Old/New Testament
Chapter 24[a]
Allegory of the Boiling Pot. 1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, this word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, write down the date of this day. For the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. 3 Therefore, propose this parable to this tribe of rebels and say to them: Thus says the Lord God:
Set up the cooking pot on the fire
and pour in some water.
4 Put pieces of meat into it,
all the choice pieces, the leg and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the choicest animal from the flock,
and pile the wood beneath it.
Cook it thoroughly
and boil the bones in it.
6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Woe to the bloody city,
the pot whose rust is in it,
the rust that cannot be removed.
Empty it piece by piece,
and do not bother casting lots.
7 For the blood she shed is in her midst;
she has poured it on a bare rock.
She did not pour it on the ground
where the soil would cover it.[b]
8 To stir up anger and take revenge,
I placed her blood on the bare rock
so that it would not be covered.
9 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Woe to the city running with blood.
I plan to build a great fire.
10 Heap on the wood,
and kindle the fire.
Mix in the spices,
and let the bones be thoroughly burned.
11 Stand the empty pot on the coals
so that it may become red-hot,
until the copper glows
and the filth inside it melts,
and its rust is consumed.
12 Yet not even with fire
will its rust disappear.
13 And when I expended my efforts
to cleanse you of your filthy lewdness,
you did not allow yourself
to be purged of your filth.
Now you shall not again be cleansed
until I have exhausted my anger upon you.
14 I, the Lord, have spoken. The time is coming, and I will take action. I will not refrain, nor will I spare, nor will I relent. You will be judged by your conduct and by what you have done, says the Lord God.
15 Death of Ezekiel’s Wife. This word of the Lord was addressed to me: 16 Son of man, with a single blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. However, you are not to lament or weep or shed any tears. 17 Groan in silence, and do not mourn for the dead. Wrap your turban around your head, and put sandals on your feet. Do not cover your beard or eat the bread of mourners.
18 Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning; in the evening my wife died. And on the following morning I did as I had been commanded. 19 Thereupon, the people said to me, “Will you not explain to us what all these things you are doing mean for us?”
20 Then I said to them: This is what the Lord God said to me, 21 “Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: I am prepared to desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold in which you take such pride, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your heart. Your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword.
22 “Then you shall do as I have done. You shall not cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners. 23 Your turbans shall remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep. Further, you will waste away because of your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus, Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you shall do just as he has done. When this occurs, then you will know that I am the Lord God.”
25 End of Ezekiel’s Muteness.[c] As for you, son of man, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their crowning joy, the delight of their eyes, the joy of their hearts, as well as their sons and daughters, 26 on that day, a fugitive will come and report this news to you. 27 On that day, your mouth will be opened and you shall no longer be mute. Thus, you shall be a sign for them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Prophecies against Foreign Nations[d]
Chapter 25
Against Ammon. 1 The following word of the Lord was addressed to me: 2 Son of man, turn toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites: Hear the word of the Lord God. Thus says the Lord God: Because you raised shouts of joy over my sanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it suffered devastation, and over the house of Judah when it went into exile, 4 therefore I am handing you over to the people of the East[e] to be their possession. They will establish their camps among you and pitch their tents in your midst. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 I will turn Rabbah into a pasture for camels and the towns of Ammon into a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
6 For thus says the Lord: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and taken malicious delight in the fall of the land of Israel, 7 I therefore have stretched out my hand against you, and I will hand you over as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from other peoples and obliterate you as a country. I intend to completely destroy you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
Against Moab. 8 Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab said that the house of Judah is like all other nations, 9 therefore, I will lay open the flank of Moab, beginning with the towns on its frontier—Beth-jesimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim—the jewels of the country. 10 I will give both Moab and Ammon to the people of the East as their possession. As a result, Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. 11 Moreover, I will render judgment upon Moab, so that they will know that I am the Lord.
12 Against Edom. Thus says the Lord God: Since Edom has acted with vengeance against the house of Judah and has committed a grievous offense in taking vengeance upon them, 13 the Lord God has made this decision: I will stretch forth my hand against Edom and remove from it both people and animals. I will lay it waste from Teman as far as Dedan, and they will all fall by the sword. 14 I will wreak my vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will treat Edom according to my anger and my fury. Thus they will know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.
15 Against Philistia. Thus says the Lord God: Inasmuch as the Philistines have engaged in endless hostilities with vengeance, and with malice in their hearts took revenge in destruction, 16 therefore, thus says the Lord God: I will stretch forth my hand against the Philistines, cut off the Cherethites, and destroy those remaining along the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Therefore, they will know that I am the Lord when I exact my vengeance on them.
