^9:1Then crying out in my hearing in a loud voice, he said, Let the overseers of the town come near, every man armed. ^9:2And six men came from the way of the higher doorway looking to the north, every man with his axe in his hand: and one man among them was clothed in linen, with a writer's inkpot at his side. And they went in and took their places by the brass altar. ^9:3And the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the winged ones on which it was resting, to the doorstep of the house. And crying out to the man clothed in linen who had the writer's inkpot at his side, ^9:4The Lord said to him, Go through the town, through the middle of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the brows of the men who are sorrowing and crying for all the disgusting things which are done in it. ^9:5And to these he said in my hearing, Go through the town after him using your axes: do not let your eyes have mercy, and have no pity: ^9:6Give up to destruction old men and young men and virgins, little children and women: but do not come near any man who has the mark on him: and make a start at my holy place. So they made a start with the old men who were before the house. ^9:7And he said to them, Make the house unclean, make the open places full of dead: go forward and send destruction on the town. ^9:8Now while they were doing so, and I was untouched, I went down on my face, and crying out, I said, Ah, Lord! will you give all the rest of Israel to destruction in letting loose your wrath on Jerusalem? ^9:9Then he said to me, The sin of the children of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is full of blood and the town full of evil ways: for they say, The Lord has gone away from the land, and the Lord does not see. ^9:10And as for me, my eye will not have mercy, and I will have no pity, but I will send the punishment of their ways on their heads. ^9:11Then the man clothed in linen, who had the inkpot at his side, came back and said, I have done what you gave me orders to do.

^10:1Then looking, I saw that on the arch which was over the head of the winged ones there was seen over them what seemed like a sapphire stone, having the form of a king's seat. ^10:2And he said to the man clothed in linen, Go in between the wheels, under the winged ones, and get your two hands full of burning coals from between the winged ones and send them in a shower over the town. And he went in before my eyes. ^10:3Now the winged ones were stationed on the right side of the house when the man went in; and the inner square was full of the cloud. ^10:4And the glory of the Lord went up from the winged ones and came to rest over the doorstep of the house; and the house was full of the cloud and the open square was full of the shining of the Lord's glory. ^10:5And the sound of the wings of the winged ones was clear even in the outer square, like the voice of the Ruler of all. ^10:6And when he gave orders to the man clothed in linen, saying, Take fire from between the wheels, from between the winged ones, then he went in and took his place at the side of a wheel. ^10:7And stretching out his hand to the fire which was between the winged ones, he took some of it and went out. ^10:8And I saw the form of a man's hands among the winged ones under their wings. ^10:9And looking, I saw four wheels by the side of the winged ones, one wheel by the side of a winged one and another wheel by the side of another: and the wheels were like the colour of a beryl stone to the eye. ^10:10In form the four of them were all the same, they seemed like a wheel inside a wheel. ^10:11When they were moving, they went on their four sides without turning; they went after the head in the direction in which it was looking; they went without turning. ^10:12And the edges of the four wheels were full of eyes round about. ^10:13As for the wheels, they were named in my hearing, the circling wheels. ^10:14And every one had four faces: the first face was the face of a winged one, and the second was the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. ^10:15And the winged ones went up on high: this is the living being which I saw by the river Chebar. ^10:16And when the winged ones went, the wheels went by their side: and when their wings were lifted to take them up from the earth, the wheels were not turned from their side. ^10:17When they were at rest in their place, these were at rest; when they were lifted up, these went up with them: for the spirit of life was in them. ^10:18Then the glory of the Lord went out from the doorstep of the house, and came to rest over the winged ones. ^10:19And the winged ones, lifting up their wings, went up from the earth before my eyes, with the wheels by their side: and they came to rest at the east doorway of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them on high. ^10:20This is the living being which I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and it was clear to me that they were the winged ones. ^10:21Every one had four faces and every one had four wings; and hands like a man's hands were under their wings. ^10:22As for the form of their faces, they were the faces whose form I saw by the river Chebar; when they went, every one of them went straight forward.

^11:1And the wind, lifting me up, took me to the east doorway of the Lord's house, looking to the east: and at the door I saw twenty-five men; and among them I saw Jaazaniah, the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah, rulers of the people. ^11:2Then he said to me, Son of man, these are the men who are designing evil, who are teaching evil ways in this town: ^11:3Who say, This is not the time for building houses: this town is the cooking-pot and we are the flesh. ^11:4For this cause be a prophet against them, be a prophet, O son of man. ^11:5And the spirit of the Lord came on me, and he said to me, Say, These are the words of the Lord: This is what you have said, O children of Israel; what comes into your mind is clear to me. ^11:6You have made great the number of your dead in this town, you have made its streets full of dead men. ^11:7For this reason the Lord has said: Your dead whom you have put down in its streets, they are the flesh, and this town is the cooking-pot: but I will make you come out from inside it. ^11:8You have been fearing the sword, and I will send the sword on you, says the Lord. ^11:9I will make you come out from inside the town and will give you up into the hands of men from other lands, and will be judge among you. ^11:10You will come to your death by the sword; and I will be your judge in the land of Israel; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^11:11This town will not be your cooking-pot, and you will not be the flesh inside it; I will be your judge at the limit of the land of Israel; ^11:12And you will be certain that I am the Lord: for you have not been guided by my rules or given effect to my orders, but you have been living by the orders of the nations round about you. ^11:13Now while I was saying these things, death came to Pelatiah, the son of Benaiah. Then falling down on my face and crying out with a loud voice, I said, Ah, Lord! will you put an end to all the rest of Israel? ^11:14And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^11:15Son of man, your countrymen, your relations, and all the children of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the people of Jerusalem have said, Go far from the Lord; this land is given to us for a heritage: ^11:16For this reason say, This is what the Lord has said: Though I have had them moved far off among the nations, and though I have sent them wandering among the countries, still I have been a safe place for them for a little time in the countries where they have come. ^11:17Then say, This is what the Lord has said: I will get you together from the peoples, and make you come out of the countries where you have been sent in flight, and I will give you the land of Israel. ^11:18And they will come there, and take away all the hated and disgusting things from it. ^11:19And I will give them a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in them; and I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh: ^11:20So that they may be guided by my rules and keep my orders and do them: and they will be to me a people, and I will be to them a God. ^11:21But as for those whose heart goes after their hated and disgusting things, I will send on their heads the punishment of their ways, says the Lord. ^11:22Then the wings of the winged ones were lifted up, and the wheels were by their side; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them on high. ^11:23And the glory of the Lord went up from inside the town, and came to rest on the mountain on the east side of the town. ^11:24And the wind, lifting me up, took me in the visions of God into Chaldaea, to those who had been taken away as prisoners. So the vision which I had seen went away from me. ^11:25Then I gave an account to those who had been taken prisoners of all the things which the Lord had made me see.

^12:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^12:2Son of man, you are living among an uncontrolled people, who have eyes to see but see not, and ears for hearing but they do not give ear; for they are an uncontrolled people. ^12:3And you, O son of man, by day, before their eyes, get ready the vessels of one who is taken away, and go away from your place to another place before their eyes: it may be that they will see, though they are an uncontrolled people. ^12:4By day, before their eyes, take out your vessels like those of one who is taken away: and go out in the evening before their eyes, like those who are taken away as prisoners. ^12:5Make a hole in the wall, before their eyes, and go out through it. ^12:6And before their eyes, take your goods on your back and go out in the dark; go with your face covered: for I have made you a sign to the children of Israel. ^12:7And I did as I was ordered: I took out my vessels by day, like those of one who is taken away, and in the evening I made a hole through the wall with a tent-pin; and in the dark I went out, taking my things on my back before their eyes. ^12:8And in the morning the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^12:9Son of man, has not Israel, the uncontrolled people, said to you, What are you doing? ^12:10You are to say to them, This is what the Lord has said: This word has to do with the ruler in Jerusalem and all the children of Israel in it. ^12:11Say, I am your sign: as I have done, so will it be done to them: they will go away as prisoners. ^12:12And the ruler who is among them will take his goods on his back in the dark and go out: he will make a hole in the wall through which to go out: he will have his face covered so that he may not be seen. ^12:13And my net will be stretched out on him, and he will be taken in my cords: and I will take him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldaeans; but he will not see it, and there death will come to him. ^12:14And all his helpers round about him and all his armies I will send in flight to every wind; and I will let loose a sword after them. ^12:15And they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I send them in flight among the nations, driving them out through the countries. ^12:16But a small number of them I will keep from the sword, from the need of food, and from disease, so that they may make clear all their disgusting ways among the nations where they come; and they will be certain that I am the Lord. ^12:17Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^12:18Son of man, take your food with shaking fear, and your water with trouble and care; ^12:19And say to the people of the land, This is what the Lord has said about the people of Jerusalem and the land of Israel: They will take their food with care and their drink with wonder, so that all the wealth of their land may be taken from it because of the violent ways of the people living in it. ^12:20And the peopled towns will be made waste, and the land will become a wonder; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^12:21And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^12:22Son of man, what is this saying which you have about the land of Israel, The time is long and every vision comes to nothing? ^12:23For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: I have made this saying come to an end, and it will no longer be used as a common saying in Israel; but say to them, The days are near, and the effect of every vision. ^12:24For there will be no more false visions or smooth use of secret arts in Israel. ^12:25For I am the Lord; I will say the word and what I say I will do; it will not be put off: for in your days, O uncontrolled people, I will say the word and do it, says the Lord. ^12:26Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^12:27Son of man, see, the children of Israel say, The vision which he sees is for the days which are a long way off, and his words are of times still far away. ^12:28Say to them then, This is what the Lord has said: Not one of my words will be put off any longer, but what I say I will do, says the Lord.

