24:1 One day late in December of the ninth year (of King Jehoiachin’s captivity), another message came to me from the Lord.
24:2 “Son of dust,” he said, “write down this date, for today the king of Babylon has attacked Jerusalem.
24:3 And now give this parable to these rebels, Israel; tell them, ‘The Lord God says: Put a pot of water on the fire to boil.
24:4 Fill it with choicest mutton, the rump and shoulder and all the most tender cuts.
24:5 Use only the best sheep from the flock, and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot. Boil the meat well, until the flesh falls off the bones.’”
24:6 For the Lord God says: “Woe to Jerusalem, City of Murderers; you are a pot that is pitted with rust and with wickedness. So take out the meat chunk by chunk in whatever order it comes—for none is better than any other.
24:7 For her wickedness is evident to all—she boldly murders, leaving blood upon the rocks in open view for all to see; she does not even try to cover it.
24:8 And I have left it there, uncovered, to shout to me against her and arouse my wrath and vengeance.
24:9 “Woe to Jerusalem, City of Murderers. I will pile on the fuel beneath her.
24:10 Heap on the wood; let the fire roar and the pot boil. Cook the meat well, and then empty the pot and burn the bones.
24:11 Now set it empty on the coals to scorch away the rust and corruption.
24:12 But all for naught—it all remains despite the hottest fire.
24:13 It is the rust and corruption of your filthy lewdness, of worshiping your idols. And now, because I wanted to cleanse you and you refused, remain filthy until my fury has accomplished all its terrors upon you!
24:14 I, the Lord, have spoken it; it shall come to pass and I will do it.”
24:15 Again a message came to me from the Lord, saying:
24:16 “Son of dust, I am going to take away your lovely wife. Suddenly, she will die. Yet you must show no sorrow. Do not weep; let there be no tears.
24:17 You may sigh, but only quietly. Let there be no wailing at her grave; don’t bare your head nor feet, and don’t accept the food brought to you by consoling friends.”
24:18 I proclaimed this to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did all the Lord had told me to.
24:19 Then the people said: “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”
24:20 And I answered, “The Lord told me to say to the people of Israel: ‘I will destroy my lovely, beautiful Temple, the strength of your nation. And your sons and daughters in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword.
24:21 And I answered, “The Lord told me to say to the people of Israel: ‘I will destroy my lovely, beautiful Temple, the strength of your nation. And your sons and daughters in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword.
24:22 And you will do as I have done; you may not mourn in public or console yourself by eating the food brought to you by sympathetic friends.
24:23 Your head and feet shall not be bared; you shall not mourn or weep. But you will sorrow to one another for your sins and mourn privately for all the evil you have done.
24:24 Ezekiel is an example to you,’ the Lord God says. ‘You will do as he has done. And when that time comes, then you will know I am the Lord.’”
24:25 “Son of dust, on the day I finish taking from them in Jerusalem the joy of their hearts and their glory and joys—their wives and their sons and their daughters—
24:26 on that day a refugee from Jerusalem will start on a journey to come to you in Babylon to tell you what has happened.
24:27 And on the day of his arrival, your voice will suddenly return to you so that you can talk with him; and you will be a symbol for these people, and they shall know I am the Lord.”
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