Ezekiel 21

1 Then came the word of Jehovah to me, saying:

The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

"Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

and tell the land of Israel, 'Thus says YHWH: "Look, I am against you, and will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

4 Seeing then that I cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north.

Seeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh from the Negev to the north:

5 And all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.

and all flesh shall know that I, YHWH, have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more."'

6 Thou, therefore, O son of man, sigh! With the breaking of thy loins, and with bitterness, sigh before their eyes!

"Sigh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your thighs and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes.

7 And when they shall say to thee, “Wherefore sighest thou?” thou shalt say, “For the rumor, because it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall fail, and all knees shall flow with water. Behold it cometh, it shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord Jehovah.”

It shall be, when they tell you, 'Why do you sigh?' that you shall say, 'Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: look, it comes, and it shall be done, says YHWH.'"

8 Also the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

9 Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, The sword, the sword is sharpened and furbished.

"Son of man, prophesy, and say, 'Thus says YHWH: Say, "A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

10 It is sharpened, that it may make sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter. Or shall we make mirth? The staff of my son despiseth every rod.

it is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? The rod of my son, it condemns every tree.

11 And he gave it to be furbished that it might be handled. The sword is sharpened and furbished, to be given into the hand of the slayer.

It is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the killer."'

12 Cry and howl, son of man! for it cometh upon my people, upon all the princes of Israel. They are given up to the sword with my people. Therefore smite upon thy thigh.

Cry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people, it is on all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore on your thigh.

13 The trial is made. And what if even the contemning staff should be no more? saith the Lord Jehovah.

For there is a trial; and what if even the rod that condemns shall be no more?" says YHWH.

14 Thou, therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together! for twice, yea thrice, cometh the sword, a sword of slaughter, a sword of great slaughter, that besetteth them on every side.

"You therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one who is deadly wounded, which enters into their rooms.

15 That their hearts may faint, and their overthrown may be multiplied, I have set the terror of the sword against all their gates. Ah, how is it made to glitter, polished for slaughter!

I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: Ah. It is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter.

16 Unite thyself, smite to the right, prepare thyself, smite to the left, whithersoever thine edge is turned!

'Gather yourselves together, go to the right, set yourselves in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set.'

17 I also will smite my hands together, and cause mine anger to cease. I, Jehovah, have spoken it.

I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, YHWH, have spoken it."

18 The word of Jehovah came to me again, saying:

The word of YHWH came to me again, saying,

19 Do thou, son of man, appoint thee two ways by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come; from one land shall both of them come; and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.

"Also, you son of man, appoint two ways that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come forth out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.

20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come towards Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, and towards Judah, to Jerusalem, the fenced city.

You shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem, the fortified.

21 For the king of Babylon shall stand at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shall shake together his arrows, he shall consult the teraphim, he shall look at the liver.

For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.

22 In his right hand shall be the lot: Jerusalem, to set battering-rams, to open the mouth with the war-cry, to lift up the voice in shouting, to set battering-rams against the gates, to cast up a mound, to build a tower.

In his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.

23 And this shall appear a false divination in their sight, because they swore oaths to them. But he shall call to remembrance their iniquity, that they may be taken.

It shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye make your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear, —because, I say, ye bring yourselves into remembrance, ye shall be taken with that hand.

"Therefore thus says YHWH: 'Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you shall be taken with the hand.

25 And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day cometh in the time when iniquity bringeth destruction!

"'You, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,

26 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will remove the diadem, and take away the crown! This shall no more be this. I exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.

thus says YHWH: "Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this shall be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high."

27 I will destroy, destroy, destroy it; and it shall be no more until he come to whom the right belongeth, and to whom I will give it.

I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.'

28 And thou, son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah concerning the sons of Ammon and their scorn; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn; to slay, to consume, is it furbished, so that it glittereth;

"You, son of man, prophesy, and say, 'Thus says YHWH concerning the people of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, "A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

29 while they see deceit for thee, and prophesy falsehood, that it may bring thee to the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day cometh in the time when iniquity bringeth destruction.

while they see for you false visions, while they divine lies to you, to lay you on the necks of the wicked who are deadly wounded, whose day has come in the time of the iniquity of the end.

30 Return the sword into its sheath! In the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity, I will judge thee,

Cause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you.

31 and I will pour upon thee my indignation, I will blow upon thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hands of brutal men, skilful to destroy.

I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

32 Thou shalt be fuel for the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; men shall no more remember thee. I, Jehovah, have spoken it.

You shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the midst of the land; you shall be remembered no more: for I, YHWH, have spoken it."'"