LHC Midday Word: The Book of EZEKIEL

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 ‘Son of man,

this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:

‘“The end! The end has come
upon the four corners of the land!

The end is now upon you,
and I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
and repay you for all your detestable practices.

I will not look on you with pity;
I will not spare you.
I will surely repay you for your conduct
and for the detestable practices among you.

‘“Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

5 ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

‘“Disaster! Unheard-of disaster!
See, it comes!

The end has come!
The end has come!
It has roused itself against you.
See, it comes!

Doom has come upon you,
upon you who dwell in the land.
The time has come! The day is near!
There is panic, not joy, on the mountains.

I am about to pour out my wrath on you
and spend my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
and repay you for all your detestable practices.

I will not look on you with pity;
I will not spare you.
I will repay you for your conduct
and for the detestable practices among you.

‘“Then you will know that it is I the Lord who strikes you.

‘“See, the day!
    See, it comes!
Doom has burst forth,
    the rod has budded,
    arrogance has blossomed!

Violence has arisen,
    a rod to punish the wicked.
None of the people will be left,
    none of that crowd –
none of their wealth,
    nothing of value.

The time has come!
    The day has arrived!
Let not the buyer rejoice
    nor the seller grieve,
    for my wrath is on the whole crowd.

The seller will not recover
    the property that was sold –
    as long as both buyer and seller live.
For the vision concerning the whole crowd
    will not be reversed.
Because of their sins, not one of them
    will preserve their life.

‘“They have blown the trumpet,
they have made all things ready,
but no one will go into battle,
for my wrath is on the whole crowd.

Outside is the sword;
    inside are plague and famine.
Those in the country
    will die by the sword;
those in the city
    will be devoured by famine and plague.

The fugitives who escape
    will flee to the mountains.
Like doves of the valleys,
    they will all moan,
    each for their own sins.

Every hand will go limp;
every leg will be wet with urine.

They will put on sackcloth
and be clothed with terror.
Every face will be covered with shame,
and every head will be shaved.

‘“They will throw their silver into the streets,
    and their gold will be treated as a thing unclean.
Their silver and gold
    will not be able to deliver them
    in the day of the Lord’s wrath.
It will not satisfy their hunger
    or fill their stomachs,
    for it has caused them to stumble into sin.

They took pride in their beautiful jewellery
and used it to make their detestable idols.
They made it into vile images;
therefore I will make it a thing unclean for them.

I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners
and as loot to the wicked of the earth,
who will defile it.

I will turn my face away from the people,
and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure.
They will enter it
and will defile it.

‘“Prepare chains!
For the land is full of bloodshed,
and the city is full of violence.

I will bring the most wicked of nations
to take possession of their houses.
I will put an end to the pride of the mighty,
and their sanctuaries will be desecrated.

When terror comes,
they will seek peace in vain.

Calamity upon calamity will come,
    and rumour upon rumour.
They will go searching for a vision from the prophet,
    priestly instruction in the law will cease,
    the counsel of the elders will come to an end.

The king will mourn,
    the prince will be clothed with despair,
    and the hands of the people of the land will tremble.
I will deal with them according to their conduct,
    and by their own standards I will judge them.

‘“Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’

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READINGS

The Book of EZEKIEL

Chapter Seven

Read by Sir David Suchet