Study

The Boiling Pot

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In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: ²Mortal, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³And utter an allegory to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord G od:

Set on the pot, set it on,

pour in water also;

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put in it the pieces,

all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder;

fill it with choice bones.

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Take the choicest one of the flock,

pile the logs under it;

boil its pieces,

seethe also its bones in it.

 

⁶ Therefore thus says the Lord G od:

Woe to the bloody city,

the pot whose rust is in it,

whose rust has not gone out of it!

Empty it piece by piece,

making no choice at all.

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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.

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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.

⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord G od:

Woe to the bloody city!

I will even make the pile great.

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Heap up the logs, kindle the fire;

boil the meat well, mix in the spices,

let the bones be burned.

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Stand it empty upon the coals,

so that it may become hot, its copper glow,

its filth melt in it, its rust be consumed.

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In vain I have wearied myself;

its thick rust does not depart.

To the fire with its rust!

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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.

¹⁴ I the L ord 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 G od.

Ezekiel’s Bereavement

¹⁵ The word of the L ord came to me: ¹⁶Mortal, 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. ¹⁷Sigh, but not aloud; 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. ¹⁸So 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?” ²⁰Then I said to them: The word of the L ord came to me: ²¹Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord G od: 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. ²²And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your upper lip or eat the bread of mourners. ²³Your 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. ²⁴Thus 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 G od.

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 their sons and their daughters, ²⁶on that day, one who has escaped will come to you to report to you the news. ²⁷On 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 L ord.