Ezekiel 22

1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 "You, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.

“Now you, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the city of blood? Make her know all her abominations.

3 You shall say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Woe to the city that sheds blood in the midst of her, so that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her.

You must say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: This is a city that pours out blood in her midst so that her time may come; a city that makes idols to make herself unclean.

4 You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made; and you have caused your days to draw near, and have come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

You have become guilty by the blood that you have poured out, and you have become unclean by the idols that you have made. You have drawn your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you a reproach to the nations and a laughingstock to all the lands.

5 Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall mock you, you infamous one and full of tumult.

Both those who are near and those who are far away from you will mock you—you unclean city—with the reputation known everywhere as being full of confusion.

6 "'"Look, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.

Behold! The rulers of Israel, each one by his own power, have come to you to pour out blood.

7 In you have they set light by father and mother; in the midst of you have they dealt by oppression with the foreigner; in you have they wronged the fatherless and the widow.

They have dishonored fathers and mothers within you, and they have performed oppression on the foreigners in your midst. They have mistreated the orphans and the widows within you.

8 You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

You have despised my holy things and have profaned my Sabbaths.

9 Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood; and in you they have eaten on the mountains: in the midst of you they have committed lewdness.

Slanderous men have come within you in order to pour out blood, and they eat on the mountains. They perform wickedness in your midst.

10 In you have they uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

Within you men uncover the nakedness of their father. Within you they have violated unclean women during their menstrual period.

11 One has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter.

Men who commit abominations with their neighbors' wives, and men who make their own daughters-in-law shamefully unclean; men who abuse their own sisters—daughters of their own fathers—all these are done within you.

12 In you have they taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me,' says the LORD.

These men take bribes within you in order to pour out blood and you have taken interest and gained too much profit, and you have damaged your neighbors through oppression, and you have forgotten me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

13 "'"Look, therefore, I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been in the midst of you.

See! With my hand I have struck the dishonest gain that you have made, and the bloodshed that is done in the midst of you.

14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it, and will do it.

Will your heart stand, will your hands be strong on the days when I myself will deal with you? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it.

15 I will scatter you among the nations, and disperse you through the countries; and I will consume your filthiness out of you.

So I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands. In this way, I will purge your uncleanness from you.

16 You shall be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the LORD."'"

So you will become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.'”

17 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Next the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

18 "Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me: all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

“Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are the leftovers of bronze and tin, and iron and lead in the midst of you. They will be like the dross of silver in your furnace.

19 Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Because you have all become dross, therefore, look, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Because all of you have become like dross, therefore, behold! I am about to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

20 As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.

As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead and tin and put it inside a furnace to melt it, and they blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and my wrath, and I will put you there and melt you.

21 Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.

I will gather you and blow on you the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it.

22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so you will be melted in its midst; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out my wrath on you.'"

As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted in it, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you!'”

23 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

24 "Son of man, tell her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation,'

“Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that has not been cleansed. There is no rain on the day of wrath!

25 whose princes within her are like a roaring lion tearing its prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in its midst.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing apart a victim. They consume life and take precious wealth; they make many widows within her!

26 Her cohanim have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Her priests do violence to my law, and they profane my holy things. They do not distinguish between holy things and profane things, and do not teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths so that I am profaned in their midst.

27 Her officials in its midst are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

Her princes within her are like wolves tearing apart their victims. They pour out blood and destroy life, to make a profit dishonestly.

28 Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, 'Thus says the LORD,' when the LORD has not spoken.

Her prophets have painted them over with whitewash; they see false visions and predict falsehoods to them. They say “The Lord Yahweh says this” when Yahweh has not spoken.

29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

The people of the land have oppressed through extortion and plundered through robbery, and they mistreat the poor and needy, and oppress the foreigner without justice.

30 "And I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.

So I searched for a man from them who would build up a wall and who would stand before me in its breach for the land so I would not destroy it, but I found no one.

31 Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the LORD."

So I will pour out my indignation upon them. I will finish them with the fire of my indignation and set their way on their own heads—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”