Ezekiel 21

1 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:

2 “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and prophesy to the holy places, and prophesy to the ground of Israel;

Son of man Set thy face against Jerusalem, And drop thy word against the holy places And prophesy against the soil of Israel.

3 and you have said to the ground of Israel, Thus said YHWH: Behold, I [am] against you, And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, And have cut off righteous and wicked from you.

Thou shalt say then to the soil of Israel Thus saith Yahweh, Behold me against thee, Therefore will I bring forth my sword out of its sheath, —and will cut off from thee the righteous and the lawless.

4 Because that I have cut off righteous and wicked from you, Therefore My sword goes out from its scabbard, To all flesh, from south to north.

Because I have cut off from thee the righteous and the lawless, Therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north:

5 And all flesh has known that I, YHWH, Have brought out My sword from its scabbard, It does not turn back anymore.

So shall all flesh know that, I, Yahweh have brought forth my sword out of its sheath, — it shall not return any more.

6 And you, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, indeed, sigh before their eyes with bitterness,

Thou, therefore O son of man sigh, — In the sharp pain of thy loins and in bitterness, shalt thou sigh before their eyes.

7 and it has come to pass, when they say to you, Why are you sighing? That you have said: Because of the report, for it is coming, And every heart has melted, And all hands have been feeble, And every spirit is weak, And all knees go [as] waters, Behold, it is coming, indeed, it has been, A declaration of Lord YHWH.”

And it shall come to pass when they shall say unto thee, Wherefore art thou sighing? that thou shalt say, For the report because it cometh, When every heart shall melt. And all hands be unnerved And every spirit shall become faint. And all knees shall be weak as water, Lo! it cometh and shall be brought to pass, Saith My Lord, Yahweh.

8 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

And the word of Yahweh came unto me. saying:

9 “Son of man, prophesy, and you have said, Thus said YHWH: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.

Son of man, Prophesy and thou shalt say, Thus saith My Lord, — Say, A sword! a sword! Sharpened moreover also furbished:

10 It is sharpened so as to slaughter a slaughter. It is polished so as to have brightness, Or do we rejoice? It is despising the scepter of My son [as] every tree.

To make a slaughter, is it sharpened, That it may flash as lightning, is it furbished. Or shall we flourish the royal rod of my son which despiseth every tree?

11 And He gives it for polishing, For laying hold of by the hand. It is sharpened—the sword—and polished, To give it into the hand of a slayer.

It hath. however been given to be furbished that it may be grasped by the hand: The same is a sword sharpened. Yea the same, is furbished, Ready to be given into the hand of the slayer.

12 Cry and howl, son of man, For it has been among My people, It [is] among all the princes of Israel, My people have been cast to the sword. Therefore strike on your thigh,

Make an outcry and howl son of man, For the same hath come against my people, the same is against all the princes of Israel, - Who are thrown to the sword with my people, Therefore smite thou upon thy thigh.

13 Because [it is] a trier, And what if it is even despising the scepter? It will not be, a declaration of Lord YHWH.

For trial hath been made, What then, even though the royal rod despiseth, shall it not be? Demandeth My Lord. Yahweh.

14 And you, son of man, prophesy, And strike hand on hand, And the sword is bent a third time, The sword of the wounded! It [is] the sword of the wounded—the great one, That is entering the inner chamber to them.

Thou, therefore, son of man, Prophesy, and smite thy hands together, And let the sword smite twice thrice the sword of the slain! the same is the great sword of the slain, that which hemmeth them in.

15 To melt the heart, and to multiply the ruins, I have set the point of a sword by all their gates. Aah! It is made for brightness, Wrapped up for slaughter.

That the heart may melt And the overthrow be multiplied at all their gates, I have recompensed a slaying by the sword: Surely it hath been made ready to flash like lightning, keen for slaughter.

16 Take possession of the right, place yourself at the left, To where your face is appointed.

One firm stroke to the right. Turn to the left, - Whithersoever thine edge is directed,

17 And I also, I strike My hand on My hand, And have caused My fury to rest; I, YHWH, have spoken.”

Yea even I myself, will smite my hands together, And will cause mine indignation to find rest, — I Yahweh, have spoken.

