耶和華審判的刀

21 耶和華對我說: 「人子啊,你要面向耶路撒冷,說預言斥責以色列和聖所, 告訴以色列,耶和華這樣說,『我要與你為敵,我要拔刀將你那裡的義人和惡人一同消滅, 從南到北不留一人, 使世人都知道我耶和華已拔刀出鞘,不再收回。』 人子啊,你要在他們面前哀歎,要傷心欲絕地哀歎。 如果有人問你為什麼哀歎,你就說有噩耗傳來,聽見的人都膽戰心驚、兩手發軟、精神萎靡、膝弱如水。災難必很快發生。這是主耶和華說的。」

耶和華對我說: 「人子啊,你要說預言,告訴他們,耶和華這樣說,

『有一把刀,
有一把刀磨快擦亮了,
10 磨得鋒利,為要殺戮,
擦得亮如閃電。

我們豈能因我兒的權杖而快樂?這刀鄙視一切權杖。 11 這刀已交給人去擦亮,好握在手中,這刀已磨快擦亮,預備交給屠殺的人。 12 人子啊,號啕大哭吧,因為這刀要攻擊我的子民和所有以色列的首領,他們都要死於刀下。所以你要捶胸頓足。 13 這刀必試驗他們,這刀所鄙視的權杖若不復存在,怎麼辦呢?這是主耶和華說的。』

14 「人子啊,你要拍掌對他們說預言,你要拿刀揮舞兩三次,預示這刀要從四面八方大肆殺戮, 15 使他們嚇得肝膽俱裂,許多人倒在家門口。我已賜下這亮如閃電的刀,用來殺戮。 16 刀啊,你要左砍右劈,大肆殺戮。 17 我要拍掌,我的烈怒要平息。這是我耶和華說的。」

18 耶和華對我說: 19 「人子啊,你要為巴比倫王的刀畫出兩條進攻之路,兩條路要從一個地方出發,要在通往城邑的路口設路標。 20 一條路通往亞捫的拉巴城,一條路通往猶大的堅城耶路撒冷。 21 巴比倫王將站在兩路的岔口,搖籤求問他的神像,察看祭牲的肝。 22 他右手拿到的是攻打耶路撒冷的籤,於是,他用撞城錘來攻耶路撒冷的城門,廝殺吶喊,建壘築臺圍攻城池。 23 猶大人必認為這是虛假的徵兆。他們曾向巴比倫王發誓效忠,但巴比倫王要使他們想起自己的罪,並擄走他們。

24 「主耶和華說,『因為你們的過犯昭然若揭,你們的罪惡表露無遺,因此,你們必遭擄掠。 25 你這邪惡敗壞的以色列首領啊!你的結局到了,審判你的日子來了。』 26 主耶和華說,『取下你的頭巾,摘下你的冠冕吧,時局轉變了。要提拔卑微的,貶抑高貴的。 27 毀滅,毀滅,我要毀滅這國,使它蕩然無存,直到那應得的人來到後,這國才能得到重建,我要把這國交給他。』

28 「人子啊,你要說有關亞捫人及其恥辱的預言,告訴他們,主耶和華說,『有刀,有刀已出鞘,為要殺戮;它亮如閃電,要行毀滅。 29 有關你們的異象和占卜是虛假的,你們將與其他惡人一同被殺,因為你們的結局到了,審判你們的日子來了。 30 你們要收刀入鞘,我要在你們的家鄉,在你們的出生之地審判你們, 31 我要把烈怒倒在你們身上,將我的怒火噴在你們身上,把你們交在嗜殺成性的惡徒手中, 32 你們必被當作柴焚燒,你們的血必流在自己的土地上,無人再記得你們。因為這是我耶和華說的。』」

21 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:

10 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.

11 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.

12 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.

13 Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord God.

14 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.

15 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.

16 Go thee one way or other, either on the right hand, or on the left, whithersoever thy face is set.

17 I will also smite mine hands together, and I will cause my fury to rest: I the Lord have said it.

18 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying,

19 Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city.

20 Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.

21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver.

22 At his right hand was the divination for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering rams against the gates, to cast a mount, and to build a fort.

23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, to them that have sworn oaths: but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.

24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because, I say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

25 And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end,

26 Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high.

