Ezekiel 21:8-27

8And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:’ Say, ‘1A sword, a sword sharpened And also polished!10Sharpened to make a 2slaughter, Polished 3to flash like lightning!’ Or shall we rejoice, the 4rod of My son 5despising 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. 126Cry out and wail, son of man; for it is against My people, it is against all the 7officials of Israel. They are turned over to the sword with My people, therefore 8slap your thigh. 13For there is a testing; and what if even the 9rod 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 10doubled the third time, the sword for the slain. It is the sword for the great one slain, which surrounds them, 15so that their 11hearts will waver, and many 12fall at all their 13gates. 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 14edge is ordered. 17I will also clap My hands, and I will 15satisfy My wrath; I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 19“Now as for you, son of man, 1617make two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to come; both of them will go out of one land. And 18make a signpost; 19make it at the head of the way to the city. 20You shall 20mark a way for the sword to come to 21Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and to Judah into 22fortified Jerusalem. 21For the king of Babylon stands at the 23parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use 24divination; he 25shakes the arrows, he consults the 2627household idols, he looks at the liver. 22Into his right hand came the divination, ‘Jerusalem,’ to 28set up battering rams, to open the mouth 29for 30slaughter, to raise the voice with a battle cry, to set up battering rams against the gates, to pile up assault ramps, to build a siege wall. 23And it will be to them like a false divination in their eyes; 31they have sworn solemn oaths. But he 32makes guilt known, so that they may be seized.

24“Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have made your guilt known, in that your offenses are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins are seen--because you have come to mind, you will be seized by the hand. 25And you, slain, wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose 33day has come, in the time of the 34punishment of the end,’ 26this is what the Lord God says: ‘Remove the 35turban and take off the 36crown; this will 37no longer be the same. 38Exalt that which is low, and humble that which is high. 2739Ruins, ruins, ruins, I will make it! This also will be no longer until 40He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’