Ezekiel 22
22Now this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H5592“Son of man, are you ready to judge Jerusalem? Are you ready to judge this city of murderers? Publicly denounce her detestable sins,H1121H120H8199H8199H1818H5892H3045H84413and give her this message from the Sovereign Lord: O city of murderers, doomed and damned—city of idols①, filthy and foul—/ ①The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung; also in 22.4.H559H559H136H3069H5892H8210H1818H8432H6256H935H6213H1544H29304you are guilty because of the blood you have shed. You are defiled because of the idols you have made. Your day of destruction has come! You have reached the end of your years. I will make you an object of mockery throughout the world.H816H1818H8210H2930H1544H6213H3117H7126H935H8141H5414H2781H1471H7048H7765O infamous city, filled with confusion, you will be mocked by people far and near.H7138H7350H7046H2931H8034H7227H41036“Every leader in Israel who lives within your walls is bent on murder.H5387H3478H376H2220H8210H18187Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you.H7043H1H517H8432H6213H6233H1616H3238H3490H4908You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest.H959H6944H2490H76769People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things.H582H7400H8210H1818H398H2022H8432H6213H215410Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and have intercourse with women who are menstruating.H1540H1H6172H6031H5079H293111Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile their daughters-in-law, or who rape their own sisters.H376H6213H8441H7453H802H376H2154H2930H3618H376H6031H269H1H132312There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord.H3947H7810H8210H1818H3947H5392H8636H1214H7453H6233H7911H5002H136H306913“But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.H5221H3709H1215H6213H1818H843214How strong and courageous will you be in my day of reckoning? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do what I said.H3820H5975H3027H2388H3117H6213H3068H1696H621315I will scatter you among the nations and purge you of your wickedness.H6327H1471H2219H776H8552H293216And when I have been dishonored among the nations because of you, you will know that I am the Lord.”H2490H5157H5869H1471H3045H306817Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H55918“Son of man, the people of Israel are the worthless slag that remains after silver is smelted. They are the dross that is left over—a useless mixture of copper, tin, iron, and lead.H1121H120H1004H3478H5509H5178H913H1270H5777H8432H3564H5509H370119So tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you are all worthless slag, I will bring you to my crucible in Jerusalem.H559H136H3069H5509H6908H8432H338920Just as copper, iron, lead, and tin are melted down in a furnace, I will melt you down in the heat of my fury.H6910H3701H5178H1270H5777H913H8432H3564H5301H784H5413H6908H639H2534H3240H541321I will gather you together and blow the fire of my anger upon you,H3664H5301H784H5678H5413H843222and you will melt like silver in fierce heat. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my fury on you.’”H3701H2046H8432H3564H5413H8432H3045H3068H8210H253423Again a message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H55924“Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: In the day of my indignation, you will be like a polluted land, a land without rain.H1121H120H559H776H2891H1656H3117H219525Your princes plot conspiracies just as lions stalk their prey. They devour innocent people, seizing treasures and extorting wealth. They make many widows in the land.H7195H5030H8432H7580H738H2963H2964H398H5315H3947H2633H3366H7235H490H843226Your priests have violated my instructions and defiled my holy things. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. And they do not teach my people the difference between what is ceremonially clean and unclean. They disregard my Sabbath days so that I am dishonored among them.H3548H2554H8451H2490H6944H914H6944H2455H3045H2931H2889H5956H5869H7676H2490H843227Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!H8269H7130H2061H2963H2964H8210H1818H6H5315H1214H121528And your prophets cover up for them by announcing false visions and making lying predictions. They say, ‘My message is from the Sovereign Lord,’ when the Lord hasn’t spoken a single word to them.H5030H2902H8602H2374H7723H7080H3577H559H559H136H3069H3068H169629Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice.H5971H776H6231H6233H1497H1498H3238H6041H34H6231H1616H494130“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.H1245H376H1443H1447H5975H6556H6440H776H7843H467231So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”H8210H2195H3615H784H5678H1870H5414H7218H5002H136H3069
Ezekiel 23
