The Prophet’s Wife Dies

¹⁵ Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall ^(A)neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. ¹⁷ Sigh in silence, ^(B)make no mourning for the dead; ^(C)bind your turban on your head, and ^(D)put your sandals on your feet; ^(E)do not cover your ^[a]lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

¹⁹ And the people said to me, ^(F)“Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

²⁰ Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²¹ ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, ^(G)I will profane My sanctuary, ^[b]your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the ^[c]delight of your soul; ^(H)and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. ²² And you shall do as I have done; ^(I)you shall not cover your ^[d]lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. ²³ Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; ^(J)you shall neither mourn nor weep, but ^(K)you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. ²⁴ Thus ^(L)Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; ^(M)and when this comes, ^(N)you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

²⁵ ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them ^(O)their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and ^[e]that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: ²⁶ that on that day ^(P)one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? ^27 (Q)On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”