Ezekiel 24

And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying:

Son of man, write down for yourself a day, from this day, from which the king of Babylon set himself against Ierousalem, from this very day.

And utter a parable against the rebellious house, and you shall say to them: This is what the Lord says: Set on the cauldron, and pour water into it.

And cast into it the pieces, every good piece, leg and shoulder, cut away from the bones,

taken from choice animals; and burn the bones underneath them. It boiled, it boiled, and her bones have been cooked in her midst.

Therefore this is what the Lord says: O city of bloods, a cauldron in which there is rust, and its rust has not gone out of it! Piece by piece she brought it out; no lot fell upon her.

For her blood is in her midst; I set it upon a bare rock; I did not pour it out upon the ground so that earth would cover it,

so that wrath might rise up to take vengeance. I have set her blood upon a bare rock, so that it may not be covered.

Therefore this is what the Lord says: I too will make the firebrand great.

And I will heap on the wood and kindle the fire, so that the meat may be cooked away and the broth be boiled down,

and that it may stand upon the coals, so that it may be scorched and her bronze grow hot and melt in the midst of her uncleanness, and her rust may be consumed.

Yet her abundant rust shall not come out of her; her rust shall be put to shame.

Because you were defiled — and what if you are not cleansed any longer, until I have spent my wrath?

I the Lord have spoken, and it shall come, and I will do it; I will not make exception, nor will I have mercy. According to your ways and according to your devices I will judge you, says the Lord. Therefore I will judge you according to your bloodshed, and according to your devices I will judge you, O unclean one, notorious one, and abundant in provoking.

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Son of man, behold, I am taking from you the desire of your eyes by an onslaught; yet you shall not mourn, nor shall you weep.

A groan of blood is a mourning of the loins. Your hair shall not be braided upon you, and your sandals shall be on your feet; you shall not be comforted by their lips, nor shall you eat the bread of men.

And I spoke to the people in the morning in the manner he commanded me; and my wife died in the evening. And in the morning I did in the manner it was enjoined me.

And the people said to me, Will you not tell us what these things are that you are doing?

And I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying:

Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am profaning my holy things, the arrogance of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your souls spare; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.

And you shall do as I have done: you shall not be comforted from their mouth, nor shall you eat the bread of men.

And your hair shall be upon your head, and your sandals on your feet; neither shall you mourn nor shall you weep. And you shall pine away in your iniquities, and you shall console one another, each his brother.

And Iezekiel shall be a portent to you; according to all that he did you shall do. When these things come, then you shall know that I am the Lord.

And you, son of man — is it not in the day when I take from them their strength, the exaltation of their boasting, the desire of their eyes and the exaltation of their soul, their sons and their daughters —

In that day the one who escapes shall come to you, to report it to your ears.

In that day your mouth shall be opened to the one who escapes, and you shall speak and shall no longer be struck dumb. So you shall be a portent to them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.