^13:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^13:2Son of man, be a prophet against the prophets of Israel, and say to those prophets whose words are the invention of their hearts, Give ear to the word of the Lord; ^13:3This is what the Lord has said: A curse on the foolish prophets who go after the spirit which is in them and have seen nothing! ^13:4O Israel, your prophets have been like jackals in the waste places. ^13:5You have not gone up into the broken places or made up the wall for the children of Israel to take your place in the fight in the day of the Lord. ^13:6They have seen visions without substance and made use of secret arts, who say, The Lord has said; and the Lord has not sent them: hoping that the word would have effect. ^13:7Have you not seen a vision without substance and have you not falsely made use of secret arts, when you say, The Lord has said; though I have said nothing? ^13:8So this is what the Lord has said: Because your words are without substance and your visions are false, see, I am against you, says the Lord. ^13:9And my hand will be against the prophets who see visions without substance and who make false use of secret arts: they will not be in the secret of my people, and they will not be recorded in the list of the children of Israel, and they will not come into the land of Israel; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord. ^13:10Because, even because they have been guiding my people into error, saying, Peace; when there is no peace; and in the building of a division wall they put whitewash on it: ^13:11Say to those who put whitewash on it, There will be an overflowing shower; and you, O ice-drops, will come raining down; and it will be broken in two by the storm-wind. ^13:12And when the wall has come down, will they not say to you, Where is the whitewash which you put on it? ^13:13For this reason, the Lord has said: I will have it broken in two by a storm-wind in my passion; and there will be an overflowing shower in my wrath, and you, O ice-drops, will come raining angrily down. ^13:14So I will let the wall, which you were covering with whitewash, be broken down; I will have it levelled to the earth so that its base is uncovered: it will come down, and destruction will come on you with it; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord. ^13:15So I will let loose my passion on the wall in full measure, and on those who put whitewash on it; and I will say to you, Where is the wall, and where are those who put whitewash on it? ^13:16Even the prophets of Israel who say words to Jerusalem, who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace, says the Lord. ^13:17And you, son of man, let your face be turned against the daughters of your people, who are acting the part of prophets at their pleasure; be a prophet against them, and say, ^13:18This is what the Lord has said: A curse is on the women who are stitching bands on all arms and putting veils on the heads of those of every size, so that they may go after souls! Will you go after the souls of my people and keep yourselves safe from death? ^13:19And you have put me to shame among my people for a little barley and some bits of bread, sending death on souls for whom there is no cause of death, and keeping those souls living who have no right to life, by the false words you say to my people who give ear to what is false. ^13:20For this cause the Lord has said: See, I am against your bands with which you go after souls, and I will violently take them off their arms; and I will let loose the souls, even the souls whom you go after freely. ^13:21And I will have your veils violently parted in two, and will make my people free from your hands, and they will no longer be in your power for you to go after them; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^13:22Because with your false words you have given pain to the heart of the upright man when I had not made him sad; in order to make strong the hands of the evil-doer so that he may not be turned from his evil way and get life: ^13:23For this cause you will see no more foolish visions or make false use of secret arts: and I will make my people free from your power; and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

^14:1Then certain of the responsible men of Israel came to me and took their seats before me. ^14:2And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^14:3Son of man, these men have taken their false gods into their hearts and put before their faces the sin which is the cause of their fall: am I to give ear when they come to me for directions? ^14:4For this cause say to them, These are the words of the Lord: Every man of Israel who has taken his false god into his heart, and put before his face the sin which is the cause of his fall, and comes to the prophet; I the Lord will give him an answer by myself in agreement with the number of his false gods; ^14:5So as to take the children of Israel in the thoughts of their hearts, because they have become strange to me through their false gods. ^14:6For this cause say to the children of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: Come back and give up your false gods and let your faces be turned from your disgusting things. ^14:7When any one of the men of Israel, or of those from other lands who are living in Israel, who has become strange to me, and takes his false gods into his heart, and puts before his face the sin which is the cause of his fall, comes to the prophet to get directions from me; I the Lord will give him an answer by myself: ^14:8And my face will be turned against that man, and I will make him a sign and a common saying, cutting him off from among my people; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^14:9And if the prophet, tricked by deceit, says anything, it is I the Lord by whom he has been tricked, and I will put out my hand against him, and he will be cut off from among my people Israel. ^14:10And the punishment of their sin will be on them: the sin of the prophet will be the same as the sin of him who goes to him for directions; ^14:11So that the children of Israel may no longer go wandering away from me, or make themselves unclean with all their wrongdoing; but they will be my people, and I will be their God, says the Lord. ^14:12And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^14:13Son of man, when a land, sinning against me, does wrong, and my hand is stretched out against it, and the support of its bread is broken, and I make it short of food, cutting off man and beast from it: ^14:14Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord. ^14:15Or if I send evil beasts through the land causing destruction and making it waste, so that no man may go through because of the beasts: ^14:16Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves, and the land would be made waste. ^14:17Or if I send a sword against that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, cutting off from it man and beast: ^14:18Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves. ^14:19Or if I send disease into that land, letting loose my wrath on it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast: ^14:20Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep son or daughter safe; only themselves would they keep safe through their righteousness. ^14:21For this is what the Lord has said: How much more when I send my four bitter punishments on Jerusalem, the sword and need of food and evil beasts and disease, cutting off from it man and beast? ^14:22But truly, there will still be a small band who will be safe, even sons and daughters: and they will come out to you, and you will see their ways and their doings: and you will be comforted about the evil which I have sent on Jerusalem, even about everything I have sent on it. ^14:23They will give you comfort when you see their ways and their doings: and you will be certain that not for nothing have I done all the things I have done in it, says the Lord.

^15:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^15:2Son of man, what is the vine-tree more than any branching tree which is among the trees of the woods? ^15:3Will its wood be used for any work? do men make of it a pin for hanging any vessel on? ^15:4See, it is put into the fire for burning: the fire has made a meal of its two ends and the middle part of it is burned; is it good for any work? ^15:5Truly, before it was cut down, it was not used for any purpose: how much less, when the fire has made a meal of it and it is burned, will it be made into anything? ^15:6For this cause the Lord has said: Like the vine-tree among the trees of the woods which I have given to the fire for burning, so will I give the people of Jerusalem. ^15:7And my face will be turned against them; and though they have come out of the fire they will be burned up by it; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord when my face is turned against them. ^15:8And I will make the land a waste because they have done evil, says the Lord.

