Ezekiel 22

God setteth down a catalogue of the abominable sins that were rise in Jerusalem committed against the first and second table of the law verse 1, 2, 3, c. for which he in every fierce anger foretelleth them fearfully astonishment and scattering among the heathen 13 and that he will because they are become as dross melt them in Jerusalem as in a furnace by the fire of his anger 17 general wickedness of the prophets, priest,princes and people, 23.

1. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying:

2. Now thou child of man shouldst thus give judgment to the bloody city [that is which is full of slaughter and murder Heb. city of blood so below chap 24, 9 Nahum 3:1 see Genes 37.27] shouldst thou give a judgment? [See above chap 20.4 and below chap 23 .36.] Yea make known untoall her abominations:

3. And say thus saith the Lord O city that sheddeth blood in the midst of it [that is whose inhabitants shedblood or in which men shed blood and so in the sequel that her time may come [to wit the time of the punishment and destruction their end which by their sins they draw upon themselves an is justly determined by God to come upon them see above chap 7.7, 10 with the annotate so in the sequel days and years one and the same thing is declared in divers words compare futher Mich 6.16 and above chap 12.23,24,25,27.] and maketh dung-gods [see Levit 26.30]against herself [or by herself inherself for herself]todefil herself .

4. Thu art become guilty by thy blood [this is expounded by the word adjoined so below verse13.] that thou hast shed and thou hast defiled thy self with te dung-gods which thou hast made and hast caused thy days to draw near and art come unt thy years [see on the former verse]thereforehave I delivered thee unto the heathen for areproach and to all lands for a mocking [or appointed made thee a reproach by or for under & csee Deuteronomy 28:36 that is I will surely do it as I have already begun to do it]

5. Those that are near and those that are far from thee shall mock thee thou unclean in name [that is thou hast a base ignominious name being everywhere infamous by reason of th wickedness that iscommitted in thee and full of disquietness [or abundant in stirring commotion within which there is such a continual stir to commit all manner of all horrible wickedness and enmity whereby thou everywhere gettest shame and disgrace this is declared in the sequel]

6. Behold the the Princes of Israel were [or are and so in the sequel] in thee everyone according to his abilityeveryone strieveth to be foremost he that doth it not it is for want of power not for want of will see Job 2 .8.]To shed blood [that is theyare or have been bent to it they give their mind to shed blood they make it their work their whole business to commit murder and to shed innocent blood in stead that they should as they ought to have punished it]

7. In thee have they [that is have they so in the sequel] set light by father and mother that is vilisied contemned them] in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger [oppressing him either by violence and cruelty or by deceit and subtitle] in thee have they oppressed [or spoiled] the fatherless and the widows.

8. Thou hast despised mine holy things and thou hast profaned the Sabbaths.

9. In thee were backbiters to shed blood [Heb. man of backbiting which by their running up and down and tale bearing and informing have brought their neighbour into trouble and to destruction see Levit 19.16] and in thee have they eaten upon the mountains [see above chap 18 on verse 6 that is they have been such in thee and they are such still that do this] they have committed lewdness in the midst of thee.

10. In thee have man discovered their fathers shame [that is committed horrible incest see Levit 19.6.] in thee have they dilowered her [or disgraced layen with her Heb humbled her so so in the next verse] that was unclean by separation [see Levit 15 on verse 24]

11. Moreover one hath committed abomination with the neighbours wife and another hath with the lewdness defiled his sons wife yet another thee hath deislowered his sister his fathers daughter [see Levit 18 .20 Jerem 5.8 Levit 18.15 Levit 18.9]

12. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood thou hast taken usury and axtortion [see of usury and extortion Levit 25.36] and thou hast practiced greediness upon thy neighbour by oppression [by extorting by him unlawful gain or condemning him by crasty and subtile device fo the Hebrew word is used of both] but thou hastforgotten me saith the Lord LORD.

13. Behold theni hav smitten mine hand [to wit one hand against or in the other a token of distemper and abhorring of his wickedness mentioned in the following words a purpose to punish and instigating the enemy compare above chap 21.13 with the annotate there] for the greediness which thou hast practiced and for thy blood [above chap 4] which hath been [to wit greediness and murder] in the midst of thee.

14. Shall thine heart stand? shall thine hands be strong implying by no means but by heart and courage shall then fail thee and thine hands shall wax feeble ] in the days when I shall deal with thee ?[according to my justice and thy deserts] I the Lord have spoken it and will do it .

