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The Boiling Pot

24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) Mortal, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.(B) And utter an allegory to the rebellious house and say to them: Thus says the Lord God:

Set on the pot; set it on;
    pour in water also;(C)
put in it the pieces,
    all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;
    fill it with choice cuts.
Take the choicest one of the flock;
    pile the logs[a] under it;
boil its pieces;[b]
    seethe[c] also its bones in it.

Therefore thus says the Lord God:

Woe to the bloody city,
    the pot whose crud is in it,
    whose crud has not gone out of it!
Empty it piece by piece,
    making no choice at all.[d](D)
For the blood she shed is inside it;
    she placed it on a bare rock;
she did not pour it out on the ground,
    to cover it with earth.(E)
To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance,
    I have placed the blood she shed
    on a bare rock,
    so that it may not be covered.

Therefore thus says the Lord God:

Woe to the bloody city!
    I will even make the pile great.(F)
10 Heap up the logs; kindle the fire;
    boil the meat well; boil down the broth;[e]
    let the bones be burned.
11 Stand it empty upon the coals,
    so that it may become hot, its copper glow,
    its filth melt in it, its crud be consumed.
12 In vain I have wearied myself;[f]
    its thick crud does not depart.
    To the fire with its crud!
13 Yet when I cleansed you in your filthy lewdness,
    you did not become clean from your filth;
you shall not again be cleansed
    until I have satisfied my fury upon you.(G)

14 I the Lord have spoken; the time is coming; I will act. I will not refrain; I will not spare; I will not relent. According to your ways and your doings I will judge you, says the Lord God.(H)

Ezekiel’s Bereavement

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 Mortal, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes, yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down.(I) 17 Groan quietly; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners.[g](J) 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.

19 Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting this way?” 20 Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and your heart’s desire, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.(K) 22 And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners.[h] 23 Your turbans shall be on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall pine away in your iniquities and groan to one another.(L) 24 Thus Ezekiel shall be a sign to you; you shall do just as he has done. When this comes, then you shall know that I am the Lord God.”(M)

25 And you, mortal, on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their heart’s affection, and also[i] their sons and their daughters,(N) 26 on that day, one who has escaped will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth shall be opened to the one who has escaped, and you shall speak and no longer be silent. So you shall be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.(O)

Proclamation against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, set your face toward the Ammonites and prophesy against them.(P) Say to the Ammonites: Hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God: Because you said, “Aha!” over my sanctuary when it was profaned and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate and over the house of Judah when it went into exile,(Q) therefore I am handing you over to the people of the East for a possession. They shall set their encampments among you and pitch their tents in your midst; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels and Ammon a fold for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.(R) For thus says the Lord God: Because you have clapped your hands and stamped your feet and rejoiced with all the malice within you against the land of Israel,(S) therefore I have stretched out my hand against you and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.(T)

Proclamation against Moab

Thus says the Lord God: Because Moab[j] said, “The house of Judah is like all the other nations,” therefore I will lay open the flank of Moab from the towns[k] on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim. 10 I will give it along with Ammon to the people of the East as a possession. Thus Ammon shall be remembered no more among the nations, 11 and I will execute judgments upon Moab. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

Proclamation against Edom

12 Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance upon them,(U) 13 therefore thus says the Lord God: I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it humans and animals, and I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan they shall fall by the sword.(V) 14 I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall act in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, says the Lord God.(W)

Proclamation against Philistia

15 Thus says the Lord God: Because with unending hostilities the Philistines acted in vengeance and with malice of heart took revenge in destruction,(X) 16 therefore thus says the Lord God: I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, cut off the Cherethites, and destroy the rest of the seacoast.(Y) 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful punishments. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance on them.(Z)

Proclamation against Tyre

26 In the twelfth year,[l] in the eleventh[m] month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem,

“Aha, broken is the gateway of the peoples;
    it has swung open to me;
I shall be replenished,
    now that it is wasted,”(AA)

therefore, thus says the Lord God:

See, I am against you, O Tyre!
    I will hurl many nations against you,
    as the sea hurls its waves.(AB)
They shall destroy the walls of Tyre
    and break down its towers.
I will scrape its soil from it
    and make it a bare rock.(AC)
It shall become, in the midst of the sea,
    a place for spreading nets.

I have spoken, says the Lord God.

It shall become plunder for the nations,(AD)
    and its daughter towns inland
    shall be killed by the sword.

