I will not show pity,
and I will not relent.
I[f] will judge you
according to your ways and deeds.(J)
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:5 Lit bones
  2. Ezekiel 24:7 Lit For her blood
  3. Ezekiel 24:10 Some Hb mss read well; remove the broth; LXX reads fire so that the meat may be cooked and the broth may be reduced
  4. Ezekiel 24:10 Or and stir the broth
  5. Ezekiel 24:12 Hb obscure
  6. Ezekiel 24:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg; other Hb mss read They

Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“Put a pot on the fire,
    and pour in some water.
Fill it with choice pieces of meat—
    the rump and the shoulder
    and all the most tender cuts.
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.

“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.
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!
So I will splash her blood on a rock
    for all to see,
an expression of my anger
    and vengeance against her.

“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.”

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