Ezekiel 21-24

Easy-to-Read Version

Babylon, the Sword

21 So the word of the Lord came to me again. He said, ² “Son of man,^[a] look toward Jerusalem and speak against their holy places. Speak against the land of Israel for me. ³ Say to the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord said: I am against you! I will pull my sword from its sheath. I will remove all people from you—the good and the evil. ⁴ I will cut off both good people and evil people from you. I will pull my sword from its sheath and use it against all people from south to north. ⁵ Then everyone will know that I am the Lord. They will know that I have pulled my sword from its sheath. My sword will not go back into its sheath again until it is finished.’

⁶ “Son of man, make sad sounds like a sad person with a broken heart. Make these sad sounds in front of the people. ⁷ Then they will ask you, ‘Why are you making these sad sounds?’ Then you must say, ‘Because of the sad news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear. All hands will become weak. Every spirit will become weak. All knees will be like water.’ Look, that bad news is coming. These things will happen!” This is what the Lord God said.

The Sword Is Ready

⁸ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ⁹ “Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, ‘This is what the Lord says:

¹² “‘Son of man, shout out and scream because the sword will be used against my people and all the rulers of Israel. They wanted war—so they will be with my people when the sword comes. So slap your thigh to show your sadness, ¹³ because it is not just a test. You refused to be punished with the wooden stick, so what else should I use to punish you? A sword?’” This is what the Lord God said.

Jerusalem Punished

¹⁸ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁹ “Son of man, draw two roads that the sword of the king of Babylon can use to come to Israel. Both roads will come from the same country. Then draw a sign at the head of the road to the city. ²⁰ Use the sign to show which road the sword will use. One road leads to the Ammonite city of Rabbah. The other road leads to Judah, to the protected city, Jerusalem. ²¹ The king of Babylon has come to where the two roads separate. He uses magic to learn which way to go: He shakes his arrows, he asks his family idols, and he looks at the liver^[b] from an animal he has killed.

²² “The signs tell him to take the road on his right, the road leading to Jerusalem, where he will use battering rams.^[c] The signs tell him to give the command for his soldiers to begin the killing. They will shout the battle cry and set the battering rams against the gates. They will build a wall of dirt around the city and a dirt road leading up to the walls. They will build wooden towers to attack the city. ²³ But the people in Jerusalem will think this is all a big mistake. They will not believe that this could happen, because they had made a peace agreement with Babylon’s king. But the king will remind them that they are guilty of breaking that agreement, and he will take them captive.”

²⁴ This is what the Lord God says: “You have done many evil things. Your sins are very clear. You forced me to remember that you are guilty, so the enemy will catch you in his hand. ²⁵ And you, evil leader of Israel, you will be killed. Your time of punishment has come! The end is here!”

²⁶ This is what the Lord God says: “Take off the turban! Take off the crown! The time has come to change. The important leaders will be brought low, and those who are not important now will become important leaders. ²⁷ I will completely destroy that city! But this will not happen until the right man becomes the new king. Then I will let him have this city.”

The Ammonites Punished

²⁸ “Son of man, speak to the people for me. Say this, ‘This is what the Lord God says to the people of Ammon and their shameful god:

Prophecy Against Babylon

³⁰ “‘Put the sword back in its sheath. Babylon, I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born. ³¹ I will pour out my anger against you. My anger will burn you like a hot wind. I will hand you over to cruel men.^[d] Those men are skilled at killing people. ³² You will be like fuel for the fire. Your blood will flow deep into the earth—people will never remember you again. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

Ezekiel Speaks Against Jerusalem

22 The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[e] will you judge the city of murderers? Will you tell her about all the terrible things she has done? ³ You must say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: The city is full of murderers, so her time of punishment will come. She made filthy idols for herself, and those idols made her filthy!

⁴ “‘People of Jerusalem, you killed many people. You made filthy idols. You are guilty, and the time has come to punish you. Your end has come. Other nations will make fun of you and laugh at you. ⁵ People far and near will make fun of you. You have ruined your name. You are filled with confusion.

