A Light Goodness: 10/10/09

Ezekiel 24

The Cooking Pot

¹ In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the
tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, record this date, this very date,
because the king of Babylon has laid siege to
Jerusalem this very day. ³ Tell this rebellious
house a parable and say to them:
'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'Put on the cooking pot; put it on
and pour water into it.

⁴ Put into it the pieces of meat,
all the choice pieces—the leg and the shoulder.
Fill it with the best of these bones;

⁵ take the pick of the flock.
Pile wood beneath it for the bones;
bring it to a boil
and cook the bones in it.

⁶ " 'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'Woe to the city of bloodshed,
to the pot now encrusted,
whose deposit will not go away!
Empty it piece by piece
without casting lots for them.

⁷ " 'For the blood she shed is in her midst:
She poured it on the bare rock;
she did not pour it on the ground,
where the dust would cover it.

⁸ To stir up wrath and take revenge
I put her blood on the bare rock,
so that it would not be covered.

⁹ " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
" 'Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I, too, will pile the wood high.

¹⁰ So heap on the wood
and kindle the fire.
Cook the meat well,
mixing in the spices;
and let the bones be charred.

¹¹ Then set the empty pot on the coals
till it becomes hot and its copper glows
so its impurities may be melted
and its deposit burned away.

¹² It has frustrated all efforts;
its heavy deposit has not been removed,
not even by fire.

¹³ " 'Now your impurity is lewdness. Because

I tried to cleanse you but you would not be

cleansed from your impurity, you will not be

clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.

¹⁴ " 'I the LORD have spoken. The time

has come for me to act. I will not hold back;

I will not have pity, nor will I relent.

You will be judged according to your

conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

Ezekiel's Wife Dies

¹⁵ The word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁶ "Son of man, with one blow I am about to
take away from you the delight of your eyes.
Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. ¹⁷ Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead.
Keep your turban fastened and your sandals
on your feet; do not cover the lower part of
your face or eat the customary food of mourners ."

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning,

and in the evening my wife died.

The next morning I did as I had been commanded.

¹⁹ Then the people asked me,

"Won't you tell us what these things have to do with us?"

²⁰ So I said to them, "The word of the

LORD came to me: ²¹ Say to the house of

Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign

LORD says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary—

the stronghold in which you take pride,

the delight of your eyes, the object of your

affection. The sons and daughters you left