14. “I, the lord, have spoken! The time has come, and I won’t hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign lord.”
15. Then this message came to me from the lord:
16. “Son of man, with one blow I will take away your dearest treasure. Yet you must not show any sorrow at her death. Do not weep; let there be no tears.
17. Groan silently, but let there be no wailing at her grave. Do not uncover your head or take off your sandals. Do not perform the usual rituals of mourning or accept any food brought to you by consoling friends.”
18. So I proclaimed this to the people the next morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did everything I had been told to do.
19. Then the people asked, “What does all this mean? What are you trying to tell us?”
20. So I said to them, “A message came to me from the lord,
21. and I was told to give this message to the people of Israel. This is what the Sovereign lord says: I will defile my Temple, the source of your security and pride, the place your heart delights in. Your sons and daughters whom you left behind in Judah will be slaughtered by the sword.