Tell this rebellious people(A) a parable(B) and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Put on the cooking pot;(C) put it on
    and pour water into it.
Put into it the pieces of meat,
    all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;(D)
    take the pick of the flock.(E)
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
    bring it to a boil
    and cook the bones in it.(F)

“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe(G) to the city of bloodshed,(H)
    to the pot now encrusted,
    whose deposit will not go away!
Take the meat out piece by piece
    in whatever order(I) it comes.(J)

“‘For the blood she shed is in her midst:
    She poured it on the bare rock;
she did not pour it on the ground,
    where the dust would cover it.(K)
To stir up wrath and take revenge
    I put her blood on the bare rock,
    so that it would not be covered.

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!
    I, too, will pile the wood high.
10 So heap on the wood
    and kindle the fire.
Cook the meat well,
    mixing in the spices;
    and let the bones be charred.
11 Then set the empty pot on the coals
    till it becomes hot and its copper glows,
so that its impurities may be melted
    and its deposit burned away.(L)
12 It has frustrated all efforts;
    its heavy deposit has not been removed,
    not even by fire.

13 “‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed(M) from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.(N)

14 “‘I the Lord have spoken.(O) The time has come for me to act.(P) I will not hold back; I will not have pity,(Q) nor will I relent.(R) You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions,(S) declares the Sovereign Lord.(T)’”

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Compose a parable for the rebels’ household and say to them, The Lord God proclaims:

Put on the pot, set it on,
    and fill it with water.
Add meat to it,
    every good piece.
    With shoulder and thigh,
    the meatiest bones, fill it up.
Take the flock’s best animal;
    arrange the wood[a] beneath it.
Bring it to a rolling boil,
    and cook its bones in it.

The Lord God proclaims: Horror! You bloody city, you corroded pot; pot whose corrosion can’t be removed! Empty it piece by piece. She is rejected[b] because her blood is still with her. She didn’t pour it out on the ground so that it could be covered with dirt, but she spread it out on a bare rock. In order to arouse wrath, to guarantee vengeance, I will spread her blood on a bare rock, never to be covered.

So now the Lord God proclaims:

Horror! You bloody city!
    I myself will add fuel to the fire!
10 Pile on the wood, light the fire, and cook the meat.
    Season it well and let the bones be charred.
11 Let the pot stand empty on its coals
    until it’s so hot that its copper glows,
    its impurities melt in it,
    and its corrosion is consumed.
12 It’s a worthless task.
    Even by fire its great corrosion isn’t removed.

13 How your betrayals defile you! I cleansed you, but you didn’t come clean from your impurities. You won’t be clean again until I have exhausted my anger against you. 14 I, the Lord, have spoken! It’s coming, and I’ll do it. I won’t relent or have any pity or compassion. Your punishments will fit your ways and your deeds! This is what the Lord God says.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:5 Or bones
  2. Ezekiel 24:6 Or the lot did not fall to her