Chronological
This memorable allegory traces the fate of two sisters who represent the two capital cities of Israel and Judah: Samaria and Jerusalem. The graphic portrayals of their sexual exploits are some of the most disturbing in Scripture; they highlight the disgust God and His prophet must feel toward God’s wayward people. Anyone who hears Ezekiel speak this message must come to the same conclusion: God must judge His unfaithful wives. It is right. It is just. It is necessary.
24 The word of the Eternal came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, remember this date. Write it down. The Babylonian king laid siege to Jerusalem today. 3 Tell this rebellious crowd a parable. Here is what the Eternal Lord has to say:
Put the cooking pot on the fire;
put it on and fill it with water.
4 Put the finest cuts of meat into it—legs and brisket;
fill it with the best bones.
5 Pick out the best from the flock,
stack wood beneath the pot,
Bring it to a rolling boil,
and cook what’s in the pot.
No one is safe in the cauldron of Jerusalem.
6 Woe to this city polluted with blood—
that pot thickly corroded, whose filth is impossible to clean!
Empty the pot one piece at a time;
don’t bother choosing one or the other!
7 The blood she shed is still polluting the city.
She poured it out on bare rock
Instead of into the ground
to be absorbed by the dust where blood belongs.
8 I have spilled her blood on bare rock
so that it may not be covered,
knowing My anger would be ignited and My revenge accomplished.
9 That’s why I, the Eternal Lord, speak out:
Woe to this city polluted with blood;
I will stack the wood Myself—
10 Stack it high beneath the pot
to feed the fire.
Mix spices and seasoning into the boiling brew
and cook the meat and then burn the bones.
11 Set the empty pot on the coals
until it grows so hot its metal begins to glow,
its filth melts inside, and no trace of corrosion remains.
12 But she has thwarted My efforts!
Her massive corrosion remains when the fire should have cleansed her.
13 Jerusalem, I tried to cleanse your lewd impurity, but you would not stay pure. Because of this, you will not be clean again until after you have suffered the full punishment of My wrath. 14 I, the Eternal One, have spoken. Your day of judgment has arrived, and I will act. I will not be easy on you; I will not feel sorry for you; I will not regret My actions. You will be judged by what you have done and get only what you deserve.
So said the Eternal Lord.
15 The word of the Eternal came to me regarding my wife.
Eternal One: 16 Son of man, in the blink of an eye, I am going to take away the delight of your eyes. Do not weep or grieve or shed a tear. 17 Any groaning must be inward and silent, but do not grieve for the dead. Dress as you always dress: with a turban on your head and sandals on your feet. Don’t do any of the things mourners do. Don’t eat the food others bring to comfort you or cover your upper lip.
18 It happened as such: I preached to the people in the morning, and that evening, my wife passed away. The next morning, I did exactly as I had been instructed to do.
People: 19 Tell us what all of this has to do with us. Why are you acting this way?
Ezekiel: 20 The word of the Eternal came to me 21 with a message for the people of Israel: “Look! I will desecrate My sanctuary—the magnificent house in which you take pride, the desire of your eyes, your complete delight—and all of the children you left behind in Jerusalem will be put to the sword and slaughtered.” 22 You will do exactly as I have done in hiding your grief: You will not eat the food others bring to comfort you or cover your upper lips. 23 You will dress as you always dress: with turbans on your heads and sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or grieve. God tells me, “Instead, you will rot away from within because of your wickedness and moan among yourselves. 24 In this way, Ezekiel will be a living example for you. You must do exactly as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Eternal Lord.”
Eternal One: 25 As for you, son of man, on the day I seize their fortress—the joyous aspect of their pride, the desire of their eyes, their complete delight—and all of their children, 26 a fugitive will escape from the destruction and will come to you in Babylon with news of what happened. 27 The day you learn of My judgment, your mouth will be opened, and your silence will be broken. Then you will be able to converse with the fugitive. You will be a living example to them, and they will know that I am the Eternal One.
25 The word of the Eternal came to me regarding how He plans to punish Israel’s neighbors.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, face the Ammonites and preach against them. 3 Tell them to listen to the word of the Eternal Lord:
(to Ammon) Because you delighted in the desecration of My sanctuary, because you rejoiced when Israel became a wasteland, and because you cheered when the Judeans went into exile, 4 I will certainly hand you over to the people of the East. They will set up camp all around you, pitching their tents and settling among you. They will feast off of your tables, eating your fruit and drinking your milk. 5 I will transform Rabbah, your great city, into a pasture for camels, and Ammon will be turned into a resting place for sheep and goats. Then you will know that I am the Eternal One.