18 And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,

Then came the word of Yahweh unto me saying:

19 “And you, son of man, appoint two ways for yourself, for the coming in of the sword of the king of Babylon; they come forth from one land, both of them. And create a station; create [it] at the top of the way of the city.

Thou, therefore son of man. Appoint thee two ways For the sword of the king of Babylon to enter, Out of one land shall those two ways come, — And a hand, engrave thou, At the head of the way to the city, engrave it.;

20 Appoint a way for the coming of the sword, To Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, And to Judah, in fortified Jerusalem.

A way, shalt thou appoint, for the sword to enter. Even to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, — And to Judah against Jerusalem, the defenced,

21 For the king of Babylon has stood at the head of the way, At the top of the two ways, to use divination, He has moved lightly with the arrows, He has inquired of the teraphim, He has looked on the liver.

For the king of Babylon, hath come to a stand, At the parting of the way At the head of the two ways To divine a divination: He hath shaken with arrows He hath asked of the household gods, He hath inspected the liver.

22 The divination [for] Jerusalem has been at his right, To place battering-rams, To open the mouth with slaughter, To lift up a voice with shouting, To place battering-rams against the gates, To pour out a mound, to build a fortification.

On his right hand, hath come the divination—Jerusalem! To plant battering-rams To open a hole by breach To lift up the voice with a war-shout, — To plant battering-rams against the gates, To cast up an earth-work To build a siege-wall.

23 And it has been to them as a false divination in their eyes, Who have sworn oaths to them, But he is causing iniquity to be remembered [so they] are caught.

Though it will become to them a veritably false divination in their eyes, even when bound by oaths to them Yet, he, calling to mind iniquity, [will determine] that it shall be captured.

24 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Because of your causing your iniquity to be remembered, In your transgressions being revealed, For your sins being seen, in all your doings, Because of your being remembered, You are caught by the hand.

Therefore Thus saith My Lord. Yahweh, Because ye have brought to mind your iniquity, by revealing your transgressions causing your sins to appear in all your doings, - Because ye have brought yourselves to mind By force shall ye be captured.

25 And you, wounded, wicked one, Prince of Israel, whose day has come, In the time of the iniquity of the end,

Thou therefore, O profane, lawless one, prince of Israel, - Whose day hath come, in a time of final iniquity:

26 Thus said Lord YHWH: Turn aside the turban, and carry away the crown, This—not this—make high the low, And make low the high.

Thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, Remove the turban, And lift off the crown, — This not that, The abased, exalt, And the exalted, abase.

27 An overturn, overturn, overturn, I make it, Also this has not been until the coming of Him, Whose [is] the judgment, and I have given it.

An overthrow overthrow overthrow, will I make it, — Even this, hath not befallen until the coming of One to whom belongeth the right Then will I bestow it.

28 And you, son of man, prophesy, and you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH concerning the sons of Ammon, and concerning their reproach, and you have said: A sword, a sword, open for slaughter, Polished to the utmost for brightness!

Thou, therefore, son of man Prophesy and say, thus, saith My Lord. Yahweh, As to the sons of Ammon and as to their reproach Yea thou shalt say. A sword! a sword! Drawn for slaughter, Furbished, that when it beginneth, it may flash like lightning;

29 In seeing a vain thing for you, In divining a lie for you, To put you on the necks of the wounded of the wicked, whose day has come, In the time of the iniquity of the end.

Since they see for thee, false visions, Since they divine for thee lies, To stretch thee upon the necks of them who are the most profaned of lawless ones, Whose day hath come, in a time of final iniquity,

30 Turn [it] back to its scabbard; I judge you In the place where you were produced, In the land of your birth.

Put it back into its sheath! In the place where thou wast created In the land of thy nativity, will I judge thee

31 And I have poured My indignation on you, I blow against you with [the] fire of My wrath, And have given you into the hand of brutish men—craftsmen of destruction.

Then will I pour out upon thee mine indignation, With the fire of mine outburst, will I blow upon thee; and will deliver thee up into the hand of brutish men, skilled to destroy.

32 You are fuel for the fire, Your blood is in the midst of the land, You are not remembered, For I, YHWH, have spoken!”

For the fire, shalt thou serve as fuel, Thy blood shall be in the midst of the land, - Thou shalt not be remembered, For I, Yahweh, have spoken.