Ezekiel 24:15-27

The Death of Ezekiel's Wife

¹⁵ God's Message came to me: ¹⁶ "Son of man, I'm about to take from you the delight of your life - a real blow, I know. But, please, no tears. ¹⁷ Keep your grief to yourself. No public mourning. Get dressed as usual and go about your work - none of the usual funeral rituals." ¹⁸ I preached to the people in the morning. That evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I'd been told. ¹⁹ The people came to me, saying, "Tell us why you're acting like this. What does it mean, anyway?" ²⁰ So I told them, "God's Word came to me, saying, ²¹ 'Tell the family of Israel, This is what God, the Master, says: I will desecrate my Sanctuary, your proud impregnable fort, the delight of your life, your heart's desire. The children you left behind will be killed. ²² "'Then you'll do exactly as I've done. You'll perform none of the usual funeral rituals. ²³ You'll get dressed as usual and go about your work. No tears. But your sins will eat away at you from within and you'll groan among yourselves. ²⁴ Ezekiel will be your example. The way he did it is the way you'll do it. "'When this happens you'll recognize that I am God, the Master.''' ²⁵ "And you, son of man: The day I take away the people's refuge, their great joy, the delight of their life, what they've most longed for, along with all their children ²⁶ - on that very day a survivor will arrive and tell you what happened to the city. ²⁷ You'll break your silence and start talking again, talking to the survivor. Again, you'll be an example for them. And they'll recognize that I am God."