Daily Bread

Judgment on Jerusalem’s Sins

22 The word of the Lord came to me:

² “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed?^(A) Then confront her with all her detestable practices^{(B) 3} and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood^(C) in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, ⁴ you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed^(D) and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come.^(E) Therefore I will make you an object of scorn^(F) to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.^{(G) 5} Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.^(H)

⁶ “‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.^{(I) 7} In you they have treated father and mother with contempt;^(J) in you they have oppressed the foreigner^(K) and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.^{(L) 8} You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.^{(M) 9} In you are slanderers^(N) who are bent on shedding blood;^(O) in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines^(P) and commit lewd acts.^{(Q) 10} In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed;^(R) in you are those who violate women during their period,^(S) when they are ceremonially unclean.^{(T) 11} In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife,^(U) another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law,^(V) and another violates his sister,^(W) his own father’s daughter.^{(X) 12} In you are people who accept bribes^(Y) to shed blood; you take interest^(Z) and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors.^(AA) And you have forgotten^(AB) me, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AC)

¹³ “‘I will surely strike my hands^(AD) together at the unjust gain^(AE) you have made and at the blood^(AF) you have shed in your midst.^{(AG) 14} Will your courage endure^(AH) or your hands^(AI) be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken,^(AJ) and I will do it.^{(AK) 15} I will disperse you among the nations and scatter^(AL) you through the countries; and I will put an end to^(AM) your uncleanness.^{(AN) 16} When you have been defiled^[a] in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.’”

¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross^(AO) to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace.^(AP) They are but the dross of silver.^{(AQ) 19} Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross,^(AR) I will gather you into Jerusalem. ²⁰ As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you.^{(AS) 21} I will gather you and I will blow^(AT) on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her.^{(AU) 22} As silver is melted^(AV) in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath^(AW) on you.’”^(AX)

²³ Again the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’^{(AY) 25} There is a conspiracy^(AZ) of her princes^[b] within her like a roaring lion^(BA) tearing its prey; they devour people,^(BB) take treasures and precious things and make many widows^(BC) within her. ²⁶ Her priests do violence to my law^(BD) and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common;^(BE) they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean;^(BF) and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned^(BG) among them.^{(BH) 27} Her officials^(BI) within her are like wolves^(BJ) tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people^(BK) to make unjust gain.^{(BL) 28} Her prophets whitewash^(BM) these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations.^(BN) They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken.^{(BO) 29} The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery;^(BP) they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner,^(BQ) denying them justice.^(BR)

³⁰ “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall^(BS) and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.^{(BT) 31} So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger,^(BU) bringing down^(BV) on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(BW)”