Ezekiel 21:1-17

11And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, 2set your face against Jerusalem, and 34speak prophetically against the sanctuaries and prophesy against the land of Israel; 3and say to the land of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, 5I am against you; and I will draw My sword from 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 out from its sheath against 78humanity from south to north. 5So 9humanity will know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword from its sheath. It will 10not return to its sheath again.”’ 6As for you, son of man, groan with 11a breaking heart and bitter grief; you shall groan in their sight. 7And when they say to you, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the 12news, for it is coming; and 13every heart will melt, all hands will go limp, every spirit will be disheartened, and all 14knees will drip with water. Behold, it is coming and it will happen,’ declares the Lord 15God.”

8And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:’ Say, ‘16A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!10Sharpened to make a 17slaughter, Polished 18to flash like lightning!’ Or shall we rejoice, the 19rod of My son 20despising every tree? 11And it is given to be polished, so that it may be handled; the sword is sharpened and polished, to hand it over to the slaughterer. 1221Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the 22officials of Israel. They are turned over to the sword with My people, therefore 23slap your thigh. 13For there is a testing; and what if even the 24rod which despises will cease to be?” declares the Lord God.

14“You therefore, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands; and let the sword be 25doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, 15so that their 26hearts will waver, and many 27fall at all their 28gates. I have granted the slaughter of the sword. Oh! It is made for striking like lightning, it is sharpened in readiness for slaughter. 16Prove yourself sharp, go to the right; set yourself; go to the left, wherever your 29edge is ordered. 17I will also clap My hands, and I will 30satisfy My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.”