Ezekiel 24

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 On the tenth day of the tenth month, in the ninth year, the word of the LORD came to me:	1 And the word of the Lord came to me, in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying:
2 Son of man, write down this date today, for this very day the king of Babylon has invested Jerusalem.	2 “Son of man, write for yourself the name of this day, on which the king of Babylon was confirmed against Jerusalem today.
3 Propose this parable to the rebellious house: Thus says the Lord GOD: Set up the pot, set it up, then pour in some water.	3 And you shall speak, through a proverb, a parable to the inciting house. And you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: Set out a cooking pot; set it out, I say, and put water into it.
4 Put in it pieces of meat, all good pieces: thigh and shoulder; Fill it with the choicest joints	4 Pile together within it every morsel, every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder, the choice pieces and those full of bones.
5 taken from the pick of the flock. Then pile the wood beneath it; bring to a boil these pieces and the joints that are in it.	5 Take the fattest from the flock, and arrange also a heap of bones under it. Its cooking has boiled over, and its bones in its midst have been thoroughly cooked.
6 Take out its pieces, one by one, without casting lots for it. Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the bloody city, a pot containing rust, whose rust has not been removed.	6 Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, to the cooking pot that has rust in it, and whose rust has not gone out of it! Cast it out piece by piece! No lot has fallen upon it.
7 For the blood she shed is in her midst; she poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the earth, to be covered with dust.	7 For her blood is in her midst; she has shed it upon the smoothest rock. She has not shed it upon the ground, so that it could be covered with dust.
8 To work up my wrath, to excite my vengeance, she put her blood on the bare rock, not to be covered.	8 So shall I bring my indignation over her, and take my vengeance. I have presented her blood upon the smoothest rock, so that it would not be covered.
9 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: I, too, will heap up a great bonfire,	9 Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Woe to the city of blood, out of which I will make a great funeral pyre.
10 piling on wood and kindling the fire, Till the meat has been cooked, till the broth has boiled.	10 Pile together the bones, which I will burn with fire. The flesh shall be consumed, and the entire composition shall be boiled, and the bones shall deteriorate.
11 Then I will set the pot empty on the coals till its metal glows red hot, till the impurities in it melt, and its rust disappears.	11 Also, place it empty on burning coals, so that it may be heated, and its brass may melt. And let the filth of it be melted in its midst, and let its rust be consumed.
12 Yet not even with fire will its great rust be removed.	12 There has been much sweat and labor, and yet its extensive rust has not gone out of it, not even by fire.
13 Because you have sullied yourself with lewdness when I would have purified you, and you refused to be purified of your uncleanness, therefore you shall not be purified until I wreak my fury on you.	13 Your uncleanness is execrable. For I wanted to cleanse you, and you have not been cleansed from your filth. So then, neither will you be cleansed before I cause my indignation over you to cease.
14 I, the LORD, have spoken; it is coming, for I will bring it about without fail. I will not have pity nor repent. By your conduct and your deeds you shall be judged, says the Lord GOD.	14 I, the Lord, have spoken. It shall happen, and I will act. I will not pass over, nor be lenient, nor be placated. I will judge you according to your ways and according to your intentions, says the Lord.”
15 Thus the word of the LORD came to me:	15 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
16 Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.	16 “Son of man, behold, I am taking away from you, with a stroke, the desire of your eyes. And you shall not lament, and you shall not weep. And your tears shall not flow down.
17 Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.	17 Groan silently; you shall make no mourning for the dead. Let the band of your crown be on you, and let your shoes be on your feet. And you shall not cover your face, nor shall you eat the food of those who mourn.”
18 That evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.	18 Therefore, I spoke to the people in the morning. And my wife died in the evening. And in the morning, I did just as he had instructed me.
19 Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things that you are doing mean for us?" I therefore spoke to the people that morning,	19 And the people said to me: “Why won’t you explain to us what these things signify, which you are doing?”
20 saying to them: Thus the word of the LORD came to me:	20 And I said to them: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
21 Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride, the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul. The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.	21 ‘Speak to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will defile my sanctuary, the pride of your realm, and the desire of your eyes, and the dread of your soul. Your sons and your daughters, whom you have forsaken, will fall by the sword.’
22 You shall do as I have done, not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.	22 And so, you shall do just as I have done. You shall not cover your faces, and you shall not eat the food of those who mourn.
23 Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.	23 You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet. You shall not lament, and you shall not weep. Instead, you will waste away in your iniquities, and each one will groan to his brother.
24 Ezekiel shall be a sign for you: all that he did you shall do when it happens. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.	24 ‘And Ezekiel shall be a portent for you. In accord with all that he has done, so shall you do, when this will happen. And you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”
25 As for you, son of man, truly, on the day I take away from them their bulwark, their glorious joy, the delight of their eyes, the desire of their soul, and the pride of their hearts, their sons and daughters,	25 “And as for you, son of man, behold, in the day when I will take away from them their strength, and the joy of their dignity, and the desire of their eyes, in which their souls find rest: their sons and their daughters,
26 that day the fugitive will come to you, that you may hear it for yourself;	26 in that day, when one who is fleeing will come to you, so that he may report to you,
27 that day your mouth shall be opened and you shall be dumb no longer. Thus you shall be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am the LORD.	27 in that day, I say, your mouth shall be opened to him who has fled. And you shall speak, and you shall no longer be silent. And you shall be for them a portent. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”