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

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