Ezekiel 22

The Scarecrow of the Nations

22GOD's Message came to me:H1697H3068H5592"Son of man, are you going to judge this bloody city or not? Come now, are you going to judge her? Do it! Face her with all her outrageous obscenities.H1121H120H8199H8199H1818H5892H3045H84413Tell her, 'This is what GOD, the Master, says: You're a city murderous at the core, just asking for punishment. You're a city obsessed with no-god idols, making yourself filthy.H559H559H136H3069H5892H8210H1818H8432H6256H935H6213H1544H29304In all your killing, you've piled up guilt. In all your idol-making, you've become filthy. You've forced a premature end to your existence. I'll put you on exhibit as the scarecrow of the nations, the world's worst joke.H816H1818H8210H2930H1544H6213H3117H7126H935H8141H5414H2781H1471H7048H7765From far and near they'll deride you as infamous in filth, notorious for chaos.H7138H7350H7046H2931H8034H7227H41036"'Your leaders, the princes of Israel among you, compete in crime.H5387H3478H376H2220H8210H18187You're a community that's insolent to parents, abusive to outsiders, oppressive against orphans and widows.H7043H1H517H8432H6213H6233H1616H3238H3490H4908You treat my holy things with contempt and desecrate my Sabbaths.H959H6944H2490H76769You have people spreading lies and spilling blood, flocking to the hills to the sex shrines and fornicating unrestrained.H582H7400H8210H1818H398H2022H8432H6213H215410Incest is common. Men force themselves on women regardless of whether they're ready or willing.H1540H1H6172H6031H5079H293111Sex is now anarchy. Anyone is fair game: neighbor, daughter-in-law, sister.H376H6213H8441H7453H802H376H2154H2930H3618H376H6031H269H1H132312Murder is for hire, usury is rampant, extortion is commonplace. "'And you've forgotten me. Decree of GOD, the Master.H3947H7810H8210H1818H3947H5392H8636H1214H7453H6233H7911H5002H136H306913"'Now look! I've clapped my hands, calling everyone's attention to your rapacious greed and your bloody brutalities.H5221H3709H1215H6213H1818H843214Can you stick with it? Will you be able to keep at this once I start dealing with you? "'I, GOD, have spoken. I'll put an end to this.H3820H5975H3027H2388H3117H6213H3068H1696H621315I'll throw you to the four winds. I'll scatter you all over the world. I'll put a full stop to your filthy living.H6327H1471H2219H776H8552H293216You will be defiled, spattered with your own mud in the eyes of the nations. And you'll recognize that I am GOD.'"H2490H5157H5869H1471H3045H306817GOD's Message came to me:H1697H3068H55918"Son of man, the people of Israel are slag to me, the useless byproduct of refined copper, tin, iron, and lead left at the smelter—a worthless slag heap.H1121H120H1004H3478H5509H5178H913H1270H5777H8432H3564H5509H370119So tell them, 'GOD, the Master, has spoken: Because you've all become worthless slag, you're on notice: I'll assemble you in Jerusalem.H559H136H3069H5509H6908H8432H338920As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into a furnace and blow fire on it to melt it down, so in my wrath I'll gather you and melt you down.H6910H3701H5178H1270H5777H913H8432H3564H5301H784H5413H6908H639H2534H3240H541321I'll blow on you with the fire of my wrath to melt you down in the furnace.H3664H5301H784H5678H5413H843222As silver is melted down, you'll be melted down. That should get through to you. Then you'll recognize that I, GOD, have let my wrath loose on you.'"H3701H2046H8432H3564H5413H8432H3045H3068H8210H253423GOD's Message came to me:H1697H3068H55924"Son of man, tell her, 'You're a land that during the time I was angry with you got no rain, not so much as a spring shower.H1121H120H559H776H2891H1656H3117H219525The leaders among you became desperate, like roaring, ravaging lions killing indiscriminately. They grabbed and looted, leaving widows in their wake.H7195H5030H8432H7580H738H2963H2964H398H5315H3947H2633H3366H7235H490H843226"'Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can't tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there's no difference between right and wrong. They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level.H3548H2554H8451H2490H6944H914H6944H2455H3045H2931H2889H5956H5869H7676H2490H843227Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want.H8269H7130H2061H2963H2964H8210H1818H6H5315H1214H121528Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what GOD, the Master, says . . ." when GOD hasn't said so much as one word.H5030H2902H8602H2374H7723H7080H3577H559H559H136H3069H3068H169629Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.'H5971H776H6231H6233H1497H1498H3238H6041H34H6231H1616H494130"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one.H1245H376H1443H1447H5975H6556H6440H776H7843H467231So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of GOD, the Master."H8210H2195H3615H784H5678H1870H5414H7218H5002H136H3069