^16:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^16:2Son of man, make clear to Jerusalem her disgusting ways, ^16:3And say, This is what the Lord has said to Jerusalem: Your start and your birth was from the land of the Canaanite; an Amorite was your father and your mother was a Hittite. ^16:4As for your birth, on the day of your birth your cord was not cut and you were not washed in water to make you clean; you were not salted or folded in linen bands. ^16:5No eye had pity on you to do any of these things to you or to be kind to you; but you were put out into the open country, because your life was hated at the time of your birth. ^16:6And when I went past you and saw you stretched out in your blood, I said to you, Though you are stretched out in your blood, have life; ^16:7And be increased in number like the buds of the field; and you were increased and became great, and you came to the time of love: your breasts were formed and your hair was long; but you were uncovered and without clothing. ^16:8Now when I went past you, looking at you, I saw that your time was the time of love; and I put my skirts over you, covering your unclothed body: and I gave you my oath and made an agreement with you, says the Lord, and you became mine. ^16:9Then I had you washed with water, washing away all your blood and rubbing you with oil. ^16:10And I had you clothed with needlework, and put leather shoes on your feet, folding fair linen about you and covering you with silk. ^16:11And I made you fair with ornaments and put jewels on your hands and a chain on your neck. ^16:12And I put a ring in your nose and ear-rings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. ^16:13So you were made beautiful with gold and silver; and your clothing was of the best linen and silk and needlework; your food was the best meal and honey and oil: and you were very beautiful. ^16:14You were so beautiful that the story of you went out into all nations; you were completely beautiful because of my glory which I had put on you, says the Lord. ^16:15But you put your faith in the fact that you were beautiful, acting like a loose woman because you were widely talked of, and offering your cheap love to everyone who went by, whoever it might be. ^16:16And you took your robes and made high places for yourself ornamented with every colour, acting like a loose woman on them, without shame or fear. ^16:17And you took the fair jewels, my silver and gold which I had given to you, and made for yourself male images, acting like a loose woman with them; ^16:18And you took your robes of needlework for their clothing, and put my oil and my perfume before them. ^16:19And my bread which I gave you, the best meal and oil and honey which I gave you for your food, you put it before them for a sweet smell, says the Lord. ^16:20And you took your sons and your daughters whom I had by you, offering even these to them to be their food. Was your loose behaviour so small a thing, ^16:21That you put my children to death and gave them up to go through the fire to them? ^16:22And in all your disgusting and false behaviour you had no memory of your early days, when you were uncovered and without clothing, stretched out in your blood. ^16:23And it came about, after all your evil-doing, says the Lord, ^16:24That you made for yourself an arched room in every open place. ^16:25You put up your high places at the top of every street, and made the grace of your form a disgusting thing, opening your feet to everyone who went by, increasing your loose ways. ^16:26And you went with the Egyptians, your neighbours, great of flesh; increasing your loose ways, moving me to wrath. ^16:27Now, then, my hand is stretched out against you, cutting down your fixed amount, and I have given you up to the desire of your haters, the daughters of the Philistines who are shamed by your loose ways. ^16:28And you went with the Assyrians, because of your desire which was without measure; you were acting like a loose woman with them, and still you had not enough. ^16:29And you went on in your loose ways, even as far as the land of Chaldaea, and still you had not enough. ^16:30How feeble is your heart, says the Lord, seeing that you do all these things, the work of a loose and overruling woman; ^16:31For you have made your arched room at the top of every street, and your high place in every open place; though you were not like a loose woman in getting together your payment. ^16:32The untrue wife who takes strange lovers in place of her husband! ^16:33They give payment to all loose women: but you give rewards to your lovers, offering them payment so that they may come to you on every side for your cheap love. ^16:34And in your loose behaviour you are different from other women, for no one goes after you to make love to you: and because you give payment and no payment is given to you, in this you are different from them. ^16:35For this cause, O loose woman, give ear to the voice of the Lord: ^16:36This is what the Lord has said: Because your unclean behaviour was let loose and your body uncovered in your loose ways with your lovers and with your disgusting images, and for the blood of your children which you gave to them; ^16:37For this cause I will get together all your lovers with whom you have taken your pleasure, and all those to whom you have given your love, with all those who were hated by you; I will even make them come together against you on every side, and I will have you uncovered before them so that they may see your shame. ^16:38And you will be judged by me as women are judged who have been untrue to their husbands and have taken life; and I will let loose against you passion and bitter feeling. ^16:39I will give you into their hands, and your arched room will be overturned and your high places broken down; they will take your clothing off you and take away your fair jewels: and when they have done, you will be uncovered and shamed. ^16:40And they will get together a meeting against you, stoning you with stones and wounding you with their swords. ^16:41And they will have you burned with fire, sending punishments on you before the eyes of great numbers of women; and I will put an end to your loose ways, and you will no longer give payment. ^16:42And the heat of my wrath against you will have an end, and my bitter feeling will be turned away from you, and I will be quiet and will be angry no longer. ^16:43Because you have not kept in mind the days when you were young, but have been troubling me with all these things; for this reason I will make the punishment of your ways come on your head, says the Lord, because you have done this evil thing in addition to all your disgusting acts. ^16:44See, in every common saying about you it will be said, As the mother is, so is her daughter. ^16:45You are the daughter of your mother whose soul is turned in disgust from her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters who were turned in disgust from their husbands and their children: your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. ^16:46Your older sister is Samaria, living at your left hand, she and her daughters: and your younger sister, living at your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters. ^16:47Still you have not gone in their ways or done the disgusting things which they have done; but, as if that was only a little thing, you have gone deeper in evil than they in all your ways. ^16:48By my life, says the Lord, Sodom your sister never did, she or her daughters, what you and your daughters have done. ^16:49Truly, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: pride, a full measure of food, and the comforts of wealth in peace, were seen in her and her daughters, and she gave no help to the poor or to those in need. ^16:50They were full of pride and did what was disgusting to me: and so I took them away as you have seen. ^16:51And Samaria has not done half your sins; but you have made the number of your disgusting acts greater than theirs, making your sisters seem more upright than you by all the disgusting things which you have done. ^16:52And you yourself will be put to shame, in that you have given the decision for your sisters; through your sins, which are more disgusting than theirs, they are more upright than you: truly, you will be shamed and made low, for you have made your sisters seem upright. ^16:53And I will let their fate be changed, the fate of Sodom and her daughters, and the fate of Samaria and her daughters, and your fate with theirs. ^16:54So that you will be shamed and made low because of all you have done, when I have mercy on you. ^16:55And your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, will go back to their first condition, and Samaria and her daughters will go back to their first condition, and you and your daughters will go back to your first condition. ^16:56Was not your sister Sodom an oath in your mouth in the day of your pride, ^16:57Before your shame was uncovered? Now you have become like her a word of shame to the daughters of Edom and all who are round about you, the daughters of the Philistines who put shame on you round about. ^16:58The reward of your evil designs and your disgusting ways has come on you, says the Lord. ^16:59For this is what the Lord has said: I will do to you as you have done, you who, putting the oath on one side, have let the agreement be broken. ^16:60But still I will keep in mind the agreement made with you in the days when you were young, and I will make with you an eternal agreement. ^16:61Then at the memory of your ways you will be overcome with shame, when I take your sisters, the older and the younger, and give them to you for daughters, but not by your agreement. ^16:62And I will make my agreement with you; and you will be certain that I am the Lord: ^16:63So that, at the memory of these things, you may be at a loss, never opening your mouth because of your shame; when you have my forgiveness for all you have done, says the Lord.

