Ezekiel

Contains visions and prophecies of judgment and restoration for Israel and the nations.

Chapter 24

1 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

*Once more, on the ninth year's ninth month, on the tenth day of that month, the LORD spoke to me, saying,

2 Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.

*Son of man, record today's date and event: the king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem on this very day.

3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:

*Tell a story to the disobedient family and say, God says, put a pot on the fire and add water to it.

4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.

*Put all the good parts, like the thigh and shoulder, into it, along with the best bones.

5 Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.

*Choose the best sheep, then burn the bones beneath it, cook it well, and let the bones simmer in the liquid.

6 Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.

*So, God says this: "Bad luck to the city filled with blood and impurity! The filth inside it must be removed completely, and nothing from it should remain."

7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;

*Her blood is inside her body; she put it on top of a rock; she didn't spill it on the ground to hide it with dirt.

8 That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.

*So that anger would arise for revenge, I placed her blood on top of a rock so it wouldn't be hidden.

9 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.

*So, God says this: "Woe to the city filled with violence! I will increase the size of the fire's heap."

10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.

*Pile up wood, light the fire, cook the meat, add seasoning, and burn the bones.

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

*Place it on the fire, heating its bronze until it burns. This way, the dirt inside will melt, and the surface impurities will disappear.

12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.

*She has worked hard at lying, but her big deception didn't succeed. Her deceit will burn in the fire.

13 In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.

*In your dirtiness, there is sinfulness. Since I cleaned you but you didn't change, you won't be cleaned again until I let my anger settle on you.

14 I the LORD 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 repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

*I, the LORD, have said this, and it will happen. I will make it happen and won't change my mind or show mercy. I will judge you based on your actions, says the Lord God.

15 Also the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

*The Lord's message also came to me, saying,

16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

*Son, look, I am taking away what you desire most, quickly and suddenly. But don't be sad or cry; don't let your tears fall.

17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

*Don't cry for the dead, don't be sad, wear your headband, put on your shoes, don't cover your mouth, and don't eat human food.

18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

*I talked to the people in the morning. In the evening, my wife passed away. I followed the orders in the morning as instructed.

19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

*The people asked me, "Won't you explain to us what these actions mean, why you're doing them?"

20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

*Then I told them, God's message reached me, saying,

21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

*God says to Israel's people, "I will make my holy place unholy. It was your pride, what you desired, and what made you feel sorry. Your remaining children will be killed with swords."

22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

*Do what I did: don't cover your lips and don't eat people's food.

23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.

*Your tires will be on your heads, and your shoes on your feet. You won't cry or feel sad. Instead, you'll waste away because of your wrongdoings, and you'll mourn with each other.

24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

*Ezekiel serves as a symbol for you: just as he acted, so must you; and when this happens, you'll understand that I am the one true God.

25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,

*"Also, you human, on the day I take away their strength, their joy, their desire, and what they focus on, will it not include their children and grandchildren?"

26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

*That whoever escapes on that day will come to you to make you hear it with your own ears?

27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

*On that day, your mouth will be able to speak to the one who has survived. You won't be unable to talk anymore. You'll be a symbol for them, and they'll understand that I am the true God.

read summary

Back to Chapters

Back to Books

* work in progress, there will be mistakes