¹⁵ Also the word of LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁶ Son of man, behold, I take the desire of thine eyes away from thee with a stroke. Yet thou shall neither mourn nor weep. Neither shall thy tears run down. ¹⁷ Sigh, but not aloud. Make no mourning for the dead. Bind thy headdress upon thee, and put thy shoes upon thy feet. And do not cover thy lips, and do not eat the bread of men.

¹⁸ So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And I did in the morning as I was commanded. ¹⁹ And the people said to me, Will thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou do so?

²⁰ Then I said to them, The word of LORD came to me, saying, ²¹ Speak to the house of Israel, Thus says lord LORD: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul has compassion. And your sons and your daughters whom ye have left b ²² And ye shall do as I have done. Ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. ²³ And your turbans shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet. Ye shall not mourn nor weep, but ye shall pine away in your iniquities, and moan one toward another. ²⁴ Thus Ezekiel shall be to you a sign, according to all that he has done ye shall do. When this comes, then ye shall know that I am lord LORD.

²⁵ And thou, son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that upon which they set their heart--their sons and their daughters-- ²⁶ that in that day he who escapes shall come to thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears? ²⁷ In that day thy mouth shall be opened to him who is escaped, and thou shall speak, and no more be mute. So thou shall be a sign to them, and they shall know that I am LORD.