Ezekiel 22

Accusations of Corruption and Violence Ezekiel 22:5–12

⁵Verse 5. Those who are near, and those who are far from you, will mock you, you infamous one, full of tumult. ⁶Verse 6. “‘“Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood. ⁷Verse 7. In you have they treated father and mother with contempt. Among you they have oppressed the foreigner. In you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow. ⁸Verse 8. You have despised my holy things, and have profaned my Sabbaths. ⁹Verse 9. Slanderous men have been in you to shed blood. In you they have eaten on the mountains. They have committed lewdness among you. ¹⁰Verse 10. In you have they uncovered their fathers’ nakedness. In you have they humbled her who was unclean in her impurity.

¹¹Verse 11. One has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law. Another in you has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter. ¹²Verse 12. In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me,” says the Lord Yahweh.

Consequences of Israel's Sin Ezekiel 22:13–16

¹³Verse 13. “‘“Behold, therefore I have struck my hand at your dishonest gain which you have made, and at your blood which has been within you. ¹⁴Verse 14. Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I will deal with you? I, Yahweh, have spoken it, and will do it. ¹⁵Verse 15. I will scatter you among the nations, and disperse you through the countries. I will consume your filthiness out of you. ¹⁶Verse 16. You will be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

Metaphor of Dross and Melting Ezekiel 22:17–22

¹⁷Verse 17. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ¹⁸Verse 18. “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to me. All of them are brass, tin, iron, and lead in the middle of the furnace. They are the dross of silver. ¹⁹Verse 19. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the middle of Jerusalem. ²⁰Verse 20. As they gather silver, brass, iron, lead, and tin into the middle of the furnace, to blow the fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you.

²¹Verse 21. Yes, I will gather you, and blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and you will be melted in the middle of it. ²²Verse 22. As silver is melted in the middle of the furnace, so you will be melted in the middle of it; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have poured out my wrath on you.’”

Corruption Among Leaders and Prophets Ezekiel 22:23–29

²³Verse 23. Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ²⁴Verse 24. “Son of man, tell her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained on in the day of indignation.’ ²⁵Verse 25. There is a conspiracy of her prophets within it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey. They have devoured souls. They take treasure and precious things. They have made many widows within it. ²⁶Verse 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, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hidden their eyes from my Sabbaths. So I am profaned among them.

²⁷Verse 27. Her princes within it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain. ²⁸Verse 28. Her prophets have plastered for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh,’ when Yahweh has not spoken. ²⁹Verse 29. The people of the land have used oppression and exercised robbery. Yes, they have troubled the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

The Absence of Righteousness Ezekiel 22:30–31

³⁰Verse 30. “I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. ³¹Verse 31. Therefore I have poured out my indignation on them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have brought their own way on their heads,” says the Lord Yahweh.