⁶ “‘Look, all the leaders in Israel are using their strength just to kill other people. ⁷ And the people in Jerusalem don’t respect their parents. There in the city, they abuse the foreigners. They cheat orphans and widows in that place. ⁸ You hate all that I consider holy. You treat my special days of rest as if they are not important. ⁹ In Jerusalem, people tell lies in order to kill innocent people. They go to the mountains to worship false gods and then come back to Jerusalem to eat their fellowship meals.

“‘In Jerusalem, people commit many sexual sins. ¹⁰ There men commit sexual sins with their father’s wife. There the men rape women—even during their monthly time of bleeding. ¹¹ One man commits a terrible sin against his own neighbor’s wife. Another man has sex with his daughter-in-law and makes her unclean. Another man rapes his father’s daughter—his very own sister. ¹² There men accept bribes to kill people. You lend money and charge interest on the loans. You cheat your neighbors just to make a little money. You have even forgotten me.’ This is what the Lord God said.

¹³ “‘Now look! I will slam my hand down and stop you! I will punish you for cheating and killing people. ¹⁴ Will you be brave then? Will you be strong at the time I come to punish you? I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do what I said! ¹⁵ I will scatter you among the nations. I will force you to go to many countries. I will completely destroy the filthy things in this city. ¹⁶ But Jerusalem, you will become unclean. And the other nations will see all these things happen. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

Israel Is Like Worthless Waste

¹⁷ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁸ “Son of man, bronze, iron, lead, and tin are important metals, but when a worker melts silver to make it pure, those metals are poured off as waste. Israel has become like that waste to me. ¹⁹ So this is what the Lord God says: ‘All of you have become like worthless waste. So I will gather you into Jerusalem. ²⁰ Workers put silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into a fire. They blow on the fire to make it hotter. Then the metals begin to melt. In the same way I will put you in my fire and melt you. That fire is my hot anger. ²¹ I will put you in my fire of anger and blow on it, and you will begin to melt. ²² In that city, you will be like silver melting in a fire. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and that I poured out my anger on you.’”

Ezekiel Speaks Against Jerusalem

²³ The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ²⁴ “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell her that she is not pure.^[f] I am angry at that country, so that country has not received its rain. ²⁵ The prophets in Jerusalem are making evil plans. They are like a lion—it roars when it begins to eat the animal it caught. They have destroyed many lives. They have taken many valuable things and made widows of many of the women in Jerusalem.

²⁶ “The priests have really hurt my teachings. They don’t treat my holy things right—they don’t show they are important. They treat holy things the same as things that are not holy. They treat clean things like things that are unclean. They don’t teach the people about these things. They refuse to respect my special days of rest. They treat me as though I am not important.

²⁷ “The leaders in Jerusalem are like a wolf eating the animal it has caught. They attack people and kill them just to get rich.

²⁸ “The prophets don’t warn the people—they cover up the truth. They are like workers who don’t really repair a wall—they only put plaster over the holes. They only see lies. They do their magic to learn the future, but they only tell lies. They say, ‘This is what the Lord God said.’ But they are only lying—the Lord did not speak to them!

²⁹ “The common people take advantage of each other. They cheat and steal from each other. They get rich by taking advantage of poor, helpless beggars, and they really cheat the foreigners. They are not fair to them at all!

³⁰ “I asked the people to change their lives and protect their country. I asked people to fix the walls. I wanted them to stand by those holes in the wall and fight to protect their city. But no one came to help! ³¹ So I will show them my anger—I will completely destroy them. I will punish them for the evil things they have done. It is all their fault.” This is what the Lord God said.

23 The word of the Lord came to me. He said, ² “Son of man,^[g] listen to this story about Samaria and Jerusalem. There were two sisters, daughters of the same mother. ³ They became prostitutes in Egypt while they were still young girls. That’s where they first let men touch and handle their young breasts. ⁴ The older daughter was named Oholah,^[h] and her sister was named Oholibah.^[i] They became my wives, and we had children. I am using the name Oholah to mean Samaria and the name Oholibah to mean Jerusalem.