^17:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^17:2Son of man, give out a dark saying, and make a comparison for the children of Israel, ^17:3And say, This is what the Lord has said: A great eagle with great wings, full of long feathers of different colours, came to Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: ^17:4Biting off the highest of its young branches, he took it to the land of Canaan, and put it in a town of traders. ^17:5And he took some of the seed of the land, planting it in fertile earth, placing it by great waters; he put it in like a willow-tree. ^17:6And its growth went on and it became a vine, low and widely stretching, whose branches were turned to him and its roots were under him: so it became a vine, putting out branches and young leaves. ^17:7And there was another eagle with great wings and thick feathers: and now this vine, pushing out its roots to him, sent out its branches in his direction from the bed where it was planted, so that he might give it water. ^17:8He had it planted in a good field by great waters so that it might put out branches and have fruit and be a strong vine. ^17:9Say, This is what the Lord has said: Will it do well? will he not have its roots pulled up and its branches cut off, so that all its young leaves may become dry and it may be pulled up by its roots? ^17:10And if it is planted will it do well? will it not become quite dry at the touch of the east wind, drying up in the bed where it was planted? ^17:11Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^17:12Say now to this uncontrolled people, Are these things not clear to you? Say to them, See, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and took its king and its rulers away with him to Babylon; ^17:13And he took one of the sons of the king and made an agreement with him; and he put him under an oath, and took away the great men of the land: ^17:14So that the kingdom might be made low with no power of lifting itself up, but might keep his agreement to be his servants. ^17:15But he went against his authority in sending representatives to Egypt to get from them horses and a great army. Will he do well? will he be safe who does such things? if the agreement is broken will he be safe? ^17:16By my life, says the Lord, truly in the place of the king who made him king, whose oath he put on one side and let his agreement with him be broken, even in Babylon he will come to his death. ^17:17And Pharaoh with his strong army and great forces will be no help to him in the war, when they put up earthworks and make strong walls for the cutting off of lives: ^17:18For he put his oath on one side in letting the agreement be broken; and though he had given his hand to it, he did all these things; he will not get away safe. ^17:19And so the Lord has said, By my life, truly, for my oath which he put on one side, and my agreement which has been broken, I will send punishment on his head. ^17:20My net will be stretched out over him, and he will be taken in my cords, and I will send him to Babylon, and there I will be his judge for the wrong which he has done against me. ^17:21All his best fighting-men will be put to the sword, and the rest will be sent away to every wind: and you will be certain that I the Lord have said it. ^17:22This is what the Lord has said: Further, I will take the highest top of the cedar and put it in the earth; cutting off from the highest of his young branches a soft one, I will have it planted on a high and great mountain; ^17:23It will be planted on the high mountain of Israel: it will put out branches and have fruit and be a fair cedar: under it all birds of every sort will make their living-place, resting in the shade of its branches. ^17:24And it will be clear to all the trees of the field that I the Lord have made low the high tree and made high the low tree, drying up the green tree and making the dry tree full of growth; I the Lord have said it and have done it.

^18:1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ^18:2Why do you make use of this saying about the land of Israel, The fathers have been tasting bitter grapes and the children's teeth are on edge? ^18:3By my life, says the Lord, you will no longer have this saying in Israel. ^18:4See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul. ^18:5But if a man is upright, living rightly and doing righteousness, ^18:6And has not taken flesh with the blood for food, or given worship to the images of the children of Israel; if he has not had connection with his neighbour's wife, or come near to a woman at the time when she is unclean; ^18:7And has done no wrong to any, but has given back to the debtor what is his, and has taken no one's goods by force, and has given food to him who was in need of it, and clothing to him who was without it; ^18:8And has not given his money out at interest or taken great profits, and, turning his hand from evil-doing, has kept faith between man and man, ^18:9And has been guided by my rules and has kept my laws and done them: he is upright, life will certainly be his, says the Lord. ^18:10If he has a son who is a thief, a taker of life, who does any of these things, ^18:11Who has taken flesh with the blood as food, and has had connection with his neighbour's wife, ^18:12Has done wrong to the poor and to him who is in need, and taken property by force, and has not given back to one in his debt what is his, and has given worship to images and has done disgusting things, ^18:13And has given out his money at interest and taken great profits: he will certainly not go on living: he has done all these disgusting things: death will certainly be his fate; his blood will be on him. ^18:14Now if he has a son who sees all his father's sins which he has done, and in fear does not do the same: ^18:15Who has not taken the flesh with the blood for food, or given worship to the images of the children of Israel, and has not had connection with his neighbour's wife, ^18:16Or done wrong to any, or taken anything from one in his debt, or taken goods by force, but has given food to him who was in need of it, and clothing to him who was without it; ^18:17Who has kept his hand from evil-doing and has not taken interest or great profits, who has done my orders and been guided by my rules: he will certainly not be put to death for the evil-doing of his father; life will certainly be his. ^18:18As for his father, because he was cruel, took goods by force, and did what is not good among his people, truly, death will overtake him in his evil-doing. ^18:19But you say, Why does not the son undergo punishment for the evil-doing of the father? When the son has done what is ordered and right, and has kept my rules and done them, life will certainly be his. ^18:20The soul which does sin will be put to death: the son will not be made responsible for the evil-doing of the father, or the father for the evil-doing of the son; the righteousness of the upright will be on himself, and the evil-doing of the evil-doer on himself. ^18:21But if the evil-doer, turning away from all the sins which he has done, keeps my rules and does what is ordered and right, life will certainly be his; death will not be his fate. ^18:22Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in memory against him: in the righteousness which he has done he will have life. ^18:23Have I any pleasure in the death of the evil-doer? says the Lord: am I not pleased if he is turned from his way so that he may have life? ^18:24But when the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, like all the disgusting things which the evil man does, will he have life? Not one of his upright acts will be kept in memory: in the wrong which he has done and in his sin death will overtake him. ^18:25But you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Give ear, now, O children of Israel; is my way not equal? are not your ways unequal? ^18:26When the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, death will overtake him; in the evil which he has done death will overtake him. ^18:27Again, when the evil-doer, turning away from the evil he has done, does what is ordered and right, he will have life for his soul. ^18:28Because he had fear and was turned away from all the wrong which he had done, life will certainly be his, death will not be his fate. ^18:29But still the children of Israel say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O children of Israel, are my ways not equal? are not your ways unequal? ^18:30For this cause I will be your judge, O children of Israel, judging every man by his ways, says the Lord. Come back and be turned from all your sins; so that they may not be the cause of your falling into evil. ^18:31Put away all your evil-doing in which you have done sin; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: why are you desiring death, O children of Israel? ^18:32For I have no pleasure in the death of him on whom death comes, says the Lord: be turned back then, and have life.

^19:1Take up now a song of grief for the ruler of Israel, and say, ^19:2What was your mother? Like a she-lion among lions, stretched out among the young lions she gave food to her little ones. ^19:3And one of her little ones came to growth under her care, and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat. ^19:4And the nations had news of him; he was taken in the hole they had made: and, pulling him with hooks, they took him into the land of Egypt. ^19:5Now when she saw that her hope was made foolish and gone, she took another of her little ones and made him into a young lion. ^19:6And he went up and down among the lions and became a young lion, learning to go after beasts for his food; and he took men for his meat. ^19:7And he sent destruction on their widows and made waste their towns; and the land and everything in it became waste because of the loud sound of his voice. ^19:8Then the nations came against him from the kingdoms round about: their net was stretched over him and he was taken in the hole they had made. ^19:9They made him a prisoner with hooks, and took him to the king of Babylon; they put him in the strong place so that his voice might be sounding no longer on the mountains of Israel. ^19:10Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters. ^19:11And she had a strong rod for a rod of authority for the rulers, and it became tall among the clouds and it was seen lifted up among the number of its branches. ^19:12But she was uprooted in burning wrath, and made low on the earth; the east wind came, drying her up, and her branches were broken off; her strong rod became dry, the fire made a meal of it. ^19:13And now she is planted in the waste land, in a dry and unwatered country. ^19:14And fire has gone out from her rod, causing the destruction of her branches, so that there is no strong rod in her to be the ruler's rod of authority. This is a song of grief, and it was for a song of grief.

