Symbol of the Cooking Pot(A)

24 Again, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, write down the name of the day, this very day—the king of Babylon started his siege against Jerusalem (B)this very day. (C)And utter a parable to the rebellious house, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

(D)“Put on a pot, set it on,
And also pour water into it.
Gather pieces of meat in it,
Every good piece,
The thigh and the shoulder.
Fill it with choice [a]cuts;
Take the choice of the flock.
Also pile fuel bones under it,
Make it boil well,
And let the cuts simmer in it.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Woe to (E)the bloody city,
To the pot whose scum is in it,
And whose scum is not gone from it!
Bring it out piece by piece,
On which no (F)lot has fallen.
For her blood is in her midst;
She set it on top of a rock;
(G)She did not pour it on the ground,
To cover it with dust.
That it may raise up fury and take vengeance,
(H)I have set her blood on top of a rock,
That it may not be covered.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God:

(I)“Woe to the bloody city!
I too will make the pyre great.
10 Heap on the wood,
Kindle the fire;
Cook the meat well,
Mix in the spices,
And let the [b]cuts be burned up.

11 “Then set the pot empty on the coals,
That it may become hot and its bronze may burn,
That (J)its filthiness may be melted in it,
That its scum may be consumed.
12 She has [c]grown weary with [d]lies,
And her great scum has not gone from her.
Let her scum be in the fire!
13 In your (K)filthiness is lewdness.
Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed,
You will (L)not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore,
(M)Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
14 (N)I, the Lord, have spoken it;
(O)It shall come to pass, and I will do it;
I will not hold back,
(P)Nor will I spare,
Nor will I relent;
According to your ways
And according to your deeds
[e]They will judge you,”
Says the Lord God.’ ”

The Prophet’s Wife Dies

15 Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16 “Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall (Q)neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh in silence, (R)make no mourning for the dead; (S)bind your turban on your head, and (T)put your sandals on your feet; (U)do not cover your [f]lips, and do not eat man’s bread of sorrow.

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 And the people said to me, (V)“Will you not tell us what these things signify to us, that you behave so?”

20 Then I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, (W)I will profane My sanctuary, [g]your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the [h]delight of your soul; (X)and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And you shall do as I have done; (Y)you shall not cover your [i]lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow. 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; (Z)you shall neither mourn nor weep, but (AA)you shall pine away in your iniquities and mourn with one another. 24 Thus (AB)Ezekiel is a sign to you; according to all that he has done you shall do; (AC)and when this comes, (AD)you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

25 ‘And you, son of man—will it not be in the day when I take from them (AE)their stronghold, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes, and [j]that on which they set their minds, their sons and their daughters: 26 that on that day (AF)one who escapes will come to you to let you hear it with your ears? 27 (AG)On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you shall speak and no longer be mute. Thus you will be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Proclamation Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, (AH)set your face (AI)against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites, ‘Hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God: (AJ)“Because you said, ‘Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the [k]men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. And I will make (AK)Rabbah (AL)a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. (AM)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”

‘For thus says the Lord God: “Because you (AN)clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and (AO)rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, indeed, therefore, I will (AP)stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Moab

‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because (AQ)Moab and (AR)Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and (AS)Kirjathaim. 10 (AT)To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites (AU)may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

Proclamation Against Edom

12 ‘Thus says the Lord God: (AV)“Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them,” 13 therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; [l]Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 (AW)I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance,” says the Lord God.

Proclamation Against Philistia

15 ‘Thus says the Lord God: (AX)“Because (AY)the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with [m]a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the [n]old hatred,” 16 therefore thus says the Lord God: (AZ)“I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the (BA)Cherethites (BB)and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will (BC)execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; (BD)and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeance upon them.” ’ ”

Proclamation Against Tyre

26 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, (BE)because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, (BF)‘Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.’

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and (BG)make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for spreading nets (BH)in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ says the Lord God; ‘it shall become plunder for the nations. Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. (BI)Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’

“For thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north (BJ)Nebuchadnezzar[o] king of Babylon, (BK)king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will (BL)heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a [p]defense against you. He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hooves of his (BM)horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the (BN)midst of the water. 13 (BO)I will put an end to the sound of (BP)your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. 14 (BQ)I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the Lord have spoken,’ says the Lord God.

15 “Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: ‘Will the coastlands not (BR)shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you? 16 Then all the (BS)princes of the sea will (BT)come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; (BU)they will sit on the ground, (BV)tremble every moment, and (BW)be astonished at you. 17 And they will take up a (BX)lamentation for you, and say to you:

“How you have perished,
O one inhabited by seafaring men,
O renowned city,
Who was (BY)strong at sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants!
18 Now (BZ)the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall;
Yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure.” ’

19 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down (CA)with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory (CB)in the land of the living. 21 (CC)I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; (CD)though you are sought for, you will never be found again,’ says the Lord God.”

