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Ezekiel 24:3-12
Tell this rebellious people a parable and say to them:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“‘ Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it.Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces— the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones;take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.“‘ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“‘ Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Take the meat out piece by piece in whatever order it comes.“‘ For the blood she shed is in her midst: She poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, where the dust would cover it.To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.“‘ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“‘ Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high.So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred.Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away.It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire. (niv)
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Isaiah 20:2-4
at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him,“ Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot.Then the Lord said,“ Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush,so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared— to Egypt’s shame. (niv)
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Jeremiah 13:1-11
This is what the Lord said to me:“ Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.”So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:“ Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.”So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.Many days later the Lord said to me,“ Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.”So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.Then the word of the Lord came to me:“ This is what the Lord says:‘ In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt— completely useless!For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord,‘ to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’ (niv)
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1 Kings 11 30-1 Kings 11 31
and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.Then he said to Jeroboam,“ Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:‘ See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. (niv)
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Amos 7:1
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. (niv)
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Ezekiel 12:1-28
The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.“ Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings for exile and in the daytime, as they watch, set out and go from where you are to another place. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious people.During the daytime, while they watch, bring out your belongings packed for exile. Then in the evening, while they are watching, go out like those who go into exile.While they watch, dig through the wall and take your belongings out through it.Put them on your shoulder as they are watching and carry them out at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the Israelites.”So I did as I was commanded. During the day I brought out my things packed for exile. Then in the evening I dug through the wall with my hands. I took my belongings out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulders while they watched.In the morning the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, did not the Israelites, that rebellious people, ask you,‘ What are you doing?’“ Say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This prophecy concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the Israelites who are there.’Say to them,‘ I am a sign to you.’“ As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives.“ The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.I will scatter to the winds all those around him— his staff and all his troops— and I will pursue them with drawn sword.“ They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them through the countries.But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, tremble as you eat your food, and shudder in fear as you drink your water.Say to the people of the land:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says about those living in Jerusalem and in the land of Israel: They will eat their food in anxiety and drink their water in despair, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.The inhabited towns will be laid waste and the land will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel:‘ The days go by and every vision comes to nothing’?Say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel.’ Say to them,‘ The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled.For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel.But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, the Israelites are saying,‘ The vision he sees is for many years from now, and he prophesies about the distant future.’“ Therefore say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: None of my words will be delayed any longer; whatever I say will be fulfilled, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (niv)
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Jeremiah 19:1-11
This is what the Lord says:“ Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priestsand go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you,and say,‘ Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as offerings to Baal— something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.“‘ In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds and the wild animals.I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’“ Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching,and say to them,‘ This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. (niv)
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Jeremiah 27:12
I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said,“ Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. (niv)
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Jeremiah 18:2-10
“ Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.”So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel.But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.Then the word of the Lord came to me.He said,“ Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord.“ Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. (niv)
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Ezekiel 4:1-5
“ Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.“ Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side.I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. (niv)
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Jeremiah 28:10-14
Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it,and he said before all the people,“ This is what the Lord says:‘ In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:“ Go and tell Hananiah,‘ This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron.This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.’” (niv)
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Amos 7:4
This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. (niv)