15. And I will scatter thee among the heathen and disperse thee in the land [compare above chap.12.14,15]and consume [[or cause to perish]thy uncleaness out of thee [that is I will make thine inhabitants leave that uncleaness when they shall be driven out of their own country and be carried away captive compare below chap 23.27.]

16. So thou shall be profaned in thy self [being used as a profane vile base contemptible city in regard of thy desolation others thou shalt give thy self for for an inheritance or be taken for an inheritance that is foreign nations shall possess thee and bear the rule over thee] before the eyes of the heathen and shalt know that I am the Lord.

17. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying:

18. Child of men those of the house of Israel are to me become dross see Isaiah 1:22 Jerem 6.28,29,30 with the annotate Heb the house of Israel are unto me &c.] All they are copper or tin or iron or lead [whereas they should be fine gold and silver; that is upright holy and godly] in the midst of thefurnace they are become dross of the silver.

19. Therefore thus saith the Lord LORD because ye all become dross therefore behold I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem [as into a furnace this is declared in the sequel compare above chap 11.7.]

20. As silver or copper or iron or lead or tin is gathered [Heb according to the gathering of silver &c.] into the midst of a furnace to blow up the fire upon it to melt so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury leave you and melt there and melt you .

21. Yea and I will bring ye together and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath so that you shall be melted in the midst thereof [to wit of the city of Jerusalem so in the next verse compare verse 19]

22. As 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 my fury upon you.

23. Moreover the word of he Lord came unto me saying:

24. Child of man say unto her Jerusalem and the land of Juda as foloweth tou art a land that is not cleansed [from wicked man and wickedness tou art not amended by my judgments]that hath not had her shower of rain [or that is not rained upon that is which is not cleansed by my judgments as a great shower of rainis wont to cleanse and wash away filth and dirt others which shall not be rine upon that is thou shalt be consumed and destroyed by my judgments and not be enlighted or refreshed]in the day of wrath [that is of my judgments]

25. The conspiracy [or consideracy] of her prophets [that is Jerusalem prophets and so in the sequel]is in the midst of her like like a roaring lion that raveneth a prey [the false prophets have combined together against the true prophets of God and those that are addicted to them to ruine them compare Jerem 20.2 and 6.8,9and 29.25,62 Lament4.13]they eat up souls [that is manner see Genes 12.5in making them bare and naked by their seducing ptophecies for whch they will be well rewarded and devoured godly mans estate as followethas false accusation and evil practices compare Mich 3.11 Matth23.14.] they take away the treasure and precious things they multiply her widows in the midst of her [bereaving them of their husbands whom by their false accusation they cause to be put t death .]

26. The priest offer violence to my law [without any fear rushing in upon it after their own mind compare Zephaniah 3:3,4 .] and they profane mine holy things they put nodistinction between the holy and the profane neither shewthe difference between the unclean and clean moreover they hide thir eyes from Sabbath [that is they withdraw themselves from the observation of my Sabbaths as if they were altogether ignorant of mine ordinance concerning the same]yea I am profane in the midst of them [that is I am dihonoured and accounted as nought among them as if I were not a God thus they deal with me and are the cause that oters do the like.]

27. Her princes are in the midst of her like wolves that raven at a prey to shed blood and destroy souls [that smen as above verse 25] that they might practice greediness.

28. Now her prophets doube herwith loose lime [see above chap 13.10] seeing vanity [or falsehood falsly pretending that God had revealed this and that thing unto them by vision see above chap 13.6 and foretelling a lie unto them saying thus saith the Lord LORD and the Lord hath not spoken.

29. The people of the land practice more oppression and commit mere robbery [Heb oppression or with oppression robrobbery that is the whole land is full of deceit and violence]also they oppress [or vex plunders rob] the miserable the needy and they oppress the sranger without right [or wrongfully against all reason without measure or so as that no right is done to him to wit by magistrate Heb by or in with not judgment c.]

30. Now I sought a man out of them [that is among them] that might wall up the wall [see above c. 13 .5 with the annotate] and stand in the gap before my face for the land that I might not destroy it but I found none.

31. Therefore I poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them by the fire of my wrath their way have I rendered upon their head [se above chap 9.10]saith the Lord LORD.