耶路撒冷的罪惡
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要審判耶路撒冷這殺人流血的城。你要審判她，使她知道自己一切可憎的行為。 3你要向她宣告主耶和華的話，說，『唉，你這殺人流血、製造偶像玷污自己的城啊，你的末日到了。 4你既犯罪殺人、製造偶像玷污自己、自招審判，我要使你成為列國列邦侮辱和譏諷的對象。 5你這聲名狼藉、混亂不堪的城將要受到遠近各國的恥笑。
6「『看啊，在你城中的以色列首領各逞權勢，殺人流血。 7他們輕慢父母，壓迫寄居者，欺負孤兒寡婦。 8他們藐視我的聖物，褻瀆我的安息日。 9在你這城中，有人好誹謗、殺人流血，有人在山上吃祭物，有人淫亂， 10有人與繼母通姦，羞辱父親，有人姦污經期不潔的婦女， 11有人與鄰居的妻子幹出可憎之事，有人玷污自己的兒媳婦，有人姦污自己的同父姊妹。 12在你這城中，他們受賄殺人，放債取利，壓榨鄰居，早把我忘了。這是主耶和華說的。
13「『我見你謀財害命，就擊掌歎息。 14在我懲罰你的日子，你還有勇氣和力量嗎？我耶和華言出必行， 15我要把你驅散到列國，分散到列邦，我要除掉你的污穢。 16你必在列國面前受凌辱，你便知道我是耶和華。』」
17耶和華對我說： 18「人子啊，在我看來，以色列人已經變成了渣滓。他們是爐中的銅、錫、鐵、鉛，都是銀渣滓。 19所以主耶和華說，『你們既是渣滓，我要把你們聚集在耶路撒冷城。 20我要在烈怒中把你們聚集在城裡熔化，就像人把銀、銅、鐵、鉛、錫聚在高溫的爐中熔化一樣。 21我要聚集你們，把我的怒火倒在你們身上，熔化你們。 22你們要在城中熔化，就像銀在煉爐中熔化。你們就知道我耶和華已將我的烈怒傾倒在你們身上。』」
23耶和華對我說： 24「人子啊，你要對以色列說，『在我發怒的日子，將沒有雨水滋潤你這不潔之地。 25你的首領圖謀惡事，好像咆哮著撕碎獵物的獅子，他們草菅人命，搶奪財寶，使多人變成寡婦。 26你的祭司強解我的律法，褻瀆我的聖物。他們聖俗不分，也不教導人分辨潔淨的和污穢的。他們藐視我的安息日，褻瀆我。 27你的首領好像撕碎獵物的豺狼，殺人流血，謀取不義之財。 28你的先知對他們說虛假的異象和占卜，像用白灰刷牆一樣掩蓋他們的罪惡，說，耶和華這樣說，其實耶和華沒有說。 29你的居民強取豪奪，欺壓貧困的，虐待寄居的，無法無天。 30我想在他們中間尋找一位重修城牆的人，站在我面前為這地方堵住缺口，免得我毀滅這裡。可是，我一個也找不到。 31因此，我要向他們傾倒我的烈怒，用怒火滅盡他們，照他們的所作所為報應他們。這是主耶和華說的。』」
Judgment on Jerusalem’s sins
1The word of the Lord came to me:
2‘Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices 3and say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: you city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 4you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughing-stock to all the countries. 5Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.
6‘ “See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. 7In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and ill-treated the fatherless and the widow. 8You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. 9In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. 10In you are those who dishonour their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11In you one man commits a detestable offence with his neighbour’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. 12In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbours. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
13‘ “I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. 14Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. 15I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. 16When you have been defiled22:16 Or When I have allotted you your inheritance in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.” ’
17Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18‘Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. 19Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. 21I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you.” ’
23Again the word of the Lord came to me: 24‘Son of man, say to the land, “You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.” 25There is a conspiracy of her princes22:25 Septuagint; Hebrew prophets within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says” – when the Lord has not spoken. 29The people of the land practise extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and ill-treat the foreigner, denying them justice.
30‘I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found no-one. 31So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.’
