1 ` And thou, son of man, take to thee a sharp weapon, the barber's razor thou dost take to thee, and thou hast caused to pass over thy head, and over thy beard, and thou hast taken to thee weighing scales, and apportioned them.

“As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword. Use it to cut the hair from your head and face. Then weigh and divide the hair.

2 A third part with fire thou dost burn in the midst of the city, at the fulness of the days of the siege; and thou hast taken the third part, thou dost smite with a weapon round about it; and the third part thou dost scatter to the wind, and a weapon I draw out after them.

A third part you must burn in the fire in the center of the city, when the days of the battle are completed. Then take a third part and cut it up with your sword as you move around the city. And a third part you must throw to the wind. For I will pull out a sword behind them.

3 A nd thou hast taken thence a few in number -- and hast bound them in thy skirts;

Take a small number of the hairs and tie them in the cloth of your coat.

4 a nd of them thou dost take again, and hast cast them unto the midst of the fire, and hast burned them in the fire -- out of it cometh forth a fire unto all the house of Israel.

Take some more of them and throw them into the fire, and burn them up. A fire will spread from there to all the people of Israel.

5 T hus said the Lord Jehovah: this Jerusalem, In the midst of the nations I have set her, And round about her the lands.

The Lord God says, ‘This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with lands around her.

6 A nd she changeth My judgments into wickedness more than the nations, And My statutes more than the lands that round about her, For against My judgments they have kicked, And My statutes -- they have not walked in them.

But she has turned against My Laws worse than the nations and the lands around her. The people of Jerusalem have turned away from My Laws and have not obeyed them.’

7 T herefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because of your multiplying above the nations that around you, In My statutes ye have not walked, And My judgments ye have not done, According to the judgments of the nations That round about you ye have not done.

So the Lord God says, ‘You have been more sinful than the nations around you. You have not walked in My Laws or kept them. You have not even kept Laws like the nations around you have. Because you have acted this way,’

8 T herefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I against thee, even I, And I have done in thy midst judgments, Before the eyes of the nations.

the Lord God says, ‘I Myself am against you, and I will punish you in the eyes of the nations.

9 A nd I have done in thee that which I have not done, And that which I do not its like again, Because of all thine abominations.

Because of all the things you have done which I hate, I will do with you what I have never done before, and what I will never do again.

10 T herefore fathers do eat sons in thy midst, And sons eat their fathers, And I have done in thee judgments, And have scattered all thy remnant to every wind.

Fathers will eat their sons among you, and sons will eat their fathers. I will punish you and divide you, and spread to every wind those of you who are left.

11 T herefore, I live -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah: Because My sanctuary thou hast defiled, With all thy detestable things, And with all thine abominations, Mine eye pitieth not, and I also spare not. Do not even I also diminish?

You have made My holy place unclean with all your hated objects of worship and sinful ways. So as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘for sure I will turn away from you. My eye will have no pity and I will punish all of you.

12 T hy third part -- by pestilence they die, And by famine are consumed in thy midst, And the third part, by sword they fall round about thee, And the third part, to every wind I scatter, And a sword I draw out after them.

One third of you will die by disease or be destroyed by hunger among you. A third will be killed by the sword around you. And a third I will spread to every wind, and go after them with a sword.

13 A nd completed hath been Mine anger, And I have caused My fury to rest on them, And I have been comforted, And they have known that I, Jehovah, have spoken in My zeal, In My completing My fury on them.

‘This is how My anger will stop. I will cause My anger to be upon them, and I will be comforted. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have spoken in My jealousy when I have sent My anger upon them.

14 A nd I give thee for a waste, And for a reproach among nations that round about thee, Before the eyes of every passer by.

I will make you a waste and a shame among the nations around you, in the eyes of all who pass by.

15 A nd it hath been a reproach and a reviling, An instruction and an astonishment, To nations that round about thee, In My doing in thee judgments, In anger and fury, and in furious reproofs, I, Jehovah, have spoken.

You will be a shame, and people will speak against you. You will show people the danger of sinning and fill the nations around you with fear, when I punish you in anger and with angry words. I, the Lord, have spoken.

16 I n My sending the evil arrows of famine among them, That have been for destruction, That I send to destroy you, And famine I am adding upon you, And I have broken to you the staff of bread.

I will keep you from getting food. I will make your hunger worse, and take away the bread you need.

17 A nd I have sent on you famine and evil beasts, And they have bereaved thee, And pestilence and blood pass over on thee, And a sword I do bring in against thee, I, Jehovah, have spoken!'

I will send hunger and wild animals against you, and they will take away your children. Disease and death will pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”