1 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 "Now, thou son of man, will thou judge, will thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shall show her all her abominations."
The bloody city was Jerusalem who had not only killed the prophets of God, but was killing her babies in sacrifice to the false idol Molech.
And, yes, the righteous ARE to judge. The Bible is clear on this.
3 "Then say thou, 'Thus says the Lord God, The city sheds blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and makes idols against herself to defile herself.'"
No one had defiled Jerusalem. She managed to do it all by herself.
4 "'Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou have shed; and have defiled thyself in thine idols which thou have made; and thou have caused thy days to draw near, and are come even unto thy years: therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries.
5 "'Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which are infamous and much vexed.'"
God caused all Jerusalem’s neighbors to make fun of her.
6 "'Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.'"
“See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.” NIV- Sometimes it just helps to read a newer version.
7 "'In thee (Jerusalem) have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.'"
Most of the time the people have the government they deserve. If they really object to the doings of their leaders, they get rid of them.
8 "'Thou have despised Mine holy things, and have profaned My Sabbaths.'"
Jerusalem was breaking the Law.
9 "'In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.'"
It is not a sin to eat on a mountain. It IS a sin to eat a feast in worship of an idol. Alters to false gods were located on the mountains.
Sex was often part of false worship.
10 "'In thee have they discovered their fathers’ nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
11 "'And one has committed abomination with his neighbor’s wife; and another has lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law; and another in thee has humbled his sister, his father’s daughter.'"
Things expressly forbidden by the Mosaic Law, all punishable by death. There were really very few sins that God commanded the death penalty for, but these particular sex crimes were some of them.
12 "'In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou have taken usury and increase, and thou have greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and have forgotten Me, says the Lord God.'"
Bribery, hired killers, charging interest, extortion; these were not nice people.
13 "'Behold, therefore I have smitten Mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou have made, and at thy blood which has been in the midst of thee.'"
14 "'Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it.'"
“Can you be strong enough to defend yourself from Me?” Of course, the answer is No.
15 "'And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.
16 "'And thou shall take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shall know that I am the Lord.'"
Israel had earned the inheritance of destruction and dispersion. All the heathen nations that they despised would see their punishment. Everyone would know that God did this.
17 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18 "Son of man, the house of Israel is to Me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver."
Dross is the impurities that you throw away when you are refining metal. Another word for it would be “scum.”
19 "Therefore thus says the Lord God; 'Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20 "'As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in Mine anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
21 "'Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.'"
When refining metal, you put it in the fire and blow on the fire to make it even hotter (usually using billows of some sort). The metal is melted and all the impurities rise to the top, are skimmed off and thrown away.
22 "'As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out My fury upon you.'"
God intended to totally destroy them.
23 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
24 "Son of man, say unto her, 'Thou are the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation.'"
Rain is a blessing in this deserty land. God won’t bless them.
25 "'There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof.'"
Even the prophets have been evil.
26 "'Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shown difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.'"
And the priests weren’t any better, not valuing things that are supposed to be Holy.
27 "'Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.'"
The royalty was taking advantage of their power to make themselves rich and to murder those they didn’t like.
28 "'And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, “Thus says the Lord God,” when the Lord has not spoken.'"
The prophets were working the royalty in order to get favors from them, lying about messages from God.
29 "'The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.'"
Even the common people have been evil and breaking the Law.
30 "'And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.'"
No one would stand up for what was right.
31 "'Therefore have I poured out Mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, says the Lord God. '"
They got what they deserved.