27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.

28 And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering:

29 Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wicked, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall have an end.

30 Shall I cause it to return into his sheath? I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy nativity.

31 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy.

32 Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt be no more remembered: for I the Lord have spoken it.

Babylon, the Sword of God

21 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (A)“Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem, (B)preach[a] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel; and say to the land of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am (C)against you, and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off both (D)righteous and wicked from you. Because I will cut off both righteous and wicked from you, therefore My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh (E)from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it (F)shall not return anymore.” ’ (G)Sigh therefore, son of man, with [b]a breaking heart, and sigh with bitterness before their eyes. And it shall be when they say to you, ‘Why are you sighing?’ that you shall answer, ‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, (H)all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ Say:

(I)‘A sword, a sword is sharpened
And also polished!
10 Sharpened to make a dreadful slaughter,
Polished to flash like lightning!
Should we then make mirth?
It despises the scepter of My son,
As it does all wood.
11 And He has given it to be polished,
That it may be handled;
This sword is sharpened, and it is polished
To be given into the hand of (J)the slayer.’

12 “Cry and wail, son of man;
For it will be against My people,
Against all the princes of Israel.
Terrors including the sword will be against My people;
Therefore (K)strike your thigh.

13 “Because it is (L)a testing,
And what if the sword despises even the scepter?
(M)The scepter shall be no more,

says the Lord God.

14 “You therefore, son of man, prophesy,
And (N)strike your hands together.
The third time let the sword do double damage.
It is the sword that slays,
The sword that slays the great men,
That enters their (O)private chambers.
15 I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
That the heart may melt and many may stumble.
Ah! (P)It is made bright;
It is grasped for slaughter:

16 “Swords(Q)[c] at the ready!
Thrust right!
Set your blade!
Thrust left—
Wherever your [d]edge is ordered!

17 “I also will (R)beat My fists together,
And (S)I will cause My fury to rest;
I, the Lord, have spoken.”

18 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: 19 “And son of man, appoint for yourself two ways for the sword of the king of Babylon to go; both of them shall go from the same land. Make a sign; put it at the head of the road to the city. 20 Appoint a road for the sword to go to (T)Rabbah of the Ammonites, and to Judah, into fortified Jerusalem. 21 For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the [e]images, he looks at the liver. 22 In his right hand is the divination for Jerusalem: to set up battering rams, to call for a slaughter, to (U)lift the voice with shouting, (V)to set battering rams against the gates, to heap up a siege mound, and to build a wall. 23 And it will be to them like a false divination in the eyes of those who (W)have sworn oaths with them; but he will bring their iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.

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 doings your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

25 ‘Now to you, O (X)profane, wicked prince of Israel, (Y)whose day has come, whose iniquity shall end, 26 thus says the Lord God:

“Remove the turban, and take off the crown;
Nothing shall remain the same.
(Z)Exalt the humble, and humble the exalted.
27 [f]Overthrown, overthrown,
I will make it overthrown!
(AA)It shall be no longer,
Until He comes whose right it is,
And I will give it to (AB)Him.” ’

A Sword Against the Ammonites

28 “And you, son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God (AC)concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach,’ and say:

‘A sword, a sword is drawn,
Polished for slaughter,
For consuming, for flashing—
29 While they (AD)see false visions for you,
While they divine a lie to you,
To bring you on the necks of the wicked, the slain
(AE)Whose day has come,
Whose iniquity shall end.

30 ‘Return(AF) it to its sheath.
(AG)I will judge you
In the place where you were created,
(AH)In the land of your [g]nativity.
31 I will (AI)pour out My indignation on you;
I will (AJ)blow against you with the fire of My wrath,
And deliver you into the hands of brutal men who are skillful to (AK)destroy.
32 You shall be fuel for the fire;
Your blood shall be in the midst of the land.
(AL)You shall not be remembered,
For I the Lord have spoken.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 21:2 proclaim, lit. drop
  2. Ezekiel 21:6 Emotional distress, lit. the breaking of your loins
  3. Ezekiel 21:16 Lit. Sharpen yourself! or Unite yourself!
  4. Ezekiel 21:16 Lit. face
  5. Ezekiel 21:21 Heb. teraphim
  6. Ezekiel 21:27 Or Distortion, Ruin
  7. Ezekiel 21:30 Or origin

The Lord Has Drawn His Sword

21 [a] The word of the Lord came to me: (A)“Son of man, (B)set your face toward Jerusalem and (C)preach against the sanctuaries.[b] Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: (D)Behold, I am against you and will draw (E)my sword from its sheath and (F)will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. (G)And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn (H)my sword from its sheath; (I)it shall not be sheathed again.

