Ezekiel 5
1 “Son of man, go and shave your head and your beard using a sharp sword like a barber's razor. Then divide up the hair using a set of scales.
And thou, son of man, take thee a sword sharper than a barber's razor; thou shalt procure it for thyself, and shalt bring it upon thine head, and upon thy beard: and thou shalt take a pair of scales, and shalt separate the hair.
2 Once the days of the siege have finished, burn up one third of the hair inside the city; slash at another third with a sword around the city; and scatter another third in the wind. I will let loose a sword behind them to chase them.
A fourth part thou shalt burn in the fire in the midst of the city, at the fulfillment of the days of the siege: and thou shalt take a fourth part, and burn it up in the midst of it: and a fourth part thou shalt cut with a sword round about it: and a fourth part thou shalt scatter to the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.
3 Take just a few hairs and tuck them into the hem of your clothes.
And thou shalt take thence a few in number, and shalt wrap them in the fold of thy garment.
4 Take some of these and toss them into the fire to burn them. A fire will spread from there to burn everyone in Israel.
And thou shalt take of these again, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them up with fire: from thence shall come forth fire; and thou shalt say to the whole house of Israel,
5 This is what the Lord God says: This represents Jerusalem. I placed her right in the middle of the nations, surrounded by other countries.
Thus saith the Lord; This is Jerusalem: I have set her and the countries round about her in the midst of the nations.
6 But she rebelled against my rules, acting more wickedly than the nations, and she defied my regulations more than the countries surrounding her. Her people rejected my rules and refused to follow my regulations.
And thou shalt declare mine ordinances to the lawless one from out of the nations; and my statutes [to the sinful one] of the countries round about her: because they have rejected mine ordinances, and have not walked in my statutes.
7 Consequently this is what the Lord God says: You have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You refused to follow my rules and keep my regulations. In fact you didn't even live up to the standards of the nations surrounding you.
Therefore thus saith the Lord, Because your occasion [for sin has been taken] from the nations round about you, and ye have not walked in my statutes, nor kept mine ordinances, nay, ye have not even done according to the ordinances of the nations round about you; therefore thus saith the Lord;
8 So this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because it's me who is condemning you, Jerusalem! I'm going to carry out my sentence against you while the other nations watch.
Behold, I am against thee, and I will execute judgment in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
9 Because of all the disgusting things you've done, I'm going to do to you what I've never done before—and I won't ever do again.
And I will do in thee things which I have not done, and the like of which I will not do again, for all thine abominations.
10 In your city parents will eat their own children, and children will eat their parents. I'm going to punish you and scatter in every directions those who are left.
Therefore the fathers shall eat [their] children in the midst of thee, and children shall eat [their] fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and I will scatter all that are left of thee to every wind.
11 As I live, declares the Lord God, because you have made my sanctuary unclean with all your offensive idols and disgusting practices, I will stop treating you well. I won't be kind to you—I won't show you any pity.
Therefore, [as] I live, saith the Lord; surely, because thou hast defiled my holy things with all thine abominations, I also will reject thee; mine eye shall not spare, and I will have no mercy.
12 A third of your people will die from disease or starvation inside the city; a third will be killed by the sword outside the city walls; and a third I will scatter in the wind in all directions, and let loose a sword behind them to chase them.
A fourth part of thee shall be cut off by pestilence, and a fourth part of thee shall be consumed in the midst of thee with famine: and [as for another] fourth part of thee, I will scatter them to every wind; and a fourth part of thee shall fall by sword round about thee, and I will draw out a sword after them.
13 Once my anger is over and I've finished punishing them, then I'll be satisfied. When I've finished punishing them, then they'll know that I, the Lord, meant what I said when I spoke so strongly.
And my wrath and mine anger shall be accomplished upon them: and thou shalt know that I the Lord have spoken in my jealousy, when I have accomplished mine anger upon them.
14 I'm going to ruin you and humiliate you in front of the nations surrounding you, in the sight of every passer-by.
And I will make thee desolate, and thy daughters round about thee, in the sight of every one that passes through.
15 You will be criticized and mocked, you'll be a warning and something horrifying to the surrounding nations when I carry out my sentence against you in my rage and furious anger. I the Lord have spoken.
And thou shalt be mourned over and miserable among the nations round about thee, when I have executed judgments in thee in the vengeance of my wrath. I the Lord have spoken.
16 When I pour down on you deadly arrows of famine and destruction they're intended to kill you. I will make your famine worse by stopping your food supply.
And when I have sent against them shafts of famine, then they shall be consumed, and I will break the strength of thy bread.
17 I will send famine and wild animals to attack you. You'll have no children left. Disease and killing will sweep over you, and I will bring armies to attack you. I the Lord have spoken.”
So I will send forth against thee famine and evil beasts, and I will take vengeance upon thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through upon thee; and I will bring a sword upon thee round about. I the Lord have spoken.
