1 A nd the word of the Lord came to me saying,

And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2 “ Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel;

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

3 a nd say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

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 B ecause I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north.

Seeing that I will 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 T hus all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again.”’

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

6 A s for you, son of man, groan with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight.

Sigh then, thou son of man; with breaking of the loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.

7 A nd when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming; and every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will happen,’ declares the Lord God.”

And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore dost thou sigh? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall languish, and all knees shall melt into water: behold, it cometh; it is here, saith the Lord Jehovah.

8 A gain the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

9 “ Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say, ‘ A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!

Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.

10 ‘ Sharpened to make a slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning!’ Or shall we rejoice, the rod of My son despising every tree?

It is sharpened for sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter. Shall we then make mirth, The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood?

11 I t is given to be polished, that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

And he hath given it to be furbished that it may be handled. The sword,—it is sharpened, and it is furbished to give it into the hand of the slayer.

12 C ry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people, therefore strike your thigh.

Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be against my people, it shall be against all the princes of Israel: they are given up to the sword along with my people: smite therefore upon the thigh.

13 F or there is a testing; and what if even the rod which despises will be no more?” declares the Lord God.

For the trial; and what if even the contemning sceptre shall be no ? saith the Lord Jehovah.

14 “ You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them,

And thou, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; for the sword shall be doubled the third time: it is the sword of the slain, the sword that hath slain the great one, which encompasseth them privily.

15 t hat their hearts may melt, and many fall at all their gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter.

In order that the heart may melt, and the stumbling-blocks be multiplied, I have set the threatening sword against all their gates: ah! it is made glittering, it is whetted for the slaughter.

16 S how yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your edge is appointed.

Gather up, go to the right hand, turn thee, go to the left, whithersoever thy face is appointed.

17 I will also clap My hands together, and I will appease My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.” The Instrument of God’s Judgment

And I myself will smite my hands together, and I will satisfy my fury: I Jehovah have spoken.

18 T he word of the Lord came to me saying,

And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

19 “ As for you, son of man, make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And make a signpost; make it at the head of the way to the city.

And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come—out of one land shall they both come—and make thee a signpost, make it at the head of the way to the city.

20 Y ou shall mark a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into fortified Jerusalem.

Appoint a way for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah at the fenced of Jerusalem.

21 F or the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination; he shakes the arrows, he consults the household idols, he looks at the liver.

For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shaketh arrows, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.

22 I nto his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to set battering rams, to open the mouth for slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall.

In his right hand is the lot of Jerusalem to appoint battering-rams, to open the mouth for bloodshed, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering-rams against the gates, to cast mounds, to build siege-towers.

23 A nd it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; they have sworn solemn oaths. But he brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.

And this shall be a false divination in their sight, for them that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

24 “ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand.

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 appear; because ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

25 A nd you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the punishment of the end,’

And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, at the time of the iniquity of the end,

26 t hus says the Lord God, ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will no longer be the same. Exalt that which is low and abase that which is high.

—thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre and take off the crown; what is shall be no. Exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.

27 A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’

I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it.

28 “ And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it to consume, that it may be like lightning—

And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus speaketh the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, A sword, a sword is drawn; for the slaughter is it furbished, that it may consume, that it may glitter:

29 w hile they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the time of the punishment of the end.

whilst they see vanity for thee, whilst they divine a lie unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day is come at the time of the iniquity of the end.

30 R eturn it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you.

Restore to its sheath. I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy birth.

31 I will pour out My indignation 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 in destruction.

And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow upon thee the fire of my wrath, and give thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy.

32 Y ou will be fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt not be remembered: for I Jehovah have spoken.