Ezekiel 22

¹And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

²and he seide, And thou, sone of man, whether thou demest not the citee of bloodis?

³And thou schalt schewe to it alle hise abhomynaciouns, and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, This is a citee schedinge out blood in the myddis of it silf, that the tyme therof come; and which made idols ayens it silf, that it shulde be defoulid.

⁴In thi blood which is shed out of thee, thou trespassidist, and thou art defoulid in thin idols whiche thou madist; and thou madist thi daies to neiye, and thou brouytist the time of thi yeeris. Therfor Y yaf thee schenschipe to hethene men, and scornyng to alle londis that ben niy thee,

⁵and that ben fer fro thee; thou foul citee, noble, greet in perisching, thei schulen haue victorie of thee.

⁶Lo! princes of Israel, alle in her arm, weren in thee, to schede out blood.

⁷Thei punyschiden with wrongis fadir and modir in thee, thei calengiden falsli a comelyng in the myddis of thee, thei maden sori a fadirles child and a widewe at thee.

⁸Ye dispisiden my seyntuaries, and ye defouliden my sabatis.

⁹Men bacbiteris weren in thee, to schede out blood, and eten on hillis in thee; thei wrouyten greet trespas in the myddis of thee.

¹⁰Thei vnhiliden the schamefulere thingis of the fadir in thee, thei maden low in thee the vnclenesse of a womman in vnclene blood.

¹¹And ech man wrouyte abhomynacioun ayens the wijf of his neiybore, and the fadir of the hosebonde defoulide his sones wijf vnleuefuli; a brother oppresside in thee his sister, the douytir of his fadir.

¹²Thei token yiftis at thee, to schede out blood; thou tokist vsure and ouerabundaunce, and thou calengidist greedili thi neiyboris, and thou hast foryete me, seith the Lord God.

¹³Lo! Y haue smyte togidere myn hondis on thin aueryce, which thou didist, and on the blood which is sched out in the myddis of thee.

¹⁴Whether thin herte schal susteyne, ether thin hondis schulen haue power in the daies whiche Y schal make to thee? For Y the Lord spak, and Y schal do.

¹⁵And Y schal scatere thee in to naciouns, and Y schal wyndewe thee in to londis; and Y schal make thin vnclennesse to faile fro thee,

¹⁶and Y schal welde thee in the siyt of hethene men; and thou schalt wite, that Y am the Lord.

¹⁷And the word of the Lord was maad to me, and he seide,

¹⁸Thou, sone of man, the hous of Israel is turned to me in to dros, ether filthe of irun; alle these ben bras, and tyn, and irun, and leed, in the myddis of furneis, thei ben maad the dros of siluer.

¹⁹Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, For that alle ye ben turned in to dros, lo! Y schal gadere you togidere in the myddis of Jerusalem,

²⁰bi gadering togidere of siluer, and of latoun, and of irun, and of tyn, and of leed, in the myddis of furneis; and Y schal kindle ther ynne a fier, to welle togidere; so Y schal gadere you togidere in my strong veniaunce, and in my wraththe, and Y schal reste. And Y schal welle you togidere,

²¹and Y schal gadere you togidere, and Y schal sette you a fier in the fier of my strong veniaunce, and ye schulen be wellid togidere in the myddis therof.

²²As siluer is wellid togidere in the myddis of a furneis, so ye schulen be in the myddis therof; and ye schulen wite, that Y am the Lord, whanne Y haue sched out myn indignacioun on you.

²³And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

²⁴and he seide, Sone of man, seie thou to it, Thou art a lond vncleene, and not bireyned in the dai of strong veniaunce.

²⁵Sweringe togidere, ether conspiringe of profetis is in the myddis therof; as a lioun roringe and takinge prei, thei deuouriden men, thei token richessis and prijs; thei multiplieden widewis therof in the myddis therof.

²⁶Preestis therof dispisiden my lawe, and defouliden my seyntuaries; thei hadden not difference bitwixe hooli thing and vnhooli, thei vndurstoden not bitwixe defoulid thing and cleene thing; and thei turneden awei her iyen fro my sabatis, and Y was defoulid in the myddis of hem.

²⁷The princes therof in the myddis therof weren as wolues rauyschinge prey, to schede out blood, and to leese men, and in suynge lucris gredili.

²⁸Forsothe the profetis therof pargetiden hem with out temperure, and seyen veyn thingis, and dyuyneden leesingis to hem, and seiden, The Lord God seith these thingis, whanne the Lord spak not.

²⁹The puples of the lond calengiden fals caleng, and rauyschiden bi violence; thei turmentiden a nedi man and pore, and oppressiden a comeling bi fals caleng, with out doom.

³⁰And Y souyte of hem a man, that schulde sette an hegge bitwixe, and stonde set ayens me for the lond, that Y schulde not distrie it, and Y foond not.

³¹And Y schedde out on hem myn indignacioun, and Y wastide hem in the fier of my wraththe; Y yeldide the weie of hem on the heed of hem, seith the Lord God.

Ezekiel 22

¹Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²Now, thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations.

³Then 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.

⁴Thou 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.

⁵Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed.

⁶Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.

⁷In 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.

⁸Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths.

⁹In 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.

¹⁰In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.

¹¹And 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.

¹²In 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.

¹³Behold, 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.

¹⁴Can 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.

¹⁵And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

¹⁶And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

¹⁷And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁸Son 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.

¹⁹Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.

²⁰As 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.

²¹Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.

²²As 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.

²³And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²⁴Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.

²⁵There 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.

²⁶Her 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.

²⁷Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.

²⁸And 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.

²⁹The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

³⁰And 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.

³¹Therefore 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.