Ezekiel 24:1-14

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,

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.

3Speak 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;

4Put in it the pieces [of meat], Every good piece (the people of Jerusalem), the thigh and the shoulder; Fill it with choice bones.

5Take the choicest of the flock, And also pile wood under the pot. Make it boil vigorously And boil its bones in the pot.”

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.

7For 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.

8That 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.”

9Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the bloody city! I will also make the pile [of wood] high.

10Heap on wood, kindle the fire, Boil the meat well [done] And mix in the spices, And let the bones be burned.

11Then 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.

12She 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].

13In 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.

14I 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.’ ”