Old/New Testament
The Boiling Pot
24 The Lord’s message came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month:[a] 2 “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege[b] to Jerusalem this very day. 3 Recite a proverb to this rebellious house[c] and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘Set on the pot,[d] set it on,
pour water in it too;
4 add the pieces of meat to it,
every good piece,
the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
5 Take the choice bone of the flock,
heap up wood under it;
boil rapidly,
and boil its bones in it.
6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed,
the pot whose rot[e] is in it,
whose rot has not been removed[f] from it!
Empty it piece by piece.
No lot has fallen on it.[g]
7 For her blood was in it;
she poured it on an exposed rock;
she did not pour it on the ground to cover it up with dust.
8 To arouse anger, to take vengeance,
I have placed her blood on an exposed rock so that it cannot be covered up.
9 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I will also make the pile high.
10 Pile up the wood, kindle the fire;
cook the meat well, mix in the spices,
let the bones be charred.
11 Set the empty pot on the coals,[h]
until it becomes hot and its copper glows,
until its uncleanness melts within it and its rot[i] is consumed.
12 It has tried my patience;[j]
yet its thick rot is not removed[k] from it.
Subject its rot to the fire![l]
13 You mix uncleanness with obscene conduct.[m]
I tried to cleanse you,[n] but you are not clean.
You will not be cleansed from your uncleanness[o]
until I have exhausted my anger on you.
14 “‘I the Lord have spoken; judgment[p] is coming and I will act! I will not relent, or show pity, or be sorry![q] I will judge you[r] according to your conduct[s] and your deeds, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel’s Wife Dies
15 The Lord’s message came to me: 16 “Son of man, realize that I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a jolt,[t] but you must not mourn or weep or shed tears. 17 Groan to moan for the dead,[u] but do not perform mourning rites.[v] Bind on your turban[w] and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your lip[x] and do not eat food brought by others.”[y]
18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning[z] I acted just as I was commanded. 19 Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”
20 So I said to them: “The Lord’s message came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Realize I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—the source of your confident pride,[aa] the object in which your eyes delight,[ab] and your life’s passion.[ac] Your very own sons and daughters whom you have left behind will die[ad] by the sword. 22 Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lip or eat food brought by others.[ae] 23 Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn or weep, but you will rot[af] for your iniquities[ag] and groan among yourselves. 24 Ezekiel will be an object lesson for you; you will do all that he has done. When it happens, then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’
25 “And you, son of man, this is what will happen on the day I take[ah] from them their stronghold—their beautiful source of joy, the object in which their eyes delight, and the main concern of their lives,[ai] as well as their sons and daughters:[aj] 26 On that day a fugitive will come to you to report the news.[ak] 27 On that day you will be able to speak again;[al] you will talk with the fugitive and be silent no longer. You will be an object lesson for them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”
A Prophecy Against Ammon
25 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn toward[am] the Ammonites[an] and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You said “Aha!” about my sanctuary when it was desecrated, about the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and about the house of Judah when they went into exile. 4 So take note,[ao] I am about to make you slaves of[ap] the tribes[aq] of the east. They will make camps among you and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5 I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon[ar] a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 6 For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced with intense scorn[as] over the land of Israel, 7 take note—I have stretched out my hand against you, and I will hand you over as plunder[at] to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and make you perish from the lands. I will destroy you; then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
A Prophecy Against Moab
8 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Moab[au] and Seir say, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations.” 9 So look, I am about to open up Moab’s flank,[av] eliminating the cities,[aw] including its frontier cities,[ax] the beauty of the land—Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kiriathaim. 10 I will hand it over,[ay] along with the Ammonites,[az] to the tribes[ba] of the east, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. 11 I will execute judgments against Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”
A Prophecy Against Edom
12 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Edom[bb] has taken vengeance against the house of Judah; they have made themselves fully culpable[bc] by taking vengeance[bd] on them.[be] 13 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand against Edom, and I will kill the people and animals within her,[bf] and I will make her desolate; from Teman to Dedan they will die[bg] by the sword. 14 I will exact my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. They will carry out in Edom my anger and rage; they will experience[bh] my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
A Prophecy Against Philistia
15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘The Philistines[bi] have exacted merciless revenge,[bj] showing intense scorn[bk] in their effort to destroy Judah[bl] with unrelenting hostility.[bm] 16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take note, I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines. I will kill[bn] the Kerethites[bo] and destroy those who remain on the seacoast. 17 I will exact great vengeance upon them with angry rebukes.[bp] Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I exact my vengeance upon them.’”