⁵ “Then Oholah became unfaithful to me—she began to live like a prostitute. She began to want her lovers. She saw the Assyrian soldiers ⁶ in their blue uniforms. They were all handsome young men riding horses. They were leaders and officers, ⁷ and Oholah gave herself to all those men. All of them were handpicked soldiers in the Assyrian army, and she wanted them all! She became filthy with their filthy idols. ⁸ Besides that, she never stopped her love affair with Egypt. Egypt made love to her when she was a young girl. Egypt was the first lover to touch her young breasts. Egypt poured his untrue love on her. ⁹ So I let her lovers have her. She wanted Assyria, so I gave her to them! ¹⁰ They raped^[j] her. They took her children and killed her. They punished her, and women still talk about her.

¹¹ “Her younger sister Oholibah saw all these things happen. But Oholibah sinned more than her sister did! She was more unfaithful than Oholah. ¹² She wanted the Assyrian leaders and officers. She wanted those soldiers in blue uniforms riding their horses. They were all handsome young men. ¹³ I saw that both women were going to ruin their lives with the same mistakes.

¹⁴ “Oholibah continued to be unfaithful to me. In Babylon, she saw pictures of men carved on the walls. These were pictures of Chaldean men wearing their red uniforms. ¹⁵ They wore belts around their waists and long turbans on their heads. All those men looked like chariot officers. They all looked like native-born Babylonian men, ¹⁶ and Oholibah wanted them. ¹⁷ So the Babylonian men came to her bed to have sex with her. They used her and made her so filthy that she became disgusted with them.

¹⁸ “Oholibah let everyone see that she was unfaithful. She let so many men enjoy her naked body that I became disgusted with her—just as I had become disgusted with her sister. ¹⁹ But Oholibah thought about her time as a prostitute in Egypt when she was young, and she turned to even more prostitution. ²⁰ She remembered the lovers who excited her there, who were like animals in their sexual desires and abilities.

²¹ “Oholibah, you dreamed of those times when you were young, when your lovers touched and handled your young breasts. ²² So Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: ‘You became disgusted with your lovers, but I will bring them here, and they will surround you. ²³ I will bring all the men from Babylon, especially the Chaldeans. I will bring the men from Pekod, Shoa, and Koa, and all the men from Assyria. I will bring all the leaders and officers, all those desirable young men, chariot officers, and handpicked soldiers riding their horses. ²⁴ That crowd of men will come to you in large groups, riding on their horses and in their chariots. They will have their spears, shields, and helmets. They will gather around you, and I will tell them what you have done to me. Then they will punish you their own way. ²⁵ I will show you how jealous I am. They will become angry and hurt you. They will cut off your nose and ears. They will kill you with a sword. Then they will take your children and burn whatever is left of you. ²⁶ They will take your nice clothes and jewelry. ²⁷ So I will stop your dreams about your love affair with Egypt. You will never again look for them. You will never remember Egypt again!’”

²⁸ This is what the Lord God says: “I am giving you to the men you hate. I am giving you to the men you became disgusted with. ²⁹ And they will show how much they hate you! They will take everything you worked for, and they will leave you bare and naked! People will clearly see your sins. They will see that you acted like a prostitute and dreamed wicked dreams. ³⁰ You did those bad things when you left me to chase after the other nations. You did those bad things when you began to worship their filthy idols. ³¹ You followed your sister and lived as she did. You, yourself, took her cup of poison and held it in your hands.^[k]” ³² This is what the Lord God says:

³⁵ “So this is what the Lord God said: ‘Jerusalem, you forgot me. You threw me away and left me behind. So now you must suffer for leaving me and living like a prostitute. You must suffer for your wicked dreams.’”

