Haftarah for Kedoshim

Ezekiel 22:1-16

G-d spoke to Ezekiel and said that he should judge Jerusalem, which He called a city that spills blood. Ezekiel was to tell them in the Name of G-d that they have made themselves guilty through bloodshed and defiled themselves with their idols; because of their crimes, their time is almost up. G-d will make them a topic of conversation among all the nations, who will discuss how far Israel fell and how they were punished.

The rulers of the people abused their authority and shed innocent blood. Parents were not respected and the poor, widows and orphans were oppressed. Sacrifices were treated disrespectfully and Shabbos was violated. Gossip and slander led to bloodshed and, of course, there was all the idolatry and promiscuity. Incest was committed and the laws of family purity were ignored. The people committed adultery and charged interest and in all other ways forgot about G-d. G-d metaphorically mourns over the evil actions of his people.

Can the people endure all that is about to happen to them, which G-d is going to bring about because of their actions? He has decreed it and it will happen. They will be scattered among the nations and dispersed among many lands until their impurity has dissipated and they will be brought low in the eyes of the world.

Excerpted from The OU's Nach Yomi