¹ And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

^{2 Ref} `And thou, son of man, dost thou judge? dost thou judge the city of blood? then thou hast caused it to know all its abominations,

^{3 Ref} and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The city is shedding blood in its midst, For the coming in of its time, And it hath made idols on it for defilement.

^{4 Ref} By thy blood that thou hast shed thou hast been guilty, And by thine idols that thou hast made thou hast been defiled, And thou causest thy days to draw near, And art come in unto thine years, Therefore I have given thee a reproach to nations, And a derision to all the lands.

^{5 Ref} The near and the far-off from thee scoff at thee, O defiled of name -- abounding in trouble.

^{6 Ref} Lo, princes of Israel -- each according to his arm Have been in thee to shed blood.

^{7 Ref} Father and mother made light of in thee, To a sojourner they dealt oppressively in thy midst, Fatherless and widow they oppressed in thee.

^{8 Ref} My holy things thou hast despised, And My sabbaths thou hast polluted.

^{9 Ref} Men of slander have been in thee to shed blood, And on the mountains they have eaten in thee, Wickedness they have done in thy midst.

^{10 Ref} The nakedness of a father hath one uncovered in thee, The defiled of impurity they humbled in thee.

^{11 Ref} And each with the wife of his neighbour hath done abomination, And each his daughter-in-law hath defiled through wickedness, And each his sister, his father's daughter, hath humbled in thee.

^{12 Ref} A bribe they have taken in thee to shed blood, Usury and increase thou hast taken, And cuttest off thy neighbour by oppression, And Me thou hast forgotten, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!

^{13 Ref} And lo, I have smitten My hand, Because of thy dishonest gain that thou hast gained, And for thy blood that hath been in thy midst.

^{14 Ref} Doth thy heart stand -- are thy hands strong, For the days that I am dealing with thee? I, Jehovah, have spoken and have done `it'.

^{15 Ref} And I have scattered thee among nations, And have spread thee out among lands, And consumed thy uncleanness out of thee.

^{16 Ref} And thou hast been polluted in thyself Before the eyes of nations, And thou hast known that I `am' Jehovah.'

¹⁷ And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, `Son of man,

^{18 Ref} The house of Israel hath been to Me for dross, All of them `are' brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, In the midst of a furnace -- dross hath silver been,

^{19 Ref} Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of your all becoming dross, Therefore, lo, I am gathering you unto the midst of Jerusalem,

^{20 Ref} A gathering of silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, Unto the midst of a furnace -- to blow on it fire, to melt it, So do I gather in Mine anger and in My fury, And I have let rest, and have melted you.

^{21 Ref} And I have heaped you up, And blown on you in the fire of My wrath, And ye have been melted in its midst.

^{22 Ref} As the melting of silver in the midst of a furnace, So are ye melted in its midst, And ye have known that I, Jehovah, I have poured out My fury upon you.'

²³ And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying:

^{24 Ref} `Son of man, say to it, Thou `art' a land, It `is' not cleansed nor rained on in a day of indignation.

^{25 Ref} A conspiracy of its prophets `is' in its midst, as a roaring lion tearing prey; The soul they have devoured, Wealth and glory they have taken, Its widows have multiplied in its midst.

^{26 Ref} Its priests have wronged My law, And they pollute My holy things, Between holy and common they have not made separation, And between the unclean and the clean they have not made known, And from my sabbaths they have hidden their eyes, And I am pierced in their midst.

^{27 Ref} Its princes in its midst `are' as wolves, Tearing prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, For the sake of gaining dishonest gain.

^{28 Ref} And its prophets have daubed for them with chalk, Seeing a vain thing, and divining for them a lie, Saying, `Thus said the Lord Jehovah:' And Jehovah hath not spoken.

^{29 Ref} The people of the land have used oppression, And have taken plunder violently away, And humble and needy have oppressed, And the sojourner oppressed -- without judgment.

^{30 Ref} And I seek of them a man making a fence, And standing in the breach before Me, In behalf of the land -- not to destroy it, And I have not found.

^{31 Ref} And I pour out on them mine indignation, By fire of My wrath I have consumed them, Their way on their own head I have put, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!'

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

^{2 Ref} You, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? then cause her to know all her abominations.

^{3 Ref} You shall say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: A city that sheds blood in the midst of her, that her time may come, and that makes idols against herself to defile her!

^{4 Ref} 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 are come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.

^{5 Ref} Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall mock you, you infamous one [and] full of tumult.

^{6 Ref} Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood.

^{7 Ref} 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.

^{8 Ref} You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths.

^{9 Ref} 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.

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

^{11 Ref} 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.

^{12 Ref} 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 Yahweh.