Judgment Against Oholah and Oholibah

³⁶ The Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then tell them about the terrible things they have done. ³⁷ They committed the sin of adultery. They are guilty of murder. They acted like prostitutes—they left me to be with their filthy idols. They had my children, but they forced them to pass through fire. They did this to give food to their filthy idols. ³⁸ They also treated my special days of rest and my holy place as though they were not important. ³⁹ They killed their children for their idols, and then they went into my holy place and made it filthy too! They did this inside my Temple!

⁴⁰ “They have sent for men from faraway places. You sent a messenger to these men, and they came to see you. You bathed for them, painted your eyes, and put on your jewelry. ⁴¹ You sat on a fine bed with a table set before it. You put my incense^[l] and my oil^[m] on this table.

⁴² “The noise in Jerusalem sounded like a crowd of people having a party.^[n] Many people came to the party. People were already drinking as they came in from the desert. They gave bracelets and beautiful crowns to the women. ⁴³ Then I spoke to one of the women who was worn out from her sexual sins. I asked her, ‘Will they continue to do sexual sins with her, and she with them?’ ⁴⁴ But they kept going to her as they would go to a prostitute. Yes, they went again and again to Oholah and Oholibah, those wicked women.

⁴⁵ “But good men will judge them guilty of adultery and murder, because Oholah and Oholibah committed adultery and their hands are covered with blood!”

⁴⁶ This is what the Lord God said: “Gather the people together to punish and terrorize Oholah and Oholibah. ⁴⁷ They will throw stones at these women and kill them. They will cut the women to pieces with their swords. They will kill their children and burn their houses. ⁴⁸ In this way I will remove that shame from this country, and all the other women will be warned not to do the shameful things you have done. ⁴⁹ They will punish you for the wicked things you did. You will be punished for worshiping your filthy idols. Then you will know that I am the Lord God.”

The Pot and the Meat

24 The word of the Lord came to me. This was on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of exile.^[o] He said, ² “Son of man,^[p] write today’s date and this note: ‘On this date the army of the king of Babylon surrounded Jerusalem.’ ³ The people there refuse to obey me. I have a story with a message for them. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

¹⁴ “‘I am the Lord. I said your punishment would come, and I will make it happen. I will not hold back the punishment or feel sorry for you. I will punish you for the evil things you did. This is what the Lord God said.’”

The Death of Ezekiel’s Wife

¹⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ¹⁶ “Son of man, you love your wife very much, but I am going to take her away from you. Your wife will die suddenly, but you must not show your sadness. You must not cry loudly. You will cry and your tears will fall, ¹⁷ but you must mourn quietly. Dress as you normally do; wear your turban and sandals; don’t cover your mustache, and don’t eat the food people normally eat when someone dies.”

¹⁸ The next morning I told the people what God had said. That evening, my wife died. The next morning I did what God commanded. ¹⁹ Then the people said to me, “Why are you doing this? What does it mean?”

²⁰ Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me. He told me ²¹ to speak to the family of Israel. The Lord God said, ‘Look, I will destroy my holy place. You are proud of that place and sing songs of praise about it. You love to see it. You really love that place. But I will destroy it, and your children that you left behind will be killed in battle. ²² But you will do the same things that I have done about my dead wife. You will not cover your mustache or eat the food people normally eat when someone dies. ²³ You will wear your turbans and your sandals. You will not show your sadness publicly or cry publicly, but you will waste away with guilt and talk to each other quietly about your grief. ²⁴ So Ezekiel is an example for you. You will do all the same things he did. That time of punishment will come, and then you will know that I am the Lord God.’”

^25-26 The Lord said, “Son of man, I will take away the place that makes the people feel safe—Jerusalem, that beautiful city that makes them so happy. They really love that place. They love to look at it. But I will take it away from them, and I will also take their children. On that day one of the survivors will come to you with the bad news about Jerusalem. ²⁷ That same day you will be able to talk to the messenger. You will not be silent anymore. This will be a sign to the people, and they will know that I am the Lord.”