Ezekiel 21:8-27

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! A sword is sharpened and also polished.

10It is sharpened for slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! Should we rejoice? The scepter of my son, the sword despises every tree.

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.’

12“Cry 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.

13Surely it will be a trial! And what if the sword despises even the scepter? The scepter will not continue.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

14“So you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together: Let the sword strike two times, even three. It is a sword for massacre, a sword for great massacre — it surrounds them!

15I have appointed a sword for slaughter at all their gates, so that their hearts may melt and many may stumble. Yes! It is ready to flash like lightning; it is drawn for 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. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18The 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 and 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 Jerusalem appears in his right hand, indicating that he should set up battering rams, give the order to slaughter, raise a battle cry, set battering rams against the gates, build a ramp, and construct a siege wall.

23It will seem like false divination to those who have sworn an oath to the Babylonians, but 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, the day has come for your punishment.

26“This is what the Lord God says: Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are; exalt the lowly and bring down the exalted.

27A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! Yet this will not happen until he comes; I have given the judgment to him.