Ezekiel 21
21
A Vision of the Avenging Sword of Yahweh
1And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 2“Son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach to the sanctuaries, and prophesy to the land of Israel. 3And you must say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Look! I am against you, and I will draw out my sword from its sheath, and I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. 4Because#Hebrew “Because that” I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword will go out from its sheath to#Or “against” all creatures#Hebrew “creature” from south to north. 5And they will know, all creatures, that I, Yahweh, I will bring out my sword from its sheath; it will not return again!” ’ 6And you, son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” groan with shaking hips,#Literally “with destruction of loins” and you must groan with bitterness before their eyes. 7And then#Literally “and it will be” when they say to you, ‘On account of what are you groaning?’ then you must say, ‘On account of the report, for it is coming, and every heart will be weak and all hands will hang limp and every spirit will be disheartened, and all knees will go like water.’ Look! It is coming, and it will happen!” declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh.
8And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 9“Son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord,’ say, ‘A sword, a sword is sharpened and is also polished. 10It is sharpened to slaughter a slaughter, polished to flash like lightning!#Literally “so that there be for her lightning” Or will we rejoice?#Or “be pleased” A rod, my son, is despising every tree.#Or “stick” of correction; Hebrew is uncertain in meaning here 11And he gives it to be polished, to be seized by the hand.#Literally “to take hold of in the palm of the hand” It is sharpened—a sword—and it is polished to give it into the hand of the killer. 12Cry and wail, son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” for it is against my people; it is against all of the princes of Israel. They are thrown to the sword with my people; therefore strike your thigh.#Literally “strike on the thigh” 13For examine!#Literally “it was tested” And what if also the rod will not be despising?’ declares#Literally “declaration of” the Lord Yahweh. 14And you, son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” prophesy and clap your hands.#Literally “strike hand to hand” And the sword will strike twice;#Literally “be doubled” let it happen a third time. It is a sword of the dead, the sword of the great dead that is surrounding them, 15so that a heart melts, and the fallen multiply#Literally “be made many” at all of their gates. I gave a sword for slaughter, and alas! It is made for flashing, it is grasped#Or “polished” for slaughtering. 16Gather together, strike to the right; cause to go to the left, where your edge#Literally “face” is directed. 17And also I myself#Literally “I, I” will clap my hands,#Literally “strike my hand to my hand” and I will satisfy my rage! I, Yahweh, I have spoken.”
18And the word of Yahweh came#Literally “was” to me, saying,#Literally “to say” 19“And you, son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” mark out for yourself#Hebrew “you” two roads for the coming of the sword of the king of Babylon; they must both#Literally “the two of them” go out from the same land. And hew out a signpost;#Literally “hand” hew it at the head of the road of the city. 20You must mark a road for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the Ammonites#Literally “sons of Ammon” and to Judah, in Jerusalem the fortified. 21For the king of Babylon stands at the fork of the road at the head of the two roads to practice divination. He shakes the arrows,#Literally “he casts the lot with the arrows” (cf. NASB, NRSV) he inquires with the teraphim, he examines#Literally “sees with” the liver. 22In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem, to put up battering rams, to open a mouth for slaughter,#Or “open the mouth of Sheol”; or “give the command to slaughter” (cf. NRSV, NASB) to raise the battle cry,#Literally “to raise a voice in shouting” to put up battering rams against gates, to build a siege ramp, to build siege works.#Hebrew “siege work” 23And it will be to them like practicing divination falsely#Or “in vain” in their eyes; they have sworn oaths for themselves.#Literally “swearers of oaths will be for them” But#Or “And” he will bring their guilt to remembrance so as to seize them.
24“Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Because you have brought to remembrance your guilt by the uncovering of your transgressions, so that your sins in all of your deeds appear—because of your being remembered, you will be captured in the hand.’ 25And as for you, profane one, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come with the time of the punishment of the end, 26thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Remove the turban and lift off the crown; things are no longer the same. Exalt the low and bring low the high. 27A ruin, a ruin, a ruin I will make it! Also#Or “indeed” this has not ever happened;#Or “will not happen until” (cf. NASB and NRSV) it will remain until the coming of the one to whom the judgment belongs and I have given it to him.’ 28And you, son of man,#Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind” prophesy, and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the Ammonites#Literally “sons of Ammon” and concerning their disgrace,’ and you must say, ‘A sword, a sword is drawn for slaughtering; it is polished for holding, for flashing like lightning,#Literally “for the sake of lightening” 29when seeing a false vision for you in vain, when practicing divination for you falsely, to give#Or “place” you on the neck of the profane ones of the wicked, whose day has come,#Literally “who has come their day” the time of final punishment.#Literally “in the time of the punishment of the end” 30Return it to its sheath in the place where you were created. In the land of your origin I will judge you! 31And I will pour out my anger on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, skilled craftsmen of destruction. 32You will be as fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the earth. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh, I have spoken.’ ”
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Ezekiel 21: LEB
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Ezekiel 21
21
Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment
# In Hebrew texts 21:1-32 is numbered 21:6-37. 1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel 3and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north. 5Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword from its sheath; it will not return again.’
6“Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief. 7And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear and every hand go limp; every spirit will become faint and every leg will be wet with urine.’ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
8The word of the Lord came to me: 9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“ ‘A sword, a sword,
sharpened and polished—
10sharpened for the slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!
“ ‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.
11“ ‘The sword is appointed to be polished,
to be grasped with the hand;
it is sharpened and polished,
made ready for the hand of the slayer.
12Cry out and wail, son of man,
for it is against my people;
it is against all the princes of Israel.
They are thrown to the sword
along with my people.
Therefore beat your breast.
13“ ‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’
14“So then, son of man, prophesy
and strike your hands together.
Let the sword strike twice,
even three times.
It is a sword for slaughter—
a sword for great slaughter,
closing in on them from every side.
15So that hearts may melt with fear
and the fallen be many,
I have stationed the sword for slaughter#21:15 Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
at all their gates.
Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,
it is grasped for slaughter.
16Slash to the right, you sword,
then to the left,
wherever your blade is turned.
17I too will strike my hands together,
and my wrath will subside.
I the Lord have spoken.”
18The word of the Lord came to me: 19“Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost where the road branches off to the city. 20Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots with arrows, he will consult his idols, he will examine the liver. 22Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp and to erect siege works. 23It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remind them of their guilt and take them captive.
24“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.
25“ ‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, 26this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. 27A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come; to him I will give it.’
28“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites and their insults:
“ ‘A sword, a sword,
drawn for the slaughter,
polished to consume
and to flash like lightning!
29Despite false visions concerning you
and lying divinations about you,
it will be laid on the necks
of the wicked who are to be slain,
whose day has come,
whose time of punishment has reached its climax.
30“ ‘Let the sword return to its sheath.
In the place where you were created,
in the land of your ancestry,
I will judge you.
31I will pour out my wrath on you
and breathe out my fiery anger against you;
I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,
men skilled in destruction.
32You will be fuel for the fire,
your blood will be shed in your land,
you will be remembered no more;
for I the Lord have spoken.’ ”
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