Ezekiel 22
Modern English Version
The Sins of Jerusalem
22 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Now you, son of man, will you judge, will you judge the bloody city? Indeed, you shall show her all her abominations. 3 Then say, Thus says the Lord God: The city sheds blood in her midst, that her time may come, and makes idols against herself to defile herself. 4 You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed and have defiled yourself with your idols which you have made. And you have caused your day to draw near and have come to your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mocking to all countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you shall mock you, you of infamy and much turmoil.
6 The princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. 7 In you they have treated father and mother lightly. In your midst they have dealt with the stranger by oppression. In you they have vexed the fatherless and the widow. 8 You have despised My holy things and have profaned My Sabbaths. 9 In you are men who carry slanders to shed blood. And in you they eat at the mountain shrines. In your midst they commit lewdness. 10 In you they have uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you they have humbled her who was unclean in her menstrual impurity. 11 One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife, and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. And another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. 12 In you they have taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken usury and increase, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by extortion, and you have forgotten Me, says the Lord God.
13 Therefore I have struck My hand toward your dishonest gain which you have made, and toward your blood which has been in your midst. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with you? I the Lord have spoken and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you in the countries and consume your filthiness out of you. 16 You shall profane yourself in the sight of the nations, and you shall know that I am the Lord.
Jerusalem as God’s Furnace
17 The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 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 midst of the furnace. They are the dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you all have become dross, therefore, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As they gather silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into the midst of a furnace to blow fire on it to melt it, so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will lay you there and melt you. 21 Indeed, I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so you shall be melted in the midst of it. And you shall know that I the Lord have poured out My fury upon you.
Indictment of Sinful Leaders
23 The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 24 Son of man, say to her: You are the land that is not cleansed nor rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They have taken the treasure and precious things. They have made many widows in her midst. 26 Her priests have violated My law and have profaned My holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and profane, nor have they shown the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials in her midst are like wolves ravening the prey by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to obtain dishonest gain. 28 Her prophets have daubed them with whitewash, seeing vanity and divining lies for them, saying, “Thus says the Lord God,” when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery and have vexed the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner wrongfully.
30 I sought for a man among them who would build up the hedge and stand in the gap before Me for the land so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath. Their own way I have recompensed on their heads, says the Lord God.
Ezekiel 22
English Standard Version
Israel's Shedding of Blood
22 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “And you, (A)son of man, (B)will you judge, will you judge (C)the bloody city? (D)Then declare to her all her abominations. 3 You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that (E)her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty (F)by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idols that you have made, and you have brought (G)your days near, the appointed time of[a] your years has come. (H)Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. 5 Those who are near and those who are far from you will mock you; (I)your name is defiled; (J)you are full of tumult.
6 “Behold, (K)the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. 7 Father and mother (L)are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner (M)suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow (N)are wronged in you. 8 (O)You have despised my holy things and (P)profaned my Sabbaths. 9 (Q)There are men in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you (R)who eat on the mountains; (S)they commit lewdness in your midst. 10 In you (T)men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they violate women who are unclean in their menstrual impurity. 11 (U)One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife; (V)another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; (W)another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. 12 In you (X)they take bribes to shed blood; (Y)you take interest and profit[b] and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but (Z)me you have forgotten, declares the Lord God.
13 “Behold, (AA)I strike my hand at (AB)the dishonest gain that you have made, and at (AC)the blood that has been in your midst. 14 (AD)Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? (AE)I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. 15 (AF)I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and (AG)I will consume your uncleanness out of you. 16 And (AH)you shall be profaned by your own doing (AI)in the sight of the nations, (AJ)and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
17 And the word of the Lord came to me: 18 (AK)“Son of man, the house of Israel has become (AL)dross to me; all of them are (AM)bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are (AN)dross of silver. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20 As one gathers silver and bronze and iron and lead and tin into a furnace, (AO)to blow the fire on it in order to melt it, so I will gather you (AP)in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you. 21 I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst of it. 22 As 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; (AQ)I have poured out my wrath upon you.”
23 And the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, say to her, You are a land that is (AR)not cleansed (AS)or rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 (AT)The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is (AU)like a roaring lion (AV)tearing the prey; they have devoured human lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. 26 (AW)Her priests (AX)have done violence to my law and (AY)have profaned my holy things. (AZ)They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and (BA)they have disregarded my Sabbaths, (BB)so that I am profaned among them. 27 (BC)Her princes in her midst are like wolves (BD)tearing the prey, (BE)shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 28 And (BF)her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, (BG)seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land (BH)have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and (BI)have extorted from the sojourner without justice. 30 (BJ)And I sought for a man among them (BK)who should build up the wall (BL)and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. 31 Therefore (BM)I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned (BN)their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 22:4 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts until
- Ezekiel 22:12 That is, profit that comes from charging interest to the poor (compare Leviticus 25:36)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
