Ezekiel 21
1 And the
word of the
LORD came unto me,
saying,
2 Son of
man, set thy
face toward
Jerusalem, and
drop thy word toward the holy
places, and
prophesy against the
land of
Israel, 3 And
say to the
land of
Israel, Thus
saith the
LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw
forth my
sword out of his
sheath, and will cut
off from thee the
righteous and the
wicked. 4 Seeing then that I will cut
off from thee the
righteous and the
wicked, therefore shall my
sword go
forth out of his
sheath against all
flesh from the
south to the
north: 5 That all
flesh may
know that I the
LORD have drawn
forth my
sword out of his
sheath: it shall not
return any more.
6 Sigh therefore, thou
son of
man, with the
breaking of thy
loins; and with
bitterness sigh before their
eyes. 7 And it shall be, when they
say unto thee, Wherefore
sighest thou? that thou shalt
answer, For the
tidings; because it
cometh: 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
cometh, and shall be brought to
pass,
saith the
Lord GOD. 8 Again the
word of the
LORD came unto me,
saying,
9 Son of
man, prophesy, and
say, Thus
saith the
LORD; Say, A
sword, a
sword is
sharpened, and also
furbished:
10 It is
sharpened to make a
sore slaughter; it is
furbished that it may
glitter: should we then make
mirth? it
contemneth the
rod of my
son, as every
tree. 11 And he hath
given it to be
furbished, that it may be
handled: this
sword is
sharpened, and it is
furbished, to
give it into the
hand of the
slayer.
12 Cry and
howl,
son of
man: for it shall be upon my
people, it shall be upon all the
princes of
Israel: terrors by reason
of the
sword shall be upon my
people: smite therefore upon thy
thigh. 13 Because it is a
trial, and what if the sword
contemn even the
rod? it shall be no more,
saith the
Lord GOD. 14 Thou therefore,
son of
man, prophesy, and
smite thine
hands together, and let the
sword be
doubled the
third time, the
sword of the
slain: it is the
sword of the
great men that are
slain, which entereth into their privy
chambers.
15 I have
set the
point of the
sword against all their
gates, that their
heart may
faint, and their
ruins be
multiplied:
ah! it is
made bright, it is wrapped
up for the
slaughter. 16 Go thee one way or
other, either
on the right
hand, or on the
left,
whithersoever thy
face is
set.
17 I will also
smite mine
hands together, and I will cause my
fury to
rest: I the
LORD have
said it.
18 The
word of the
LORD came unto me again,
saying,
19 Also, thou
son of
man, appoint thee
two ways, that the
sword of the
king of
Babylon may
come: both
twain shall come
forth out of
one land: and
choose thou a
place, choose it at the
head of the
way to the
city. 20 Appoint a
way, that the
sword may
come to
Rabbath of the
Ammonites, and to
Judah in
Jerusalem the
defenced.
21 For the
king of
Babylon stood at the
parting of the
way, at the
head of the
two ways, to
use divination: he made his
arrows bright, he
consulted with
images, he
looked in the
liver. 22 At his right
hand was the
divination for
Jerusalem, to
appoint captains, to
open the
mouth in the
slaughter, to lift
up the
voice with
shouting, to
appoint battering
rams against the
gates, to
cast a
mount, and to
build a
fort. 23 And it shall be unto them as a
false divination in their
sight, to them that have
sworn oaths: but he will call to
remembrance the
iniquity, that they may be
taken.
24 Therefore thus
saith the
Lord GOD; Because ye have made your
iniquity to be
remembered, in that your
transgressions are
discovered, so that in all your
doings your
sins do
appear; because, I say, that ye are come to
remembrance, ye shall be
taken with the
hand. 25 And thou,
profane wicked prince of
Israel, whose
day is
come,
when iniquity shall have an
end, 26 Thus
saith the
Lord GOD; Remove the
diadem, and take
off the
crown: this shall not be the
same: exalt him that is
low, and
abase him that is
high. 27 I will
overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall
be no more, until he
come whose
right it is; and I will
give it him.
28 And thou,
son of
man, prophesy and
say, Thus
saith the
Lord GOD concerning the
Ammonites, and concerning their
reproach; even
say thou, The
sword, the
sword is
drawn: for the
slaughter it is
furbished, to
consume because of the
glittering: 29 Whiles they
see vanity unto thee, whiles they
divine a
lie unto thee, to
bring thee upon the
necks of them that are
slain, of the
wicked, whose
day is
come,
when their
iniquity shall have an
end. 30 Shall I cause it to
return into his
sheath? I will
judge thee in the
place where thou wast
created, in the
land of thy
nativity. 31 And I will pour
out mine
indignation upon thee, I will
blow against thee in the
fire of my
wrath, and
deliver thee into the
hand of
brutish men, and
skilful to
destroy. 32 Thou shalt be for
fuel to the
fire; thy
blood shall be in the
midst of the
land; thou shalt be no more
remembered: for I the
LORD have
spoken it.