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The word of the LORD came to me:
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1"Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down.
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Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. 2Bind on your turban, and 3put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, 4nor eat the bread of men."
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So I spoke to the people in the morning, and 5at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did 6as I was commanded.
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And 7the people said to me, "Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?"
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Then I said to them, "The word of the LORD came to me:
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'Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: 8Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and 9your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
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And 10you shall do as I have done; 11you shall not cover your lips, 12nor eat the bread of men.
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13Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but 14you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another.
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Thus shall Ezekiel be to you 15a sign; 16according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then 17you will know that I am the Lord GOD.'
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"As for you, 18son of man, surely on the day when I take from them 19their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul's desire, and also their sons and daughters,
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20on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news.
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On that day your mouth 21will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. 22So you will be a sign to them, and 23they will know that I am the LORD."