The Sins of Jerusalem

221 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 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 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 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 e I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all the lands . 5 "Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you, you of ill repute , full of turmoil . 6 "Behold , the rulers of Israel , each according to his power , have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood . 7 "They have treated father and mother lightly within you. The alien they have oppressed e in your midst ; the fatherless and the widow they have wronged in you. 8 "You have despised My holy things and profaned My sabbaths . 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 . 10 "In you they have uncovered their fathers' nakedness ; in you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity . 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 . 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 "Behold , then, I smite My hand at your dishonest gain which you have acquired and at the bloodshed which is among you. 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 . 15 "I will scatter you among the nations and I will disperse you through the lands , and I will consume your uncleanness from you. 16 "You will profane yourself in the sight of the nations , and you will know that I am the Lord .""'

17 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 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 . 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 . 20 'As 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. 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. 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.' "

23 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying , 24 "Son of man , say to her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation .' 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. 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. 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 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 . 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 . 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. 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 .