Ezekiel 21:18-27

18The Lord gave this message to me:

19‘Son of man, make a mark on two roads for the king of Babylon to follow with his army. Both these roads must start from the same country. Put a sign at the place where the two roads go in separate directions.

20Show the two places that the roads go to. One road goes to Rabbah, the big city of the Ammonites. The other road goes to Judah and its strong city, Jerusalem.

21The king of Babylon will arrive at the place where the road goes in separate directions. He will try to decide which way to go. He will use magic to ask his gods to tell him. He will shake arrows in his hands. He will pray to his idols. He will look at the livers of animals.

22The arrow in his right hand shows him that he should go to Jerusalem. He will command his army to go and kill the people there. His soldiers will use heavy pieces of wood to knock down the walls and gates of the city. They will shout as they attack the city. They will build heaps of earth against the city's walls.

23The people in Jerusalem had promised to serve the king of Babylon. So they think that he will not attack them. But he will tell them about the wrong things that they have done. Because of that he will take them as his prisoners.

24So this is what the Almighty Lord says: You have shown everyone that you are guilty of many sins. Everything that you do shows your sins very clearly. Because you are guilty, your enemies will take you as their prisoners.

25I say this to you, wicked king of Israel. The time for your final punishment has now arrived.

26This is what the Almighty Lord says: Take off the special cloth from the king's head. Remove his crown! Everything will change! Give honour to humble people! Make proud people ashamed!

27I will cause your city to become a heap of stones. I will destroy the kingdom. This will happen when my chosen man comes. I have chosen him to punish the city. Then I will give him authority over the city, because it belongs to him.