Ezekiel 24:1-27 NIV
Jerusalem as a Cooking Pot
1In the
ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the Word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of
man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid
siege to Jerusalem this very day. 3Tell
this rebellious people a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘Put
on the cooking pot; put it on
and
pour water into it.
4Put
into it the pieces of meat,
all the
choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it
with the best of these bones;
5take
the pick of the flock.
Pile
wood beneath it for the bones;
bring
it to a boil
and
cook the bones in it.
6“ ‘For
this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘Woe
to the city of bloodshed,
to the
pot now encrusted,
whose
deposit will not go away!
Take
the meat out piece by piece
in
whatever order it comes.
7“ ‘For
the blood she shed is in her midst:
She poured
it on the bare rock;
she did
not pour it on the ground,
where
the dust would cover it.
8To stir
up wrath and take revenge
I put
her blood on the bare rock,
so that
it would not be covered.
9“ ‘Therefore
this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“ ‘Woe
to the city of bloodshed!
I, too,
will pile the wood high.
10So heap
on the wood
and
kindle the fire.
Cook
the meat well,
mixing
in the spices;
and let
the bones be charred.
11Then
set the empty pot on the coals
till it
becomes hot and its copper glows,
so that
its impurities may be melted
and its
deposit burned away.
12It has
frustrated all efforts;
its
heavy deposit has not been removed,
not
even by fire.
13“ ‘Now
your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be
cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until My Wrath against
you has subsided.
14“ ‘I
the Lord have spoken. The time has come for Me
to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will
be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”
Ezekiel’s Wife Dies
15The Word
of the Lord came to me:
16 “Son of man, with one blow I am about to take
away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any
tears. 17
Groan quietly; do not mourn
for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not
cover your mustache and beard or eat the customary food of mourners.”
18 So I spoke to the people in the
morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been
commanded.
19Then
the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things have to do with us?
Why are you acting like this?”
20So I
said to them, “The Word of the Lord came to me: 21Say to
the people of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate My Sanctuary—the
stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of
your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. 22And you
will do as I have done. You will not cover your mustache and beard or eat the
customary food of mourners. 23You
will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will
not mourn or weep but will waste away because ofa your sins and groan among yourselves. 24Ezekiel
will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done.
When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’
25“And
you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory,
the delight of their eyes, their heart’s desire, and their sons and daughters
as well— 26on that
day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. 27At that
time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be
silent.
So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”
Is this chapter the
destruction of the city and Temple of Jerusalem is prophesied of; the former
under the parable of a boiling pot; the latter is represented by the sudden
death of Ezekiel's wife.
The time of this
prophecy was that very day the king of Babylon began the siege of Jerusalem
(588 B.C.) Ezekiel 24:1,
the parable of the boiling pot, Ezekiel 24:3, the
explanation and application of it to the city of Jerusalem, Ezekiel 24:6, the prophet
is told of the death of his wife, and told not to mourn for her death, Ezekiel 24:15, upon the
people's inquiring what these things meant, he informs them that hereby was
signified the profanation of the temple; and that their distress should be so
great, that they should not use any set forms of mourning, but pine away and
die, Ezekiel 24:19.
And the chapter is
closed with assuring the prophet, that the day these things should come to
pass, a messenger should be sent him, to whom he should open his mouth, and be
no more silent, Ezekiel 24:25.