Ezekiel 21

Babylon, the Sword of God

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,2 Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;3 and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both righteous and wicked from you.4 Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,5 that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.6 Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.7 And it shall be when they say to you, Why are you sighing? that you shall answer, Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass, says the Lord God.8 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,9 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord! Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened And also polished!10 Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My son, As it does all wood.11 And He has given it to be polished, That it may be handled; This sword is sharpened, and it is polished To be given into the hand of the slayer.12 Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh.13 Because it is a testing, And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more, says the Lord God.14 You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, The sword that slays the great men, That enters their private chambers.15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; It is grasped for slaughter:16 Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left Wherever your edge is ordered!17 I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying:19 And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city.20 Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.21 For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.22 In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall.23 And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.24 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appearbecause you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.25 Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,26 thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.27 Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, Until He comes whose right it is, And I will give it to Him.

A Sword Against the Ammonites

28 And you, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach, and say: A sword, a sword is drawn, Polished for slaughter, For consuming, for flashing29 While they see false visions for you, While they divine a lie to you, To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain Whose day has come, Whose iniquity shall end.30 Return it to its sheath. I will judge you In the place where you were created, In the land of your nativity.31 I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.32 You shall be fuel for the fire; Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall not be remembered, For I the Lord have spoken.

EZEKIEL 21

The [Lord] Will Punish Jerusalem

1 The [Lord] said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the places in Jerusalem where people worship. Warn everyone in Israel 3 that I am about to punish them. I will pull out my sword and have it ready to kill everyone, whether good or evil. 4 From south to north, people will die,

5 knowing that my sword will never be put away.
6 Ezekiel, groan in sorrow and despair so that everyone can hear you.

7 When they ask why you are groaning, tell them you have terrifying news that will make them faint and tremble in fear and lose all courage. These things will happen soon. I, the [Lord] God, make this promise!

A Sword Is Ready //To Attack Israel

8 The [Lord] said:

9-10 Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Jerusalem:
I have sharpened my sword
to slaughter you;
it is shiny and will flash
like lightning!
Don't celebrate—
punishment is coming,
because everyone has ignored
my warnings.t

11 My sword has been polished;
it's sharp and ready to kill.

12 Groan in sorrow, Ezekiel;
the sword is drawn against
my people and their leaders.
They will die!
So give up all hope.

13 I am testing my people,
and they can do nothing
to stop me.t
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

14 Ezekiel, warn my people,
then celebrate my victory
by clapping your hands.
My vicious sword will attack
again and again,
killing my people
with every stroke.

15 They will lose all courage
and stumble with fear.
My slaughtering sword
is waiting at every gate,
flashing and ready to kill.t

16 It will slash right and left,
wherever the blade is pointed.

17 Then I will stop being angry,
and I will clap my hands
in victory.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

The King of Babylonia //and His Sword

18 The [Lord] said:
19 Ezekiel, son of man, mark two roads for the king of Babylonia to follow when he comes with his sword. The roads will begin at the same place, but be sure to put up a signpost where the two roads separate and go in different directions. 20 Clearly mark where the two roads lead. One goes to Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, and the other goes to Jerusalem, the fortified capital of Judah. 21 When the Babylonian king stands at that signpost, he will decide which way to go by shaking his arrows, by asking his idols, and by carefully looking at the liver of a sacrificed animal.t 22 His right hand will pull out the arrow marked “Jerusalem.” Then he will immediately give the signal to shout the battle cry, to build dirt ramps up to the top of the city walls, to break down its walls and gates with large wooden poles, and to kill the people.

23 Everyone in Jerusalem had promised to be loyal to Babylonia, and so none of them will believe that this could happen to them. But Babylonia's king will remind them of their sinful ways and warn them of their coming captivity.

24 Ezekiel, tell the people of Jerusalem and their ruler that I, the [Lord] God, am saying:
Everything you do is wicked and shows how sinful you are. You are guilty and will be taken away as prisoners.
25 And now, you evil and wicked ruler of Israel, your day of final punishment is almost here. 26 I, the [Lord] God, command you to take off your royal turban and your crown, because everything will be different. Those who had no power will be put in charge, and those who now rule will become nobodies.

27 I will leave Jerusalem in complete ruins like no one has ever seen until my chosen one comes to punish this city.

Judgment against Ammon

28  t The [Lord] God said:
Ezekiel, son of man, the Ammonites have insulted Israel, so condemn them and tell them I am saying:
A sword is drawn,
ready to slaughter;
it is polished and prepared
to kill as fast as lightning.

29 You wicked Ammonites see false visions and believe untrue messages. But your day of punishment is coming soon, and my sword will slaughter you!
30 Your days to punish others are over, so put your swords away.t You will be punished in the land of your birth. 31 My furious anger will scorch you like fire, and I will hand you over to cruel men who are experts in killing. 32 You will be burned and will die in your own land. Then you will be forgotten forever. I, the [Lord], have spoken.