A Prophecy Against Tyre
26 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the month,[bq] the Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, because Tyre[br] has said about Jerusalem, ‘Aha, the gateway of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I will become rich,[bs] now that she[bt] has been destroyed,’ 3 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look,[bu] I am against you,[bv] O Tyre! I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4 They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers. I will scrape her soil[bw] from her and make her a bare rock. 5 She will be a place where fishing nets are spread, surrounded by the sea. For I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder for the nations, 6 and her daughters[bx] who are in the field will be slaughtered by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
7 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take note that[by] I am about to bring King Nebuchadrezzar[bz] of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre from the north, with horses, chariots, and horsemen, an army and hordes of people. 8 He will kill your daughters in the field with the sword. He will build a siege wall against you, erect a siege ramp against you, and raise a great shield against you. 9 He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his weapons.[ca] 10 He will cover you with the dust kicked up by his many horses.[cb] Your walls will shake from the noise of the horsemen, wheels, and chariots when he enters your gates like those who invade through a city’s broken walls.[cc] 11 With his horses’ hooves he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars will tumble down to the ground. 12 They will steal your wealth and loot your merchandise. They will tear down your walls and destroy your luxurious[cd] homes. Your stones, your trees, and your soil he will throw[ce] into the water.[cf] 13 I will silence[cg] the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard no more. 14 I will make you a bare rock; you will be a place where fishing nets are spread. You will never be built again,[ch] for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Oh, how the coastlands will shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan at the massive slaughter in your midst! 16 All the princes of the sea will vacate[ci] their thrones. They will remove their robes and strip off their embroidered clothes; they will clothe themselves with trembling. They will sit on the ground; they will tremble continually and be shocked at what has happened to you.[cj] 17 They will sing this lament over you:[ck]
“‘How you have perished—you have vanished[cl] from the seas,
O renowned city, once mighty in the sea,
she and her inhabitants, who spread their terror![cm]
18 Now the coastlands will tremble on the day of your fall;
the coastlands by the sea will be terrified by your passing.’[cn]
19 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging[co] waters overwhelm you, 20 then I will bring you down to bygone people,[cp] to be with those who descend to the Pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth among[cq] the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand[cr] in the land of the living. 21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
2 So get rid of[a] all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 And[b] yearn[c] like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk,[d] so that by it you may grow up to[e] salvation,[f] 3 if you have experienced[g] the Lord’s kindness.[h]
A Living Stone, a Chosen People
4 So as you come to him,[i] a living stone rejected by men but[j] chosen and precious[k] in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer[l] spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says[m] in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,[n] and whoever believes[o] in him[p] will never[q] be put to shame.”[r] 7 So you who believe see[s] his value,[t] but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the[u] cornerstone,[v] 8 and a stumbling-stone[w] and a rock to trip over.[x] They stumble[y] because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.[z] 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues[aa] of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 You[ab] once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy,[ac] but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul, 12 and maintain good conduct[ad] among the non-Christians,[ae] so that though[af] they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.[ag]
Submission to Authorities
13 Be subject to every human institution[ah] for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme 14 or to governors as those he commissions[ai] to punish wrongdoers and praise[aj] those who do good. 15 For God wants you[ak] to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 16 Live[al] as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves.[am] 17 Honor all people, love the family of believers,[an] fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves,[ao] be subject[ap] to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. 19 For this finds God’s favor,[aq] if because of conscience toward God[ar] someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.[as] 21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. 22 He[at] committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth.[au] 23 When he was maligned, he[av] did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened[aw] no retaliation,[ax] but committed himself to God[ay] who judges justly. 24 He[az] himself bore our sins[ba] in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning[bb] and live for righteousness. By his[bc] wounds[bd] you were healed.[be] 25 For you were going astray like sheep[bf] but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
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