1Herren sagde til mig:2„Du menneske, døm Jerusalem, den morderiske by. Oprems folkenes synder.3Giv byen følgende budskab fra mig: Du har selv bragt straffen over dig ved at myrde uskyldige mennesker, og du har gjort dig uren ved at fremstille og dyrke afskyelige afgudsbilleder.4Du er skyldig, Jerusalem, og du er selv årsag til din ulykke. Nu er tiden inde til, at du får din straf. Jeg vil ramme dig så hårdt, at alle andre folkeslag vil se ned på dig.5Alle nationer, både nære og fjerne, skal håne dig for dit indre kaos og din afgudsdyrkelse.6Israels ledere misbruger deres magt til vold og mord.7Byens indbyggere er respektløse over for forældre, undertrykker de fremmede og mishandler enker og faderløse.8De ringeagter mine love og min helligdom, og de ignorerer mine sabbatsdage.9Folk arresteres og dømmes til døden på grundlag af sladder. Som en del af jeres afgudsdyrkelse holder I fester og begår al slags umoral rundt omkring på offerhøjene.10Nogle mænd har seksuelt samvær med deres mor eller stedmor, eller med en kvinde, som har menstruation.11Mange begår ægteskabsbrud, og nogle går i seng med en svigerdatter eller halvsøster.[1] (3.Mos 18,1)12Korruptionen florerer i byen. Der er lejemordere, sortbørshandlere, pengeafpressere og profitmagere overalt. Men mig er der ingen, der skænker en tanke, siger Herren.13Men jeg gør ende på den strøm af undertrykkelse og mord, du har på samvittigheden, Jerusalem.14Regnskabets time er kommet, og så vil det vise sig, om du stadig er lige kry og selvrådig. Jeg, Herren, har talt, og mit ord står ved magt.15Jeg spreder jer ud blandt fremmede folkeslag og sætter en stopper for al den uretfærdighed, I har begået.16I vil blive ydmyget for øjnene af hele verden, og derefter vil I erkende, at jeg er Herren.”17Herren sagde til mig:18„Du menneske, Israels folk burde være som det ædle sølv, men er nu blandet med uædle metaller, såsom kobber, tin, jern og bly.19-20Derfor skal du sige til dem fra mig af: Fordi I er blandet op med uædle metaller, vil jeg hælde jer i en smeltedigel i Jerusalem. Jeg vil smelte jer over min vredes ild.21-22Jeg vil puste til ilden med min vredes åndepust, så I smelter som sølv, der smeltes over en voldsom ild. Derefter vil I forstå, at jeg er Herren, og at det er mig, der i min vrede har taget jer under behandling.”23Herren sagde til mig:24„Du menneske, sig til Israels folk, at når jeg udøser min vrede over landet, er det, som når regnen udebliver.[2]25Landets regenter opfører sig som sultne løver på rov. De dræber uskyldige mennesker, røver andres ejendom og gør mange kvinder til enker.26Landets præster bryder mine love, gør mit tempel urent og skelner ikke mellem helligt og syndigt, rent og urent. De overholder ikke sabbatten, men vanærer mig på alle måder.27Landets politiske ledere er som ulve på rov, parate til at myrde for pengenes skyld.28Profeterne holder hånden over dem ved at opdigte syner og varsler. ‚Hør Herrens ord!’ siger de, men jeg har ikke talt til dem.29Hele landets befolkning er blevet uhæderlig og voldelig. De fattige og fremmede bliver undertrykt. Der er hverken lov eller ret i landet.30Jeg søgte iblandt dem efter en retskaffen person, som ville kunne opbygge et forsvar og gå i forbøn for landet, så det ikke skulle ødelægges, men jeg fandt ingen.31Derfor må jeg udøse min vrede over dem og straffe dem med tilintetgørelse. De rammes af følgerne af, hvad de har gjort, siger Herren.”
1And 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 declare to her all her abominations. (2.Kong 21,16; Ez 2,1; Ez 7,23; Ez 16,2; Ez 16,38; Ez 20,4; Ez 23,37; Ez 24,6)3You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! (Ez 21,25; Ez 21,29)4You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of[1] your years has come. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. (Ez 5,14; Ez 22,2; Ez 22,3)5Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult. (Es 1,21; Es 22,2)6“Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. (Ez 22,27)7Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. (2.Mos 20,12; 2.Mos 22,21; 5.Mos 27,16; Ef 6,2)8You have despised my holy things and profaned my Sabbaths. (Ez 20,13; Ez 22,26)9There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they commit lewdness in your midst. (3.Mos 19,16; 1.Sam 22,9; Ez 16,43; Ez 18,6)10In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. (3.Mos 18,7; 3.Mos 20,11)11One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father’s daughter. (3.Mos 18,9; 3.Mos 18,15; 3.Mos 18,20; 3.Mos 20,12; 3.Mos 20,17; Jer 5,8; Ez 18,6; Amos 2,7)12In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit[2] and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God. (5.Mos 27,25; Jer 2,32; Ez 18,8; Ez 23,35)13“Behold, I strike my hand at the dishonest gain that you have made, and at the blood that has been in your midst. (Ez 21,14; Ez 21,17; Ez 22,2; Ez 22,27)14Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. (Ez 17,24; Ez 21,7)15I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. (Ez 5,10; Ez 22,21; Ez 24,11)16And you shall be profaned by your own doing in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ez 5,8; Ez 6,7; Ez 7,24; Ez 22,26)17And the word of the Lord came to me: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 dross of silver. (Salm 119,119; Es 1,22; Es 1,25; Jer 6,28; Ez 2,1)19Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.20As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. (Jer 33,5; Ez 21,31; Mal 3,3)21I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it.22As silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have poured out my wrath upon you.” (Ez 7,8)23And the word of the Lord came to me:24“Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. (1.Kong 8,35; Ez 22,2; Ez 34,26)25The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. (Jer 11,9; Ez 19,3; Ez 22,27)26Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. (3.Mos 10,10; Jer 17,22; Jer 17,24; Jer 17,27; Ez 22,8; Ez 36,20; Zef 3,4; Mal 2,8)27Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. (Ez 22,6; Ez 22,13; Ez 22,25; Mika 3,1; Zef 3,3; Matt 7,15)28And 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. (Ez 13,6; Ez 13,10)29The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice. (Ez 22,7)30And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. (Es 59,16; Jer 5,1; Ez 13,5)31Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.” (Ez 7,4; Ez 22,21)