Ezekiel 24; Hebrews 7:11–28

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Ezekiel 24

The Siege of Jerusalem

lIn the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: mSon of man, write down the name of this day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. And nutter a parable to othe rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord God:

Set on pthe pot, set it on;

pour in water also;

put in it the pieces of meat,

all the good pieces, qthe thigh and the shoulder;

fill it with choice bones.

Take the choicest one of the flock;

pile the logs1 under it;

boil it well;

seethe also its bones in it.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: rWoe to the bloody city, to pthe pot whose corrosion is in it, and whose corrosion has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, without making any choice.2 For the blood she has shed is in her midst; she put it on sthe bare rock; tshe did not pour it out on the ground to cover it with dust. To rouse my wrath, to take vengeance, I have set on the bare rock the blood she has shed, that it may not be covered. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Woe to the bloody city! uI also will make the pile great. 10 Heap on the logs, kindle the fire, boil the meat well, mix in the spices,3 and let the bones be burned up. 11 Then set it empty upon the coals, that it may become hot, and its copper may burn, vthat its uncleanness may be melted in it, its corrosion consumed. 12 wShe has wearied herself with toil;4 its abundant corrosion does not go out of it. Into the fire with its corrosion! 13 On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, xyou shall not be cleansed anymore till yI have satisfied my fury upon you. 14 zI am the Lord. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; aI will not spare; bI will not relent; caccording to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord God.

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 dSon of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. eBind on your turban, and fput your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, gnor eat the bread of men. 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and hat evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did ias I was commanded.

19 And jthe people said to me, Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus? 20 Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: kBehold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and lyour sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And myou shall do as I have done; myou shall not cover your lips, gnor eat the bread of men. 23 mYour turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but nyou shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you oa sign; maccording to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then pyou will know that I am the Lord God.

25 As for you, qson of man, surely on the day when I take from them rtheir stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters, 26 son that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth twill be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. uSo you will be a sign to them, and vthey will know that I am the Lord.


Hebrews 7:11–28

Jesus Compared to Melchizedek

11 aNow if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended bfrom Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him,

cYou are a priest forever,

after the order of Melchizedek.

18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside dbecause of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for ethe law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, fa better hope is introduced, through which gwe draw near to God.

20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, 21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:

hThe Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind,

You are a priest forever.

22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of ia better covenant.

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues jforever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost1 kthose who draw near to God lthrough him, since he always lives mto make intercession for them.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, nholy, innocent, unstained, oseparated from sinners, and pexalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, qfirst for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this ronce for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men sin their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made tperfect forever.