Ezekiel 21

The Lord’s Sword of Judgment

Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H559 2“Son of man, turn and face Jerusalem and prophesy against Israel and her sanctuaries.H1121H120H7760H6440H3389H5197H4720H5012H127H3478 3Tell her, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am your enemy, O Israel, and I am about to unsheath my sword to destroy your people—the righteous and the wicked alike.H559H127H3478H559H3068H3318H2719H8593H3772H6662H7563 4Yes, I will cut off both the righteous and the wicked! I will draw my sword against everyone in the land from south to north.H3282H3772H6662H7563H2719H3318H8593H1320H5045H6828 5Everyone in the world will know that I am the Lord. My sword is in my hand, and it will not return to its sheath until its work is finished.’H1320H3045H3068H3318H2719H8593H7725 6“Son of man, groan before the people! Groan before them with bitter anguish and a broken heart.H584H1121H120H7670H4975H4814H584H5869 7When they ask why you are groaning, tell them, ‘I groan because of the terrifying news I have heard. When it comes true, the boldest heart will melt with fear; all strength will disappear. Every spirit will faint; strong knees will become as weak as water. And the Sovereign Lord says: It is coming! It’s on its way!’”H559H584H559H8052H935H3820H4549H3027H7503H7307H3543H1290H3212H4325H935H1961H5002H136H3069 8Then the Lord said to me,H1697H3068H559 9“Son of man, give the people this message from the Lord. “A sword, a sword is being sharpened and polished.H1121H120H5012H559H559H3068H559H2719H2719H2300H4803 10It is sharpened for terrible slaughter and polished to flash like lightning! Now will you laugh? Those far stronger than you have fallen beneath its power!

H2300H2874H2873H4178H1300H176H7797H3988H7626H1121H6086 11Yes, the sword is now being sharpened and polished; it is being prepared for the executioner.H5414H4803H3709H8610H2719H2300H4178H5414H3027H2026 12“Son of man, cry out and wail; pound your thighs in anguish, for that sword will slaughter my people and their leaders—everyone will die!H2199H3213H1121H120H5971H5387H3478H4048H413H2719H5971H5606H3409 13It will put them all to the test. What chance do they have?

says the Sovereign Lord.H974H3988H7626H5002H136H3069 14“Son of man, prophesy to them and clap your hands. Then take the sword and brandish it twice, even three times, to symbolize the great massacre, the great massacre facing them on every side.H1121H120H5012H5221H3709H3709H5221H2719H3717H7992H2719H2491H2719H1419H2491H2314 15Let their hearts melt with terror, for the sword glitters at every gate. It flashes like lightning and is polished for slaughter!H5414H19H2719H8179H3820H4127H4383H7235H253H6213H1300H4593H2874 16O sword, slash to the right, then slash to the left, wherever you will, wherever you want.H258H7760H3231H8041H575H6440H3259 17I, too, will clap my hands, and I will satisfy my fury. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H5221H3709H3709H2534H5117H3068H1696

Omens for Babylon’s King

18Then this message came to me from the Lord:H1697H3068H559 19“Son of man, make a map and trace two routes on it for the sword of Babylon’s king to follow. Put a signpost on the road that comes out of Babylon where the road forks into two—H1121H120H7760H8147H1870H2719H4428H894H935H8147H3318H259H776H1254H3027H1254H7218H1870H5892 20one road going to Ammon and its capital, Rabbah, and the other to Judah and fortified Jerusalem.H7760H1870H2719H935H7237H1121H5983H3063H3389H1219 21The king of Babylon now stands at the fork, uncertain whether to attack Jerusalem or Rabbah. He calls his magicians to look for omens. They cast lots by shaking arrows from the quiver. They inspect the livers of animal sacrifices.H4428H894H5975H517H1870H7218H8147H1870H7080H7081H2671H7043H7592H8655H7200H3516 22The omen in his right hand says, ‘Jerusalem!’ With battering rams his soldiers will go against the gates, shouting for the kill. They will put up siege towers and build ramps against the walls.H3225H7081H3389H7760H3733H6605H6310H7524H7311H6963H8643H7760H3733H8179H8210H5550H1129H1785 23The people of Jerusalem will think it is a false omen, because of their treaty with the Babylonians. But the king of Babylon will remind the people of their rebellion. Then he will attack and capture them.H7723H7080H5869H7650H7621H2142H5771H8610 24“Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Again and again you remind me of your sin and your guilt. You don’t even try to hide it! In everything you do, your sins are obvious for all to see. So now the time of your punishment has come!H559H136H3069H5771H2142H6588H1540H5949H2403H7200H2142H8610H3709 25“O you corrupt and wicked prince of Israel, your final day of reckoning is here!H2491H7563H5387H3478H3117H935H6256H5771H7093 26This is what the Sovereign Lord says. “Take off your jeweled crown, for the old order changes. Now the lowly will be exalted, and the mighty will be brought down.H559H136H3069H5493H4701H7311H5850H2063H1361H8217H8213H1364 27Destruction! Destruction! I will surely destroy the kingdom. And it will not be restored until the one appears who has the right to judge it. Then I will hand it over to him.H5754H5754H5754H7760H935H4941H5414

A Message for the Ammonites

28“And now, son of man, prophesy concerning the Ammonites and their mockery. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord. “A sword, a sword is drawn for your slaughter. It is polished to destroy, flashing like lightning!H1121H120H5012H559H559H136H3069H1121H5983H2781H559H2719H2719H6605H2874H4803H398H1300 29Your prophets have given false visions, and your fortune-tellers have told lies. The sword will fall on the necks of the wicked for whom the day of final reckoning has come.H2372H7723H7080H3577H5414H6677H2491H7563H3117H935H6256H5771H7093 30“Now return the sword to its sheath, for in your own country, the land of your birth, I will pass judgment upon you.H7725H8593H8199H4725H1254H776H4351 31I will pour out my fury on you and blow on you with the fire of my anger. I will hand you over to cruel men who are skilled in destruction.H8210H2195H6315H784H5678H5414H3027H1197H582H2796H4889 32You will be fuel for the fire, and your blood will be spilled in your own land. You will be utterly wiped out, your memory lost to history, for I, the Lord, have spoken!”H402H784H1818H8432H776H2142H3068H1696