Ezekiel 5
1 And thou, son of man, take unto thyself a sharp sword, a barber's razor shalt thou take for it unto thyself, and cause it to pass over thy head and over thy beard: then take unto thee balances for weighing, and divide the hair.
“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.
2 One third part shalt thou burn with fire in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are completed; and thou shalt take another third part, and smite [it] round about it with the sword; and the other third part shalt thou scatter to the wind: and I will draw out a sword after the same.
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.
3 And take thence a few in number, and tie them up in the corners of thy garment.
Take just a few hairs and tuck them into the hem of your clothes.
4 And from these again shalt thou take some, and cast them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire: therefrom shall a fire go forth unto all the house of Israel.
Take some of these and toss them into the fire to burn them. A fire will spread from there to burn everyone in Israel.
5 Thus hath said the Lord Eternal, This is Jerusalem, which I had set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
This is what the Lord God says: This represents Jerusalem. I placed her right in the middle of the nations, surrounded by other countries.
6 But she rebelled against my ordinances more wickedly than the nations, and against my statutes, more than the countries that are round about her; for my ordinances they have despised, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.
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.
7 Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Because ye have given yourselves up to evil more than the nations that are round about you, have not walked in my statutes, and have not executed my ordinances, and not even acted according to the ordinances of the nations that are round about you:
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.
8 Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold, I, also I am against thee, and I will execute judgments in the midst of thee before the eyes of the nations.
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.
9 And I will do in thee that which I have never done, and the like of which I will never do any more, because of all thy abominations.
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.
10 Therefore fathers shall devour their children in the midst of thee, and children shall devour their fathers: and I will execute judgments on thee, and I will scatter all thy remnant unto all the winds.
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.
11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord Eternal, Surely, because thou hast made unclean my sanctuary with all thy detestable things, and with all thy abominations: therefore will I also diminish [thee]; and my eye shall not show pity, and I also will not spare.
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.
12 A third part of thee shall die through the pestilence, and come through famine to their end in the midst of thee; and another third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and the other third part will I scatter unto all the winds, and a sword will I draw out after them.
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.
13 Thus shall my anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will satisfy myself: and they shall know that I the Lord have spoken it in my zeal, when I have let out all my fury on them.
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.
14 Yea, I will render thee a ruin, and a disgrace among the nations that are round about thee, before the eyes of every one that passeth by.
I'm going to ruin you and humiliate you in front of the nations surrounding you, in the sight of every passer-by.
15 And she shall be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I execute judgments on thee in anger and in fury and in furious chastisements, —I the Lord have spoken it, —
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.
16 When I send out among them the dreadful arrows of famine, which [ever] were the cause of destruction, which I will send out to destroy you; and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break unto you the staff of bread:
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.
17 So will I let loose over you famine and wild beasts, and they shall make thee childless; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and the sword will I bring over thee. I the Lord have spoken it.
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.”