Then they shall know that I am the Lord.(AE)

For thus says the Lord God: I will bring against Tyre from the north King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, king of kings, together with horses, chariots, cavalry, and a great and powerful army.(AF)

Your daughter towns inland
    he shall put to the sword.
He shall set up a siege wall against you,
    cast up a ramp against you,
    and raise a roof of shields against you.(AG)
He shall direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls
    and break down your towers with his axes.(AH)
10 His horses shall be so many
    that their dust shall cover you.
At the noise of cavalry, wheels, and chariots
    your very walls shall shake
when he enters your gates
    like those entering a breached city.(AI)
11 With the hoofs of his horses
    he shall trample all your streets.
He shall put your people to the sword,
    and your strong pillars shall fall to the ground.(AJ)
12 They will take your riches
    and plunder your merchandise;
they shall break down your walls
    and destroy your fine houses.
Your stones and timber and soil
    they shall cast into the water.
13 I will silence the music of your songs;
    the sound of your lyres shall be heard no more.(AK)
14 I will make you a bare rock;
    you shall be a place for spreading nets.
You shall never again be rebuilt,
    for I the Lord have spoken,
    says the Lord God.

15 Thus says the Lord God to Tyre: Shall not the coastlands shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan, when slaughter goes on within you?(AL) 16 Then all the princes of the sea shall step down from their thrones; they shall remove their robes and strip off their embroidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling and shall sit on the ground; they shall tremble every moment and be appalled at you.(AM) 17 And they shall raise a lamentation over you and say to you:

“How you have vanished[n] from the seas,
    O city renowned,
once mighty on the sea,
    you and your inhabitants,[o]
who imposed your[p] terror
    on all the mainland![q](AN)
18 Now the coastlands tremble
    on the day of your fall;
the coastlands by the sea
    are dismayed at your passing.”(AO)

19 For thus says the Lord God: When I make you a city laid waste, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, 20 then I will thrust you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of long ago, and I will make you live in the world below, among primeval ruins, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or have a place[r] in the land of the living.(AP) 21 I will bring you to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more; though sought for, you will never be found again, says the Lord God.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. 24.5 Heb the bones
  2. 24.5 Heb mss: MT its boilings
  3. 24.5 Cn: Heb its bones seethe
  4. 24.6 Heb piece, no lot has fallen on it
  5. 24.10 Gk: Heb mix in the spices
  6. 24.12 Cn: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  7. 24.17 Vg Tg: Heb of men
  8. 24.22 Vg Tg: Heb of men
  9. 24.25 Heb lacks and also
  10. 25.8 Gk OL: Heb Moab and Seir
  11. 25.9 Heb towns from its towns
  12. 26.1 Gk ms: Heb eleventh year
  13. 26.1 Cn: Heb lacks eleventh
  14. 26.17 Gk OL Aquila: Heb have vanished, O inhabited one,
  15. 26.17 Heb it and its inhabitants
  16. 26.17 Heb their
  17. 26.17 Cn: Heb its inhabitants
  18. 26.20 Gk: Heb I will give beauty

Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot

24 In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) “Son of man, record(B) this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.(C) Tell this rebellious people(D) a parable(E) and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Put on the cooking pot;(F) put it on
    and pour water into it.
Put into it the pieces of meat,
    all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;(G)
    take the pick of the flock.(H)
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
    bring it to a boil
    and cook the bones in it.(I)

“‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe(J) to the city of bloodshed,(K)
    to the pot now encrusted,
    whose deposit will not go away!
Take the meat out piece by piece
    in whatever order(L) it comes.(M)

“‘For the blood she shed is in her midst:
    She poured it on the bare rock;
she did not pour it on the ground,
    where the dust would cover it.(N)
To stir up wrath and take revenge
    I put her blood on the bare rock,
    so that it would not be covered.

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Woe to the city of bloodshed!
    I, too, will pile the wood high.
10 So heap on the wood
    and kindle the fire.
Cook the meat well,
    mixing in the spices;
    and let the bones be charred.
11 Then set the empty pot on the coals
    till it becomes hot and its copper glows,
so that its impurities may be melted
    and its deposit burned away.(O)
12 It has frustrated all efforts;
    its heavy deposit has not been removed,
    not even by fire.

13 “‘Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed(P) from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.(Q)

14 “‘I the Lord have spoken.(R) The time has come for me to act.(S) I will not hold back; I will not have pity,(T) nor will I relent.(U) You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions,(V) declares the Sovereign Lord.(W)’”

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, with one blow(X) I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes.(Y) Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears.(Z) 17 Groan quietly;(AA) do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban(AB) fastened and your sandals(AC) on your feet; do not cover your mustache and beard(AD) or eat the customary food of mourners.(AE)

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded.(AF)

19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?(AG) Why are you acting like this?”

