1 Y ahweh’s word came to me, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 S on of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, and preach toward the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

“Son of man, look toward Jerusalem and speak against the holy places. Speak against the land of Israel.

3 a nd tell the land of Israel, Yahweh says: Behold, I am against you, and will draw my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked.

Tell the land of Israel, ‘The Lord says, “See, I am against you. I will take My sword out of its holder and destroy from you both the good and the sinful.

4 S eeing then that I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go out of its sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

Because I will destroy from you both the good and the sinful, My sword will go out against everyone from south to north.

5 a nd all flesh shall know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword out of its sheath; it shall not return any more.

Then all people will know that I, the Lord, have taken out My sword. It will not be put back into its holder again.”’

6 S igh therefore, you son of man; with the breaking of your thighs and with bitterness you will sigh before their eyes.

As for you, son of man, cry in sorrow in front of them, as if your heart is breaking.

7 I t shall be, when they tell you, Why do you sigh? that you shall say, Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Yahweh.

And when they ask you, ‘Why are you crying?’ tell them, ‘Because of the news that is coming, every heart will melt and all hands will be weak. Every spirit will lose its strength, and all knees will be as weak as water. It is coming, and it will happen,’ says the Lord God.”

8 Y ahweh’s word came to me, saying,

Again the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

9 S on of man, prophesy, and say, Yahweh says: Say, A sword, a sword, it is sharpened, and also furbished;

“Son of man, speak in My name and tell them, ‘The Lord says, “A sword, a sharp and shining sword!

10 i t is sharpened that it may make a slaughter; it is furbished that it may be as lightning: shall we then make mirth? the rod of my son, it condemns every tree.

It is made sharp to kill, and shined to look like lightning! Shall we have joy? It hates the special stick of My son, as it does all wood.

11 I t is given to be furbished, that it may be handled: the sword, it is sharpened, yes, it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the killer.

The sword is being shined to make it ready to use. It is made sharp and shiny, to be put into the hand of the killer.

12 C ry and wail, son of man; for it is on my people, it is on all the princes of Israel: they are delivered over to the sword with my people; strike therefore on your thigh.

Cry out in a loud voice, son of man, for the sword is against My people. It is against all the leaders of Israel. They are going to be killed with My people, so beat your upper leg in sorrow.

13 F or there is a trial; and what if even the rod that condemns shall be no more? says the Lord Yahweh.

They will be put to the test. If they do not turn from their sinful ways, these things will happen,” says the Lord God.’

14 Y ou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and strike your hands together; and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the deadly wounded: it is the sword of the great one who is deadly wounded, which enters into their rooms.

“So speak in My name, son of man, and clap your hands together. Let the sword that kills hit two, even three times. It is the sword that kills and is all around them,

15 I have set the threatening sword against all their gates, that their heart may melt, and their stumblings be multiplied: ah! it is made as lightning, it is pointed for slaughter.

so that they will lose their strength of heart, and many will be killed at all their gates. I have sent the shining sword. It is made to shine like lightning, and is ready to kill.

16 G ather yourselves together, go to the right, set yourselves in array, go to the left, wherever your face is set.

O sharp sword, cut to the left and to the right. Cut wherever you have been sent.

17 I will also strike my hands together, and I will cause my wrath to rest: I, Yahweh, have spoken it.

I will also clap My hands, and My anger will be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18 Y ahweh’s word came to me again, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to me saying,

19 A lso, you son of man, appoint two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; they both shall come out of one land: and mark out a place, mark it out at the head of the way to the city.

“Son of man, make two ways for the king of Babylon to come with his sword. Both of them will come from the same land. Mark the way where the road divides and goes to the city.

20 Y ou shall appoint a way for the sword to come to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah in Jerusalem the fortified.

Mark a way for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah into the strong city of Jerusalem.

21 F or the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shook the arrows back and forth, he consulted the teraphim, he looked in the liver.

For the king of Babylon stands where the road divides in two to use strange secret powers. He shakes the arrows and speaks with false gods, and looks at the liver.

22 I n his right hand was the lot for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up mounds, to build forts.

In his right hand is the arrow marked for Jerusalem. It tells him to set up objects to knock down the city walls, to call out the battle cry, to set up objects to break down the gates, and to build a wall of dirt and battle towers.

23 I t shall be to them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths to them; but he brings iniquity to memory, that they may be taken.

The people who promised to obey him will not believe this. But he will make them remember their guilt so that they may be taken.

24 T herefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you shall be taken with the hand.

So the Lord God says, ‘You have made your guilt to be remembered. Your sins are no longer covered, and everyone has seen the bad things you have done and remembers them. So you will be taken in battle.

25 Y ou, deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose day has come, in the time of the iniquity of the end,

And you, O bad and sinful one, the leader of Israel, the day of your punishment has come. Your sin will end.’

26 t hus says the Lord Yahweh: Remove the turban, and take off the crown; this will not be as it was; exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.

The Lord God says, ‘Take off the head-covering. Take off the crown. Things will not stay as they are. Honor that which is low. And bring down that which is honored.

27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it.

A waste, a waste. I will lay the city waste. It will be no more, until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’

28 Y ou, son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and say, A sword, a sword is drawn, for the slaughter it is furbished, to cause it to devour, that it may be as lightning;

“And you, son of man, speak in My name and tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says about the sons of Ammon and about their shame.’ Tell them, ‘A sword is pulled out ready to kill! It is made to shine like lightning!

29 w hile they see for you false visions, while they divine lies to you, to lay you on the necks of the wicked who are deadly wounded, whose day has come in the time of the iniquity of the end.

Even with the false dreams about you, and the lies spoken about you by using secret ways, you will be laid on the necks of the sinful who are killed, whose day has come for their last punishment.

30 C ause it to return into its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your birth, will I judge you.

Put your sword back into its holder. I will punish you in the place where you were made, in the land of your birth.

31 I will pour out my indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of my wrath; and I will deliver you into the hand of brutish men, skillful to destroy.

I will be angry with you. I will blow on you with the fire of My anger. And I will give you over to men who show no pity, who have been taught to destroy.

32 Y ou shall be for fuel to the fire; your blood shall be in the middle of the land; you shall be remembered no more: for I, Yahweh, have spoken it.

You will be destroyed by fire. You will be killed in your land, and you will not be remembered. For I, the Lord, have spoken.’”