^20:1Now it came about in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the responsible men of Israel came to get directions from the Lord and were seated before me. ^20:2Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^20:3Son of man, say to the responsible men of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: Have you come to get directions from me? By my life, says the Lord, you will get no directions from me. ^20:4Will you be their judge, O son of man, will you be their judge? make clear to them the disgusting ways of their fathers, ^20:5And say to them, This is what the Lord has said: In the day when I took Israel for myself, when I made an oath to the seed of the family of Jacob, and I gave them knowledge of myself in the land of Egypt, saying to them with an oath, I am the Lord your God; ^20:6In that day I gave my oath to take them out of the land of Egypt into a land which I had been searching out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands: ^20:7And I said to them, Let every man among you put away the disgusting things to which his eyes are turned, and do not make yourselves unclean with the images of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. ^20:8But they would not be controlled by me, and did not give ear to me; they did not put away the disgusting things to which their eyes were turned, or give up the images of Egypt: then I said I would let loose my passion on them to give full effect to my wrath against them in the land of Egypt. ^20:9And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean before the eyes of the nations among whom they were, and before whose eyes I gave them knowledge of myself, by taking them out of the land of Egypt. ^20:10So I made them go out of the land of Egypt and took them into the waste land. ^20:11And I gave them my rules and made clear to them my orders, which, if a man keeps them, will be life to him. ^20:12And further, I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, so that it might be clear that I, who make them holy, am the Lord. ^20:13But the children of Israel would not be controlled by me in the waste land: they were not guided by my rules, and they were turned away from my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said that I would let loose my passion on them in the waste land, and put an end to them. ^20:14And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out. ^20:15And further, I gave my oath to them in the waste land, that I would not take them into the land which I had given them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands; ^20:16Because they were turned away from my orders, and were not guided by my rules, and had no respect for my Sabbaths: for their hearts went after their images. ^20:17But still my eye had pity on them and I kept them from destruction and did not put an end to them completely in the waste land. ^20:18And I said to their children in the waste land, Do not be guided by the rules of your fathers or keep their orders or make yourselves unclean with their images: ^20:19I am the Lord your God; be guided by my rules and keep my orders and do them: ^20:20And keep my Sabbaths holy; and they will be a sign between me and you so that it may be clear to you that I am the Lord your God. ^20:21But the children would not be controlled by me; they were not guided by my rules, and they did not keep and do my orders, which, if a man does them, will be life to him; and they had no respect for my Sabbaths: then I said I would let loose my passion on them to give full effect to my wrath against them in the waste land. ^20:22And I was acting for the honour of my name, so that it might not be made unclean in the eyes of the nations, before whose eyes I had taken them out. ^20:23Further, I gave my oath to them in the waste land that I would send them wandering among the nations, driving them out among the countries; ^20:24Because they had not done my orders, but had been turned away from my rules, and had not given respect to my Sabbaths, and their eyes were turned to the images of their fathers. ^20:25And further, I gave them rules which were not good and orders in which there was no life for them; ^20:26I made them unclean in the offerings they gave, causing them to make every first child go through the fire, so that I might put an end to them. ^20:27For this cause, son of man, say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: In this your fathers have further put shame on my name by doing wrong against me. ^20:28For when I had taken them into the land which I made an oath to give to them, then they saw every high hill and every branching tree and made their offerings there, moving me to wrath by their offerings; and there the sweet smell of their offerings went up and their drink offerings were drained out. ^20:29Then I said to them, What is this high place where you go to no purpose? And it is named Bamah to this day. ^20:30For this cause say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: Are you making yourselves unclean as your fathers did? are you being untrue to me by going after their disgusting works? ^20:31And when you give your offerings, causing your sons to go through the fire, you make yourselves unclean with all your images to this day; and will you come to me for directions, O children of Israel? By my life, says the Lord, you will get no direction from me. ^20:32And that which comes into your minds will never take place; when you say, We will be like the nations, like the families of the countries, servants of wood and stone; ^20:33By my life, says the Lord, truly, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with burning wrath let loose, I will be King over you: ^20:34And I will take you out from the peoples and get you together out of the countries where you are wandering, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with burning wrath let loose: ^20:35And I will take you into the waste land of the peoples, and there I will take up the cause with you face to face. ^20:36As I took up the cause with your fathers in the waste land of the land of Egypt, so will I take up the cause with you says the Lord. ^20:37And I will make you go under the rod and will make you small in number: ^20:38Clearing out from among you all those who are uncontrolled and who are sinning against me; I will take them out of the land where they are living, but they will not come into the land of Israel: and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^20:39As for you, O children of Israel, the Lord has said: Let every man completely put away his images and give ear to me: and let my holy name no longer be shamed by your offerings and your images. ^20:40For in my holy mountain, in the high mountain of Israel, says the Lord, there all the children of Israel, all of them, will be my servants in the land; there I will take pleasure in them, and there I will be worshipped with your offerings and the first-fruits of the things you give, and with all your holy things. ^20:41I will take pleasure in you as in a sweet smell, when I take you out from the peoples and get you together from the countries where you have been sent in flight; and I will make myself holy in you before the eyes of the nations. ^20:42And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when I take you into the land of Israel, into the country which I made an oath to give to your fathers. ^20:43And there, at the memory of your ways and of all the things you did to make yourselves unclean, you will have bitter hate for yourselves because of all the evil things you have done. ^20:44And you will be certain that I am the Lord, when I take you in hand for the honour of my name, and not for your evil ways or your unclean doings, O children of Israel, says the Lord. ^20:45Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^20:46Son of man, let your face be turned to the south, let your words be dropped to the south, and be a prophet against the woodland of the South; ^20:47And say to the woodland of the South, Give ear to the words of the Lord: this is what the Lord has said: See, I will have a fire lighted in you, for the destruction of every green tree in you and every dry tree: the flaming flame will not be put out, and all faces from the south to the north will be burned by it. ^20:48And all flesh will see that I the Lord have had it lighted: it will not be put out. ^20:49Then I said, Ah, Lord! they say of me, Is he not a maker of stories?

^21:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^21:2Son of man, let your face be turned to Jerusalem, let your words be dropped in the direction of her holy place, and be a prophet against the land of Israel; ^21:3And say to the land of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, and I will take my sword out of its cover, cutting off from you the upright and the evil. ^21:4Because I am going to have the upright and the evil cut off from you, for this cause my sword will go out from its cover against all flesh from the south to the north: ^21:5And all flesh will see that I the Lord have taken my sword out of its cover: and it will never go back. ^21:6Make sounds of grief, son of man; with body bent and a bitter heart make sounds of grief before their eyes. ^21:7And when they say to you, Why are you making sounds of grief? then say, Because of the news, for it is coming: and every heart will become soft, and all hands will be feeble, and every spirit will be burning low, and all knees will be turned to water: see, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord. ^21:8And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^21:9Son of man, say as a prophet, These are the words of the Lord: Say, A sword, a sword which has been made sharp and polished: ^21:10It has been made sharp to give death; it is polished so that it may be like a thunder-flame: ... ^21:11And I have given it to the polisher so that it may be taken in the hand: he has made the sword sharp, he has had it polished, to put it into the hand of him who gives death. ^21:12Give loud cries and make sounds of grief, O son of man: for it has come on my people, it has come on all the rulers of Israel: fear of the sword has come on my people: for this cause give signs of grief. ^21:13... ^21:14So then, son of man, be a prophet, and put your hands together with a loud sound, and give two blows with the sword, and even three; it is the sword of those who are wounded, even the sword of the wounded; the great sword which goes round about them. ^21:15In order that hearts may become soft, and the number of those who are falling may be increased, I have sent death by the sword against all their doors: you are made like a flame, you are polished for death. ^21:16Be pointed to the right, to the left, wherever your edge is ordered. ^21:17And I will put my hands together with a loud sound, and I will let my wrath have rest: I the Lord have said it. ^21:18And the word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ^21:19And you, son of man, have two ways marked out, so that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; let the two of them come out of one land: and let there be a pillar at the top of the road: ^21:20Put a pillar at the top of the road for the sword to come to Rabbah in the land of the children of Ammon, and to Judah and to Jerusalem in the middle of her. ^21:21For the king of Babylon took his place at the parting of the ways, at the top of the two roads, to make use of secret arts: shaking the arrows this way and that, he put questions to the images of his gods, he took note of the inner parts of dead beasts. ^21:22At his right hand was the fate of Jerusalem, to give orders for destruction, to send up the war-cry, to put engines of war against the doors, lifting up earthworks, building walls. ^21:23And this answer given by secret arts will seem false to those who have given their oaths and have let them be broken: but he will keep the memory of evil-doing so that they may be taken. ^21:24For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have made your evil-doing come to mind by the uncovering of your wrongdoing, causing your sins to be seen in all your evil-doings; because you have come to mind, you will be taken in them. ^21:25And you, O evil one, wounded to death, O ruler of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the last punishment; ^21:26This is what the Lord has said: Take away the holy head-dress, take off the crown: this will not be again: let that which is low be lifted up, and that which is high be made low. ^21:27I will let it be overturned, overturned, overturned: this will not be again till he comes whose right it is; and I will give it to him. ^21:28And you, son of man, say as a prophet, This is what the Lord has said about the children of Ammon and about their shame: Say, A sword, even a sword let loose, polished for death, to make it shining so that it may be like a flame: ^21:29Your vision is to no purpose, your use of secret arts gives a false answer, to put it on the necks of evil-doers who are wounded to death, whose day has come, in the time of the last punishment. ^21:30Go back into your cover. In the place where you were made, in the land from which you were taken, I will be your judge. ^21:31And I will let loose my burning passion on you, breathing out on you the fire of my wrath: and I will give you up into the hands of men like beasts, trained to destruction. ^21:32You will be food for the fire; your blood will be drained out in the land; there will be no more memory of you: for I the Lord have said it.

