Reading I
Ezek 24:15-23
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Son of man, behold I take from thee the desire of thy eyes with a stroke, and thou shall not lament, nor weep; neither shall thy tears run down.
Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead: let the tire of thy head be upon thee, and thy shoes on thy feet, and cover not thy face, nor eat the meat of mourners.
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening: and I did in the morning as he had commanded me.
And the people said to me: Why dost thou not tell us what these things mean that thou doest?
And I said to them: The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Speak to the house of Israel: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will profane my sanctuary, the glory of your realm, and the thing that your eyes desire, and for which your soul feareth: your sons, and your daughters, whom you have left, shall fall by the sword.
And you shall do as I have done: you shall not cover your faces, nor shall you eat the meat of mourners.
You shall have crowns on your heads, and shoes on your feet: you shall not lament nor weep, but you shall pine away for your iniquities, and every one shall sigh with his brother.
