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24 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying [i.e., note Fast of Tevet],

Ben adam, write thee the shem of the day, even of this very day; Melech Bavel laid his siege against Yerushalayim this very day.

And utter a mashal unto the bais hameri (the rebellious house), and say unto them, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem; Set on the siyr (cooking pot), set it on, and also pour mayim into it;

Gather the pieces of meat thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice atzmot (bones).

Take the choice of the tzon, and arrange also the atzmot at its bottom, and make it boil well, and let them cook the atzmot of it therein.

Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Oy to the ir hadamim (bloody city), to the siyr (pot) whose scum is therein, and whose scum has not been removed from it! Remove it piece by piece; no goral has fallen on it.

For her dahm is in the midst of her; she set it upon an exposed rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with aphar;

That it might cause chemah (fury) to come up to take vengeance; I have set her dahm upon the exposed rock, that it should not be covered.

Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Oy to the ir hadamim (bloody city)! I will even make the pyre great.

10 Heap on wood, kindle the eish, cook the basar, and spice it well, and let the atzmot be burned.

11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the nechoshet of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be melted in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.

12 All efforts are wearied, [scum] is not removed, and her great scum went not forth out of her; in the eish shall be her scum.

13 In thy tum’a is zimmah; because I have made thee tahor, and thou wast not tahor, thou shalt not be made tahor from thy tum’a any more, until I have caused My chemah (fury, wrath) to subside upon thee.

14 I Hashem have spoken it; it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I relent: according to thy drakhim, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith Adonoi Hashem.

15 Also the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

16 Ben adam, hineni, I take away from thee the makhmad (darling delight) of thine eynayim with a magefah (stroke); yet neither shalt thou wail nor weep, neither shall thy dema’ot (tears) run down.

17 Forbear to cry, make no evel (mourning) for the mesim (dead ones); bind the turban of thine rosh upon thee, and put thy sandals upon thy feet, and cover not thy safam (mustache), and eat not lechem anashim (bread of sorrow).

18 So I spoke unto HaAm (the people) in the boker (morning); and at erev (evening) my isha (wife) died; and I did in the boker (morning, i.e., the next morning after her death the previous evening) just as I was commanded.

19 And haam (the people) said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou art so doing?

20 Then I answered them. The Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

21 Speak unto Bais Yisroel, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem: Hineni, I will desecrate My Mikdash, the ga’on (pride) of your power, the makhmad of your [plural] eynayim, and the very passion of your nefesh; and your banim and your banot whom ye have left behind shall fall by the cherev.

22 And ye shall do just as I have done: ye shall not cover your safam (mustache), nor eat lechem anashim.

23 And your turbans shall be upon your heads, and your sandals upon your feet; ye shall not wail nor weep; but ye shall waste away for your avonot, and groan one toward another.

24 Thus Yechezkel is unto you as a mofet [See Zech 3:8; Isa 8:18]; according to all that he hath done shall ye do; and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am Adonoi Hashem.

25 Also, thou ben adam, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their ma’oz (stronghold), the joy of their tiferet (glory), the makhmad (desire) of their eynayim, and that on which their nefesh is uplifted—even their banim and their banot,

26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear the news [of the fall of Jerusalem] with thine oznayim?

27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more mute; and thou shalt be a mofet unto them; and they shall know that I am Hashem.

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)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 24:23 Or away in