“As for you, son of man, (J)groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, (K)groan before their eyes. (L)And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news (M)that it is coming. (N)Every heart will melt, and (O)all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and (P)all knees will be weak as water. (Q)Behold, it is (R)coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.

And the word of the Lord came to me: (S)“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:

(T)“A sword, a sword is sharpened
    and also polished,
10 (U)sharpened for slaughter,
    (V)polished to flash like lightning!

(Or (W)shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, (X)with everything of wood.)[c] 11 So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished (Y)to be given into the hand of the slayer. 12 (Z)Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. (AA)Strike therefore upon your thigh. 13 For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise (AB)the rod?”[d] declares the Lord God.

14 “As for you, (AC)son of man, prophesy. (AD)Clap your hands and let the sword come down twice, (AE)yes, three times,[e] the sword for those to be slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, 15 that their hearts may melt, and many stumble.[f] At all their gates I have given the glittering sword. Ah, it is made like lightning; (AF)it is taken up[g] for slaughter. 16 Cut sharply to the right; set yourself to the left, wherever your face is directed. 17 I also will (AG)clap my hands, (AH)and I will satisfy my fury; (AI)I the Lord have spoken.”

18 The word of the Lord came to me again: 19 “As for you, son of man, mark two ways for (AJ)the sword of the king of Babylon to come. Both of them shall come from the same land. And make (AK)a signpost; make it (AL)at the head of the way to a city. 20 Mark a way (AM)for the sword to come to Rabbah of the Ammonites and to Judah, into Jerusalem the fortified. 21 For the king of Babylon stands (AN)at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination. He shakes the arrows; he consults (AO)the teraphim;[h] he looks at the liver. 22 Into his right hand comes the divination for Jerusalem, (AP)to set battering rams, to open the mouth with murder, to lift up the voice with shouting, to set battering rams against the gates, (AQ)to cast up mounds, to build siege towers. 23 But to them it will seem like a false divination. (AR)They have sworn solemn oaths, but he brings their guilt to remembrance, (AS)that they may be taken.

24 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear—because you have come to remembrance, (AT)you shall be taken in hand. 25 And you, O profane[i] (AU)wicked one, prince of Israel, (AV)whose day has come, (AW)the time of your final punishment, 26 thus says the Lord God: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are. (AX)Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted. 27 A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. (AY)This also shall not be, (AZ)until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.

28 “And you, (BA)son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God (BB)concerning the Ammonites and concerning their reproach; say, (BC)A sword, a sword (BD)is drawn for the slaughter. (BE)It is polished to consume and to flash like lightning— 29 while (BF)they see for you false visions, while they divine lies for you—to place you on the necks of the profane wicked, (BG)whose day has come, the time of their final punishment. 30 (BH)Return it to its sheath. In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, (BI)I will judge you. 31 And (BJ)I will pour out my indignation upon you; (BK)I will blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and I will deliver you into the hands of (BL)brutish men, skillful to destroy. 32 You shall be fuel for the fire. Your blood shall be in the midst of the land. (BM)You shall be no more remembered, (BN)for I the Lord have spoken.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 21:1 Ch 21:6 in Hebrew
  2. Ezekiel 21:2 Some Hebrew manuscripts; compare Septuagint; Syriac against their sanctuary
  3. Ezekiel 21:10 Probable reading; Hebrew The rod of my son despises everything of wood
  4. Ezekiel 21:13 Or For it is a testing; and what if even the rod despises? It shall not be!
  5. Ezekiel 21:14 Hebrew its third
  6. Ezekiel 21:15 Hebrew many stumbling blocks
  7. Ezekiel 21:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered taken up is uncertain
  8. Ezekiel 21:21 Or household idols
  9. Ezekiel 21:25 Or slain; also verse 29