¹ And the word of Yahweh came unto me. in the ninth year in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying:

² Son of man. Write thee the name of the day, this selfsame day,—the king of Babylon cast himself against Jerusalem, on this selfsame day.

³ Put thou forth therefore, against the perverse house a parable, and say unto them Thus saith My Lord, Yahweh: Set on the caldron set it on, Moreover also pour into it water:

⁴ Gather the pieces thereof into it, Every good piece thigh and shoulder, With the choice of the bones, fill it:

⁵ Take of the choice of the rock, Moreover also pile of bones place under it,- Boil the pieces thereof, Yea let the bones of it seethe in the midst thereof.

⁶ Wherefore, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed. The caldron whose scum is in it, and whose scum, hath not gone out of it: Piece by piece, bring it out, There hath fallen thereon no lot.

⁷ For, her own blood, hath come to be in her midst, Upon the smooth face of the cliff, hath she set it,- She hath not poured it out on the earth, that she might cover it with dust.

⁸ To bring up indignation to execute an avenging, have I set her blood upon the smooth face of the cliff,—that it may not be covered.

⁹ Wherefore Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, Woe! city of bloodshed,—Even I myself, will make large the pile.

¹⁰ Heap on the wood Kindle the fire, Consume the flesh, Yea season with spice, And let the bones be scorched.

¹¹ Then set it upon the live coals thereof empty,—that the copper of it may be scorched and burn. So that the impurity thereof may be annihilated within it The scum thereof be consumed,

¹² With toils, hath she wearied herself,—Since her abundant scum will not go out of her, into the fire, with her scum!

¹³ In thine uncleanness, is lewdness; be- cause I purified thee and thou wast not purified, from thine uncleanness, thou shalt not be purified any more, until I have let mine indignation rest upon thee.

¹⁴ I Yahweh, have spoken It cometh and I will perform I will not let alone, neither will I shield, Nor will I repent,- According to thy ways and according to thy doings, have they judged thee, Declareth My Lord Yahweh.

¹⁵ And the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:

¹⁶ Son of Man Behold me! taking away from thee the delight of thine eyes, with a stroke,- But thou shall not lament Neither shalt thou weep, Neither shall come—thy tears:

¹⁷ To groan, forbear, Over the dead—no mourning, shalt thou make Thy chaplet, bind thou on thee And thy sandals:, put thou on thy feet, And thou shalt not cover thy beard, And the bread of other men, shalt thou not eat.

¹⁸ So I spake unto the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening,—and I did in the morning, as I had been commanded.

¹⁹ Then said the people unto me: Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou shouldst be acting thus?

²⁰ So I said unto them: The word of Yahweh hath come unto me, saying:

²¹ Say to the house of Israel thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Behold me! profaning my sanctuary. The pride of your strength, The delight of your eyes And the object of the tender regard of your soul,- And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left behind, by the sword, shall fall.

²² Then shall ye do, as I have done.— The beard, shall ye not cover, And the bread of other men:, shall ye not eat;

²³ And your chaplets shall be on your heads. And your sandals on your feet, Ye shall neither lament, nor weep,- Yet shall ye pine away in your iniquities, and shall groan one to another.

²⁴ So shall Ezekiel become to you a wonder, According to all that he hath done, shall ye do: When it cometh, then shall ye know that I am The Lord, Yahweh.

²⁵ Thou, therefore Son of man, Shall it not be— In the day when I take away from them Their strength, The joy of their adorning,— The delight of their eyes And the desire of their soul, Their sons and their daughters

²⁶ That in that day, one that hath escaped shall come in unto thee,—to cause thee to hear it with thine own ears?

²⁷ That in that day, thy mouth shall be opened unto him that hath escaped, And thou shalt speak and not be dumb any longer? So shalt thou become to them a wonder, And they shall know that, I, am Yahweh.