Ezekiel 21

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

21^aThe word of the Lord came to me:^{w 2}“Son of man, set your face against^x Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.^y Prophesy against^z the land of Israel ³and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.^a I will draw my sword^b from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.^{c 4}Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword^d will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.^{e 5}Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword^f from its sheath; it will not return^g again.’^h

⁶“Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.^{i 7}And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?^j’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear^k and every hand go limp;^l every spirit will become faint^m and every leg will be wet with urine.’ⁿ It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

⁸The word of the Lord came to me: ⁹“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘A sword, a sword,

sharpened and polished—

¹⁰sharpened for the slaughter,^o

polished to flash like lightning!

“ ‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.^p

¹¹“ ‘The sword is appointed to be polished,^q

to be grasped with the hand;

it is sharpened and polished,

made ready for the hand of the slayer.

¹²Cry out and wail, son of man,

for it is against my people;

it is against all the princes of Israel.

They are thrown to the sword

along with my people.

Therefore beat your breast.^r

¹³“ ‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’

¹⁴“So then, son of man, prophesy

and strike your hands^s together.

Let the sword strike twice,

even three times.

It is a sword for slaughter—

a sword for great slaughter,

closing in on them from every side.^t

¹⁵So that hearts may melt with fear^u

and the fallen be many,

I have stationed the sword for slaughter^b

at all their gates.

Look! It is forged to strike like lightning,

it is grasped for slaughter.^v

¹⁶Slash to the right, you sword,

then to the left,

wherever your blade is turned.

¹⁷I too will strike my hands^w together,

and my wrath^x will subside.

I the Lord have spoken.^y”

¹⁸The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁹“Son of man, mark out two roads for the sword^z of the king of Babylon to take, both starting from the same country. Make a signpost^a where the road branches off to the city. ²⁰Mark out one road for the sword to come against Rabbah of the Ammonites^b and another against Judah and fortified Jerusalem. ²¹For the king of Babylon will stop at the fork in the road, at the junction of the two roads, to seek an omen: He will cast lots^c with arrows, he will consult his idols,^d he will examine the liver.^{e 22}Into his right hand will come the lot for Jerusalem, where he is to set up battering rams, to give the command to slaughter, to sound the battle cry,^f to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp^g and to erect siege works.^{h 23}It will seem like a false omen to those who have sworn allegiance to him, but he will remindⁱ them of their guilt^j and take them captive.

²⁴“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.

²⁵“ ‘You profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come,^k whose time of punishment has reached its climax,^{l 26}this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Take off the turban, remove the crown.^m It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low.^{n 27}A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! The crown will not be restored until he to whom it rightfully belongs shall come;^o to him I will give it.’^p

²⁸“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says about the Ammonites^q and their insults:

“ ‘A sword,^r a sword,

drawn for the slaughter,

polished to consume

and to flash like lightning!

²⁹Despite false visions concerning you

and lying divinations^s about you,

it will be laid on the necks

of the wicked who are to be slain,

whose day has come,

whose time of punishment has reached its climax.^t

³⁰“ ‘Let the sword return to its sheath.^u

In the place where you were created,

in the land of your ancestry,^v

I will judge you.

³¹I will pour out my wrath on you

and breathe^w out my fiery anger^x against you;

I will deliver you into the hands of brutal men,

men skilled in destruction.^y

³²You will be fuel for the fire,^z

your blood will be shed in your land,

you will be remembered^a no more;

for I the Lord have spoken.’ ”