^22:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^22:2And you, son of man, will you be a judge, will you be a judge of the town of blood? then make clear to her all her disgusting ways. ^22:3And you are to say, This is what the Lord has said: A town causing blood to be drained out in her streets so that her time may come, and making images in her to make her unclean! ^22:4You are responsible for the blood drained out by you, and you are unclean through the images which you have made; and you have made your day come near, and the time of your judging has come; for this cause I have made you a name of shame to the nations and a cause of laughing to all countries. ^22:5Those who are near and those who are far from you will make sport of you; your name is unclean, you are full of sounds of fear. ^22:6See, the rulers of Israel, every one in his family, have been causing death in you. ^22:7In you they have had no respect for father and mother; in you they have been cruel to the man from a strange land; in you they have done wrong to the child without a father and to the widow. ^22:8You have made little of my holy things, and have made my Sabbaths unclean. ^22:9In you there are men who say evil of others, causing death; in you they have taken the flesh with the blood for food; in your streets they have put evil designs into effect. ^22:10In you they have let the shame of their fathers be seen; in you they have done wrong to a woman at the time when she was unclean. ^22:11And in you one man has done what was disgusting with his neighbour's wife; and another has made his daughter-in-law unclean; and another has done wrong to his sister, his father's daughter. ^22:12In you they have taken rewards as the price of blood; you have taken interest and great profits, and you have taken away your neighbours' goods by force, and have not kept me in mind, says the Lord. ^22:13See, then, I have made my hands come together in wrath against your taking of goods by force and against the blood which has been flowing in you. ^22:14Will your heart be high or your hands strong in the days when I take you in hand? I the Lord have said it and will do it. ^22:15And I will send you in flight among the nations and wandering among the countries; and I will completely take away out of you everything which is unclean. ^22:16And you will be made low before the eyes of the nations; and it will be clear to you that I am the Lord. ^22:17And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^22:18Son of man, the children of Israel have become like the poorest sort of waste metal to me: they are all silver and brass and tin and iron and lead mixed with waste. ^22:19For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have all become waste metal, see, I will get you together inside Jerusalem. ^22:20As they put silver and brass and iron and lead and tin together inside the oven, heating up the fire on it to make it soft; so will I get you together in my wrath and in my passion, and, heating the fire with my breath, will make you soft. ^22:21Yes, I will take you, breathing on you the fire of my wrath, and you will become soft in it. ^22:22As silver becomes soft in the oven, so you will become soft in it; and you will be certain that I the Lord have let loose my passion on you. ^22:23And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^22:24Son of man, say to her, You are a land on which no rain or thunderstorm has come in the day of wrath. ^22:25Her rulers in her are like a loud-voiced lion violently taking his food; they have made a meal of souls; they have taken wealth and valued property; they have made great the number of widows in her. ^22:26Her priests have been acting violently against my law; they have made my holy things unclean: they have made no division between what is holy and what is common, and they have not made it clear that the unclean is different from the clean, and their eyes have been shut to my Sabbaths, and I am not honoured among them. ^22:27Her rulers in her are like wolves violently taking their food; putting men to death and causing the destruction of souls, so that they may get their profit. ^22:28And her prophets have been using whitewash, seeing foolish visions and making false use of secret arts, saying, This is what the Lord has said, when the Lord has said nothing. ^22:29The people of the land have been acting cruelly, taking men's goods by force; they have been hard on the poor and those in need, and have done wrong to the man from a strange land. ^22:30And I was looking for a man among them who would make up the wall and take his station in the broken place before me for the land, so that I might not send destruction on it: but there was no one. ^22:31And I let loose my passion on them, and have put an end to them in the fire of my wrath: I have made the punishment of their ways come on their heads, says the Lord.

^23:1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ^23:2Son of man, there were two women, daughters of one mother: ^23:3They were acting like loose women in Egypt; when they were young their behaviour was loose: there their breasts were crushed, even the points of their young breasts were crushed. ^23:4Their names were Oholah, the older, and Oholibah, her sister: and they became mine, and gave birth to sons and daughters. As for their names, Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem, Oholibah. ^23:5And Oholah was untrue to me when she was mine; she was full of desire for her lovers, even for the Assyrians, her neighbours, ^23:6Who were clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them young men to be desired, horsemen seated on horses. ^23:7And she gave her unclean love to them, all of them the noblest men of Assyria: and she made herself unclean with the images of all who were desired by her. ^23:8And she has not given up her loose ways from the time when she was in Egypt; for when she was young they were her lovers, and by them her young breasts were crushed, and they let loose on her their unclean desire. ^23:9For this cause I gave her up into the hands of her lovers, into the hands of the Assyrians on whom her desire was fixed. ^23:10By these her shame was uncovered: they took her sons and daughters and put her to death with the sword: and she became a cause of wonder to women; for they gave her the punishment which was right. ^23:11And her sister Oholibah saw this, but her desire was even more unmeasured, and her loose behaviour was worse than that of her sister. ^23:12She was full of desire for the Assyrians, captains and rulers, her neighbours, clothed in blue, horsemen going on horses, all of them young men to be desired. ^23:13And I saw that she had become unclean; the two of them went the same way. ^23:14And her loose behaviour became worse; for she saw men pictured on a wall, pictures of the Chaldaeans painted in bright red, ^23:15With bands round their bodies and with head-dresses hanging round their heads, all of them looking like rulers, like the Babylonians, the land of whose birth is Chaldaea. ^23:16And when she saw them she was full of desire for them, and sent servants to them in Chaldaea. ^23:17And the Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love, and made her unclean with their loose desire, and she became unclean with them, and her soul was turned from them. ^23:18So her loose behaviour was clearly seen and her shame uncovered: then my soul was turned from her as it had been turned from her sister. ^23:19But still she went on the more with her loose behaviour, keeping in mind the early days when she had been a loose woman in the land of Egypt. ^23:20And she was full of desire for her lovers, whose flesh is like the flesh of asses and whose seed is like the seed of horses. ^23:21And she made the memory of the loose ways of her early years come back to mind, when her young breasts were crushed by the Egyptians. ^23:22For this cause, O Oholibah, this is what the Lord has said: See, I will make your lovers come up against you, even those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust; and I will make them come up against you on every side; ^23:23The Babylonians and all the Chaldaeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them: young men to be desired, captains and rulers all of them, and chiefs, her neighbours, all of them on horseback. ^23:24And they will come against you from the north on horseback, with war-carriages and a great band of peoples; they will put themselves in order against you with breastplate and body-cover and metal head-dress round about you: and I will make them your judges, and they will give their decision against you as seems right to them. ^23:25And my bitter feeling will be working against you, and they will take you in hand with passion; they will take away your nose and your ears, and the rest of you will be put to the sword: they will take your sons and daughters, and the rest of you will be burned up in the fire. ^23:26And they will take all your clothing off you and take away your ornaments. ^23:27So I will put an end to your evil ways and your loose behaviour which came from the land of Egypt: and your eyes will never be lifted up to them again, and you will have no more memory of Egypt. ^23:28For this is what the Lord has said: See, I will give you up into the hands of those who are hated by you, into the hands of those from whom your soul is turned away in disgust: ^23:29And they will take you in hand with hate, and take away all the fruit of your work, and let you be unveiled and without clothing: and the shame of your loose behaviour will be uncovered, your evil designs and your loose ways. ^23:30They will do these things to you because you have been untrue to me, and have gone after the nations, and have become unclean with their images. ^23:31You have gone in the way of your sister; and I will give her cup into your hand. ^23:32This is what the Lord has said: You will take a drink from your sister's cup, which is deep and wide: you will be laughed at and looked down on, more than you are able to undergo. ^23:33You will be broken and full of sorrow, with the cup of wonder and destruction, with the cup of your sister Samaria. ^23:34And after drinking it and draining it out, you will take the last drops of it to the end, pulling off your breasts: for I have said it, says the Lord. ^23:35So this is what the Lord has said: Because you have not kept me in your memory, and because your back has been turned to me, you will even undergo the punishment of your evil designs and your loose ways. ^23:36Then the Lord said to me: Son of man, will you be the judge of Oholibah? then make clear to her the disgusting things she has done. ^23:37For she has been false to me, and blood is on her hands, and with her images she has been untrue; and more than this, she made her sons, whom she had by me, go through the fire to them to be burned up. ^23:38Further, this is what she has done to me: she has made my holy place unclean and has made my Sabbaths unclean. ^23:39For when she had made an offering of her children to her images, she came into my holy place to make it unclean; see, this is what she has done inside my house. ^23:40And she even sent for men to come from far away, to whom a servant was sent, and they came: for whom she was washing her body and painting her eyes and making herself fair with ornaments. ^23:41And she took her seat on a great bed, with a table put ready before it on which she put my perfume and my oil. ^23:42... and they put jewels on her hands and beautiful crowns on her head. ^23:43Then I said ... now she will go on with her loose ways. ^23:44And they went in to her, as men go to a loose woman: so they went in to Oholibah, the loose woman. ^23:45And upright men will be her judges, judging her as false wives and women who take lives are judged; because she has been untrue to me and blood is on her hands. ^23:46For this is what the Lord has said: I will make a great meeting of the people come together against her, and will send on her shaking fear and take everything from her. ^23:47And the meeting, after stoning her with stones, will put an end to her with their swords; they will put her sons and daughters to death and have her house burned up with fire. ^23:48And I will put an end to evil in all the land, teaching all women not to do as you have done. ^23:49And I will send on you the punishment of your evil ways, and you will be rewarded for your sins with your images: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

