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.

“Also, you human, [when you start doing those things, ] take a sharp sword and use it like [SIM] a razor to shave your head and your beard. Then put the hair that you shaved off on scales, and divide the [into three equal parts].

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.

When the time during [you will symbolize that] the city will be [by enemy troops] ends, put a third of the hair inside [drawing of the] city and burn it. Take another third of the hair, [scatter it] all [the drawing of] the city, and then strike it with your sword. That will symbolize that I will strike the people of Jerusalem [their enemies’] swords. Then allow the wind to scatter the other third of the hair. That will symbolize [even if they flee from the city], I will [cause their enemies to] pursue them and attack them with swords.

3 And take thence a few in number, and tie them up in the corners of thy garment.

Take a few of your hairs and tuck them into the folds of your robe.

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.

Then take a few of those hairs, throw them into the fire, and burn them up. [That will symbolize that] a fire will spread from Jerusalem [and destroy things] throughout 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 [I, ] Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘[drawing will represent] Jerusalem, [the city which] I have set in the center of the nations, with [other] countries around it.

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 the wicked people of Jerusalem rebelled against [obeying] my commands, and [they show that] they are more wicked than the people of the surrounding countries. They rejected my laws and refused to obey my commands.’

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:

Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘You people of Jerusalem have been more rebellious than the people of the nations around you; you have not obeyed any of my laws [DOU]. You have not even obeyed the laws of the nations around 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.

Therefore, this is [I, ] Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘I am opposed to [you people of] Jerusalem. I will punish you, and the [people of other] nations will see it happen.

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 your detestable [idols], I will punish [people of Jerusalem] like I have never done before and will never 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.

As a result, parents among you will eat their children, and children will eat their [because there will be nothing else to eat]. I will punish you [severely], and I will cause those who will still be alive to be scattered in all directions [IDM].’

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.

Therefore, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that as surely as I am alive, because you have polluted my temple with all your disgusting [statues of idols] and by the other detestable things that you do, I will no longer bless you. I will not pity [you] or act mercifully [toward you].

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.

One-third of your people will die inside the city because of the plagues [they will experience] or by (famine/lack of food). One-third of your people will be killed [your enemies’] swords outside the city. And one-third I will cause to be scattered in all directions; [your enemies] will [still] pursue you and kill you with their swords.

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.

Then I will no longer be angry with you; I will stop punishing [MTY] you after I have gotten revenge on you. And when I stop punishing you, you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken to you because I have been very strongly concerned [what you have done].

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 will cause your [city] to be a ruins, with the result that [people of other] nations that are around you will pass by and see it and sneer at you.

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, —

They will make fun of you and taunt you. When I severely punish you because of my being very angry [DOU] with you, they will be horrified and they will be warned. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.

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 cut off your food supply and cause there to be more famine, [it will be as though] [MET] I am shooting at you with my arrows that will destroy you.

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 cause you to experience a famine, and I will send wild beasts to attack you and your children, and [all] your children will be killed. You will experience plagues and wars, and I will cause [your enemies] to attack you with their swords. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.”