6 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say about Ammon:
Eternal One: Because you have clapped your hands and stomped your feet, delighting with a malevolent heart against the land of Israel, 7 I will raise My hand against you and divide you among the nations as prisoners and slaves. I will destroy you completely and make sure you are never a nation again. Then you will know that I am the Eternal One.
8 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say about Moab:
Eternal One: Because Moab and Seir said, “Look! There’s nothing special about Judah; she is just like every other nation,” 9 I will lay bare the western defenses of Moab by exposing its frontier cities—Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriath aim. 10 I will hand Moab and her northern neighbors the Ammonites over to the people of the East. Then the Ammonites will be entirely forgotten by the nations. 11 I will exercise My justice against Moab. Then they will know that I am the Eternal One.
12 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say about Edom:
Eternal One: Edom took revenge on the people of Judah, and her people are undeniably guilty for avenging themselves against My people. 13 Because of this, I—the Eternal Lord—will raise My hand to strike Edom and slaughter the people and animals who live there. I will make Edom a wasteland—and everyone from Teman to Dedan will be put to the sword and die. 14 I will take My own revenge on Edom and use My own people Israel as the weapon against them. Israel will do to Edom everything My anger and wrath require, and Edom will experience My vengeance. This I, the Eternal Lord, declare.
15 This is what the Eternal Lord has to say about Philistia:
Eternal One: Because the Philistines had an old grudge against Judah and acted out of revenge and total malevolence to try to destroy My people, 16 therefore I, the Eternal Lord, promise this: I will raise My hand and strike the Philistines, cut off the Cherethites, and slaughter anyone left along the coast. 17 I will bring My fierce vengeance against them, rebuking them and punishing them in My wrath! When I bring My vengeance against them, they will know that I am the Eternal One.
Israel and Judah are not the only nations infuriating God with their conduct. The surrounding countries—Ammon in the northeast, Moab in the east, Edom in the southeast, Philistia in the west, and Tyre in the northwest—have often been at odds with Israel and Judah. So when Judah falls, they celebrate in the streets and begin to figure how they might maneuver around these political and economic changes. Judah’s fall might be a windfall for them. As the Judean exiles are forcibly marched out of their land, their neighbors mercilessly mock them for their crushing defeat. But God takes all of this very personally. He will not tolerate their disrespect of His people, which amounts to disrespect of Him too. So God takes His own revenge and punishes those who delight in Israel’s and Judah’s tragedies.
26 During the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Eternal came to me regarding Tyre.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, Tyre has delighted in the news of Jerusalem, saying,
Hurray! The gateway to the nations is broken,
And now it is open for me to receive all of her commerce.
My markets will be full now that she is in ruins.
3 Therefore I, the Eternal Lord, am telling you that I am your enemy, Tyre, and I will gather many nations and march them against you, just as the sea marches its waves against the unsuspecting shore. 4 The waves of the nations will demolish the city walls of Tyre and crumble her towers. After the city is pummeled, I will sweep away all of her rubble and leave nothing but a bare rock. 5 In the loneliness of the ocean, she will become a desolate island, used only for drying out fishnets. She will become prisoner and slave to all the nations, 6 and her villages on the mainland will be massacred in battle. Then they will know that I am the Eternal One.
7 I am going to bring the great Babylonian king, the king of kings named Nebuchadnezzar, against Tyre. He will charge down from the north with strapping horses and indestructible chariots, master horsemen, and an enormous army. 8 He will dispatch his soldiers to destroy your villages on the mainland and then lay siege against you with ramps against your walls and shields raised to deflect your opposition. 9 He will demolish your walls with his siege machines and dismantle your towers with axes. 10 You will be covered with dust from the galloping of his war horses. Your walls will shake from the tumult of the horses, wagons, and chariots when he breaches your walls and comes storming into the city. 11 His rampaging horses will trample all your streets. He will slaughter everyone in the battle and topple every strong pillar to the ground. 12 They will loot your wealth and claim your goods! They will tear down your walls and fine houses, and they’ll toss the wood and stone and rubble into the sea. 13 I will use My avenger to silence your lutes and harps and put an end to your songs. 14 I will leave you a bare rock in the lonely ocean, a desolate island used only for drying out fishnets. I promise you will never be rebuilt. Never. I, the Eternal Lord, declare this.
15 (continuing to Tyre) Don’t you think the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, at the groans of the injured, at the great massacre that takes place inside your walls? 16 Then the princes from the other coastal cities will step down from their thrones, give up their royal robes, and remove their embroidered garments. They will clothe their nakedness with sheer terror and sit on the ground, constantly shaking with horror at what happened to you. 17 Then they will sing a dirge over you:
How you are destroyed, O famous city!
City of sea people!
You and your kind were a great force on the seas;
you terrorized all who lived around you.
