Ezekiel 21

Parable of the Sword of the Lord

11And the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2“Son of man, 2set your face toward Jerusalem, and 34speak against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel; 3and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, 5I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the 6righteous and the wicked. 4Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against 7all flesh from south to north. 5Thus all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will 8not return to its sheath again.”’ 6As for you, son of man, groan with breaking 9heart and bitter grief, groan in their sight. 7And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the 10news that is coming; and 11every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will 12faint and all knees will 13be weak as water. Behold, it comes and it will happen,’ declares the Lord 14God.”

8Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say, ‘15A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!10Sharpened to make a 16slaughter, Polished 17to flash like lightning!’ Or shall we rejoice, the 18rod of My son 19despising every tree? 11It is given to be polished, that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. 1220Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the 21officials of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with My people, therefore strike your thigh. 13For there is a testing; and what if even the 22rod which despises will be no more?” declares the Lord God.

14“You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together; and let the sword be 23doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, 15that their 24hearts may melt, and many 25fall at all their 26gates. I have given the glittering sword. Ah! It is made for striking like lightning, it is wrapped up in readiness for slaughter. 1627Show yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your 28edge is appointed. 17I will also clap My hands together, and I will 2930appease My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The Instrument of God’s Judgment

18The word of the Lord came to me saying, 19“As for you, son of man, 3132make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And 33make a signpost; 34make it at the head of the way to the city. 20You shall 35mark a way for the sword to come to 36Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into 37fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon stands at the 38parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use 39divination; he 40shakes the arrows, he consults the 4142household idols, he looks at the liver. 22Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to 43set battering rams, to open the mouth 44for slaughter, to lift up the voice with a battle cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to cast up ramps, to build a siege wall. 23And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; 45they have sworn solemn oaths. But he 46brings iniquity to remembrance, that they may be seized.

24“Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear--because you have come to remembrance, you will be seized with the hand. 25And you, O slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose 47day has come, in the time of the 48punishment of the end,’ 26thus says the Lord God, ‘Remove the turban and take off the 49crown; this will 50no longer be the same. 51Exalt that which is low and abase that which is high. 2752A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until 53He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’

28“And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God concerning the sons of Ammon and concerning their 54reproach,’ and say: ‘A sword, a sword is drawn, polished for the slaughter, to cause it 55to 56consume, that it may be like lightning-- 29while they see for you 57false visions, while they divine lies for you--to place you on the necks of the wicked who are slain, whose day has come, in the 58time of the 59punishment of the end. 3060Return it to its sheath. In the 61place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. 31I will 62pour out My indignation on you; I will 63blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, 6465skilled in destruction. 32You will be 6667fuel for the fire; your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will 68not be remembered, for I, the Lord, have spoken.’”