^{13 Ref} Behold, 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.

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

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

^{16 Ref} You shall be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

¹⁷ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

^{18 Ref} Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross to me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

^{19 Ref} Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

^{20 Ref} As they gather silver and brass 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.

^{21 Ref} Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it.

^{22 Ref} As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst of it; and you shall know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you.

²³ The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

^{24 Ref} Son of man, tell her, You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation.

^{25 Ref} There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in the midst of it.

^{26 Ref} Her priests 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 hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

^{27 Ref} Her princes in the midst of it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, [and] to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain.

^{28 Ref} Her prophets have daubed for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, when Yahweh has not spoken.

^{29 Ref} The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

^{30 Ref} I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.

^{31 Ref} 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 Yahweh.

¹ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

^{2 Ref} And you, son of man, will you be a judge, will you be a judge of the town of blood? then make clear to her all her disgusting ways.

^{3 Ref} And you are to say, This is what the Lord has said: A town causing blood to be drained out in her streets so that her time may come, and making images in her to make her unclean!

^{4 Ref} You are responsible for the blood drained out by you, and you are unclean through the images which you have made; and you have made your day come near, and the time of your judging has come; for this cause I have made you a name of shame to the nations and a cause of laughing to all countries.

^{5 Ref} Those who are near and those who are far from you will make sport of you; your name is unclean, you are full of sounds of fear.

^{6 Ref} See, the rulers of Israel, every one in his family, have been causing death in you.

^{7 Ref} In you they have had no respect for father and mother; in you they have been cruel to the man from a strange land; in you they have done wrong to the child without a father and to the widow.

^{8 Ref} You have made little of my holy things, and have made my Sabbaths unclean.

^{9 Ref} In you there are men who say evil of others, causing death; in you they have taken the flesh with the blood for food; in your streets they have put evil designs into effect.

^{10 Ref} In you they have let the shame of their fathers be seen; in you they have done wrong to a woman at the time when she was unclean.

^{11 Ref} And in you one man has done what was disgusting with his neighbour's wife; and another has made his daughter-in-law unclean; and another has done wrong to his sister, his father's daughter.

^{12 Ref} In you they have taken rewards as the price of blood; you have taken interest and great profits, and you have taken away your neighbours' goods by force, and have not kept me in mind, says the Lord.

^{13 Ref} See, then, I have made my hands come together in wrath against your taking of goods by force and against the blood which has been flowing in you.

^{14 Ref} Will your heart be high or your hands strong in the days when I take you in hand? I the Lord have said it and will do it.

^{15 Ref} And I will send you in flight among the nations and wandering among the countries; and I will completely take away out of you everything which is unclean.

^{16 Ref} And you will be made low before the eyes of the nations; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord.

¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

^{18 Ref} Son of man, the children of Israel have become like the poorest sort of waste metal to me: they are all silver and brass and tin and iron and lead mixed with waste.

^{19 Ref} For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have all become waste metal, see, I will get you together inside Jerusalem.

^{20 Ref} As they put silver and brass and iron and lead and tin together inside the oven, heating up the fire on it to make it soft; so will I get you together in my wrath and in my passion, and, heating the fire with my breath, will make you soft.

^{21 Ref} Yes, I will take you, breathing on you the fire of my wrath, and you will become soft in it.

^{22 Ref} As silver becomes soft in the oven, so you will become soft in it; and you will be certain that I the Lord have let loose my passion on you.

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

^{24 Ref} Son of man, say to her, You are a land on which no rain or thunderstorm has come in the day of wrath.

^{25 Ref} Her rulers in her are like a loud-voiced lion violently taking his food; they have made a meal of souls; they have taken wealth and valued property; they have made great the number of widows in her.

^{26 Ref} Her priests have been acting violently against my law; they have made my holy things unclean: they have made no division between what is holy and what is common, and they have not made it clear that the unclean is different from the clean, and their eyes have been shut to my Sabbaths, and I am not honoured among them.

^{27 Ref} Her rulers in her are like wolves violently taking their food; putting men to death and causing the destruction of souls, so that they may get their profit.

^{28 Ref} And her prophets have been using whitewash, seeing foolish visions and making false use of secret arts, saying, This is what the Lord has said, when the Lord has said nothing.

^{29 Ref} The people of the land have been acting cruelly, taking men's goods by force; they have been hard on the poor and those in need, and have done wrong to the man from a strange land.

^{30 Ref} And I was looking for a man among them who would make up the wall and take his station in the broken place before me for the land, so that I might not send destruction on it: but there was no one.

^{31 Ref} And I let loose my passion on them, and have put an end to them in the fire of my wrath: I have made the punishment of their ways come on their heads, says the Lord.