24:1 The word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month 1 : 24:2 “Son of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege 2 to Jerusalem 3 this very day. 24:3 Recite a proverb to this rebellious house 4 and say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Set on the pot, 5 set it on,
pour water in it too;
24:4 add the pieces of meat to it,
every good piece,
the thigh and the shoulder;
fill it with choice bones.
24:5 Take the choice bone of the flock,
heap up bones under it;
boil rapidly,
and boil its bones in it.
24:6 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed,
the pot whose rot 6 is in it,
whose rot has not been removed 7 from it!
Empty it piece by piece.
No lot has fallen on it. 8
24:7 For her blood was in it;
she poured it on an exposed rock;
she did not pour it on the ground to cover it up with dust.
24:8 To arouse anger, to take vengeance,
I have placed her blood on an exposed rock so that it cannot be covered up.
24:9 “‘Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says:
Woe to the city of bloodshed!
I will also make the pile high.
24:10 Pile up the bones, kindle the fire;
cook the meat well, mix in the spices,
let the bones be charred.
24:11 Set the empty pot on the coals, 9
until it becomes hot and its copper glows,
until its uncleanness melts within it and its rot 10 is consumed.
1 tn The date of this oracle was January 15, 588
2 tn Heb “lean on, put pressure on.”
3 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
4 sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).
5 sn See Ezek 11:3-12.
6 tn Or “rust.”
7 tn Heb “has not gone out.”
8 tn Here “lot” may refer to the decision made by casting lots; it is not chosen at all.
9 tn Heb “set it upon its coals, empty.”
10 tn Or “rust” (so also in v. 12).