18 Now, the coastlands will quake on the day when you fall,
and the cities along the shore will be terrified by your passing.
19 When I destroy you and empty your streets, when I drown you and bury you within the ocean depths, 20 I will sink you down into the pit where those people from long ago sleep in death. I will make you stay there, in the lower parts of the earth among the ancient ruins with those who dwell in the pit of the dead, and you will never be inhabited again. You will never resurface in the land of the living where I rest My glory. 21 I will terrify you, and you will meet your end. You will be sought, but you will never be found again.
This is what the Eternal Lord declares.
27 The word of the Eternal came to me with a lament for Tyre.
Eternal One: 2 Son of man, sing a lament over Tyre. 3 Sing of Tyre, gateway to the sea, merchant to many ports and many people. I, the Eternal Lord, say to you:
Tyre, you have claimed,
“I am perfect in beauty.”
4 Your territory extends to the heart of the seas;
your builders have perfected your beauty.
5 Like a great ship they have made you from the finest firs of Senir;
they took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a noble mast.
6 They brought oaks from Bashan and made your oars.
They planked your deck with pines from the coasts of Cyprus
and inlaid it with ivory!
7 Your sail was made of fine linen from Egypt, embroidered by hand;
your blue and purple awning was tinted with dyes imported from the coasts of Elishah.
8 Your oarsmen were strong men from Sidon and Arvad;
your crew was the most skilled and experienced men, O Tyre.
9 Expert craftsmen from Gebal were on board
to make any repairs needed.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors huddled around you
to trade for your goods.
10 Soldiers from Persia, Lydia, and Libya[a] were your army.
Their shields and helmets hung from your ship and announced your splendor.
11 Men from Arvad and Helech patrolled your walls,
and men from Gammad manned your towers.
Their shields hung on all your walls and announced your splendor.
They have perfected your beauty.
12 Tarshish traded with you because of your great wealth and plentiful goods; they bartered silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares. 13 Greece,[b] Tubal, and Meshech did business with you as well. They bartered slaves and boatloads of bronze for your wares. 14 The men of Beth-togarmah bartered work horses, war horses, and mules for your goods. 15 The people of Rhodes[c] traded with you too. You made the people of the coastland your own special market, and they paid you in ivory tusks and ebony. 16 Aram[d] traded with you because your goods were plentiful. They bartered precious stones,[e] purple cloth, embroidered work, exquisite linens, coral, and rubies for your wares. 17 Judah and the rest of Israel did business with you. They paid you fine wheat, fresh produce,[f] sweet honey, fragrant oil, and exotic balm for your merchandise. 18 Damascus—the hub of caravan trading—traded with you because of your great wealth and plentiful goods as well. They brought wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar[g]; 19 Greeks from Uzal[h] bartered iron, cassia bark, and other herbs for your goods. 20 Deban traded in saddle blankets with you. 21 Arabia and all of the Kedar princes certainly traded with you. They traded lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The businessmen of Sheba and Raamah exchanged the finest spices, gems, and gold for your plentiful goods. 23-24 Haran, Canneh, Eden, and merchants from Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad did business with you, exchanging exquisite clothing, indigo fabrics, embroidered cloth, carpets dyed of various colors, and tightly braided ropes. 25 Commerce was bustling as Tarshish’s ships transported your goods. In the heart of the sea your docks were full, Tyre, and your business brought you glory and success.
Tarshish was probably located in what is southern Spain today, so Tyre’s commercial reach extended to the other side of the Mediterranean.
26 Expert seafarers row you out into the high seas;
there, a squall from the east shatters you in the heart of the sea!
27 All is lost: your treasures and goods and products
along with all crew aboard—seafarers, pilots, carpenters, traders, and soldiers.
Everyone and everything will sink into the heart of the sea
when the ship is wrecked.
28 The coastal plains shudder
at the shrieks and cries of your pilots.
29 All oarsmen, seafarers, and pilots come down from their ships.
They stand on the shore and gaze out to your catastrophe.
30 They mourn over you with bitter cries that drown out your screams.
They throw dust on top of their heads and wallow in beds of ashes.
31 They shave all their hair and wear sackcloth around their waists.
They grieve and weep over you, deeply and bitterly.
32 And they shout their dirge over your demise:
“Who is like Tyre, sunken and silent in the heart of the sea?”
33 Your goods pleased many people when your sailors went to sea.
Your treasures and products made kings rich all over the world.
34 But now you are shipwrecked, devoured by the great waves.
Your products and all your crew have been swallowed by the sea.
35 All the inhabitants of the coasts
are shocked at what happened to you;
their kings grimace in fear as they look on.
36 And the traders of the nations jeer at you;
the end of your story is a horror,
for you are gone, never to return.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.