Ezek 24:1Again in the ninth year [of King Jehoiachin's captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon], in the tenth month, on the tenth [day] of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek 24:2"Son of man, record the name of the day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.
Ezek 24:3"Speak a parable against the rebellious house [of Judah] and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Put on a pot; put it on and also pour water into it;
Ezek 24:4"Put in it the pieces [of meat], Every good piece (the people of Jerusalem), the thigh and the shoulder; Fill it with choice bones.
Ezek 24:5"Take the choicest of the flock, And also pile wood under the pot. Make it boil vigorously And boil its bones in the pot."
Ezek 24:6¶ 'Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe (judgment is coming) to the bloody city, To the pot in which there is rust And whose rust has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece by piece, Without making any choice.
Ezek 24:7"For her blood [that she has shed] remains in her midst; She put it on the bare rock; She did not pour it on the ground To cover it with dust.
Ezek 24:8"That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood [guilt for her children sacrificed to Molech] on the bare rock, That it may not be covered."
Ezek 24:9'Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the bloody city! I will also make the pile [of wood] high.
Ezek 24:10"Heap on wood, kindle the fire, Boil the meat well [done] And mix in the spices, And let the bones be burned.
Ezek 24:11"Then set the empty pot (Jerusalem) back on the coals So that it may be hot And its bronze may glow And its filthiness may be melted And its rust (scum) may be consumed.
Ezek 24:12"She has wearied Me with toil, Yet her great rust has not left her; Her thick rust and filth will not be burned away by fire [no matter how hot the flame].
Ezek 24:13"In your filthiness are lewdness and outrage. Therefore I would have cleansed you, Yet you were not [willing to be] cleansed, You will not be cleansed from your filthiness again Until I have satisfied My wrath against you.
Ezek 24:14"I the LORD have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not have compassion and I will not be sorry; in accordance with your ways and in accordance with your deeds I will judge and punish you," says the Lord GOD.'"
Ezek 24:15¶ Also the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek 24:16"Son of man, listen carefully, I am about to take away from you the desire of your eyes [your wife] with a single stroke. Yet you shall not mourn and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not flow.
Ezek 24:17"Sigh and groan in silence; do not mourn for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your sandals on your feet, and do not cover your mustache or eat the bread of [mourners furnished by other] men."
Ezek 24:18So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I was commanded.
Ezek 24:19The people said to me, "These things that you are doing--tell us, what do they mean for us?"
Ezek 24:20Then I answered them, "The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Ezek 24:21'Speak to the house of Israel, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, the pride of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you have left behind [in Jerusalem] will fall by the sword.
Ezek 24:22'You will do as I [Ezekiel] have done; you shall not cover your mustache nor eat the bread of [mourning brought to you by other] men.
Ezek 24:23'Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will rot away in your sins and you will groan to one another. [Lev 26:39]
Ezek 24:24'So Ezekiel will be a sign to you; in accordance with all that he has done you will do. And when this [destruction of the temple] comes, then you will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord GOD.'"
Ezek 24:25¶ 'As for you, son of man, on the day when I take their strength and their stronghold from them, their joy and their glory, the desire of their eyes and their heart's [chief] delight (the temple), and I also take their sons and their daughters,
Ezek 24:26that on that day a survivor will come to you to let you hear [of the destruction of Jerusalem] with your [own] ears.
Ezek 24:27'On that day your mouth will be opened to him who escaped, and you will speak and no longer be mute. In this way you shall be a sign to them, and they will know [without any doubt] that I am the LORD.'"