Through the Bible – Day 326

₁The LORD said:

₂Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the places in Jerusalem where people worship. Warn everyone in Israel ₃that I am about to punish them. I will pull out my sword and have it ready to kill everyone, whether good or evil. ₄From south to north, people will die, ₅knowing that my sword will never be put away.

₆Ezekiel, groan in sorrow and despair so that everyone can hear you. ₇When they ask why you are groaning, tell them you have terrifying news that will make them faint and tremble in fear and lose all courage. These things will happen soon. I, the LORD God, make this promise!

₈The LORD said:

_9-10Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem:

₁₈The LORD said:

₁₉Ezekiel, son of man, mark two roads for the king of Babylonia to follow when he comes with his sword. The roads will begin at the same place, but be sure to put up a signpost where the two roads separate and go in different directions. ₂₀Clearly mark where the two roads lead. One goes to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and the other goes to Jerusalem, the fortified capital of Judah. ₂₁When the Babylonian king stands at that signpost, he will decide which way to go by shaking his arrows, by asking his idols, and by carefully looking at the liver of a sacrificed animal. ₂₂His right hand will pull out the arrow marked “Jerusalem”. Then he will immediately give the signal to shout the battle cry, to build earth ramps to the top of the city walls, to break down its walls and gates with large wooden poles, and to kill the people. ₂₃Everyone in Jerusalem had promised to be loyal to Babylonia, and so none of them will believe that this could happen to them. But Babylonia's king will remind them of their sinful ways and warn them of their coming captivity.

₂₄Ezekiel, tell the people of Jerusalem and their ruler that I, the LORD God, am saying:

₂₈The LORD God said:

Ezekiel, son of man, the Ammonites have insulted Israel, so condemn them and tell them I am saying:

₂₉You wicked Ammonites see false visions and believe untrue messages. But your day of punishment is coming soon, and my sword will slaughter you!

₃₀Your days of punishing others are over, so put your swords away. You will be punished in the land of your birth. ₃₁My furious anger will scorch you like fire, and I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in killing. ₃₂You will be burnt and will die in your own land. Then you will be forgotten for ever. I, the LORD, have spoken.

₁Some time later, the LORD said:

₂Ezekiel, son of man, are you ready to condemn Jerusalem? That city is filled with murderers, so remind the people of their sins ₃and tell them I am saying:

Jerusalem, you have murdered many of your own people and have worshipped idols. You will soon be punished! ₄Those crimes have made you guilty, and the idols have made you unacceptable to me. So your final punishment is near. Other nations will laugh at you and make insulting remarks, ₅and people far and near will make fun of your misery.

₆Your own leaders use their power to murder. ₇None of you honour your parents, and you cheat foreigners, orphans, and widows. ₈You show no respect for my sacred places and treat the Sabbath just like any other day. ₉Some of your own people tell lies, so that others will be put to death. Some of you eat meat sacrificed to idols at local shrines, and others never stop doing vulgar things. ₁₀Men have sex with their father's wife or with women who are having their monthly period ₁₁or with someone else's wife. Some men even sleep with their own daughter-in-law or half-sister. ₁₂Others of you accept money to murder someone. Your own people charge high interest when making a loan to other Israelites, and they get rich by cheating. Worst of all, you have forgotten me, the LORD God.

₁₃I will shake my fist in anger at your violent crimes. ₁₄When I've finished with you, your courage will disappear, and you will be so weak that you won't be able to lift your hands. I, the LORD, have spoken and will not change my mind. ₁₅I will scatter you throughout every nation on earth and put a stop to your sinful ways. ₁₆You will be humiliated in the eyes of other nations. Then you will know that I, the LORD God, have done these things.

₁₇The LORD said:

₁₈Ezekiel, son of man, I consider the people of Israel as worthless as the leftover metal in a furnace after silver has been purified. ₁₉So I am going to bring them together in Jerusalem. _20-21I will be like a metalworker who collects that metal from the furnace and melts it down. I will collect the Israelites and blow on them with my fiery anger. They will melt inside the city of Jerusalem ₂₂like silver in a furnace. Then they will know that I, the LORD, have punished them in my anger.

₂₃The LORD said:

₂₄Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Israel that their country is full of sin, and that I, the LORD, am furious! ₂₅Their leaders are like roaring lions, tearing apart their victims. They put people to death, then steal everything of value. Husbands are killed, and many women are left as widows.

₂₆The priests of Israel ignore my Law! Not only do they refuse to respect any of my sacred things, but they don't even teach the difference between what is sacred and what is ordinary, or between what is clean and what is unclean. They treat my Sabbath like any other day, and so my own people no longer honour me.

₂₇Israel's officials are like ferocious wolves, ripping their victims apart. They make a dishonest living by injuring and killing people.

₂₈And then the prophets in Israel cover-up these sins by giving false visions. I have never spoken to them, but they lie and say they have a message from me. ₂₉The people themselves cheat and rob; they abuse the poor and take advantage of foreigners.

₃₀I looked for someone to defend the city and to protect it from my anger, as well as to stop me from destroying it. But I found no one. ₃₁So in my fierce anger, I will punish the Israelites for what they have done, and they will know that I am furious. I, the LORD, have spoken.

₁Stop being hateful! Stop trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don't be jealous or say cruel things about others. ₂Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved. ₃You have already found out how good the Lord really is.

₄Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone that people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honoured. ₅And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God. ₆It is just as God says in the Scriptures,

₇You are followers of the Lord, and that stone is precious to you. But it isn't precious to those who refuse to follow him. They are the builders who tossed aside the stone that turned out to be the most important one of all. ₈They disobeyed the message and stumbled and fell over that stone, because they were doomed.

₉But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say,