Ezekiel 21

1 Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

Then came the word of Yahweh unto me, saying:

2 “You human, turn toward Jerusalem. Preach about what will happen to the temple [there]. Preach about what will happen to the Israeli people.

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

3 Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I am opposed to 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 [what I will do to you will be as though] [MET] I will pull my sword from its sheath [and strike you]. I will kill everyone, including righteous people and wicked people [DOU]. I will get rid of everyone, from the south to the 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 Then everyone will know [it is as though] I, Yahweh, have struck people with my sword, and I will not put it back in its sheath again.’

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

6 Therefore, you human, groan! Groan in front of the Israeli people very sadly and sorrowfully [IDM, DOU].

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 when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ tell them, ‘Because of the news that they soon will hear. Everyone will be very fearful [IDM], and their knees will become as weak as [SIM] water. [A great disaster] will soon occur. That is what Yahweh the Lord is promising.’”

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 Yahweh gave me another message. [He said],

And the word of Yahweh came unto me. saying:

9 “You human, prophesy and say [to them], ‘This is what Yahweh says: I have sharpened my sword and polished it.

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 in order that I can [many people with it]; it is polished so that it will flash like lightning. The people of Judah will not [their being punished like this], but they did not repent [I only struck them] with a stick.

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 A sword should be polished, and be grasped [in someone’s hand]. It should be sharpened and polished, ready for someone to use it to kill people.

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 [So, ] you human, cry and wail, because I will use my sword to kill my people, including the leaders of Israel. They and all the other people, my people, will be killed by swords, so beat your [to show that you are sad].

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 I am about to test my people, and the kings [MTY] of Judah will not escape being punished. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.

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

14 So, you human, prophesy; clap your [to show that you are very happy about what is going to happen]. My sword will strike them again and again; it is a sword for slaughtering many people, while I attack them from every side.

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 In order that people will be very much afraid [IDM] and many people will be killed, I have [soldiers holding] my swords at every [city] gate, ready to slaughter people. Those swords will flash like lightning, as the [soldiers] grasp them to slaughter people.

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 Their swords [APO] will slash to the right and [then] to the left, whichever way they turn the blades.

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

17 Then I will clap my [triumphantly]; and [then] I will no longer be angry. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.’”

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

18 Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]

Then came the word of Yahweh unto me saying:

19 “You human, [a map], and on it mark two roads for the King of Babylonia to march [along with his army, carrying] their swords. When they depart from their country, they will come to a sign post where the road divides.

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 [If they continue on the one road, ] they will attack [city], the capital of the Ammon people-group. [If they continue on the other road, ] they will come to Judah and to Jerusalem, [a city] with walls around it.

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 [When the army of] Babylonia comes to where the road divides, [they will stop], and the king will perform magic rituals [to decide which road to go on]. He will throw arrows; [then] consult his [about which road to go on], and he will (examine/look at) the [of a sheep].

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 With his right hand he will pick up the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’. He will [command his soldiers to go to Jerusalem. When they arrive there, they] will set up (rams/devices to [down the walls], ) and [then] the king will give the command for them to slaughter [the people]. They will shout [a battle-cry], and they will set up the rams against the [city] gates. They will build a dirt ramp [against the walls around the city], and set up things to bash those walls.

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 The [in Jerusalem] who had promised [to be loyal to the King of Babylonia will think that those rituals must be wrong. They will think that his army should not be attacking them]. But he will remind them of the sins [MTY] that they had committed, [his army] will capture them.

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, [tell the Israeli people that] this is what Yahweh the Lord says: ‘You people have allowed everyone to see that you are openly [against the King of Babylonia], and by doing that you have shown that everything that you do is sinful. Therefore you will be captured and [to Babylonia].’

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 Also, say, ‘You very wicked [DOU] king of Israel, it is your [to die]. It is the time for you to be punished.’

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

26 And this is what Yahweh the Lord says [to you soldiers from Babylonia]: ‘Take off [the king’s] turban and his crown, because now things will be different than they were [before]. [in Jerusalem] who had no authority will now be given authority, and those who had authority will have their authority taken from them.

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

27 [Jerusalem] will be completely ruined. I will cause it to be ruined, and it will not be rebuilt/restored until the king to whom the city truly belongs comes; I will give it to [to rule 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 human, prophesy and say [this]: 'This is what Yahweh the Lord says about the Ammon people-group, and about what they have said to insult [Israel]: [“The King of Babylon says, ] ‘[My soldiers have] swords’ [APO]; they have pulled out those swords to slaughter many people. They have polished them in order to kill people, and to make those swords flash like lightning.

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 [Your prophets] have given you false visions about [what will happen to] you, and they have given you messages that are not true. So swords will strike the necks of those wicked people; it is time for them to be killed; it is the day when they will be [for their sins].

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 You must put your swords back in their sheaths [because the days for you to slaughter your enemies are ended]. I will judge those people in the country where they were born.

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

31 I will pour out my punishment [MTY] on them. Because I am very angry with them, my breath on them will scorch them [like] fire [MET]. I will allow brutal men to capture them, men who are experts in killing people.

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 will be [like] fuel [MET] [that is burned] in a fire. Your blood will be shed in your own land. No one will remember you any more. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.” '”

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.