Ezekiel 24:3-12

3Tell these rebellious people a story. Tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: Put the pot on the fire; put it on. Pour water in it.

4Cut the meat into pieces, all the best pieces, the thigh and shoulder. Fill the pot with the meatiest bones

5selected from the best sheep. Pile wood under the pot. Bring the mixture in the pot to a boil. Cook the bones that are in it well.

6“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: How horrible it will be for that city of murderers, for that tarnished pot. Its tarnish will not come off. Empty the meat out of it piece by piece without choosing any particular piece.

7Blood is still in that city. The blood was poured on a bare rock. It wasn’t poured on the ground where dust would cover it.

8In order to stir up my fury so that I would pay that city back, I put the blood of its victims on a bare rock. Now that blood can’t be covered.

9“ ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: How horrible it will be for that city of murderers. I, too, will pile the wood high.

10Pile it high, and light the fire. Cook the meat thoroughly, stir the mixture, and let the bones burn.

11Then set the empty pot on the coals so that it gets hot and its copper glows. Its impurities will melt away, and its tarnish will burn off.

12“ ‘I have worn myself out trying to clean this pot. Even the fire can’t take away its thick tarnish.