22 Then Yahweh gave me another message: 2 “Now you, humanity’s child, will you judge the city of blood? Will you judge Yerushalem? Make it understand all its disgusting behaviour. 3 Tell them that the master Yahweh says this: You’re a city that sheds blood right there in your centre, forcing your time of judgement to come—a city that makes idols to defile yourself. 4 You’ve become guilty because of the blood you’ve poured out, and you’ve become defiled by the idols you’ve made. You’ve brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come, so I’ll allow the other nations to laugh at you and mock you. 5 You unclean city full of confusion, both people who are near and those who are far away will deride you.

6 Listen, each of Yisrael’s rulers has used their own resources to go to you, Yerushalem, to shed blood. 7 They’ve dishonoured the fathers and mothers within you, and they’ve oppressed the foreigners there among you. They’ve mistreated the orphans and the widows within you.[ref] 8 You’ve despised my sacred things and disrespected my rest days.[ref] 9 Slanderous men have come into you in order to pour out blood, and they eat at the hilltop shrines. They do wicked things right there in your centre. 10 Within you, men uncover their fathers’ nakedness. Within you they’ve violated women during their ‘unclean’ menstrual period.[ref] 11 Men who sleep with their neighbours’ wives, and men who sleep with their own daughters-in-law, even men who abuse their own sisters or half-sisters. All these are done within you. 12 Those men are involved in paid assassinations within you, plus you’ve taken interest and gained too much profit, you’ve harmfully oppressed your neighbours, and you’ve forgotten me. That’s the master Yahweh’s declaration.[ref]

13 Listen, Yerushalem. I’ve reached out and taken away the dishonest gain that you’ve made, and the bloodshed that’s done in your centre. 14 Will your heart keep beating when I personally deal with you? Will your hands be able to resist trembling? I, Yahweh, am declaring this, and I will do it. 15 I’ll scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the lands—that’s how I’ll purge your uncleanness from you, 16 and you’ll become unclean in the eyes of the nations. Then you’ll know that I am Yahweh.’ ”