23This message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H5592“Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.H1121H120H8147H802H1323H259H5173They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.H2181H4714H2181H5271H7699H4600H6213H1717H13314The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.H8034H170H1419H172H269H3205H1121H1323H8034H8111H170H3389H1725“Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers.H170H2181H8478H5689H157H804H71386They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses.H3847H8504H6346H5461H2531H970H6571H7392H54837And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.H5414H8457H4005H1121H804H5689H1544H29308For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute.H5800H8457H4714H5271H7901H6213H1717H1331H8210H84579“And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.H5414H3027H157H3027H1121H804H568910They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.H1540H6172H3947H1121H1323H2026H2719H8034H802H6213H819611“Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.H269H172H7200H7843H5691H8457H269H218312She fawned over all the Assyrian officers—those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses—all of them attractive young men.H5689H1121H804H7138H6346H5461H3847H4358H6571H7392H5483H2531H97013I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.H7200H2930H8147H259H187014“Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.H3254H8457H7200H582H2707H7023H6754H3778H2710H835015Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.H2289H232H4975H5628H2871H7218H7991H4758H1823H1121H894H3778H776H413816When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.H4758H5869H5689H7971H4397H377817So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After being defiled, however, she rejected them in disgust.H1121H894H935H4904H1730H2930H8457H2930H5315H336318“In the same way, I became disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.H1540H8457H1540H6172H5315H3363H5315H5361H26919Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.H7235H8457H2142H3117H5271H2181H776H471420She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of a horse.H5689H6370H1320H1320H2543H2231H2231H548321And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled.H6485H2154H5271H6213H1717H4714H7699H527122“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will send your lovers against you from every direction—those very nations from which you turned away in disgust.H172H559H136H3069H5782H157H5315H5361H935H543923For the Babylonians will come with all the Chaldeans from Pekod and Shoa and Koa. And all the Assyrians will come with them—handsome young captains, commanders, chariot officers, and other high-ranking officers, all riding their horses.H1121H894H3778H6489H7772H6970H1121H804H2531H970H6346H5461H7991H7121H7392H548324They will all come against you from the north with chariots, wagons, and a great army prepared for attack. They will take up positions on every side, surrounding you with men armed with shields and helmets. And I will hand you over to them for punishment so they can do with you as they please.H935H2021H7393H1534H6951H5971H7760H6793H4043H6959H5439H5414H4941H6440H8199H494125I will turn my jealous anger against you, and they will deal harshly with you. They will cut off your nose and ears, and any survivors will then be slaughtered by the sword. Your children will be taken away as captives, and everything that is left will be burned.H5414H7068H6213H2534H5493H639H241H319H5307H2719H3947H1121H1323H319H398H78426They will strip you of your beautiful clothes and jewels.H6584H899H3947H8597H362727In this way, I will put a stop to the lewdness and prostitution you brought from Egypt. You will never again cast longing eyes on those things or fondly remember your time in Egypt.H2154H7673H2184H776H4714H5375H5869H2142H471428“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will surely hand you over to your enemies, to those you loathe, those you rejected.H559H136H3069H5414H3027H8130H3027H5315H536129They will treat you with hatred and rob you of all you own, leaving you stark naked. The shame of your prostitution will be exposed to all the world.H6213H8135H3947H3018H5800H5903H6181H6172H2183H1540H2154H845730You brought all this on yourself by prostituting yourself to other nations, defiling yourself with all their idols.H6213H2181H310H1471H2930H154431Because you have followed in your sister’s footsteps, I will force you to drink the same cup of terror she drank.H1980H1870H269H5414H3563H302732“Yes, this is what the Sovereign Lord says. “You will drink from your sister’s cup of terror, a cup that is large and deep. It is filled to the brim with scorn and derision.H559H136H3069H8354H269H3563H6013H7342H6712H3933H3557H476733Drunkenness and anguish will fill you, for your cup is filled to the brim with distress and desolation, the same cup your sister Samaria drank.H4390H7943H3015H3563H8047H8077H3563H269H811134You will drain that cup of terror to the very bottom. Then you will smash it to pieces and beat your breast in anguish. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!H8354H4680H1633H2789H5423H7699H1696H5002H136H306935“And because you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You must bear the consequences of all your lewdness and prostitution.”H559H136H3069H7911H7993H310H1458H5375H2154H845736The Lord said to me, “Son of man, you must accuse Oholah and Oholibah of all their detestable sins.H3068H559H1121H120H8199H170H172H5046H844137They have committed both adultery and murder—adultery by worshiping idols and murder by burning as sacrifices the children they bore to me.H5003H1818H3027H1544H5003H1121H3205H5674H40238Furthermore, they have defiled my Temple and violated my Sabbath day!H6213H2930H4720H3117H2490H767639On the very day that they sacrificed their children to their idols, they boldly came into my Temple to worship! They came in and defiled my house.H7819H1121H1544H935H3117H4720H2490H6213H8432H100440“You sisters sent messengers to distant lands to get men. Then when they arrived, you bathed yourselves, painted your eyelids, and put on your finest jewels for them.H637H7971H582H935H4801H4397H7971H935H7364H3583H5869H5710H571641You sat with them on a beautifully embroidered couch and put my incense and my special oil on a table that was spread before you.H3427H3520H4296H7979H6186H6440H7760H7004H808142From your room came the sound of many men carousing. They were lustful men and drunkards from the wilderness, who put bracelets on your wrists and beautiful crowns on your heads.H6963H1995H7961H582H7230H120H935H5436H5433H4057H5414H6781H3027H8597H5850H721843Then I said, ‘If they really want to have sex with old worn-out prostitutes like these, let them!’H559H1087H5004H2181H845744And that is what they did. They had sex with Oholah and Oholibah, these shameless prostitutes.H935H935H802H2181H935H170H172H2154H80245But righteous people will judge these sister cities for what they really are—adulterers and murderers.H6662H582H8199H4941H5003H4941H8210H1818H5003H1818H302746“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring an army against them and hand them over to be terrorized and plundered.H559H136H3069H5927H6951H5414H2189H95747For their enemies will stone them and kill them with swords. They will butcher their sons and daughters and burn their homes.H6951H7275H68H1254H2719H2026H1121H1323H8313H1004H78448In this way, I will put an end to lewdness and idolatry in the land, and my judgment will be a warning to others not to follow their wicked example.H2154H7673H776H802H3256H6213H215449You will be fully repaid for all your prostitution—your worship of idols. Yes, you will suffer the full penalty. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”H5414H2154H5375H2399H1544H3045H136H3069
Ezekiel 24
24On January 15, during the ninth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord:H8671H8141H6224H2320H6218H2320H1697H3068H5592“Son of man, write down today’s date, because on this very day the king of Babylon is beginning his attack against Jerusalem.H1121H120H3789H8034H3117H6106H3117H4428H894H5564H3389H6106H31173Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign Lord. “Put a pot on the fire, and pour in some water.H4911H4912H4805H1004H559H559H136H3069H8239H5518H8239H3332H43254Fill it with choice pieces of meat—the rump and the shoulder and all the most tender cuts.H622H5409H2896H5409H3409H3802H4390H4005H61065Use only the best sheep from the flock, and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, and cook the bones along with the meat.H3947H4005H6629H1754H6106H7570H7571H1310H6106H84326“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says. What sorrow awaits Jerusalem, the city of murderers! She is a cooking pot whose corruption can’t be cleaned out. Take the meat out in random order, for no piece is better than another.H559H136H3069H188H1818H5892H5518H2457H2457H3318H3318H5409H5409H1486H53077For the blood of her murders is splashed on the rocks. It isn’t even spilled on the ground, where the dust could cover it!H1818H8432H7760H6706H5553H8210H776H3680H60838So I will splash her blood on a rock for all to see, an expression of my anger and vengeance against her.H2534H5927H5358H5359H5414H1818H6706H5553H36809“This is what the Sovereign Lord says. What sorrow awaits Jerusalem, the city of murderers! I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.H559H136H3069H188H1818H5892H4071H143110Yes, heap on the wood! Let the fire roar to make the pot boil. Cook the meat with many spices, and afterward burn the bones.H7235H6086H1814H784H8552H1320H7543H4841H6106H278711Now set the empty pot on the coals. Heat it red hot! Burn away the filth and corruption.H5975H7386H1513H5178H3179H2787H2932H5413H8432H2457H855212But it’s hopeless; the corruption can’t be cleaned out. So throw it into the fire.H3811H8383H7227H2457H3318H2457H78413Your impurity is your lewdness and the corruption of your idolatry. I tried to cleanse you, but you refused. So now you will remain in your filth until my fury against you has been satisfied.H2932H2154H2891H2891H2891H2932H2534H511714“I, the Lord, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign Lord.”H3068H1696H935H6213H6544H2347H5162H1870H5949H8199H5002H136H306915Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H55916“Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears.H1121H120H3947H4261H5869H4046H5594H1058H1832H93517Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”H1826H602H6213H60H4191H2280H6287H7760H5275H7272H5844H8222H398H3899H58218So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do.H1696H5971H1242H6153H802H4191H6213H1242H668019Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”H5971H559H5046H621320So I said to them, “A message came to me from the Lord,H559H1697H3068H55921and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judea will be slaughtered by the sword.H559H1004H3478H559H136H3069H2490H4720H1347H5797H4261H5869H5315H4263H1121H1323H5800H5307H271922Then you will do as Ezekiel has done. You will not mourn in public or console yourselves by eating the food brought by friends.H6213H6213H5844H8222H398H3899H58223Your heads will remain covered, and your sandals will not be taken off. