Blood and Injustice
22 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 2 “You, son of man, will you judge? Will you judge the bloody city? So explain to her all her abominations. 3 Say, thus says Adonai Elohim: ‘City that spills blood in her midst and makes idols for herself that defile—her time has come! 4 You have become guilty in your blood that you have spilled, and are defiled by your idols that you have made. So you have brought your days near, and have come up to your years. Therefore I have made you a disgrace to the nations and a mockery to all the lands. 5 Those near and far from you will mock you—with a defiled name and full of turmoil.’
6 “Behold, each prince of Israel has used his own arm’s strength in you to shed blood. 7 Father and mother have been treated with contempt; the outsider has been oppressed in your midst; the orphan and the widow have been mistreated in you. 8 You have despised My holy things and profaned My Shabbatot. 9 Slanderous men are in you in order to shed blood. They have eaten at the mountain shrines; they commit immoral acts in your midst. 10 They have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness in you; they violate women that are in niddah within you. 11 One has been detestable with his neighbor’s wife; another has wickedly defiled his daughter-in-law; yet another has violated his sister, his father’s daughter, in you. 12 They accept bribes in order to shed blood in you; you have taken usurious interest. You have greedily gained by oppressing your neighbors, and you have forgotten Me.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
13 “Now look, I clap My hands at your dishonest gain that you have made and at your bloodshed in your midst. 14 Will your heart’s courage stand or your hands be strong in the days when I deal with you? I, Adonai, have spoken it and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you throughout the lands. I will purge your uncleanness from you. 16 You will be defiled in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am Adonai.”
17 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 18 “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me—all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace—they are the dross of silver.” 19 Therefore, thus says Adonai Elohim: “Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver, copper, iron, lead and tin into the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury. I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow the fire of My wrath upon you, so you may be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the furnace, so will you be melted within it. So you will know that I Adonai have poured out My fury on you.”
23 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 24 “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation.’ 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing prey. They have devoured lives, they take wealth and valuables, they multiply widows in her midst. 26 Her kohanim have done violence to My Torah and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, nor have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean. They shut their eyes to My Shabbatot. So I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing at prey, spilling blood and destroying lives for dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets have plastered them with whitewash, seeing false visions and predicting lies to them, saying ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim,’ when Adonai has not spoken.
No One in the Breach
29 “The people of the land have oppressively blackmailed, plundered in robbery, wronged the poor and needy and abused the outsider unjustly. 30 I searched for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My fury on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; I have brought their own way upon their heads.” It is a declaration of Adonai.