Ezekiel 20:45–21:32

Fire in the South

^45lThe word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶“Son of man, face the south and preach against it. Prophesy against the forest land in the Negev, ^m47and say to the forest there: Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says: I am about to ignite a fire in you, and it will devour every green tree and every dry tree in you. The blazing flame will not be extinguished, and every face from the south to the north will be scorched by it. ⁴⁸Then all people will see that I, Yahweh, have kindled it. ⁿIt will not be extinguished.”

⁴⁹Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, they are saying of me, ‘Isn’t he just posing riddles?’ ” ^o

God’s Sword of Judgment

21^pThe word of the Lord came to me again: ²“Son of man, turn your face toward ^qJerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel, ³and say to it: This is what the Lord says: I am against you. ^rI will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you. ⁴Since I will cut off ^sboth the righteous and the wicked, My sword will therefore come out of its sheath against everyone from the south to the north. ^t5So all the people will know that I, Yahweh, have taken My sword from its sheath—it will not be sheathed again. ^u

⁶“But you, son of man, groan! Groan bitterly with a broken heart ^vright before their eyes. ⁷And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ then say: Because of the news that is coming. ^wEvery heart will melt, and every hand will become weak. Every spirit will be discouraged, and every knee will turn to water. Yes, it is coming and it will happen.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

⁸The word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“Son of man, prophesy: This is what the Lord says! You are to proclaim:

A sword! ^xA sword is sharpened

and also polished. ^y

¹⁰It is sharpened for slaughter,

polished to flash like lightning!

Should we rejoice?

The scepter of My son,

the sword despises every tree. ^z

¹¹The sword is given to be polished,

to be grasped in the hand.

It is sharpened, and it is polished,

to be put in the hand of the slayer. ^a

¹²Cry out and wail, son of man,

for it is against My people.

It is against all the princes of Israel!

They are given over to the sword with My people.

Therefore strike your thigh in grief. ^b

¹³Surely it will be a trial!

And what if the sword despises even the scepter?

The scepter will not continue. ^c

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

¹⁴Therefore, son of man, prophesy

and clap your hands together. ^d

Let the sword strike two times, even three.

It is a sword for massacre,

a sword for great massacre—

it surrounds ^ethem!

¹⁵I have appointed a sword ^ffor slaughter ^g

at all their gates,

so that their hearts may melt

and many may stumble.

Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning; ^h

it is drawn ⁱfor slaughter.

¹⁶Slash to the right;

turn to the left—

wherever your blade is directed.

¹⁷I also will clap My hands together,

and I will satisfy My wrath. ^j

I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

¹⁸Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁹“Now you, son of man, mark out two roads that the sword of Babylon’s king can take. Both of them should originate from the same land. And make a signpost at the fork in the road to each city. ²⁰Mark out a road that the sword can take to Rabbah of the Ammonites ^kand to Judah into fortified Jerusalem. ²¹For the king of Babylon stands at the split in the road, at the fork of the two roads, to practice divination: he shakes the arrows, consults the idols, and observes the liver. ²²The answer marked ^lJerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, ^mgive the order to ⁿslaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall. ²³It will seem like false divination in the eyes of those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, ^opbut it will draw attention to their guilt so that they will be captured.

²⁴“Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.

²⁵And you, profane and wicked prince of Israel, ^qr

the day has come ^s

for your punishment.” ^t

²⁶This is what the Lord God says:

Remove the turban, and take off the crown.

Things will not remain as they are; ^u

exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted. ^v

²⁷A ruin, a ruin,

I will make it a ruin!

Yet this will not happen

until He comes; ^w

I have given the judgment to Him. ^x

²⁸“Now prophesy, son of man, and say: This is what the Lord God says concerning the Ammonites and their contempt. You are to proclaim:

A sword! A sword

is drawn for slaughter,

polished to consume, ^yto flash like lightning.

²⁹While they offer false visions ^z

and lying divinations about you,

the time has come to put you

to the necks of the profane wicked ones;

the day has come

for your punishment. ^a

³⁰Return it to its sheath! ^b

I will judge you ^c

in the place where you were created,

in the land of your origin.

³¹I will pour out My indignation on you;

I will blow the fire of My fury on you. ^d

I will hand you over to brutal men,

skilled at destruction.

³²You will be fuel for the fire.

Your blood will be spilled in the land.

You will not be remembered, ^e

for I, Yahweh, have spoken.”