Lamentation for Tyre

27 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, “Now, son of man, (CE)take up a lamentation for Tyre, and say to Tyre, (CF)‘You who [q]are situated at the entrance of the sea, (CG)merchant of the peoples on many coastlands, thus says the Lord God:

“O Tyre, you have said,
(CH)‘I am perfect in beauty.’
Your borders are in the midst of the seas.
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
They [r]made all your planks of fir trees from (CI)Senir;
They took a cedar from Lebanon to make you a mast.
Of (CJ)oaks from Bashan they made your oars;
The company of Ashurites have inlaid your planks
With ivory from (CK)the coasts of [s]Cyprus.
Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was what you spread for your sail;
Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was what covered you.

“Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you;
They became your pilots.
Elders of (CL)Gebal and its wise men
Were in you to caulk your seams;
All the ships of the sea
And their oarsmen were in you
To market your merchandise.

10 “Those from Persia, [t]Lydia, and [u]Libya
Were in your army as men of war;
They hung shield and helmet in you;
They gave splendor to you.
11 Men of Arvad with your army were on your walls all around,
And the men of Gammad were in your towers;
They hung their shields on your walls all around;
They made (CM)your beauty perfect.

12 (CN)“Tarshish was your merchant because of your many luxury goods. They gave you silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. 13 (CO)Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders. They bartered (CP)human lives and vessels of bronze for your merchandise. 14 Those from the house of (CQ)Togarmah traded for your wares with horses, steeds, and mules. 15 The men of (CR)Dedan were your traders; many isles were the market of your hand. They brought you ivory tusks and ebony as payment. 16 Syria was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made. They gave you for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel were your traders. They traded for your merchandise wheat of (CS)Minnith, millet, honey, oil, and (CT)balm. 18 Damascus was your merchant because of the abundance of goods you made, because of your many luxury items, with the wine of Helbon and with white wool. 19 Dan and Javan paid for your wares, [v]traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise. 20 (CU)Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of (CV)Kedar were your regular merchants. They traded with you in lambs, rams, and goats. 22 The merchants of (CW)Sheba and Raamah were your merchants. They traded for your wares the choicest spices, all kinds of precious stones, and gold. 23 (CX)Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of (CY)Sheba, Assyria, and Chilmad were your merchants. 24 These were your merchants in choice items—in purple clothes, in embroidered garments, in chests of multicolored apparel, in sturdy woven cords, which were in your marketplace.

25 “The (CZ)ships of Tarshish were carriers of your merchandise.
You were filled and very glorious (DA)in the midst of the seas.
26 Your oarsmen brought you into many waters,
But (DB)the east wind broke you in the midst of the seas.

27 “Your (DC)riches, wares, and merchandise,
Your mariners and pilots,
Your caulkers and merchandisers,
All your men of war who are in you,
And the entire company which is in your midst,
Will fall into the midst of the seas on the day of your ruin.
28 The (DD)common-land[w] will shake at the sound of the cry of your pilots.

29 “All (DE)who handle the oar,
The mariners,
All the pilots of the sea
Will come down from their ships and stand on the [x]shore.
30 They will make their voice heard because of you;
They will cry bitterly and (DF)cast dust on their heads;
They (DG)will roll about in ashes;
31 They will (DH)shave themselves completely bald because of you,
Gird themselves with sackcloth,
And weep for you
With bitterness of heart and bitter wailing.
32 In their wailing for you
They will (DI)take up a lamentation,
And lament for you:
(DJ)‘What city is like Tyre,
Destroyed in the midst of the sea?

33 ‘When(DK) your wares went out by sea,
You satisfied many people;
You enriched the kings of the earth
With your many luxury goods and your merchandise.
34 But (DL)you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters;
(DM)Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst.
35 (DN)All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you;
Their kings will be greatly afraid,
And their countenance will be troubled.
36 The merchants among the peoples (DO)will hiss at you;
(DP)You will become a horror, and be no (DQ)more forever.’ ” ’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:4 Lit. bones
  2. Ezekiel 24:10 Lit. bones
  3. Ezekiel 24:12 Or wearied Me
  4. Ezekiel 24:12 Or toil
  5. Ezekiel 24:14 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. I
  6. Ezekiel 24:17 Lit. moustache
  7. Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. the pride of your strength
  8. Ezekiel 24:21 Lit. compassion
  9. Ezekiel 24:22 Lit. moustache
  10. Ezekiel 24:25 Lit. the lifting up of their soul
  11. Ezekiel 25:4 Lit. sons
  12. Ezekiel 25:13 Or even to Dedan they shall fall
  13. Ezekiel 25:15 Lit. spite in soul
  14. Ezekiel 25:15 Or perpetual
  15. Ezekiel 26:7 Heb. Nebuchadrezzar, and so elsewhere in the book
  16. Ezekiel 26:8 Lit. a large shield
  17. Ezekiel 27:3 Lit. sit or dwell
  18. Ezekiel 27:5 built
  19. Ezekiel 27:6 Heb. Kittim, western lands, especially Cyprus
  20. Ezekiel 27:10 Heb. Lud
  21. Ezekiel 27:10 Heb. Put
  22. Ezekiel 27:19 LXX, Syr. from Uzal
  23. Ezekiel 27:28 open lands or pasturelands
  24. Ezekiel 27:29 Lit. land

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