Then the word of the LORD
came
to me, saying
,
"And you, son of man
, will you judge
, will you judge
the bloody
city
? Then cause her to know
all
her abominations
.
"You shall say, `Thus
says
the Lord
1GOD
, "A city
ashedding
blood
in her midst
, so that her time
will come
, and that makes
idols
, contrary
to her interest, for defilement
!
"You have become aguilty
by 1the blood
which
you have shed
, and defiled
by your idols
which
you have made
. Thus you have brought
your 2day
near
and have come
to your years
; therefore
I have made
you a breproach
to the nations
and a mocking
to all
the lands
.
"Those who are near
and those who
are far
from you will mock
you, you of ill
repute
, full
of aturmoil
.
"Behold, the arulers
of Israel
, each
according to his 1power
, have been
in you for the purpose
of shedding
blood
.
"They have atreated father
and mother
lightly
within you. The balien
they have oppressed
in your midst
; the cfatherless
and the widow
they have wronged
in you.
"You have adespised My holy
things
and bprofaned
My sabbaths
.
"Slanderous men
have been
in you for the purpose
of shedding
blood
, and in you they have eaten
at the mountain
shrines. In your midst
they have acommitted
acts
of lewdness
.
"In you 1they have auncovered their fathers'
nakedness
; in you they have humbled
her who
was bunclean
in her menstrual
impurity
.
"One has committed
abomination
with his aneighbor's
wife
and another
has lewdly
defiled
his bdaughter-in-law
. And another
in you has chumbled
his sister
, his father's
daughter
.
"In you they have ataken bribes
to shed
blood
; you have taken
binterest
and profits
, and you have injured
your neighbors
for gain
by coppression
, and you have dforgotten
Me," declares
the Lord
GOD
.
"Behold, then, I smite
My hand
at your adishonest
gain
which
you have acquired
and at 1the bloodshed
which
is among
you.
"Can ayour heart endure
, or
can your hands
be strong
in the days
that I will deal
with you? bI, the LORD
, have spoken
and will act
.
"I will ascatter you among the nations
and I will disperse
you through the lands
, and I will bconsume
your uncleanness
from you.
"You will profane yourself in the sight
of the nations
, and you will aknow
that I am the LORD
.""'
And the word of the LORD
came
to me, saying
,
"Son of man
, the house
of Israel
has become
adross
to Me; all
of them are bbronze
and tin
and iron
and lead
in the cfurnace
; they are the dross
of silver
.
"Therefore, thus
says
the Lord
GOD
, `Because
all
of you have become
dross
, therefore
, behold
, I am going to gather
you into the midst
of Jerusalem
.
`As they gather silver
and bronze
and iron
and lead
and tin
into the afurnace
to blow
fire
on it in order to melt
it, so
I will gather
you in My anger
and in My wrath
and I will lay
you there and melt
you.
`I will gather you and blow
on you with the fire
of My wrath
, and you will be melted
in the midst
of it.
`As silver is melted
in the furnace
, so
you will be melted
in the midst
of it; and you will know
that I, the LORD
, have apoured
out My wrath
on you.' "
And the word of the LORD
came
to me, saying
,
"Son of man
, say
to her, `You are a land
that is anot cleansed
or rained
on in the day
of indignation
.'
"There is a aconspiracy of her prophets
in her midst
like a roaring
lion
tearing
the prey
. They have bdevoured
lives
; they have taken
treasure
and precious
things
; they have made
many
cwidows
in the midst
of her.
"Her apriests have done
violence
to My law
and have bprofaned
My holy
things
; they have made
no
cdistinction
between
the holy
and the profane
, and they have not taught
the difference between
the dunclean
and the clean
; and they hide
their eyes
from My sabbaths
, and I am profaned
among
them.
"Her princes within
her are like wolves
tearing
the prey
, by shedding
blood
and adestroying
lives
in order
to get
bdishonest
gain
.
"Her prophets have smeared
whitewash
for them, seeing
afalse
visions
and divining
lies
for them, saying
, `Thus
says
the Lord
GOD
,' when the LORD
has not spoken
.
"The people of the land
have practiced
aoppression
and committed
robbery
, and they have wronged
the poor
and needy
and have boppressed
the sojourner
without
justice
.
"I asearched for a man
among
them who would bbuild
up the wall
and cstand
in the gap
before
Me for the land
, so
that I would not destroy
it; but I found
1no
one.
"Thus I have poured out My aindignation
on them; I have consumed
them with the fire
of My wrath
; btheir way
I have brought
upon their heads
," declares
the Lord
GOD
.