1 In the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, the word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son of man, write down the date, this very day's date. On this very day the king of Babylon has closed in on Jerusalem.
3 Tell the house of rebellion a parable; say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: Put the cauldron on, put it on, and pour water into it as well.
4 Collect the pieces into it, all the good pieces, thigh and shoulder; fill it with the best bones.
5 Take the pick of the flock, and stack the bones underneath it too. Bring it to a rolling boil; let its bones cook inside it as well.
6 "'So thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the cauldron whose corrosion is in it and whose corrosion has not come out of it! Empty it piece by piece, without casting lots for it.
7 For the blood she shed is still inside her; she set it on the bare rock; she did not pour it out on the ground for the dust to cover it.
8 To rouse wrath and take vengeance, I have set her blood on the bare rock so that it cannot be covered.
9 So thus says the Lord GOD: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I too will make the pile of wood large.
10 Pile on the logs, light the fire, finish cooking the meat, mix in the spices, and let the bones be charred.
11 Then stand it empty on its coals so that it gets hot and its bronze glows, so that its impurity melts inside it and its corrosion is burned away.
12 She has worn herself out with toil, yet her thick corrosion does not come off her; into the fire with her corrosion!
13 Your uncleanness is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you and you would not be cleansed from your uncleanness, you will not be clean again until I have let my wrath come to rest on you.
14 I, the LORD, have spoken: it is coming, and I will do it. I will not let it go, I will not pity, and I will not relent. By your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord GOD.'"
15 The word of the LORD came to me:
16 "Son of man, I am about to take from you the delight of your eyes at a single stroke. But you must not mourn or weep, and your tears must not flow.
17 Sigh, but in silence; hold no mourning for the dead. Wrap your turban on and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your upper lip or eat the bread that men bring."
18 I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
19 The people asked me, "Won't you tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?"
20 I told them, "The word of the LORD came to me:
21 'Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am about to profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes and the longing of your soul; and the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.
22 Then you will do just as I have done: you will not cover your upper lip or eat the bread that men bring.
23 Your turbans will stay on your heads and your sandals on your feet; you will not mourn or weep, but you will rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another.
24 Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do just as he has done. When it comes, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.'
25 "And you, Son of man, on the day I take from them their stronghold, their joy and splendor, the delight of their eyes and the longing of their soul, their sons and their daughters,
26 on that day a survivor will come to you to bring you the news in person.
27 On that day your mouth will be opened to the survivor; you will speak and no longer be speechless. So you will be a sign for them, and they shall know that I am the LORD."