Old/New Testament
The Pot and the Meat
24 The Lord spoke his word to me. It was in the ninth year, in the tenth month of our captivity. It was on the tenth day of the month. He said: 2 “Human being, write for yourself this date, this very date. The king of Babylon has surrounded Jerusalem this very day. 3 And tell a story to the people who refuse to obey me. Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Put on the pot. Put it on
and pour water in it.
4 Put in the pieces of meat.
Put in the best pieces—the legs and the shoulders.
Fill it with the best bones.
5 Take the best of the flock.
Pile wood under the pot.
Boil the pieces of meat
until even the bones are cooked.
6 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
How terrible it will be for the city of murderers!
How terrible it will be for the rusty pot!
Its rust will not go away!
Take the meat out of it, piece by piece.
Don’t choose any special piece.
7 “‘The blood from her killings is still in the city.
She poured the blood on the bare rock.
She did not pour it on the ground
where dust would cover it.
8 To stir up my anger and revenge,
I put the blood she spilled on the bare rock.
So it will not be covered.
9 “‘So this is what the Lord God says:
How terrible it will be for the city of murderers!
I will also pile the wood high for burning.
10 Pile up the wood
and light the fire.
Finish cooking the meat.
Mix in the spices.
And let the bones burn.
11 Then set the empty pot on the coals.
It will become hot, and its copper sides will glow.
The dirty scum stuck inside it may then melt
and its rust burn away.
12 But efforts to clean the pot have failed.
Its heavy rust cannot be removed,
even in the fire.
13 “‘In your sinful action there is shame. I wanted to cleanse you, but you are still unclean. You will never be cleansed from your sin until my anger against you is carried out.
14 “‘I, the Lord, have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back punishment. I will not feel pity. I will judge you by your ways and actions, says the Lord God.’”
The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife
15 Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 16 “Human being, I am going to take your wife from you. She is the desire of your eyes. She will die suddenly. But you must not be sad or cry loudly for her. You must not shed any tears. 17 Groan silently. Do not cry loudly for the dead. Tie on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your face. And do not eat the food people eat when they are sad about a death.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning. Then my wife died in the evening. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.
19 Then the people asked me, “Tell us, what do the things you are doing mean for us?”
20 Then I said to them, “The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 21 ‘Say to the people of Israel, This is what the Lord God says: I am going to dishonor my Temple. You think it gives you strength. You are proud of it. You love to look at it. It makes you happy. But your sons and daughters that you left behind in Jerusalem will fall dead by the sword. 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your face. You will not eat the food people eat when they are sad about a death. 23 Your turbans will be on your heads. And your sandals will be on your feet. You will not cry loudly. But you will rot away in your sins. You will groan to each other. 24 So Ezekiel will be a sign for you. You will do all the same things he did. When it happens, you will know that I am the Lord God.’
25 “And as for you, human being, this is how it will be. I will take away the Temple that gives them strength. It makes them happy and proud. They love to look at it. It makes them happy. And I will take away their sons and daughters also. 26 At that time the person who escapes will come to you. He will have information for you to hear. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened. You will speak and be silent no more. So you will be a sign for them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Prophecy Against Ammon
25 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, look toward the people of Ammon and prophesy against them. 3 Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says: You were glad when my Temple was dishonored. You were glad when the land of Israel was ruined. And you were glad when the people of Judah were taken away as captives. 4 So I am going to give you to the people of the East to be theirs. They will set up their camps among you. They will make their homes among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 And I will make the city of Rabbah a pasture for camels. And the land of Ammon will become a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 6 This is what the Lord God says: You clapped your hands and stamped your feet. You are happy about all the insults you have made against the land of Israel. 7 So I will use my power against you. I will give you to the nations as if you were valuables taken in war. I will wipe you out of the lands so you will no longer be a nation. I will destroy you. And you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Prophecy Against Moab and Edom
8 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Moab and Edom say, “The people of Judah are like all the other nations.” 9 So I am going to take away the cities that protect Moab’s borders. They are the best cities in that land. They are Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim. 10 Then I will give Moab, along with the Ammonites, to the people of the East. They will take over these people. Then along with the Ammonites, Moab will not be a nation anymore. 11 So I will punish the people of Moab. And they will know that I am the Lord.’”
Prophecy Against Edom
12 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Edom took revenge on the people of Judah. And the Edomites became guilty because of it. 13 So this is what the Lord God says: I will use my power against Edom. I will kill every man and animal in Edom. And I will destroy Edom all the way from Teman to Dedan. The Edomites will die in battle. 14 I will take revenge on Edom through my people Israel. So the Israelites will do to Edom what my hot anger demands. Then the Edomites will know my revenge, says the Lord God.’”
Prophecy Against Philistia
15 “This is what the Lord God says: ‘The Philistines have taken revenge with hateful hearts. Because of their strong hatred, they have tried to destroy Judah. 16 So this is what the Lord God says: I will use my power against the Philistines. I will remove the Kerethites. I will destroy those people still alive on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. 17 I will punish them in my anger until they have had enough. They will know that I am the Lord when I punish them.’”
