< Ezekiel 5 >
1 “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].
And thou sonne of man, take thee a sharpe knife, or take thee a barbours rasor and cause it to passe vpon thine head, and vpon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and deuide the heare.
2 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.
Thou shalt burne with fire the thirde part in the middes of the citie, when the dayes of the siege are fulfilled, and thou shalt take the other thirde part, and smite about it with a knife, and the last thirde part thou shalt scatter in the winde, and I will drawe out a sworde after them.
3 Take a few of your hairs and tuck them into the folds of your robe.
Thou shalt also take thereof a fewe in nomber, and binde them in thy lappe.
4 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.
Then take of them againe and cast them into the middes of the fire, and burne them in the fire: for thereof shall a fire come foorth into all the house of Israel.
5 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.
Thus saith the Lord God, This is Ierusalem: I haue set it in the middes of the nations and countreyes, that are rounde about her.
6 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.’
And she hath changed my iudgements into wickednes more then the nations, and my statutes more then the countreis, that are round about her: for they haue refused my iudgemets and my statutes, and they haue not walked in them.
7 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!’
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Because your multitude is greater then the nations that are rounde about you, and ye haue not walked in my statutes, neither haue ye kept my iudgements: no, ye haue not done according to the iudgements of the nations, that are rounde about you,
8 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.
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Beholde, I, euen I come against thee, and will execute iudgement in the middes of thee, euen in the sight of the nations.
9 Because of all your detestable [idols], I will punish [people of Jerusalem] like I have never done before and will never do again.
And I will doe in thee, that I neuer did before, neither will do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
10 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].’
For in the middes of thee, the fathers shall eate their sonnes, and the sonnes shall eate their fathers, and I will execute iudgement in thee, and the whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the windes.
11 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].
Wherefore, as I liue, saith the Lord God, Surely because thou hast defiled my Sanctuarie with all thy filthinesse, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also destroy thee, neither shall mine eye spare thee, neither will I haue any pitie.
12 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.
The third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they bee consumed in the middes of thee: and another third part shall fall by the sword round about thee: and I will scatter the last third part into all windes, and I will drawe out a sword after them.
13 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].
Thus shall mine anger bee accomplished, and I will cause my wrath to cease in them, and I will be comforted: and they shall knowe, that I the Lord haue spoke it in my zeale, when I haue accomplished my wrath in them.
14 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.
Moreouer, I will make thee waste, and abhorred among the nations, that are round about thee, and in the sight of all that passe by.
15 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.
So thou shalt bee a reproche and shame, a chastisement and an astonishment vnto the nations, that are rounde about thee, when I shall execute iudgements in thee, in anger and in wrath, and in sharpe rebukes: I the Lord haue spoken it.
16 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.
When I shall sende vpon them the euill arrowes of famine, which shalbe for their destruction, and which I will sende to destroy you: and I will encrease the famine vpon you, and wil breake your staffe of bread.
17 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.”
So will I send vpon you famine, and euill beastes, and they shall spoyle thee, and pestilence and blood shall passe through thee, and I will bring the sworde vpon thee: I the Lord haue spoken it.