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins. You will mourn privately for all the evil you have done.H6287H7218H5275H7272H5594H1058H4743H5771H5098H376H25124Ezekiel is an example for you; you will do just as he has done. And when that time comes, you will know that I am the Lord.”H3168H4159H6213H6213H935H3045H136H306925Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold—their joy and glory, their heart’s desire, their dearest treasure—I will also take away their sons and daughters.H1121H120H3117H3947H4581H4885H8597H4261H5869H4853H5315H1121H132326And on that day a survivor from Jerusalem will come to you in Babylon and tell you what has happened.H6412H3117H935H2045H24127And when he arrives, your voice will suddenly return so you can talk to him, and you will be a symbol for these people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”H3117H6310H6605H6412H1696H481H4159H3045H3068
Psalms 37
37[A psalm of David.] Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong.H1732H2734H7489H7065H6213H57662For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither.H4120H5243H2682H5034H3418H18773Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.H982H3068H6213H2896H7931H776H530H74624Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires.H6026H3068H5414H4862H38205Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.H1556H1870H3068H982H62136He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.H3318H6664H216H4941H66727Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.H1826H3068H2342H2734H6743H1870H376H6213H4209H62138Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.H7503H639H5800H2534H2734H389H74899For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land.H7489H3772H6960H3068H3423H77610Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone.H4592H7563H995H472511The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.H6035H3423H776H6026H7230H796512The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.H7563H2161H6662H2786H812713But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.H136H7832H7200H3117H93514The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.H7563H6605H2719H1869H7198H5307H6041H34H2873H3477H187015But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.H2719H935H3820H7198H766516It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.H4592H6662H2896H1995H7227H756317For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the LORD takes care of the godly.H2220H7563H7665H3068H5564H666218Day by day the LORD takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.H3068H3045H3117H8549H5159H576919They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.H954H7451H6256H3117H7459H764620But the wicked will die. The LORD's enemies are like flowers in a field—they will disappear like smoke.H7563H6H341H3068H3368H3733H3615H6227H361521The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.H7563H3867H7999H6662H2603H541422Those the LORD blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.H1288H3423H776H7043H377223The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.H4703H1397H3559H3068H2654H187024Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.H5307H2904H3068H5564H302725Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.H5288H2204H7200H6662H5800H2233H1245H389926The godly always give generous loans to others, and their children are a blessing.H3117H2603H3867H2233H129327Turn from evil and do good, and you will live in the land forever.H5493H7451H6213H2896H7931H576928For the LORD loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.H3068H157H4941H5800H2623H8104H5769H2233H7563H377229The godly will possess the land and will live there forever.H6662H3423H776H7931H570330The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.H6310H6662H1897H2451H3956H1696H494131They have made God's law their own, so they will never slip from his path.H8451H430H3820H838H457132The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.H7563H6822H6662H1245H419133But the LORD will not let the wicked succeed or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.H3068H5800H3027H7561H819934Put your hope in the LORD. Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you by giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.H6960H3068H8104H1870H7311H3423H776H7563H3772H720035I have seen wicked and ruthless people flourishing like a tree in its native soil.H7200H7563H6184H6168H7488H24936But when I looked again, they were gone! Though I searched for them, I could not find them!H5674H1245H467237Look at those who are honest and good, for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.H8104H8535H7200H3477H319H376H796538But the rebellious will be destroyed; they have no future.H6586H8045H3162H319H7563H377239The LORD rescues the godly; he is their fortress in times of trouble.H8668H6662H3068H4581H6256H686940The LORD helps them, rescuing them from the wicked. He saves them, and they find shelter in him.H3068H5826H6403H6403H7563H3467H2620
Dublin, OH
, you will know that I am the Lord.”H2490