Prophecy Against Tyre
26 It was the eleventh year, on the first day of the month of our captivity. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, the city of Tyre has spoken against Jerusalem: ‘The city that traded with the nations is destroyed. Now we can be the trading center. The city Jerusalem is ruined. Now we can make money.’ 3 So this is what the Lord God says: I am against you, Tyre. I will bring many nations against you. They will come like the sea beating its waves on your island shores. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and pull down her towers. I will also scrape away her ruins. I will make Tyre a bare rock. 5 Tyre will be an island where fishermen dry their nets. I have spoken, says the Lord God. The nations will steal valuable things from Tyre. 6 Also, her villages on the shore across from the island will be destroyed by war. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Nebuchadnezzar to Attack Tyre
7 “This is what the Lord God says: I will bring a king from the north against Tyre. He is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the greatest king. He will bring horses, chariots, horsemen and a great army. 8 He will fight a battle and destroy your villages on the shore across from the island. He will set up devices to attack you. He will build a road of earth to the top of the walls. He will raise his shields against you. 9 He will bring logs to pound through your city walls. And he will break down your towers with his iron bars. 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with their dust. Your walls will shake at the noise of horsemen, wagons and chariots. The king of Babylon will enter your city gates. He will enter as men enter a city where the walls are broken through. 11 The hooves of his horses will run over your streets. He will kill your people with the sword. Your strong pillars will fall down to the ground. 12 Also, his men will take away your riches. They will steal the things you sell. They will break down your walls and destroy your nice houses. They will throw your stones, wood and trash into the sea. 13 So I will stop your songs. The music of your harps will not be heard anymore. 14 I will make you a bare rock. You will be a place for drying fishing nets. You will not be built again. This is because I, the Lord, have spoken, says the Lord God.
15 “This is what the Lord God says to Tyre: The people who live along the seacoast will shake with fear when they hear your defeat. Those of you who are injured and dying will groan. 16 Then all the leaders of the seacoast will go down from their thrones. They will take off their beautiful needlework clothes. They will clothe themselves with fear. They will sit on the ground. They will shake with fear all the time. They will be shocked when they see you. 17 They will begin singing a funeral song about you. They will say to you:
‘Tyre, you famous city, you have been destroyed!
Once seamen lived in you.
You and your people
had great power on the seas.
All the people around you
were afraid of you.
18 Now the people who live by the coast
will shake with fear on the day you fall.
The islands of the sea
will be afraid because you have been defeated.’
19 “This is what the Lord God says: I will make you an empty city. You will be like the cities that have no people living in them. I will bring the deep ocean waters over you. The Mediterranean Sea will cover you. 20 At that time I will send you down to the place of the dead. You will join the people who died long ago. I will make you live with the dead below the earth among old ruined places. You will not come back from there. People will never live in you again. 21 Other people will be afraid of what happened to you. It will be the end of you. People will look for you. But they will never find you again, says the Lord God.”
Jesus Is the Living Stone
2 So then, get rid of all evil and all lying. Do not be a hypocrite. Do not be jealous or speak evil of others. Put all these things out of your life. 2 As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it you can mature in your salvation. 3 For you have already examined and seen how good the Lord is.
4 The Lord Jesus is the “stone”[a] that lives. The people of the world did not want this stone. But he was the stone God chose. To God he was worth much. So come to him. 5 You also are like living stones. Let yourselves be used to build a spiritual temple—to be holy priests who offer spiritual sacrifices to God. He will accept those sacrifices through Jesus Christ. 6 The Scripture says:
“I will put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem.
Everything will be built on this important and precious rock.
Anyone who trusts in him
will never be disappointed.” Isaiah 28:16
7 This stone is worth much to you who believe. But to the people who do not believe, he is
“the stone that the builders did not want.
It has become the cornerstone.” Psalm 118:22
8 To people who do not believe, he is
“a stone that causes people to stumble.
It is a rock that makes them fall.” Isaiah 8:14
They stumble because they do not obey what God says. This is what God planned to happen to them.
9 But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a holy nation. You are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 At one time you were not God’s people. But now you are his people. In the past you had never received mercy. But now you have received God’s mercy.
Live for God
11 Dear friends, you are like visitors and strangers in this world. So I beg you to stay away from the evil things your bodies want to do. These things fight against your soul. 12 People who do not believe are living all around you. They might say that you are doing wrong. So live good lives. Then they will see the good things you do, and they will give glory to God on the day when Christ comes again.
Obey Every Human Authority
13 Obey the people who have authority in this world. Do this for the Lord. Obey the king, who is the highest authority. 14 And obey the leaders who are sent by the king. They are sent to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 So when you do good, you stop foolish people from saying stupid things about you. This is what God wants. 16 Live as free men. But do not use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as servants of God. 17 Show respect for all people. Love the brothers and sisters of God’s family. Respect God. Honor the king.
Follow Christ’s Example
18 Slaves, accept the authority of your masters. Do this with all respect. You should obey masters who are good and kind, and you should obey masters who are bad. 19 A person might have to suffer even when he has done nothing wrong. But if he thinks of God and bears the pain, this pleases God. 20 If you are punished for doing wrong, there is no reason to praise you for bearing punishment. But if you suffer for doing good, and you are patient, then that pleases God. 21 That is what you were called to do. Christ suffered for you. He gave you an example to follow. So you should do as he did.
22 “He did no sin.
He never lied.” Isaiah 53:9
23 People insulted Christ, but he did not insult them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. He let God take care of him. God is the One who judges rightly. 24 Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did this so that we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right. And we are healed because of his wounds. 25 You were like sheep that went the wrong way. But now you have come back to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.