¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge¹, wilt thou judge the bloody city²? yea, thou shalt³ shew her⁴ all her abominations.

Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD, The city sheddeth⁵ blood in the midst of it, that her⁶ time may come, and maketh⁷ idols against herself to defile herself.

Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou⁸ hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast⁹ caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years: therefore have I¹⁰ made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.

Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed¹¹.

Behold, the princes¹² of Israel, every one were in thee to their power¹³ to shed blood.

In thee have they set¹⁴ light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt¹⁵ by oppression¹⁶ with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

¹⁷Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

In thee are men that carry tales¹⁸ to shed blood: and in thee they eat¹⁹ upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit²⁰ lewdness.

¶ In thee have they discovered²¹ their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled²² her that was set apart for pollution.

And one²³ hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another²⁴ hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister²⁵, his father's daughter.

In thee have they taken gifts²⁶ to shed blood; thou hast²⁷ taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily²⁸ gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast²⁹ forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.

Behold, therefore I have³⁰ smitten mine hand at thy dishonest³¹ gain which thou hast made, and at³² thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee.

Can thine heart³³ endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the³⁴ LORD have spoken it, and will do it.

And I will scatter³⁵ thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume³⁶ thy filthiness out of thee.

And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself³⁷ in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know³⁸ that I am the LORD.

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Son of man, the house³⁹ of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass⁴⁰, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst⁴¹ of the furnace; they are even the dross⁴² of silver.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will⁴³ gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

¶ As they gather⁴⁴ silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine⁴⁵ anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

Yea, I will gather you, and blow⁴⁶ upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye⁴⁷ shall be melted in the midst thereof.

As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know⁴⁸ that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.

¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

⁴⁹Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

There is a conspiracy⁵⁰ of her prophets in the midst thereof, like⁵¹ a roaring lion ravening⁵² the prey; they have devoured⁵³ souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

Her priests⁵⁴ have violated⁵⁵ my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no⁵⁶ difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their⁵⁷ eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned⁵⁸ among them.

Her princes⁵⁹ in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get⁶⁰ dishonest gain.

And her prophets⁶¹ have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing⁶² vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord⁶³ GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.

The people⁶⁴ of the land have used oppression⁶⁵, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully⁶⁶.

¶ And I sought⁶⁷ for a man among them, that should make⁶⁸ up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Therefore have I poured⁶⁹ out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own⁷⁰ way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.