Ezekiel 21

1 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

Then came the word of Jehovah to me, saying:

2 and he seide, Thou, sone of man, sette thi face to Jerusalem, and droppe thou to the seyntuaries, and profesie thou ayens the erthe of Israel.

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

3 And thou schalt seie to the lond of Israel, The Lord God seith these thingis, Lo! Y to thee, and Y schal caste my swerd out of his schethe, and Y schal sle in thee a iust man and a wickid man.

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.

4 Forsothe for that that Y haue slayn in thee a iust man and a wickid man, therfor my swerd schal go out of his schethe to ech man, fro the south til to the north;

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.

5 that ech man wite, that Y the Lord haue drawe out my swerd fro his schethe, that schal not be clepid ayen.

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

6 And thou, sone of man, weile in sorewe of leendis, and in bitternessis thou schalt weile bifore hem.

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

7 And whanne thei schulen seie to thee, Whi weilist thou? thou schalt seie, For hering, for it cometh; and ech herte shal faile, and alle hondis schulen be aclumsid, and ech spirit schal be sike, and watris schulen flete doun bi alle knees; lo! it cometh, and it shal be don, seith the Lord God.

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.”

8 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

Also the word of Jehovah came to me, saying:

9 and he seide, Sone of man, profesie thou; and thou schalt seie, The Lord God seith these thingis, Speke thou, The swerd, the swerd is maad scharp, and is maad briyt;

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

10 it is maad scharp to sle sacrifices; it is maad briyt, that it schyne. Thou that mouest the ceptre of my sone, hast kit doun ech tree.

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.

11 And Y yaf it to be forbischid, that it be holdun with hond; this swerd is maad scharp, and this is maad briyt, that it be in the hond of the sleere.

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.

12 Sone of man, crie thou, and yelle, for this swerd is maad in my puple, this in alle the duykis of Israel; thei that fledden ben youun to swerd with my puple. Therfor smite thou on thin hipe, for it is preuyd;

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.

13 and this whanne it hath distried the ceptre, and it schal not be, seith the Lord God.

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

14 Therfor, sone of man, profesie thou, and smyte thou hond to hond, and the swerd be doublid, and the swerd of sleeris be treblid; this is the swerd of greet sleyng, that schal make hem astonyed,

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.

15 and to faile in herte, and multiplieth fallingis. In alle the yatis of hem Y yaf disturbling of a swerd, scharp and maad briyt to schyne, gird to sleynge.

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!

16 Be thou maad scharp, go thou to the riyt side, ether to the left side, whidur euer the desir of thi face is.

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

17 Certis and Y schal smyte with hond to hond, and Y schal fille myn indignacioun; Y the Lord spak.

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

18 And the word of the Lord was maad to me,

The word of Jehovah came to me again, saying:

19 and he seide, And thou, sone of man, sette to thee twei weies, that the swerd of the king of Babiloyne come; bothe schulen go out of o lond, and bi the hond he schal take coniecting; he schal coniecte in the heed of the weie of the citee,

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.

20 settinge a weye, that the swerd come to Rabath of the sones of Amon, and to Juda in to Jerusalem moost strong.

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

21 For the king of Babiloyne stood in the meeting of twey weies, in the heed of twei weies, and souyte dyuynyng, and medlide arowis; he axide idols, and took councel at entrails.

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.

22 Dyuynyng was maad to his riyt side on Jerusalem, that he sette engyns, that he opene mouth in sleyng, that he reise vois in yelling, that he sette engyns ayens the yatis, that he bere togidere erthe, that he bilde strengthinges.

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.

23 And he shal be as counceling in veyn goddis answer bifor the iyen of hem, and seruynge the reste of sabatis; but he schal haue mynde on wickidnesse, to take.

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.

24 Therfor the Lord God seith these thingis, For that that ye hadden mynde on youre wickidnesse, and schewiden youre trespassyngis, and youre synnes apperiden in alle youre thouytis, forsothe for that that ye hadden mynde, ye schulen be takun bi hond.

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.

25 But thou, cursid wickid duyk of Israel, whos dai bifor determyned is comun in the tyme of wickidnesse,

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

26 the Lord God seith these thingis, Do awei the mitre, take awei the coroun; whether it is not this that reiside the meke man, and made low the hiy man?

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.

27 Wickidnesse, wickidnesse, wickidnesse Y schal putte it; and this schal not be doon til he come, whos the doom is, and Y schal bitake to hym.

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.

28 And thou, sone of man, profesie, and seie, The Lord God seith these thingis to the sones of Amon, and to the schenschipe of hem; and thou schalt seie, A! thou swerd, A! thou swerd, drawun out to sle, maad briyte, that thou sle and schyne,

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;

29 whanne veyn thingis weren seien to thee, and leesingis weren dyuynyd, that thou schuldist be youun on the neckis of wickid men woundid, the dai of whiche bifore determyned schal come in the tyme of wickidnesse, turne thou ayen in to thi schethe,

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.

30 in to the place in which thou were maad. Y schal deme thee in the lond of thi birthe,

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

31 and Y schal schede out myn indignacioun on thee; in the fier of my strong veniaunce Y schal blowe in thee, and Y schal yyue thee in to the hondis of vnwise men, and makinge deth.

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.

32 Thou schalt be mete to fier, thi blood schal be in the middis of erthe; thou schalt be youun to foryetyng, for Y the Lord spak.

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.