International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1This message came to me from the LORD:

1Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2"Now, Son of Man, will you truly judge that blood-stained city? Then make her aware of all of her detestable practices.

2"And you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Then cause her to know all her abominations.

3"You are to say, 'This is what the Lord GOD says: "The city keeps on shedding blood within her, hastening her time to be judged. She crafts idols that defile her.

3"You shall say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "A city shedding blood in her midst, so that her time will come, and that makes idols, contrary to her interest, for defilement!

4"'"You're guilty because of the blood that you've shed. You were defiled by the idols that you've made. You've caused your judgment day to draw near and have even come to the end of your life. Therefore, I've made you an object of derision among the nations and to other lands.

4"You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and defiled by your idols which you have made. Thus you have brought your day near and have come to your years; therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands.

5Those who are both near and far away from you will scoff at you, because your reputation will be infamous and full of turmoil.

5"Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you of ill repute, full of turmoil.

6"'"Watch out! Each of the princes of Israel has misused his authority to shed blood.

6"Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood.

7They've treated mothers and fathers among you with contempt. They've oppressed the foreigner among you. They've maltreated the orphan and the widow among you.

7"They have treated father and mother lightly within you. The alien they have oppressed in your midst; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you.

8"'"You have despised my sacred things and profaned my Sabbaths.

8"You have despised My holy things and profaned My sabbaths.

9Slanderous men live among you, intent on shedding blood. They've eaten at the top of mountain shrines. They've crafted plans to do evil things among you.

9"Slanderous men have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood, and in you they have eaten at the mountain shrines. In your midst they have committed acts of lewdness.

10They've revealed the nakedness of their father in your midst. They've humiliated those among you who were unclean due to their impurity.

10"In you they have uncovered their fathers' nakedness; in you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity.

11One of you commits detestable practices with his neighbor's wife. Another sexually defiles his daughter-in-law. Another humiliates his sister, his own father's daughter.

11"One has committed abomination with his neighbor's wife and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. And another in you has humbled his sister, his father's daughter.

12They take bribes among you to shed blood. You've taken usury and exacted interest. You've gained control over your neighbor through extortion. And you've forgotten me," declares the Lord GOD.

12"In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me," declares the Lord GOD.

13"Watch out! I'm vehemently angry about the unjust gains that you've earned, and about the blood that has been shed among you.

13"Behold, then, I smite My hand at your dishonest gain which you have acquired and at the bloodshed which is among you.

14Can your heart stand up to this? Can your hands remain strong when I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will fulfill this.

14"Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken and will act.

15I'm going to disperse you among the nations and scatter you to other lands. I'm going to put an end to your uncleanness.

15"I will scatter you among the nations and I will disperse you through the lands, and I will consume your uncleanness from you.

16When you've been defiled in the sight of the nations, then you'll know that I am the LORD."'"

16"You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you will know that I am the LORD."'"

17This message came to me from the LORD:

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

18"Son of Man, Israel has become like dross to me. All of them are like remnants of bronze, tin, iron, and lead in a furnace—the dross left over from smelting silver.

18"Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver.

19Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says, 'Because all of you have become dross, watch out! I'm going to gather all of you at the center of Jerusalem,

19"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because all of you have become dross, therefore, behold, I am going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

20just like a smelter gathers all the silver, bronze, lead, and tin to the center of a furnace and injects fire in order to melt it, I'm going to gather you in my anger and rage, make you settle down—and then I'm going to melt you down.

20As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the furnace to blow fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My wrath and I will lay you there and melt you.

21Indeed, I'm going to gather you together and exhale the fire of my fury, and then you'll be melted from the inside out

21'I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it.

22like melting silver at the center of a furnace. When you've been melted from the center out, then you'll know that I am the LORD. I'll pour out my anger on you.'"

22'As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.'"

23This message came to me from the LORD:

23And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

24"Son of Man, tell her, 'You're a land that hasn't been purified, one that hasn't been rained on in the day of indignation.

24"Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.'

25There's a conspiracy of prophets within her, and like a roaring lion tearing its prey, they've devoured people, and confiscated treasures, and taken precious things. They've added to the population of widows within her.

25"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her.

26Her priests have violated my Law and profaned my sacred things. They didn't differentiate between what's sacred and what's common. They didn't instruct others to discern clean from unclean things. They refused to keep my Sabbaths. "'I'm constantly being profaned among them.

26"Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

27Her princes within her are like wolves tearing their prey apart. They shed blood, destroying souls, and make unjust gain.

27"Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain.

28"'Her prophets whitewashed all of these things through false visions and lying divinations. They kept on saying, "This is what the Lord GOD says…", when the LORD has not spoken.

28"Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken.

29The people of the land were vigorously oppressive and took possession of plunder by violence. They've afflicted the poor and the needy and unjustly treated the foreigner.

29"The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice.

30I sought for a man among them to build the wall and stand in the breach in my presence on behalf of the land so that it won't be destroyed, but I found no one,

30"I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

31so I poured my indignation over them. With my fierce anger, I've consumed them. I brought the consequences of their behavior upon them,' declares the Lord GOD."

31"Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads," declares the Lord GOD.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org