Jezekiel 7

1 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Also, you, son of man, say,

A message from the Lord came to me, saying,

2 Thus says the Lord; An end is come to the land of Israel, the end is come on the four corners of the land.

“Son of man, this is what the Lord God says to the people living in Israel: The end is here! The end has arrived throughout the country.

3 The end is come on you,

Now is the end for you! I'm going to direct my anger against you. I'm judging you for your actions and will pay you back for the offensive things you've done.

4 the inhabitant of the land: the time is come, the day has drawn near, not with tumult, nor with pangs.

I won't have any pity for you, or show you any mercy. I'm going to punish you for what you've done, for your disgusting sins. Then you'll know that I am the Lord.

5 Now I will pour out my anger upon you near at hand, and I will accomplish my wrath on you: and I will judge you for your ways, and recompense upon you all your abominations.

This is what the Lord God says: Watch out! Disaster after disaster is coming!

6 Mine eye shall not spare, nor will I have any mercy: for I will recompense your ways upon you, and your abominations shall be in the midst of you; and you shall know that I am the Lord that strike [you].

The end is here! The end has come, and it's coming for you! Watch out! This is the end!

7 Now the end [is come] to you, and I will send [judgment] upon you: and I will take vengeance on your ways, and will recompense all your abominations upon you.

You people living in the land, the consequences of your actions have come full circle. The time has come, the day is near— shouts of panic on the mountains and not shouts of joy.

8 Mine eye shall not spare, nor will I have any mercy: for I will recompense your way upon you, and your abominations shall be in the midst of you; and you shall know that I am the Lord.

Very shortly I'm going to show you how angry I am with you. I will judge you by what you have done, and punish you for all your disgusting sins.

9 For thus says the Lord; Behold, the end is come.

I won't have any pity for you or show you any mercy. I'm going to punish you for what you've done, for your disgusting sins. Then you will know that it is I, the Lord, who is attacking you.

10 Behold, the day of the Lord! although the rod has blossomed,

Can't you see? The day is here! It has arrived! The consequences of your actions have come full circle—the walking stick has blossomed, pride has come into full bloom.

11 pride has sprung up, and will break the staff of the wicked one, and [that] not with tumult, nor with haste.

Their way of violence has turned into a rod to punish them for their wickedness. None of them will survive—none of that whole crowd, and none of their wealth or honor.

12 The time is come, behold the day: let not the buyer rejoice, and let not the seller mourn.

The time has come; the day is here! Buyers, don't celebrate thinking you'll get a good deal; sellers, don't cry thinking you're going to make a loss—because punishment is coming to everyone.

13 For the buyer shall never again return to the seller, neither shall a man cleave with the eye [of hope] to his life.

Sellers won't ever get back the purchase price while they're still alive. I'm not going to change the plan I have revealed that applies to everyone. People who go on sinning won't survive.

14 Sound you the trumpet, and pass sentence on all together.

Even though the trumpet call to arms has sounded, even though all the preparations have been made, no one is ready to fight, because I am angry with everyone.

15 [There shall be] war with the sword without, and famine and pestilence within: he that is in the field shall die by the sword; and famine and pestilence shall destroy them that are in the city.

Outside the city are armed attacks; inside are disease and starvation. Those in the countryside will be killed by the sword, and those in the city will be destroyed by starvation and disease.

16 But they that escape of them shall be delivered, and shall be upon the mountains: and I will kill all [the rest], every one for his iniquities.

Those who do survive will escape and go to live in the mountains. They will sigh like the doves of the valley, each person thinking about their own sins.

17 All hands shall be completely weakened, and all thighs shall be defiled with moisture.

Every hand will go limp, and every knee will go weak.

18 And they shall gird themselves with sackcloth, and amazement shall cover them; and shame shall be upon them, [even] upon every face, and baldness upon every head.

They will put on clothes made of sackcloth, and they will be totally terrified. They will all be ashamed and shave their heads in mourning.

19 Their silver shall be cast forth in the streets, and their gold shall be despised: their souls shall not be satisfied, and their bellies shall not be filled: for it was the punishment of their iniquities.

They will throw away their silver in the streets and treat their gold as if it's something unclean. Their silver and gold won't be able to save them when the day of the Lord's anger comes. Their money won't satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs. In fact this was the problem that caused their sin in the first place.

20 [As for] their choice ornaments, they employed them for pride, and they made of them images of their abominations: therefore have I made them uncleanness to them.

They were so proud of their beautiful jewelry that they used it to make their disgusting images and decorate their offensive idols. So I'm going to turn these idols into unclean things for them.

21 And I will deliver them into the hands of strangers to make them a prey, and to the pests of the earth for a spoil; and they shall profane them.

I'm going to hand these things over as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked people of the earth, who will make them unclean.

22 And I will turn away my face from them, and they shall defile my charge, and shall go in to them unguardedly, and profane them.

I will look away as they make my precious place unclean. Men of violence will enter and make it unclean.

23 And they shall work uncleanness: because the land is full of strange nations, and the city is full of iniquity.

Get the chains ready, because the country is full of blood being spilled by violent crimes, and the city itself is full of violence.

24 And I will turn back the boasting of their strength; and their holy things shall be defiled.

So I'm going to bring the most evil of all the nations to take over their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the powerful, and their holy places will be made unclean.

25 And [though] propitiation shall come, and [one] shall seek peace, yet there shall be none.

Absolutely terrified, the people will look for peace, but won't find it.

26 There shall be woe upon woe, and there shall be message upon message; and a vision shall be sought from a prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the elders.

Disaster after disaster will come down on them, and rumor after rumor. They will ask for a vision from a prophet, but there won't be any, and there won't be any instructions from the priests or advice from the elders either.

27 The prince shall clothe himself with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be made feeble: I will do to them according to their ways, and according to their judgments will I punish them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

The king will mourn, the prince will be devastated, and no one in the country will know what to do. I will do to them as they have done to others; I will judge them as they have judged others. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”