20 So I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary(AH)—the stronghold in which you take pride,(AI) the delight of your eyes,(AJ) the object of your affection. The sons and daughters(AK) you left behind will fall by the sword.(AL) 22 And you will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard(AM) or eat the customary food of mourners.(AN) 23 You will keep your turbans(AO) on your heads and your sandals(AP) on your feet. You will not mourn(AQ) or weep but will waste away(AR) because of[a] your sins and groan among yourselves.(AS) 24 Ezekiel(AT) will be a sign(AU) to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’

25 “And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes,(AV) their heart’s desire,(AW) and their sons and daughters(AX) as well— 26 on that day a fugitive will come to tell you(AY) the news. 27 At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent.(AZ) So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.(BA)

A Prophecy Against Ammon

25 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against(BB) the Ammonites(BC) and prophesy against them.(BD) Say to them, ‘Hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you said “Aha!(BE)” over my sanctuary when it was desecrated(BF) and over the land of Israel when it was laid waste and over the people of Judah when they went into exile,(BG) therefore I am going to give you to the people of the East(BH) as a possession. They will set up their camps(BI) and pitch their tents among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.(BJ) I will turn Rabbah(BK) into a pasture for camels and Ammon into a resting place for sheep.(BL) Then you will know that I am the Lord. For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have clapped your hands(BM) and stamped your feet, rejoicing with all the malice of your heart against the land of Israel,(BN) therefore I will stretch out my hand(BO) against you and give you as plunder(BP) to the nations. I will wipe you out from among the nations and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy(BQ) you, and you will know that I am the Lord.(BR)’”

A Prophecy Against Moab

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Moab(BS) and Seir(BT) said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations,” therefore I will expose the flank of Moab, beginning at its frontier towns—Beth Jeshimoth(BU), Baal Meon(BV) and Kiriathaim(BW)—the glory of that land. 10 I will give Moab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered(BX) among the nations; 11 and I will inflict punishment on Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”(BY)

A Prophecy Against Edom

12 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because Edom(BZ) took revenge on Judah and became very guilty by doing so, 13 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stretch out my hand(CA) against Edom and kill both man and beast.(CB) I will lay it waste, and from Teman(CC) to Dedan(CD) they will fall by the sword.(CE) 14 I will take vengeance on Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom in accordance with my anger(CF) and my wrath; they will know my vengeance, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”(CG)

A Prophecy Against Philistia

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because the Philistines(CH) acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice(CI) in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, 16 therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines,(CJ) and I will wipe out the Kerethites(CK) and destroy those remaining along the coast.(CL) 17 I will carry out great vengeance(CM) on them and punish(CN) them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord,(CO) when I take vengeance on them.(CP)’”

A Prophecy Against Tyre

26 In the eleventh month of the twelfth[b] year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(CQ) “Son of man, because Tyre(CR) has said of Jerusalem, ‘Aha!(CS) The gate to the nations is broken, and its doors have swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will prosper,’ therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring many nations against you, like the sea(CT) casting up its waves. They will destroy(CU) the walls of Tyre(CV) and pull down her towers; I will scrape away her rubble and make her a bare rock. Out in the sea(CW) she will become a place to spread fishnets,(CX) for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. She will become plunder(CY) for the nations,(CZ) and her settlements on the mainland will be ravaged by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar[c](DA) king of Babylon, king of kings,(DB) with horses and chariots,(DC) with horsemen and a great army. He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works(DD) against you, build a ramp(DE) up to your walls and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers with his weapons.(DF) 10 His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble at the noise of the warhorses, wagons and chariots(DG) when he enters your gates as men enter a city whose walls have been broken through. 11 The hooves(DH) of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword, and your strong pillars(DI) will fall to the ground.(DJ) 12 They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea.(DK) 13 I will put an end(DL) to your noisy songs,(DM) and the music of your harps(DN) will be heard no more.(DO) 14 I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread fishnets. You will never be rebuilt,(DP) for I the Lord have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.

15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Tyre: Will not the coastlands(DQ) tremble(DR) at the sound of your fall, when the wounded groan(DS) and the slaughter takes place in you? 16 Then all the princes of the coast will step down from their thrones and lay aside their robes and take off their embroidered(DT) garments. Clothed(DU) with terror, they will sit on the ground,(DV) trembling(DW) every moment, appalled(DX) at you. 17 Then they will take up a lament(DY) concerning you and say to you:

“‘How you are destroyed, city of renown,
    peopled by men of the sea!
You were a power on the seas,
    you and your citizens;
you put your terror
    on all who lived there.(DZ)
18 Now the coastlands tremble(EA)
    on the day of your fall;
the islands in the sea
    are terrified at your collapse.’(EB)

19 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you a desolate city, like cities no longer inhabited, and when I bring the ocean depths(EC) over you and its vast waters cover you,(ED) 20 then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit,(EE) to the people of long ago. I will make you dwell in the earth below, as in ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, and you will not return or take your place[d] in the land of the living.(EF) 21 I will bring you to a horrible end and you will be no more.(EG) You will be sought, but you will never again be found, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(EH)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:23 Or away in
  2. Ezekiel 26:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text does not have month of the twelfth.
  3. Ezekiel 26:7 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, of which Nebuchadnezzar is a variant; here and often in Ezekiel and Jeremiah
  4. Ezekiel 26:20 Septuagint; Hebrew return, and I will give glory