¹ 第九年十月初十日，耶和华的话又临到我说：

² 人子啊，今日正是巴比伦王就近耶路撒冷的日子，你要将这日记下，

³ 要向这悖逆之家设比喻说，主耶和华如此说：将锅放在火上，放好了，就倒水在其中；

⁴ 将肉块，就是一切肥美的肉块、腿，和肩都聚在其中，拿美好的骨头把锅装满；

⁵ 取羊群中最好的，将柴堆在锅下，使锅开滚，好把骨头煮在其中。

⁶ 主耶和华如此说：祸哉！这流人血的城，就是长锈的锅。其中的锈未曾除掉，须要将肉块从其中一一取出来，不必为他拈阄。

⁷ 城中所流的血倒在净光的磐石上，不倒在地上，用土掩盖。

⁸ 这城中所流的血倒在净光的磐石上，不得掩盖，乃是出於我，为要发忿怒施行报应。

⁹ 所以主耶和华如此说：祸哉！这流人血的城，我也必大堆火柴，

¹⁰ 添上木柴，使火着旺，将肉煮烂，把汤熬浓，使骨头烤焦；

¹¹ 把锅倒空坐在炭火上，使锅烧热，使铜烧红，镕化其中的污秽，除净其上的锈。

¹² 这锅劳碌疲乏，所长的大锈仍未除掉；这锈就是用火也不能除掉。

¹³ 在你污秽中有淫行，我洁净你，你却不洁净。你的污秽再不能洁净，直等我向你发的忿怒止息。

¹⁴ 我─耶和华说过的必定成就，必照话而行，必不返回，必不顾惜，也不後悔。人必照你的举动行为审判你。这是主耶和华说的。

¹⁵ 耶和华的话又临到我说：

¹⁶ 人子啊，我要将你眼目所喜爱的忽然取去，你却不可悲哀哭泣，也不可流泪，

¹⁷ 只可叹息，不可出声，不可办理丧事；头上仍勒裹头巾，脚上仍穿鞋，不可蒙着嘴唇，也不可吃吊丧的食物。

¹⁸ 於是我将这事早晨告诉百姓，晚上我的妻就死了。次日早晨我便遵命而行。

¹⁹ 百姓问我说：你这样行与我们有甚麽关系，你不告诉我们麽？

²⁰ 我回答他们：耶和华的话临到我说：

²¹ 你告诉以色列家，主耶和华如此说：我必使我的圣所，就是你们势力所夸耀、眼里所喜爱、心中所爱惜的被亵渎，并且你们所遗留的儿女必倒在刀下。

²² 那时，你们必行我仆人所行的，不蒙着嘴唇，也不吃吊丧的食物。

²³ 你们仍要头上勒裹头巾，脚上穿鞋；不可悲哀哭泣。你们必因自己的罪孽相对叹息，渐渐消灭。

²⁴ 以西结必这样为你们作预兆；凡他所行的，你们也必照样行。那事来到，你们就知道我是主耶和华。

²⁵ 人子啊，我除掉他们所倚靠、所欢喜的荣耀，并眼中所喜爱、心里所重看的儿女。

²⁶ 那日逃脱的人岂不来到你这里，使你耳闻这事麽？

²⁷ 你必向逃脱的人开口说话，不再哑口。你必这样为他们作预兆，他们就知道我是耶和华。

¹ They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

² Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

³ Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

⁴ Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

⁵ Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

⁶ The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

⁷ And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

⁸ And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

⁹ And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

¹⁰ And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

¹¹ And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

¹² Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.

¹³ Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

¹⁴ Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

¹⁵ And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶ And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

¹⁷ At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

¹⁸ In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

¹⁹ But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

²⁰ Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

²¹ A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.

²² Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

²³ Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

²⁴ For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

²⁵ We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.