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Ezekiel 22

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Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

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Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself.

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

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

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Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.

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In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

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

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In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.

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In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

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And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour’s wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.

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In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God.

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

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

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

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And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

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And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

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

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As they gather 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 mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.

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

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

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And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

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

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There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.

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Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

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

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And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.

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The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

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

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

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Ezekiel 22

God catalogs Jerusalem's sins in comprehensive detail: bloodshed, idolatry, sexual violations, economic injustice, and abuse of widows and orphans, establishing that the city has become a vessel of uncleanness and corruption requiring destruction. This chapter's legal indictment form lists violations across social, religious, and moral dimensions, emphasizing systemic corruption affecting all levels. The image of the city as a furnace in which people are melted emphasizes judgment's comprehensive, inescapable character. God's statement that He searched for an intercessor but found none establishes that the corruption is so complete that even righteous voices are absent. The oracles against the priests, prophets, and leaders establish that religious authorities have failed to maintain standards or guide the community toward righteousness. The comparison to dross—worthless material—reiterates earlier condemnations suggesting the people have forfeited their value. This chapter's comprehensive moral inventory connects to wisdom literature traditions while establishing that violation extends across all domains. The absence of an intercessor (contrast with Abraham in Genesis 18) suggests that the community has exhausted its moral reserves. The emphasis on being scattered among nations and having one's shame exposed establishes that exile includes social humiliation and dispersal. This chapter completes the judgment section (chapters 4-24) by establishing that comprehensive judgment is necessitated by comprehensive corruption affecting all social, religious, and moral dimensions.

Ezekiel 22:18

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem as men gather silver and copper and iron and lead and tin into a furnace. God's gathering of Jerusalem into itself becomes the furnace where judgment occurs. The gathering concentrates destruction in the center of the city.

Ezekiel 22:1

The word of God comes to Ezekiel asking: Will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Declare to her all her abominations, directing the prophet to catalog Jerusalem's comprehensive wickedness. The city is identified first by its violence—the shedding of blood—establishing murder as the archetypal sin. The prophet's double obligation to judge establishes the severity of required indictment.

Ezekiel 22:2

Say: Thus says the Lord God: O city that sheds blood in the midst of her, so that her time has come, and that makes idols to defile herself! Jerusalem's bloodshed occurs openly in the city itself, suggesting systemic violence woven into the social fabric. The simultaneous idolatry establishes that religious apostasy and social violence are intertwined.

Ezekiel 22:3

You have become guilty by the blood which you have shed, and defiled by the idols which you have made; you have brought your days near and reached the end of your years. The city's guilt for bloodshed and defilement has shortened its existence; the end approaches inevitably. The connection between sin and temporal judgment establishes that moral transgression carries historical consequences.

Ezekiel 22:4

Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the countries around you, because your wickedness is apparent and your shame is evident. Jerusalem's judgment transforms it into an object of international scorn and derision. The visibility of sin and shame establishes that Jerusalem's fall will demonstrate to all nations the reality of divine judgment upon unfaithfulness.

Ezekiel 22:5

Those near and those far from you will mock you; your name is infamous and you are full of tumult, indicating that Jerusalem's destruction broadcasts across the world as a cautionary example. The city's notoriety extends geographically and temporally. The tumult and disorder characterizing the city establish its dissolution.

Ezekiel 22:6

The catalog of sins begins: Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. The rulers themselves bear primary responsibility for systemic bloodshed, establishing that leadership corruption manifests in violence. The princes' use of their power for violence establishes abuse of authority as a fundamental sin.

Ezekiel 22:7

Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you. The violation of filial duty and the oppression of the vulnerable establish comprehensive breakdown of relational and social ethics. The specific mention of sojourners, orphans, and widows identifies the most defenseless populations. The concentration on protecting the vulnerable establishes a core covenant obligation.

Ezekiel 22:8

You have despised My holy things and profaned My Sabbaths, establishing that cultic unfaithfulness accompanies social injustice. The violation of Sabbath continues the pattern established earlier of covenant sign-violation. The despising of holy things indicates contempt for God's sanctuary and sacred practices.

Ezekiel 22:9

Slanderous men in you act to shed blood; they eat upon the mountains and commit lewdness in your midst. The men of violence combine physical murder with idolatrous mountain-worship and sexual immorality. The comprehensive nature of sin extends across relational, cultic, and sexual dimensions.

Ezekiel 22:10

In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they humble women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. The violation of sexual boundaries, including incest and the violation of menstrual law, establishes comprehensive sexual transgression. The desecration of family relationships through incest represents ultimate relational violation.

Ezekiel 22:11

One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you humbles his sister, his father's daughter. The catalog of sexual crimes intensifies, encompassing adultery, incest across multiple family relationships, and violation of family members. The concentration on sexual transgression establishes pervasive defilement.

