6. ‘ “See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.
7. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and ill-treated the fatherless and the widow.
8. You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.
9. In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
10. In you are those who dishonour their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean.
11. In you one man commits a detestable offence with his neighbour’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.
12. In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbours. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
13. ‘ “I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst.
14. Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.
15. I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness.
16. When you have been defiled in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.” ’
17. Then the word of the Lord came to me:
18. ‘Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver.
19. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem.
20. As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you.
21. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her.
22. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you.” ’
23. Again the word of the Lord came to me: