[24:15] The word of the Lord came to me:
[24:16] “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.
[24:17] Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.”
[24:18] So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded.
[24:19] And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus?”
[24:20] Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me:
[24:21] ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.
[24:22] And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
[24:23] Your turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another.
[24:24] Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’
[24:25] “As for you, son of man, surely on the day when I take from them their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters,
[24:26] on that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news.
[24:27] On that day your mouth will be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”