Ezekiel 22:12

In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit, and make gain of your neighbors by extortion, but you have forgotten Me, declares the Lord God. Judicial corruption through bribery ensures that murderers escape justice. Economic exploitation through usury and extortion establishes systemic injustice. The connection between all these sins and forgetting God establishes that idolatry and social sin are inseparable.

Ezekiel 22:13

Behold, therefore, I clap My hands at the dishonest gain which you have made, and at the blood which has been shed in the midst of you. God's hand-clapping signifies judgment, affirming the necessity and appropriateness of coming destruction. The focus on dishonest gain and bloodshed establishes these as the summary of Jerusalem's wickedness.

Ezekiel 22:14

Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I am dealing with you? I the Lord have spoken. The rhetorical questions establish the impossibility of human resistance to God's judgment. The assertion of divine speech guarantees the certainty of coming judgment. Neither courage nor strength can withstand God's action.

Ezekiel 22:15

I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and I will consume your uncleanness out of you. The judgment of dispersion cleanses the land of Israel by removing the unclean inhabitants. Scattering becomes the purification process. The removal of uncleanness from the land parallels the removal of unclean people.

Ezekiel 22:16

You shall be profaned in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the Lord. Jerusalem's profanation before all nations demonstrates God's sovereignty and power. The knowledge of God emerges from the experience of judgment. The nations become witnesses to God's judgment through Israel's fall.

Ezekiel 22:17

The word of God comes to Ezekiel saying: 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 the dross of silver. The metaphor shifts to metallurgical imagery, with Jerusalem compared to waste material in a smelting furnace. The people have become valueless dross, no longer functioning as precious metal. The furnace represents the refining process that separates valuable from worthless material.

Ezekiel 22:19

I will blow upon you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be smelted in the midst of it; as silver is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it; and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out My wrath upon you. The smelting represents the intense heat of divine judgment consuming the city. The melting of silver in the furnace parallels Jerusalem's dissolution. The knowledge of God's wrath comes through the experience of judgment.

Ezekiel 22:20

I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it as silver is melted in a furnace. The repetition emphasizes the certainty and intensity of judgment. The multiple reiterations establish the definiteness of the smelting judgment.

Ezekiel 22:21

As silver is melted in a furnace and as copper is melted in a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of my wrath in the midst of Jerusalem. The multiplied comparisons establish multiple dimensions of the judgment. The concentration of judgment heat in Jerusalem emphasizes the centrality of the city to divine judgment.

Ezekiel 22:22

I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of My wrath, and the sword shall devour you; you shall be smelted in the midst of Jerusalem; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. The combination of fire and sword establishes the dual mechanism of judgment: internal dissolution and external military conquest. The knowledge of God emerges from the comprehensive judgment.

Ezekiel 22:23

The word of God comes: Son of man, say to her: You are a land that is not cleansed, not rained upon in the day of indignation. The land itself requires cleansing through judgment. The withholding of rain suggests that even nature withholds blessing from the defiled city. The cosmic dimension of judgment extends beyond human action to natural processes.

Ezekiel 22:24

The conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of her is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured lives; they take treasure and precious things. The prophets' false messages create a conspiracy that feeds upon innocent lives. The predatory language emphasizes the violence of prophetic deception. The extraction of wealth from the people establishes that false prophecy enables economic exploitation.

Ezekiel 22:25

They have made her widows many, and its priests have violated My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common. The prophets and priests bear special responsibility for the accumulation of widows, indicating their role in death and devastation. The violation of priestly law and desecration of holy things establish comprehensive religious corruption.

Ezekiel 22:26

Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, and have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean. The priests' failure to distinguish categories—holy/common, clean/unclean—represents a fundamental theological collapse. The priestly function of maintaining categorical distinctions is abandoned.

Ezekiel 22:27

Her princes in the midst of her are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. The princes, compared to wolves, embody predatory violence for economic benefit. The image of wolves tearing prey emphasizes the ferocity and destructiveness of princely action. The connection between bloodshed and profit establishes economic motivation for violence.

Ezekiel 22:28

And her prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, Thus says the Lord God, when the Lord has not spoken. The false prophets provide divine sanction to the princes' violence through false divination. The whitewash metaphor suggests superficial covering of deep corruption. The lying prophets enable the princes' wickedness by claiming divine authorization.

Ezekiel 22:29

The 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. The entire populace participates in systemic injustice, from leadership to common people. The oppression of the most vulnerable establishes the pervasiveness of moral corruption throughout society.

Ezekiel 22:30

I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. God's search for a righteous intercessor establishes the complete absence of covenant fidelity. The breach in the wall represents the vulnerability of the city to destruction. The absence of an intercessor ensures judgment.

Ezekiel 22:31

Therefore I have poured out My indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their own way have I requited upon their heads, declares the Lord God. God's judgment takes the form of pouring out indignation and consuming fire. The recompensing of their own way establishes that the judgment is proportionate and just. The declaration guarantees the certainty of judgment.