The Skeptics Annotated Bible (643 page)

16
Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.

(24.16)
“Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.”

17
Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.

(24.17)
“Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.”

18
So
I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even
my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.

(24.18)
“So … my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.”

19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?

20 Then I answered them, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

(24.21-24) God killed Ezekiel’s wife to demonstrate his intention to kill the Israelites’ children. And just as God told Ezekiel not to mourn his wife’s death, God forbids the parents to mourn the death of their children.

21
Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold
, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.

(24.21)
“Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold … your sons and your daughters … shall fall by the sword.”

22
And ye shall do as I have done
: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.

23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet:
ye shall not mourn nor weep
; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.

(24.22-23)
“And ye shall do as I have done … Ye shall not mourn nor weep.”

24 Thus
Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord
GOD.

(24.24) “Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord.”

25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,

26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?

27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

25
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;

3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;

4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.

5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

(25.6-7) God will kill everyone that claps his hands or stamps his feet “against the land of Israel.” When he’s done with the killing, everyone will know that he is the Lord.

6 For
thus saith the Lord
GOD;
Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel
;

(25.6)
“Thus saith the Lord … Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel.”

7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

(25.7)
“I will stretch out mine hand upon thee … I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.”

8 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;

9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim,

10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.

11 And
I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

(25.11) “I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;

(25.13-14) God will send Israelites to slaughter the people of Edom.
153 How should the Edomites be treated?