Ezekiel 21:1-23 ▼

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and prophesy to the holy places, and prophesy to the ground of Israel;

3 and you have said to the ground of Israel, Thus said YHWH: Behold, I [am] against you, || And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, || And have cut off righteous and wicked from you.

4 Because that I have cut off righteous and wicked from you, || Therefore My sword goes out from its scabbard, || To all flesh, from south to north.

5 And all flesh has known that I, YHWH, || Have brought out My sword from its scabbard, || It does not turn back anymore.

6 And you, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, indeed, sigh before their eyes with bitterness,

7 and it has come to pass, when they say to you, Why are you sighing? That you have said: Because of the report, for it is coming, || And every heart has melted, || And all hands have been feeble, || And every spirit is weak, || And all knees go [as] waters, || Behold, it is coming, indeed, it has been, || A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

8 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

9 “Son of man, prophesy, and you have said, Thus said YHWH: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.

10 It is sharpened so as to slaughter a slaughter. It is polished so as to have brightness, || Or do we rejoice? It is despising the scepter of My son [as] every tree.

11 And He gives it for polishing, || For laying hold of by the hand. It is sharpened—the sword—and polished, || To give it into the hand of a slayer.

12 Cry and howl, son of man, || For it has been among My people, || It [is] among all the princes of Israel, || My people have been cast to the sword. Therefore strike on your thigh,

13 Because [it is] a trier, || And what if it is even despising the scepter? It will not be, a declaration of Lord YHWH.

14 And you, son of man, prophesy, || And strike hand on hand, || And the sword is bent a third time, || The sword of the wounded! It [is] the sword of the wounded—the great one, || That is entering the inner chamber to them.

15 To melt the heart, and to multiply the ruins, || I have set the point of a sword by all their gates. Aah! It is made for brightness, || Wrapped up for slaughter.

16 Take possession of the right, place yourself at the left, || To where your face is appointed.

17 And I also, I strike My hand on My hand, || And have caused My fury to rest; I, YHWH, have spoken.”

18 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

19 “And you, son of man, appoint two ways for yourself, for the coming in of the sword of the king of Babylon; they come forth from one land, both of them. And create a station; create [it] at the top of the way of the city.

20 Appoint a way for the coming of the sword, || To Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, || And to Judah, in fortified Jerusalem.

21 For the king of Babylon has stood at the head of the way, || At the top of the two ways, to use divination, || He has moved lightly with the arrows, || He has inquired of the teraphim, || He has looked on the liver.

22 The divination [for] Jerusalem has been at his right, || To place battering-rams, || To open the mouth with slaughter, || To lift up a voice with shouting, || To place battering-rams against the gates, || To pour out a mound, to build a fortification.

23 And it has been to them as a false divination in their eyes, || Who have sworn oaths to them, || But he is causing iniquity to be remembered [so they] are caught.