Chapter 26
Against Tyre.[f][g] 1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, Tyre has said in regard to Jerusalem:
Aha! The gateway to the nations has been shattered;
she has opened her doors to me.
Now that she lies in ruins,
her wealth will be mine.
3 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Behold, I am against you, O Tyre,
and as the sea raises up its waves,
I will raise up many nations against you.
4 They will destroy your walls, O Tyre,
and demolish your towers.
I will scrape away your soil
and reduce you to a bare rock.
5 You shall become a drying ground for nets
in the midst of the sea.
Thus I have decreed, says the Lord God,
you will become the prey of the nations,
6 and your towns on the mainland will be destroyed.
Thus, everyone will know that I am the Lord.
7 For thus says the Lord God: From the north I will bring against Tyre King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the king of kings, with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a large and powerful army.
8 He will put to the sword
the inhabitants of your neighboring towns.
He will construct siege-works against you,
surround you with a siege-ramp,
and raise his shields against you.
9 He will direct the power of his battering rams
against your walls
and demolish your towers with his axes.
10 His horses shall be so great in number
that you will be covered with their dust.
Your very walls will shake
from the noise of cavalry, wheels, and chariots
when he enters your gates,
like those entering a city
whose walls have been breached.
11 All of your streets will be trampled
by the hoofs of his horses.
He will put your people to the sword
and throw your massive pillars to the ground.
12 Your riches will be plundered,
and your merchandise will be looted.
They will tear down your walls,
and your fine houses will be destroyed.
Your stones and timber and even your rubble,
they will cast into the sea.
13 I will silence the music of your songs;
the sound of your lyres will no longer be heard.
14 I will make Tyre a bare rock,
a place where nets are spread to dry.
You shall never again be rebuilt,
for I, the Lord, have spoken,
says the Lord God.
15 Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Will not the islands quake at the noise of your fall, amid the groaning of your wounded and the slaughter taking place in your midst? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will step down from their thrones, remove their robes, and take off their embroidered garments. Their bodies having been overcome with incessant trembling, they will sit on the ground, totally appalled at you. 17 Then they will raise a lament over you:
How you have perished, swept from the sea,
O greatly renowned city!
You were once mighty on the sea,
you and your inhabitants,
who used to spread terror
on all the mainland.
18 Now the coastlands tremble
on the day of your fall;
the islands of the sea
are appalled at your passing.
19 For thus says the Lord God: When I make you a ruined city, like other deserted cities, when I raise the deep over you and its mighty waters cover you, 20 then I will thrust you down with those who have descended into the pit, to the people of past ages, and I will force you to live in the netherworld, in the ruins of primeval times, with those who have gone down into the pit, so that you will never again be inhabited or take your place in the land of the living. 21 I will bring you to a horrible end, and you will be no more. People will search for you, but you will never be found again.
Chapter 2
1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all deceit, hypocrisy, and envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may advance on the path to salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
The Mystery of the Church.[a] 4 Come to him, a living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious. 5 You, too, are like living stones, being built up into a spiritual temple and a holy priesthood[b] to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it states in Scripture,
“See, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone chosen and precious.
Whoever believes in it
will not be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, it is precious to you who believe. However, for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they disobey the word—for this they were born.[c]
9 But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people claimed by God as his own possession,” so that you may proclaim the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people.
Once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
God’s People in a Hostile World[d]
11 Lead a Good Life amidst Pagans.[e] Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles not to succumb to the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles so that, although they now malign you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
13 Christianity Is Not a Subversive Group.[f] For the Lord’s sake, submit to every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme 14 or of governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do good works. 15 For it is the will of God that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of fools.
16 As servants of God, behave as free people, but do not use your freedom as a means to cover up wrongdoing. 17 Give due honor to everyone. Love your fellow believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Recommendations for Slaves.[g] Slaves, submit to your masters with due respect, not only to those who are kind and forbearing but also to those who are harsh. 19 It is a sign of grace if you endure the pain of unjust suffering because of your awareness of God.
20 What credit do you deserve if you are patient when you are beaten for doing wrong? However, if you are patient when you do what is right and suffer for it, you have earned merit with God.
21 [h]This, in fact, is what you have been called to do, because Christ himself suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his footsteps.
22 He committed no sin,[i]
and no deceit was found on his lips.
23 When he was abused, he did not retaliate. When he suffered, he made no threats, but he placed his trust in the one who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live in righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were like sheep who had gone astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.[j]
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.