“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:
That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.
Sigh therefore, thou son of man, with the breaking of thy loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God.
Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished:
It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree.
And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.
Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh.
Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord God.
Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together. and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.
I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.
Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.
I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the Lord have said it.” – Ezekiel 21: 1-17 (KJV)
1 The word of the Lord came to me.[a]
2 Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem. Preach against the sanctuaries, and prophesy against the land of Israel. 3 Say this to the land of Israel.
This is what the Lord says. Hear this! I am against you, and I will draw my sword out of its scabbard, and I will cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. 4 Because I have resolved to cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked, therefore my sword will come out of its scabbard against everyone from south to north. 5 Then all flesh will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword from its scabbard. It will not return to its sheath again. 6 Now you, son of man, groan as though you were doubled up in pain. Groan in front of them as though in bitter anguish. 7 When they ask you, “Why are you groaning?” say, “Because of the news that is coming.” Then every heart will melt, all hands will hang limp, and all knees will run with water.[b] It is coming, and it will take place, declares the Lord God.
8 The word of the Lord came to me.
9 Son of man, prophesy and say that this is what the Lord says.
A sword, a sword has been sharpened.
It has also been polished.
10 It has been made very sharp for slaughter.
It has been polished to flash like lightning.
So shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son?
The sword despises every such stick of wood.[c]
11 The sword has been set aside to be polished,
to be grasped by the hand.
It has been sharpened, and it has been polished,
to be put into the hand of a killer.
12 Cry out and wail, son of man,
because the sword is against my people.
It is against all the princes of Israel.
They have been thrown to the sword together with my people.
Therefore, slap your thigh.[d]
13 Yes, testing is sure to come.
What if the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more?[e]
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
14 Now you, son of man, prophesy.
Clap your hands together.[f]
Let the sword strike two times or even three.
It is a sword for those who are to be slain,
a sword for great slaughter,[g]
a sword that pursues even to the inner room,[h]
15 so that hearts melt,
and those who stumble will be many.
At all their gates I have placed the point[i] of the sword.
Yes, it is made to flash like lightning,
unsheathed for slaughter.
16 Slash to the right. Thrust to the left—
wherever your blade is directed.
17 Then I myself will clap my hands.[j]
I will bring my wrath to an end.
I, the Lord, have spoken. – Ezekiel 21:1-17 (EHV)
Footnotes:
[a] Ezekiel 21:1 English verses 21:1-32 are 21:6-37 in Hebrew.
[b] Ezekiel 21:7 Terror will cause them to wet themselves.
[c] Ezekiel 21:10 This line seems to interrupt the Lord’s poem, which resumes in the next verse. The verse is difficult, and the meaning is uncertain. It seems to mean that no king of Judah can stand before the sword of Babylon. See verse 13.
[d] Ezekiel 21:12 Apparently an expression of grief
[e] Ezekiel 21:13 The verse is difficult, and the meaning is uncertain. It seems to be asking, “When the kings of Judah have been destroyed, how can the promise to David come true?” See verse 10 and verse 27.
[f] Ezekiel 21:14 Apparently a signal to begin the slaughter. Compare 21:17.
[g] Ezekiel 21:14 Or to slaughter the great
[h] Ezekiel 21:14 The meaning of this line is uncertain.
[i] Ezekiel 21:15 The meaning of this word is uncertain.
[j] Ezekiel 21:17 To signal the end of the slaughter