1 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 ` Son of man, set thy face unto Jerusalem, and prophesy unto the holy places, and prophesy unto the ground of Israel;

“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, preach against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel;

3 a nd thou hast said unto the ground of Israel: Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I against thee, And have brought out My sword from its scabbard, And have cut off from thee righteous and wicked.

and 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 both righteous and wicked from you.

4 B ecause that I have cut off from thee righteous and wicked, Therefore go out doth My sword from its scabbard, Unto all flesh, from south to north.

Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north,

5 A nd known have all flesh that I, Jehovah, Have brought out My sword from its scabbard, It doth not turn back any more.

that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore.”’

6 A nd thou, son of man, sigh with breaking of loins, yea, with bitterness thou dost sigh before their eyes,

Sigh therefore, son of man, with a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes.

7 a nd it hath come to pass, when they say unto thee, For what art thou sighing? that thou hast said: Because of the report, for it is coming, And melted hath every heart, And feeble hath been all hands, And weak is every spirit, And all knees go -- waters, Lo, it is coming, yea, it hath been, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

8 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 ` Son of man, prophesy, and thou hast said, Thus said Jehovah, say: A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also polished.

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

10 S o as to slaughter a slaughter it is sharpened. So as to have brightness it is polished, Desire hath rejoiced the sceptre of my son, It is despising every tree.

Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter, Polished to flash like lightning! Should we then make mirth? It despises the scepter of My son, As it does all wood.

11 A nd he giveth it for polishing, For laying hold of by the hand. It is sharpened -- the sword -- and polished, To give it into the hand of a slayer.

And He has given it to be polished, That it may be handled; This sword is sharpened, and it is polished To be given into the hand of the slayer.’

12 C ry and howl, son of man, For it hath been among My people, It among all the princes of Israel, Cast unto the sword have been My people. Therefore strike on thy thigh,

“Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh.

13 B ecause a trier, And what if even the sceptre it is despising? It shall not be, an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

“Because it is a testing, And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter shall be no more, ” says the Lord God.

14 A nd thou, son of man, prophesy, And smite hand on hand, And bent is the sword a third time, The sword of the wounded! It the sword of the wounded -- the great one, That is entering the inner chamber to them.

“You therefore, son of man, prophesy, And strike your hands together. The third time let the sword do double damage. It is the sword that slays, The sword that slays the great men, That enters their private chambers.

15 T o melt the heart, and to multiply the ruins, By all their gates I have set the point of a sword. Ah, it is made for brightness, Wrapt up for slaughter.

I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, That the heart may melt and many may stumble. Ah! It is made bright; It is grasped for slaughter:

16 T ake possession of the right, place thyself at the left, Whither thy face is appointed.

“Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left— Wherever your edge is ordered!

17 A nd I also, I smite My hand on my hand, And have caused My fury to rest; I, Jehovah, have spoken.'

“I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

The word of the Lord came to me again, saying:

19 ` And thou, son of man, appoint for thee two ways, for the coming in of the sword of the king of Babylon; from one land they come forth, both of them, and a station prepare thou, at the top of the way of the city prepare.

“And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city.

20 A way appoint for the coming of the sword, Unto Rabbath of the sons of Ammon, And to Judah, in Jerusalem -- the fenced.

Appoint a road for the sword to go to Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem.

21 F or stood hath the king of Babylon at the head of the way, At the top of the two ways, to use divination, He hath moved lightly with the arrows, He hath asked at the teraphim, He hath looked on the liver.

For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.

22 A t his right hath been the divination -- Jerusalem, To place battering-rams, To open the mouth with slaughter, To lift up a voice with shouting, To place battering-rams against the gates, To pour out a mount, to build a fortification.

In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to lift the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall.

23 A nd it hath been to them as a false divination in their eyes, Who have sworn oaths to them, And he is causing iniquity to be remembered to be caught.

And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

24 T herefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of your causing your iniquity to be remembered, In your transgressions being revealed, For your sins being seen, in all your doings, Because of your being remembered, By the hand ye are caught.

“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 doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

25 A nd thou, wounded, wicked one, Prince of Israel, whose day hath come, In the time of the iniquity of the end!

‘Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end,

26 T hus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn aside the mitre, and bear away the crown, This -- not this -- the low make high, And the high make low.

thus says the Lord God: “Remove the turban, and take off the crown; Nothing shall remain the same. Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.

27 A n overturn, overturn, overturn, I make it, Also this hath not been till the coming of Him, Whose the judgment, and I have given it.

Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, Until He comes whose right it is, And I will give it to Him. ”’ A Sword Against the Ammonites

28 A nd thou, son of man, prophesy, and thou hast said: Thus said the Lord Jehovah concerning the sons of Ammon, and concerning their reproach: and thou hast said: A sword, a sword, open for slaughter, Polished to the utmost for brightness!

“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, Polished for slaughter, For consuming, for flashing—

29 I n the seeing for thee of a vain thing, In the divining for thee of a lie, To put thee on the necks of the wounded of the wicked, whose day hath come, In the time of the iniquity of the end.

While they see false visions for you, While they divine a lie to you, To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain Whose day has come, Whose iniquity shall end.

30 T urn back unto its scabbard, In the place where thou wast produced, In the land of thy birth I do judge thee.

‘Return it to its sheath. I will judge you In the place where you were created, In the land of your nativity.

31 A nd I have poured on thee Mine indignation, With fire of My wrath I blow against thee, And have given thee into the hand of brutish men -- artificers of destruction.

I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow against you with the fire of My wrath, And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to destroy.

32 T o the fire thou art for fuel, Thy blood is in the midst of the land, Thou art not remembered, For I, Jehovah, have spoken!'

You shall be fuel for the fire; Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. You shall not be remembered, For I the Lord have spoken.’”