The Boiling Pot and the Death of Ezekiel’s Wife
1 And the word of Yahweh {came} to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth [day] of the month, {saying},
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"Son of man, write for yourself the name of the day, {this very day}. The king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem on exactly this day!
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And {deliver a proverb} to {the rebellious house}, and you must say to them, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Place the pot! Place [it] and also pour water into it.
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Gather its pieces to it, every good piece, thigh and shoulder, fill it [with] choice bones;
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take the choicest of the flock, and also pile the bones under it; {boil it vigorously}; indeed, its bones boiled in the midst of it." '"
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Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Woe [to] the city of bloodguilt! A pot that [has] its rust in it; {its rust did not go out from it}. Bring it out {piece by piece}; {one is as good as another}.
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For her blood was in the midst of her; {she put it on a bare rock}; she [did] not pour it on the ground to cover it [with] dust.
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To stir up rage, to avenge myself [through] vengeance, I placed its blood on [the] barrenness of a rock, {so that it may not be covered}."
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Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Woe [to] the city of bloodguilt! I, even I, will make the pile of wood great!
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Pile up the logs; kindle the fire; finish [cooking] the meat, and mix [in] the spices, and let the bones be burned.
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And {make it stand} empty upon its burning coals so that it may become hot, and its copper may become molten and be melted in the midst of it, [so that] its uncleanness and its rust be consumed.
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[Through] effort she has caused weariness; {its thick rust} went not [out of] it. Its rust! Into [the] fire [with] its rust!
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In your uncleanness [is] obscene conduct, because I cleansed you, but you were not clean from your uncleanness; you will not be clean again until {I fully vent my rage} on you.
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I, Yahweh, I have spoken. [It is] coming, and I did [it]; I will not disregard, and I will not take pity, and I will not reconsider. According to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you!" {declares} the Lord Yahweh.
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And the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},
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"Son of man, look! I [am] taking from you what is pleasing to your eyes with a plague, but you shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, and your tears shall not run down.
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Sigh in silence [for the] dead; you shall not make a mourning ceremony. Bind your turban on you, and you must put your sandals on your feet. You must not cover your [upper] lip, and the bread of {mourners} you shall not eat."
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And I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening, and I did in the morning {just as} I was commanded.
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And the people said to me, "Will you not make known to us what these [things] that you are doing [mean] for us?"
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And I said to them that the word of Yahweh {came} to me, {saying},
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"Say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord Yahweh: "Look! I [will be] profaning my sanctuary, the pride of your strength [and] the delight of your eyes and the object of your own affection; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind will fall by the sword,
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and you shall do {just as} I did: You shall not cover your [upper] lip, and you shall not eat [the] bread of {mourners}.
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And your turban [must be] on your heads, and your sandals [must be] on your feet. You shall not mourn, and you shall not weep, but you shall waste away because of your iniquities, and you shall groan {to one another}.
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And Ezekiel will be to you as a sign; {everything that he did} you shall do; and when it comes you will know that I [am] the Lord Yahweh.
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"And you, son of man, [will it] not [be that] on the day {when I take from them} their stronghold, the joy of their glory, the delight of their eyes, and the longing of their inner self, their sons and daughters--
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on that day a survivor will come to you {with the news}.
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On that day your mouth shall be opened {at the arrival of the fugitive}, and you shall speak, and you shall not be silent [any] longer, and you shall be to them as a sign, and they will know that I am Yahweh."