^24:1And the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, saying, ^24:2Son of man, put down in writing this very day: The king of Babylon let loose the weight of his attack against Jerusalem on this very day. ^24:3And make a comparison for this uncontrolled people, and say to them, This is what the Lord has said: Put on the cooking-pot, put it on the fire and put water in it: ^24:4And get the bits together, the fat tail, every good part, the leg and the top part of it: make it full of the best bones. ^24:5Take the best of the flock, put much wood under it: see that its bits are boiling well; let the bones be cooked inside it. ^24:6For this is what the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood, the cooking-pot which is unclean inside, which has never been made clean! take out its bits; its fate is still to come on it. ^24:7For her blood is in her; she has put it on the open rock not draining it on to the earth so that it might be covered with dust; ^24:8In order that it might make wrath come up to give punishment, she has put her blood on the open rock, so that it may not be covered. ^24:9For this cause the Lord has said: A curse is on the town of blood! and I will make great the burning mass. ^24:10Put on much wood, heating up the fire, boiling the flesh well, and making the soup thick, and let the bones be burned. ^24:11And I will put her on the coals so that she may be heated and her brass burned, so that what is unclean in her may become soft and her waste be completely taken away. ^24:12I have made myself tired to no purpose: still all the waste which is in her has not come out, it has an evil smell. ^24:13As for your unclean purpose: because I have been attempting to make you clean, but you have not been made clean from it, you will not be made clean till I have let loose my passion on you in full measure. ^24:14I the Lord have said the word and I will do it; I will not go back or have mercy, and my purpose will not be changed; in the measure of your ways and of your evil doings you will be judged, says the Lord. ^24:15And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^24:16Son of man, see, I am taking away the desire of your eyes by disease: but let there be no sorrow or weeping or drops running from your eyes. ^24:17Let there be no sound of sorrow; make no weeping for your dead, put on your head-dress and your shoes on your feet, let not your lips be covered, and do not take the food of those in grief. ^24:18So in the morning I was teaching the people and in the evening death took my wife; and in the morning I did what I had been ordered to do. ^24:19And the people said to me, Will you not make clear to us the sense of these things; is it for us you do them? ^24:20Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^24:21Say to the people of Israel, The Lord has said, See, I will make my holy place unclean, the pride of your strength, the pleasure of your eyes, and the desire of your soul; and your sons and daughters, who did not come with you here, will be put to the sword. ^24:22And you will do as I have done, not covering your lips or taking the food of those in grief. ^24:23And your head-dresses will be on your heads and your shoes on your feet: there will be no sorrow or weeping; but you will be wasting away in the punishment of your evil-doing, and you will be looking at one another in wonder. ^24:24And Ezekiel will be a sign to you; everything he has done you will do: when this takes place, you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^24:25And as for you, son of man, your mouth will be shut in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that on which their hearts are fixed, and their sons and daughters. ^24:26In that day, one who has got away safe will come to you to give you news of it. ^24:27In that day your mouth will be open to him who has got away safe, and you will say words to him and your lips will no longer be shut: so you will be a sign to them and they will be certain that I am the Lord.

^25:1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^25:2Son of man, let your face be turned to the children of Ammon, and be a prophet against them: ^25:3And say to the children of Ammon, Give ear to the word of the Lord; this is what the Lord has said: Because you said, Aha! against my holy place when it was made unclean, and against the land of Israel when it was made waste, and against the people of Judah when they were taken away as prisoners; ^25:4For this cause I will give you up to the children of the east for their heritage, and they will put their tent-circles in you and make their houses in you; they will take your fruit for their food and your milk for their drink. ^25:5And I will make Rabbah a place for housing camels, and the children of Ammon a resting-place for flocks: and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^25:6For the Lord has said, Because you have made sounds of joy with your hands, stamping your feet, and have been glad, putting shame with all your soul on the land of Israel; ^25:7For this cause my hand has been stretched out against you, and I will give up your goods to be taken by the nations; I will have you cut off from the peoples and will put an end to you among the countries: I will give you up to destruction; and you will be certain that I am the Lord. ^25:8This is what the Lord has said: Because Moab and Seir are saying, See, the people of Judah are like all the nations; ^25:9For this cause, I will let the side of Moab be uncovered, and his towns on every side, the glory of the land, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon and as far as Kiriathaim. ^25:10To the children of the east I have given her for a heritage, as well as the children of Ammon, so that there may be no memory of her among the nations: ^25:11And I will be the judge of Moab; and they will see that I am the Lord. ^25:12This is what the Lord has said: Because Edom has taken his payment from the people of Judah, and has done great wrong in taking payment from them; ^25:13The Lord has said, My hand will be stretched out against Edom, cutting off from it man and beast: and I will make it waste, from Teman even as far as Dedan they will be put to the sword. ^25:14I will take payment from Edom because of my people Israel; and I will take Edom in hand in my wrath and in my passion: and they will have experience of my reward, says the Lord. ^25:15This is what the Lord has said: Because the Philistines have taken payment, with the purpose of causing shame and destruction with unending hate; ^25:16The Lord has said, See, my hand will be stretched out against the Philistines, cutting off the Cherethites and sending destruction on the rest of the sea-land. ^25:17And I will take great payment from them with acts of wrath; and they will be certain that I am the Lord when I send my punishment on them.

^26:1Now in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^26:2Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem, Aha, she who was the doorway of the peoples is broken; she is turned over to them; she who was full is made waste; ^26:3For this cause the Lord has said, See, I am against you, O Tyre, and will send up a number of nations against you as the sea sends up its waves. ^26:4And they will give the walls of Tyre to destruction and have its towers broken: and I will take even her dust away from her, and make her an uncovered rock ^26:5She will be a place for the stretching out of nets in the middle of the sea; for I have said it, says the Lord: and her goods will be given over to the nations. ^26:6And her daughters in the open country will be put to the sword: and they will be certain that I am the Lord. ^26:7For this is what the Lord has said: See, I will send up from the north Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, king of kings, against Tyre, with horses and war-carriages and with an army and great numbers of people. ^26:8He will put to the sword your daughters in the open country: he will make strong walls against you and put up an earthwork against you, arming himself for war against you. ^26:9He will put up his engines of war against your walls, and your towers will be broken down by his axes. ^26:10Because of the number of his horses you will be covered with their dust: your walls will be shaking at the noise of the horsemen and of the wheels and of the war-carriages, when he comes through your doorways, as into a town which has been broken open. ^26:11Your streets will be stamped down by the feet of his horses: he will put your people to the sword, and will send down the pillars of your strength to the earth. ^26:12They will take by force all your wealth and go off with the goods with which you do trade: they will have your walls broken down and all the houses of your desire given up to destruction: they will put your stones and your wood and your dust deep in the water. ^26:13I will put an end to the noise of your songs, and the sound of your instruments of music will be gone for ever. ^26:14I will make you an uncovered rock: you will be a place for the stretching out of nets; there will be no building you up again: for I the Lord have said it, says the Lord. ^26:15This is what the Lord has said to Tyre: Will not the sea-lands be shaking at the sound of your fall, when the wounded give cries of pain, when men are put to the sword in you? ^26:16Then all the rulers of the sea will come down from their high seats, and put away their robes and take off their clothing of needlework: they will put on the clothing of grief, they will take their seats on the earth, shaking with fear every minute and overcome with wonder at you. ^26:17And they will send up a song of grief for you, and say to you, What destruction has come on you, how are you cut off from the sea, the noted town, which was strong in the sea, she and her people, causing the fear of them to come on all the dry land! ^26:18Now the sea-lands will be shaking in the day of your fall; and all the ships on the sea will be overcome with fear at your going. ^26:19For this is what the Lord has said: I will make you a waste town, like the towns which are unpeopled; when I make the deep come upon you, covering you with great waters. ^26:20Then I will make you go down with those who go down into the underworld, to the people of the past, causing your living-place to be in the deepest parts of the earth, in places long unpeopled, with those who go down into the deep, so that there will be no one living in you; and you will have no glory in the land of the living. ^26:21I will make you a thing of fear, and you will come to an end: even if you are looked for, you will not be seen again for ever, says the Lord.

