Self-interpreting Bible

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Ezekiel 22

1A catalogue of sins committed in Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews because of them. 17God will burn them as dross in the furnace. 23The general corruption of all orders of men, for which God's wrath is poured out upon them.

1 MOREOVER the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

    2 Now, thou son of man, awilt thou 1judge, wilt thou judge the 2bloody city? yea, bthou shalt 3shew her call her abominations.

    3 Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth blood din the midst of it, that eher time may come, and fmaketh idols against herself to defile herself.

    4 Thou gart become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and hthou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee ia reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

    5 Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art 4infamous and much vexed.

    6 Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their 5power to jshed blood.

    7 In thee have they *set klight by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt lby 6oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

    8 Thou mhast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

    9 In nthee are 7men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they oeat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they pcommit lewdness.

    10 In thee have they q*discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they rhumbled her that was set apart for pollution.

    11 And 8one shath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and 9another hath 10lewdly tdefiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter.

    12 In thee uhave they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast vtaken *usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast wforgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

    13 ¶Behold, therefore I have xsmitten mine hand at thy ydishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.

    14 Can zthine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? aI the LORD have spoken it, and will do it.

    15 And I will bscatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and cwill consume thy filthiness out of thee.

    16 And thou shalt 11take thine dinheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and ethou shalt know that I am the LORD.

    17 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

      18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become fdross: all they are gbrass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the hfurnace; they are even the 12dross of silver.

      19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore iI will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

      20 13As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

      • 13: Heb. According to the gathering of.

      21 Yea, jI will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

      22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD khave poured out my fury upon you.

      23 ¶And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

        24 Son of man, say unto her, lThou art the land that is not cleansed, nor mrained upon in the day of indignation.

        25 There is na conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion *ravening the prey; they ohave devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and pprecious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

        26 Her priests have 14violated my law, and qhave profaned mine holy things: rthey have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and shave hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

        27 Her tprinces in the midst thereof are like wolves *ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

        28 And her prophets have udaubed them with untempered morter, vseeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

        29 The people of the land have used 15oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger 16wrongfully.

        30 And I wsought for a man among them, that should xmake up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

        31 Therefore yhave I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: ztheir own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.