The Babylonian Exile

The choice of the flock to take, And also to pile of the bones under it, Boil it thoroughly, yea, cook its bones in its midst.

Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the city of blood, A pot whose scum is in it, And its scum hath not come out of it, By piece of it, by piece of it bring it out, Not fallen on it hath a lot.

For her blood in her midst hath been, On a clear place of a rock she hath set it, She hath not poured it on the earth, To cover it over with dust.

To cause fury to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on a clear place of a rock--not to be covered.

Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Woe to the city of blood, yea, I--I make great the pile.

Make abundant the wood, Kindle the fire, consume the flesh, And make the compound, And let the bones be burnt.

And cause it to stand on its coals empty, So that its brass is hot and burning, Melted hath been in its midst its uncleanness, Consumed is its scum.

With sorrows she hath wearied herself, And the abundance of her scum goeth not out of her, In the fire is her scum.

In thine uncleanness is wickedness, Because I have cleansed thee, And thou hast not been cleansed, From thine uncleanness thou art not cleansed again, Till I have caused My fury to rest on thee.

I, Jehovah, hath spoken, It hath come, and I have done it , I do not free, nor do I spare, nor do I repent, According to thy ways, and according to thine acts, they have judged thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

`Son of man, lo, I am taking from thee the desire of thine eyes by a stroke, and thou dost not mourn, nor weep, nor let thy tear come.

Cease to groan, for the dead thou dost make no mourning, thy bonnet bind on thee, and thy shoes thou dost put on thy feet, and thou dost not cover over the upper lip, and bread of men thou dost not eat.'

And I speak unto the people in the morning, and my wife dieth in the evening, and I do in the morning as I have been commanded.

And the people say unto me, `Dost thou not declare to us what these are to us, that thou art doing?'

And I say unto them, `A word of Jehovah hath been unto me, saying:

Say to the house of Israel: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am polluting My sanctuary, The excellency of your strength, The desire of your eyes, and the pitied of your soul, And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left, by sword they do fall.

And ye have done as I have done, On the upper lip ye are not covered, And bread of men ye do not eat.

And your bonnets are on your heads, And your shoes are on your feet, Ye do not mourn nor do ye weep, And ye have wasted away for your iniquities, And ye have howled one unto another.

And Ezekiel hath been to you for a type, According to all that he hath done ye do; In its coming in--ye have known that I am the Lord Jehovah.

And thou, son of man, Is it not in the day of My taking from them their strength, The joy of their beauty, the desire of their eyes, And the song of their soul, Their sons and their daughters?

In that day come doth the escaped one to thee. To cause the ears to hear.

In that day opened is thy mouth with the escaped, And thou speakest, and art not silent any more, And thou hast been to them for a type. And they have known that I am Jehovah.'

And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

`Son of man, set thy face unto the sons of Ammon, and prophesy against them;