3. Then give these rebels an illustration with this message from the Sovereign lord:“Put a pot on the fire,and pour in some water.
4. Fill it with choice pieces of meat—the rump and the shoulderand all the most tender cuts.
5. Use only the best sheep from the flock,and heap fuel on the fire beneath the pot.Bring the pot to a boil,and cook the bones along with the meat.
6. “Now this is what the Sovereign lord says:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,the city of murderers!She is a cooking potwhose corruption can’t be cleaned out.Take the meat out in random order,for no piece is better than another.
7. For the blood of her murdersis splashed on the rocks.It isn’t even spilled on the ground,where the dust could cover it!
8. So I will splash her blood on a rockfor all to see,an expression of my angerand vengeance against her.
9. “This is what the Sovereign lord says:What sorrow awaits Jerusalem,the city of murderers!I myself will pile up the fuel beneath her.
10. Yes, heap on the wood!Let the fire roar to make the pot boil.Cook the meat with many spices,and afterward burn the bones.
11. Now set the empty pot on the coals.Heat it red hot!Burn away the filth and corruption.
12. But it’s hopeless;the corruption can’t be cleaned out.So throw it into the fire.
13. Your impurity is your lewdnessand the corruption of your idolatry.I tried to cleanse you,but you refused.So now you will remain in your filthuntil my fury against you has been satisfied.
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.”