Ezekiel Chapter 22

Israel’s Sins

     22^:1A message from the LORD came to me:

² “Son of man, are you willing to judge the bloody city? Then tell it about its abominations. ³ Say, ‘The Lord GOD says,

                  “A city that sheds blood in it,

                  a city whose time will come,

                  a city that makes idols to defile itself!

            ^4-5 You’ve become guilty by shedding blood

                           and defiled by making idols.

            You’ve brought your appointed time near,

                  you infamous one full of turmoil;

            I’ve made you a disgrace to nations near and far,

                  something to ridicule.      

Ezek 22:1-5

⁶ “Every ruler in Israel is intent on shedding blood, each according to his power. ⁷ They treat parents with contempt, oppress foreigners, wrong the fatherless and widows. ⁸ They despise my holy things and profane my Sabbaths. ⁹ Slanderous men accuse falsely to get the death penalty, eat at the mountain shrine, commit lewd acts. ¹⁰ They uncover their father’s nakedness and rape women that are in their period. ¹¹ One commit detestable acts with his neighbor’s wife, another defiles his daughter-in-law, another rapes his sister. ¹² You do murder for hire, charge interest, oppress other people for gain, and forget me.”

¹³ “I slap my hand at your bloodshed and crooked gain. ¹⁴ Will you have the courage and strength to deal with me when I do what I’ve said? ¹⁵ I’ll scatter you across the nations and burn off your uncleanness. ¹⁶ You’ll profane yourself in the sight of the nations. You’ll know I’m the LORD.”’”                                                   Ezek 22:6-16               

      ¹⁷ A message from the LORD came to me:

¹⁸ “Son of man, Israel is slag to me. Its people are bronze and tin, iron, lead, and silver from a furnace. ¹⁹ So the Lord GOD says, ‘Because you’re slag, I’m going to gather you to Jerusalem. ²⁰ Like they gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin and melt it down in a furnace, I’ll melt you down there ²¹ with fire from my anger. [ ²² ]’”                                       

Ezek 22:17-22

The Sins of Israel’s Leaders

²³ A message from the LORD came to me:

²⁴ “Son of man, say, ‘You’re a polluted land that won’t get any rain to wash it off all during the time of my indignation.’ ²⁵ There‘s a conspiracy among your prophets. Like a roaring lion mauling its prey, you devour lives. You steal treasure and precious things and make many widows.

²⁶ Israel’s priests violate my Law and profane my holy things. They don’t distinguish holy from profane or teach the difference between clean and unclean. They don’t observe my Sabbaths, and they dishonor me among themselves. ²⁷ Israel’s leaders are like wolves tearing apart prey. They shed blood and destroy lives to get gain. ²⁸ Its prophets smear whitewash for them, see false visions, tell lying fortunes for them, and say, ‘The Lord GOD says,’ when I haven’t said. ²⁹ They oppress and rob the people, wrong the poor and needy, and mistreat temporary residents with injustice.

³⁰ “I looked for someone to build the wall around it and stand in the gap for Israel so I wouldn’t destroy it, but I didn’t find anybody. ³¹ So I’ve poured out my indignation on them. I’ve burned them up with the fire from my anger and brought the consequences of their ways on their heads.”                                                                

Ezek 22:23-31