^27:1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ^27:2And you, son of man, make a song of grief for Tyre; ^27:3And say to Tyre, O you who are seated at the doorway of the sea, trading for the peoples with the great sea-lands, these are the words of the Lord: You, O Tyre, have said, I am a ship completely beautiful. ^27:4Your builders have made your outlines in the heart of the seas, they have made you completely beautiful. ^27:5They have made all your boards of fir-trees from Senir: they have taken cedars from Lebanon to make the supports for your sails. ^27:6Of oak-trees from Bashan they have made your driving blades; they have made your floors of ivory and boxwood from the sea-lands of Kittim. ^27:7The best linen with needlework from Egypt was your sail, stretched out to be a flag for you; blue and purple from the sea-lands of Elishah gave you shade. ^27:8The people of Zidon and Arvad were your boatmen; the wise men of Zemer were in you; they were guiding your ships; ^27:9The responsible men of Gebal and its wise men were in you, making your boards watertight: all the ships of the sea with their seamen were in you trading in your goods. ^27:10Cush and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war, hanging up their body-covers and head-dresses of war in you: they gave you your glory. ^27:11The men of Arvad in your army were on your walls, and were watchmen in your towers, hanging up their arms on your walls round about; they made you completely beautiful. ^27:12Tarshish did business with you because of the great amount of your wealth; they gave silver, iron, tin, and lead for your goods. ^27:13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your traders; they gave living men and brass vessels for your goods. ^27:14The people of Togarmah gave horses and war-horses and transport beasts for your goods. ^27:15The men of Rodan were your traders: a great number of sea-lands did business with you: they gave you horns of ivory and ebony as an offering. ^27:16Edom did business with you because of the great number of things which you made; they gave emeralds, purple, and needlework, and the best linen and coral and rubies for your goods. ^27:17Judah and the land of Israel were your traders; they gave grain of Minnith and sweet cakes and honey and oil and perfume for your goods. ^27:18Damascus did business with you because of the great amount of your wealth, with wine of Helbon and white wool. ^27:19... for your goods: they gave polished iron and spices for your goods. ^27:20Dedan did trade with you in cloths for the backs of horses. ^27:21Arabia and all the rulers of Kedar did business with you; in lambs and sheep and goats, in these they did business with you. ^27:22The traders of Sheba and Raamah did trade with you; they gave the best of all sorts of spices and all sorts of stones of great price and gold for your goods. ^27:23Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traders of Asshur and all the Medes: ^27:24These were your traders in beautiful robes, in rolls of blue and needlework, and in chests of coloured cloth, corded with cords and made of cedar-wood, in them they did trade with you. ^27:25Tarshish ships did business for you in your goods: and you were made full, and great was your glory in the heart of the seas. ^27:26Your boatmen have taken you into great waters: you have been broken by the east wind in the heart of the seas. ^27:27Your wealth and your goods, the things in which you do trade, your seamen and those guiding your ships, those who make your boards watertight, and those who do business with your goods, and all your men of war who are in you, with all who have come together in you, will go down into the heart of the seas in the day of your downfall. ^27:28At the sound of the cry of your ships' guides, the boards of the ship will be shaking. ^27:29And all the boatmen, the seamen and those who are expert at guiding a ship through the sea, will come down from their ships and take their places on the land; ^27:30And their voices will be sounding over you, and crying bitterly they will put dust on their heads, rolling themselves in the dust: ^27:31And they will have the hair of their heads cut off because of you, and will put haircloth on their bodies, weeping for you with bitter grief in their souls, even with bitter sorrow. ^27:32And in their weeping they will make a song of grief for you, sorrowing over you and saying, Who is like Tyre, who has come to an end in the deep sea? ^27:33When your goods went out over the seas, you made numbers of peoples full; the wealth of the kings of the earth was increased with your great wealth and all your goods. ^27:34Now that you are broken by the seas in the deep waters, your goods and all your people will go down with you. ^27:35All the people of the sea-lands are overcome with wonder at you, and their kings are full of fear, their faces are troubled. ^27:36Those who do business among the peoples make sounds of surprise at you; you have become a thing of fear, you have come to an end for ever.

^28:1The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ^28:2Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, This is what the Lord has said: Because your heart has been lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I am seated on the seat of God in the heart of the seas; but you are man and not God, though you have made your heart as the heart of God: ^28:3See, you are wiser than Daniel; there is no secret which is deeper than your knowledge: ^28:4By your wisdom and deep knowledge you have got power for yourself, and put silver and gold in your store-houses: ^28:5By your great wisdom and by your trade your power is increased, and your heart is lifted up because of your power: ^28:6For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have made your heart as the heart of God, ^28:7See, I am sending against you strange men, feared among the nations: they will let loose their swords against your bright wisdom, they will make your glory a common thing. ^28:8They will send you down to the underworld, and your death will be the death of those who are put to the sword in the heart of the seas. ^28:9Will you say, in the face of those who are taking your life, I am God? but you are man and not God in the hands of those who are wounding you. ^28:10Your death will be the death of those who are without circumcision, by the hands of men from strange lands: for I have said it, says the Lord. ^28:11Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^28:12Son of man, make a song of grief for the king of Tyre, and say to him, This is what the Lord has said: You are all-wise and completely beautiful; ^28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every stone of great price was your clothing, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the emerald and the carbuncle: your store-houses were full of gold, and things of great price were in you; in the day when you were made they were got ready. ^28:14I gave you your place with the winged one; I put you on the mountain of God; you went up and down among the stones of fire. ^28:15There has been no evil in your ways from the day when you were made, till sin was seen in you. ^28:16Through all your trading you have become full of violent ways, and have done evil: so I sent you out shamed from the mountain of God; the winged one put an end to you from among the stones of fire. ^28:17Your heart was lifted up because you were beautiful, you made your wisdom evil through your sin: I have sent you down, even to the earth; I have made you low before kings, so that they may see you. ^28:18By all your sin, even by your evil trading, you have made your holy places unclean; so I will make a fire come out from you, it will make a meal of you, and I will make you as dust on the earth before the eyes of all who see you. ^28:19All who have knowledge of you among the peoples will be overcome with wonder at you: you have become a thing of fear, and you will never be seen again. ^28:20And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^28:21Son of man, let your face be turned to Zidon, and be a prophet against it, and say, ^28:22These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, O Zidon; and I will get glory for myself in you: and they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I send my punishments on her, and I will be seen to be holy in her. ^28:23And I will send on her disease and blood in her streets; and the wounded will be falling in the middle of her, and the sword will be against her on every side; and they will be certain that I am the Lord. ^28:24And there will no longer be a plant with sharp points wounding the children of Israel, or a thorn troubling them among any who are round about them, who put shame on them; and they will be certain that I am the Lord. ^28:25This is what the Lord has said: When I have got together the children of Israel from the peoples among whom they are wandering, and have been made holy among them before the eyes of the nations, then they will have rest in the land which is theirs, which I gave to my servant Jacob ^28:26And they will be safe there, building houses and planting vine-gardens and living without fear; when I have sent my punishments on all those who put shame on them round about them; and they will be certain that I am the Lord their God.